Sven Botman back late December/early January 'at the earliest' (Howe)

[Milanista]

14 hours ago, Cronky said:

 

Thank you for an interesting post. 

 

The only part I'd really dispute is the idea that we are finance driven, rather than looking at building a cohesive and contented squad, if I've understood you correctly. All the indications are that Eddie Howe does a lot of research into a player's character, and building a happy dressing room is a big part of his thinking. I see no sign that Howe is not working in harmony with the people running the club.

 

We did spend a lot of money in January, but it was money well spent, and well targeted from the footballing point of view. We were ripped off for Chris Wood, but we badly needed a striker and the decision was correct. Otherwise, I think we had value for money. 

Oh, when I say "finance driven" I mean that you seek value rather than hype. Building a cohesive and contended squad is huge, but looking at the players you have targeted, Newcastle doesn't seem to be run by fans. Fans like names, fans want Nkunku, even if he's only done it for one year, in the highly specific Leipzig system, where he has a nebulous position, but who cares? Nkunku!!

 

Botman is not a sexy CB purchase. He isn't. His team did poorly this year, he's too expensive for a club like Leipzig or Dortmund, but he's not high-profile enough for clubs like Chelsea or Man Utd, who if they were smart, would swoop in for him, but they are horribly run clubs, for God's sake Chelsea has their owner as their interim sporting director? That's... That can't be good.

 

So, my point was that your management team isn't pursuing players based on hype. Every team is going to make mistakes in transfers, things don't work out, whatever. But, my point was that I think only Liverpool use a similar approach to you in the EPL. We do, too, obviously, as we're both after Botman. Few teams are using scouting systems like we are, and that is finance driven, as are the negotiation tactics, which are still very primitive in European football. That was my point.

[NE27]

8 minutes ago, Milanista said:

fanbase that loves a gangly attacker capable of a flash of brilliance like Shola,

 

It was all going so well...

 

[Nine]

25 minutes ago, BeloEmre said:

I can’t believe we haven’t told him to fuck off yet if that’s true. So much for wanting the right players, players who wants to play for our club etc.

Just because his preferred option is AC doesnt mean that hes not also happy to come here, it might not even be true for one and there has also been rumour that he and his agent had a verbal agreement with Maldini and gave his word that he'd go there over a year ago. So maybe hes just trying to honour that?

 

Fans get so emotional over this shit when 99% of the time its just business.. he could easily end up here if Milan cant agree a fee with Lille.

 

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Nine

[Milanista]

5 minutes ago, NE27 said:

 

It was all going so well...

 

Lol, I'm sorry, my memory might be foggy, but when I was younger, I remember Shola doing some crazy things, and then I was like "am I thinking of the wrong player?" Then I stumbled upon this:

 

 

It seems... my memory has failed me, lol.

[NE27]

1 minute ago, Milanista said:

Lol, I'm sorry, my memory might be foggy, but when I was younger, I remember Shola doing some crazy things, and then I was like "am I thinking of the wrong player?" Then I stumbled upon this:

 

 

It seems... my memory has failed me, lol.

 

Fuck sake 

 

No wonder the Milan hoardes are coming in here giving us the biggun when they think shola is a club legend up against theirs 

 

Joking aside, Shola is a bit of an enigma and some people legitimately love him here, not for me! (Tyne wear derby heroics/apple eating aside)

[Milanista]

27 minutes ago, Nucasol said:

 

Just as a heads up, the way this meeting is being spun in Italy is that Milan are interested in Gabriel Jesus, while lurking in the background in dealing with Roma is their player Zaniolo.

 

Milan's fanbase are torn on this, as Zaniolo would be a very expensive player for our RW. Before he tore both of his ACLs, yes, he was an incredible talent. His production in Serie A has been decidedly average. Our Brazilian RW, Messias, a former delivery driver who was plying his trade in the fourth division a few seasons ago (yes, you read that right) scores more goals than him. Suffice, to say, I am praying that we do not purchase him.

 

Ibanez is a terrible defender, I doubt Maldini is interested in him, and would love for Gabriel Jesus to come to Milan to play as our RW. Zaniolo? If I wanted Milan to overpay for an Italian winger who was injured seriously, it would be Chiesa, as before his injury, he would have been our ideal RW.

 

Chatter of alternatives has shifted to Thiaw from Schalke, and a theory that Milan is going to spend more in attack and less on Botman. However, I think with Vitiello's silence, it seems that Maldini is working without giving out information. So it is anyone's guess.

[Kimbo]

Jesus is looking nailed on for Arsenal unfortunately.

[Milanista]

This reporter for L'Equipe, who I'm not sure how reliable he is, but he is saying that Botman and Renato will not be sold until July for accounting reasons.

[Wolfcastle]

49 minutes ago, Milanista said:

Lol, I'm sorry, my memory might be foggy, but when I was younger, I remember Shola doing some crazy things, and then I was like "am I thinking of the wrong player?" Then I stumbled upon this:

 

 

It seems... my memory has failed me, lol.

Beloved gangly strikers.

Doing crazy things.

You must be thinking of Tino Asprilla.

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Wolfcastle

[relámpago blanco]

54 minutes ago, NE27 said:

 

Fuck sake 

 

No wonder the Milan hoardes are coming in here giving us the biggun when they think shola is a club legend up against theirs 

 

Joking aside, Shola is a bit of an enigma and some people legitimately love him here, not for me! (Tyne wear derby heroics/apple eating aside)

Shola was a weird player he had all of the ability in the world but also the talent of a non league player. Anyway, there are literally thousands who named their pets after him. I don't think he should be loan manager however many hats he has though. 

[The Prophet]

Hope this geezer posts a random photo on social media shortly that I can get angry about.

[Theregulars]

1 hour ago, Milanista said:

It is actually a frustrating habit (for many fans) that Maldini has in his negotiations. Milan has lost out on many targets because he doesn't deviate from the initial offer very much--the idea of Maldini heavily relying on data to make his selections, with a huge analytics team and insulated scouting to prevent bias in evaluations, is the centerpiece of his approach.

 

We missed out on players that most fans have wanted, the only one I, personally, wish we had was Wesley Fofana. Before breaking his leg, he was an amazing CB.

 

Maldini sells players on Milan, the club. He tells players that you can develop here, and that's why they come to Milan. Players he has recruited have not left the club, our loss of free players like Donnaruma, Kessie, and Hakan, those were players brought in from previous regimes, while Donnaruma is widely reported to have bluffed with Maldini to get a larger wage, which Maldini was annoyed with after Donnaruma and his agent (Raiola) continued to press for insane wages, when he was already one of the highest paid keepers in Europe. Maldini was ruthless with our homegrown talent. We desperately needed a RW in the summer, identified an underrated talent from Brest in France, there was some haggling, and then the player stopped going to training and made some inflammatory interviews. Maldini dropped his interest immediately.

 

I'm not sure why you seem upset that Maldini is recruiting players who want to do more than just get paid the most, he's selling players are becoming legends. Also, it should be noted, that in Italy, the current tax laws allow you to pay 50% less tax than you would in other European countries. My own personal socio-economic views on the viability of this law to trigger economic growth in Italy (or anywhere) aside, it allows Italian teams to have a sizable economic advantage over other clubs, even EPL clubs.

 

Wages in England are reported before taxes, while in Italy they are reported after taxes, it seems that many times what is seen as "undercutting" is really about having different financial figures.

 

Maldini is a notoriously humble man, he is confident, yes, but he is widely seen as a gentleman of the game. I don't think he is arrogant, but I may be biased--though it should be said that his positive view is widely held in Italy, of that, I am sure. Perhaps in England he is perceived differently? Regardless, Maldini pursues players who want more than just money--he also rewards players who prove themselves, which is why he is extending our key players, doubling and tripling their salaries.

 

Milan do not run on glamor like Real, nor do they operate with the fame of Man Utd, what Milan emphasizes its DNA, which is to push innovation (not always successfully, of course) in terms of tactics, to win with style, but most relevant to this discussion: that Milan is a family. Players who stayed short periods at Milan cried when they left, like notorious hard man Marco Van Bommel or Zambrotta, who made his reputation with Juventus rather than Milan, he also cried.

 

Milan is a big club that has a fanbase with a passion usually only found in lower league teams--which is a characteristic I think Newcastle shares with Milan, to be honest. Milan is historically the club of the working class side of Milan (the city) who play beautifully and value skill, while Inter, the club of the elite, play ugly and defensively. Correct me if I am wrong, the north of England is known for its hardy people, but Newcastle is not associated (at least in my mind) with hard-nosed defenders, rather, I think of Ginola, Shearer, and a fanbase that loves a gangly attacker capable of a flash of brilliance like Shola, Lualua, Ben Arfa, and the eternal "if he only got it together" Robert, or Saint-Maximin now? I'm not saying those are your best players in your history, but, those are the ones that come to mind for me--I associate attack with Newcastle, which points to the unique mix that makes Newcastle, well, Newcastle.

 

Maldini is selling players on being part of what makes Milan, Milan. He's telling them you can go to Real or Barca, but they churn through their players, don't remember them, but at Milan? You can rebuild Milan, with me, and become a legend for people. It's a hell of sales pitch.

 

Frankly speaking, I think Newcastle should be selling what it means to represent Newcastle when they are dealing with players. I get the sense (from reading here) that there isn't the same point person to recruit players. I'd be happy to work for you, if anyone knows where I can send my CV, let me know, lol.

 

I have great respect for Newcastle, your fans, and your club, so my advocacy for Milan I hope isn't seen as a contrast to Newcastle, because I'm not the biggest Botman fan, but I do enjoy talking to you all, quite frankly. I hope that after this summer, we continue to chat, before trading CL final wins back-and-forth. Cheers!

I love you just FYI

[Coffee_Johnny]

13 hours ago, et tu brute said:

One were we need to put a final line under (same with Etitke), either accept what we're offering or we are going elsewhere. Looks like their current clubs maybe getting fed up also. As I said yesterday if Milan want him then put up the money. Looks like they can't match our offer though and Lille are not pushovers. 

Stand firm and tall and keep looking around. Shake enough trees and something (hopefully juicy) will fall out. 

[The Prophet]

 

[Ikon]

Like me chasing Keira Knightley.

[nufc123]

Its a good offer. Should just walk away and lets see how Lille and the player himself react. Lille would be fuming. Clearly not very keen to come.

[Minhosa]

All these accounts just constantly post the same fucking info as though its some sort of news. Cunts.

[Rich]

Quote

 

"Some desperately wanted to come to us, like Sven (Botman), who still does very much and has talked very openly about that.

 

"Coming through all that showed us we can do it, that we can stick to our plan and if we get criticised on the last day for ‘oh, you’re going after Jesse (Lingard)’, well, Jesse wanted to come to us.

 

 

We would not still be in for him if he wasn't interested in joining.

[nufc123]

1 minute ago, Minhosa said:

All these accounts just constantly post the same fucking info as though its some sort of news. Cunts.

Almost everyone is reporting that he wants Milan. Thats fair enough, but we should stop the hunt for him now. Hes not sold on the project. 

[TRC]

I think its time we put in bids for Origi, Renato and anyone else Milan are after even if we don't want them. Back off Botman or we will just inflate every targets price.

[Kid Icarus]

8 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

 

 They're just doing a skit now man. There's no way they're still putting this out every day as news with a straight face

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[Dokko]

6 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

 They're just doing a skit now man. There's no way they're still putting this out every day as news with a straight face

 

 

 

It's like NUFC putting out a statement 4 times a season for 10 years that Mike Ashley is actively trying to sell the club. 

[Ikon]

Some new Botman news it seems.. maybe. One sec.

[Ikon]

“”According to what has been learned from the #Sportitalia editorial team, the long wait on the part of #Milan is about to cost dearly in the Sven #Botman deal. The Dutch defender is one step away from #Newcastle. The official is expected in the next few hours”

[Ikon]