southernmag

You know what, that picture has swayed me. Wannabe gangsters covered in bling... do me a favour. Pass.

Good track record so far, admittedly. I just think it's high risk if that's your only strategy. Better to mix it with Huijsen style signings too.

Off the top of my head: - Numerous other clubs making signings already while we don't - apparent minimal interest in very good free transfers/low cost options - apparent (obviously very unconfirmed) interest in dubious targets like DCL - indications we want to resign Wilson, Ruddy etc - Eddie apparently not wanting to work with/listen to a DOF who likes signing cheaper continental talent - our DOF leaving after one year, at about the worst possible time - our CEO also leaving, again at a suboptimal time - similar lack of impetus at the same stage last summer Some of those assertions won't be correct. And I'm 60% confident we'll have a decent window. I just don't buy the whole "shut up it'll be fine", "poster x has this view, can you believe this guy!?", "if Eddie wants player x it's good enough for me" schtick.

It has, that's why I'm not in full pessimism mode. Yet.

The thing is, people in here bit the doubters heads off early last summer, and we know what a debacle/non event it indeed turned out to be. This summer is giving off at least as many warning signals. For what it's worth I think we will sign people, it'll just be almost exclusively Howe specials - PL/English talent for big money, with few if any low cost continental signings, and minimal clearing of the deadwood. Hope I'm wrong.

Not sure he has the attitude/work ethic to make it here, but tempting when he's free.

I read 'announcing Wilson' and got unreasonably angry.

Sign the heck out of him.

Thank you Nostradamus.

You might be less staggered if you make fewer assumptions about what people are saying. I'm not questioning whether we need a 'second striker' (aka a back up...), I'm questioning whether we need to spend 60 mill on one. You may think we do, but there's no need to be staggered by someone having an alternate opinion. The fact is there are far, far cheaper alternatives. Are there many better than Joao Pedro? Probably not, but that doesn't automatically mean we should just go and blow half our budget on a (pardon my profanity) back up. Would be nice if people could have different opinions on here (and negative thoughts about our club in some areas) without those opinions staggering people.

Signing a back up forward for 60m plus is not clever business IMO. We can't play the PSR victim and then make moves like this.

We only want players for 30m plus.

Potentially fair, and this may be what Eddie's thinking too.

I think Elanga has the potential to be a very good player for us, especially under Eddie. Just not sure about blowing 50m of our budget on him.

Fair point.