Viana

Looks like it'll be two out with two further still to be discussed.

Quite impressed with the production quality on this tbf. Looks significantly more high grade than what we'd been doing previously.

"Decided by my bosses — but I agree with them." That's brutal

So as one deal breaks down Ashwroth agrees a bigger deal with someone else. This guy could flog horse shit to Jockeys

People scoffing at the Tonali fee seem misguided when you consider it costs 45m for Gallagher.

Anyone doing New Jersey on Friday?

It always saddened me that Francis wasn't a more prominent figure in the game in his later years given what he achieved as a player. I also didn't appreciate the mocking he received from Simon Jordan for his spell at Crystal Palace. Chris-Bart Williams just gives me pure nostalgia at pulling his name out of packet of Premier League stickers. Both will be sadly missed. RIP.

And what's wrong with that.

More just unfortunate. Burn is significantly better than Dummett in every way. It's more a reflection of our weakness at left back, and the fact he's 31.

Regardless of whether we're discussing selling him or not, Targett's issue is that he's not quick enough to be a threat in behind but he's also not quite technical enough to operate as a quarter back like Trippier.

I'll give you some context to better understand. - I don't see a huge disparity between Karius and Dubravka. If anything I thought Dubravka was quite poor last night, and we've just offered Karius a year extension, so I'd imagine we're keen to get him out so we have Pope, Karius and Gillespie as our three goalkeepers. Also our second best right back - in your opinion - is pulling in 50k a week. - As for right backs, I'd say Manquillo and Krafth are probably on par, and Manqiillo has played left back. We're heavily linked with Livramento so we're clearly prioritizing that as a position because we need depth. If we're doing that it's with a view to moving some people on because we can't keep what would be five right backs. - Because I appreciate that we're aspiring to stay in the top four and go higher and that will necessitate very difficult decisions. It means you're constantly looking to improve the squad. It's not me saying ship them out tomorrow they're shite, it's more that I see those are the next few players we'll likely try to replace. - I literally preface that group as being 'if we had time to replace them' I can't be more overt than that. I state I'd be ok letting them go if we could find the replacement. You're getting mad about something I haven't said. - I don't know how you can say that when we're selling ASM to Al-Ahli and Ashworth has made it clear player trading is a thing.

That's why I said if we can replace them in time. I like Burn a lot, same with Murphy and even Targett, but we're fast reaching the stage where we have to make difficult calls. Once you get past that first group I mentioned you're really talking about players that played a role last year. I'd imagine Dubravka will be on the way out as they'd likely prefer to have Gillespie as third choice given his home grown status. Yeah, but it's the hard calls we'll have to make.

He looked very sharp last night. A little pressing nightmare and a bit cleaner technically too.

I'd say there's two buckets here. Ones we're desperate to be rid of; Hendrick, Hayden, Fraser, Darlow, Lewis, Krafth, Dubravka. Ones I'd be content shipping out provided we have the time to replace them; Targett, Murphy, Dummett, Burn

I think the racism might have put him off Italy, although Turkey is far from ideal when it comes to that. In his pomp, Zaha was a player I begrudgingly admired because he was a lock for about 15 goals/assists a season which is impressive for someone that plays predominantly as a winger. Despite that I think Palace may have dodged a bullet here. Prior to last season there was only one season where he failed to break double figures for goal involvements. Last season he scored one league goal after mid-November and missed a lot of games through injury. I also think he's starting to slow down physically. He doesn't look as explosive nor does he look as dangerous when trying to take a man on. I appreciate there's always sentimentality at play in situations like this, but offering £200,000 a week for four years (roughly £41.5m) just doesn't feel in line with how that club is run.

Just pray he doesn't consider you his Callum Davidson.

Trying really hard to convince myself he's not the new Michael Carrick. Jokes aside, he looks canny. Good on the ball, eye for a pass, happy to run into space with the ball.

@brummie - How close is this to your best starting XI? Pau Torres and Diaby in ?

Double risky to do a high line with no VAR too. If we were in our usual 4-3-3 it might be a field day with those outside to inside runs Big Joey likes. Great man management by me with Anderson tbf.

Early thoughts. - Not convinced Isak was offside when he ran through. - Love Anderson, but I worry his finishing is what stops him being relied upon this season. - Bold to try a new formation against a side as well drilled as Villa. - First 20 has suited Villa because they've been able to hit on the break. I'm still curious to see how they handle teams that come and bunker in.

When it comes to reflecting on a player's time at the club I always try to consider the context of the moment. Like many fans, I think my club is a special one. At the same time, St James' Park is not like every stadium. It's a big place - and that's before you fill it up with fans. It can be a tough place to play, especially when we had Mike Ashley sabotaging the team at almost every turn. When Maxi signed we were in an emotional valley as fans. We'd lost a great manager and it was clear that mediocrity was a step above our aspirations. Maxi stood opposed to that. He's an entertainer. He kept you engaged in the team and the game, and at several times during the Bruce era, he threw the team on his back and carried us across the line. He didn't shirk the responsibility - he seemed to revel in it. He engaged with the fans in a way that felt authentic. I always felt like he appreciated us, and whether he did or not is irrelevant, because it's about how they make you feel. I hoped he could come on this journey with us because he has the talent. The fact we're going in different directions is sad, but I do wish him nothing but success because he was great entertainment and that's what this silly little game is about anyway.

As if Wraith is releasing a film on September 11 man.

I hope as fans we never stop appreciating Lascelles. He stepped into the first team at a time when it was full of chancers and wasters and demanded more from them and himself. He could have tried to jump ship that summer but stayed and helped us get promoted. He then kept us up despite the club self sabotaging in a bid to save a pound. Even after the takeover he played a part in us surviving and hasn't once kicked up a fuss while we've gone on this mad run. He might be more of a background figure now, but we were lucky to have him at the club during a shit spell.

Anniston in those early years of friends is just ridiculous.

He just doesn't put up with bull shit. It's why I think Spurs could be alright. Their last few managers have been tactically dogmatic and present themselves as an aspirational benchmark that the players have to climb toward. Failure to do so isn't met with an arm round the shoulder but a demand to be better. It's a very binary existence under them. Ange isn't that. He's more like Pochettino. He has the same aspiration of success but aims to lead the way. That's more well-aligned with a club like Spurs that don't have a history of success.