Optimistic Nut

I think to try and keep him happy, paying him close to the going rate for a player of his calibre is reasonable as a compromise.

Wouldn't be surprised if we see a scenario where he's still here in September, signs a token extension but with a release clause of around £110-120m next summer and a bit of a pay rise for a year before he goes.

Makes going to the Austria training camp seem odd?

Can see a scenario he stays as backup and Hall is moved into midfield on some occasions if we can't sort that area out. 02/03 vibes where Bernard, Hughes & Griffin were rotated heavily with Elliott as backup but never playing, but with Hall, Tino & Trippier and Targett & Krafth as the emergency backup.

12 month contract on a pay-as-you-play deal. Only play him while Jackson & Wissa are at the ACON. Sell him on January deadline day for £10m to someone.

How much would they take for Harry Kane?

Isak staying, something like Wissa & McGinn replacing Wilson & Longstaff plus Elanga & Ramsdale in for Miggy & Dubravka and despite the noise, that's some good strengthening. Still want a centre-back but we can still salvage the situation and improve things.

If we could trust Gordon/Osula/Barnes to fill in properly as striker for a month, I'd be pretty happy with £50m plus those two for Isak.

If we got the full £150m for Isak I could definitely see £60m for Jackson being worth a punt.

Probably (well no doubt will be) in the minority but I sort of admire our stance this summer. We're doing our best to hold on to the best striker in the world, we're doing our best to sign players that the "elite" are in for. We're doing our best to go toe-to-toe with them. It's not happening but I'd sooner this approach than us just bending over and accepting our position as one of "the rest" who'll be their feeder clubs and go for lesser players. We'll probably end up having to do that in the next few weeks anyway but I don't think it's a lack of effort or ambition.

The crowd couldn't muster up a fart under Ashley so I'd be disappointed if this happened like. It's not good but fucking hell.

Aye, the difference potentially between a first-team pushing CM and RCB and just squad fillers.

Could see Spurs going for Paqueta with Maddison out all year. Not sure if West Ham would let two of their stars going there in one summer though.

I just mean profile of player. I think £50m give or take would be a good fee because I think he'd look better in our team than theirs. Think he could be around 1 in 2 for us.

He seems the type that'll go to Inter, Juve, Milan, Atletico Madrid and circle a few of those clubs for the next 7-8 years scoring between 12-18 a season, and we'll wish we'd just signed him.

Wissa would be the Isak replacement if we did that.

He can cover other positions too. He'd easily start 20 or so across all comps and get a lot of 20-30 minute sub appearances.

He showed Modric and his team around the training ground and he still chose Spurs. Only so much he can do. That was over 10 years after his magic spell and over 15 years ago from now.

This is honestly what we're up against and why things won't change. There's literally 10s of millions of Froggys around the world who support the "big 6". These "fanbases" dwarf everyone else's in the league no matter what we try. We've just come back from playing Arsenal & Spurs overseas, we may as well have been the away side in both. These are what the rules are pandering too. It's fucked up. Rules to keep the big clubs' fans happy. Why would they not want the best players going there and keeping them as the biggest clubs no matter what we try?

Said I wouldn't bite but fuck off man. Absolutely arseholc behaviour.

Obviously on the wind-up by the fact people like Sesko see Man U the bigger project when they can splash £100ms every summer on the squad, whereas Newcastle can't. Give over man.

McGinn will offer something on the pitch, Longstaff wouldn't.

How much do you think it'd cost to get someone as good as Joelinton, Tonali or Bruno? £50-60m plus? Someone like McGinn for 2-3 years who can play in there and other positions if the price is right would be a cracking piece of business.

I give up like. We're literally crying out for good cover for the midfield three, a link to someone who's spent the last 2 seasons as a regular in a team competing with us, still not good enough. No personal attacks this time, but I'm out.