Now That's What I Call Transfer Rumours! 7

[The Butcher]

FM ledge, but so was Lewis and he's not very good. 

[WilliamPS]

Need an extra GK who can serve as an adequate backup to Pope. Letting Dubs go was a big risk and it still needs resolving.
 

If on course for Europe can maybe get someone in with the promise of cup and some European games, which might raise the bar on what is possible.

 

Not sure I’d wait until summer on this one.

[80]

Depends what they have made of Karius in training, I guess. Would be nice if the problem is already solved.

[sushimonster85]

12 minutes ago, 80 said:

Depends what they have made of Karius in training, I guess. Would be nice if the problem is already solved.

 

I would be shocked if they don't pull the trigger on Karius on a long term deal in Jan. Only think I can see getting in the way is if he has an offer to be number 1 somewhere else. 

 

As for the rest of Jan. If you asked me a couple months ago I'd have said priority would be a wide forward/winger, then ideally a CDM. The form of Almiron (with ASM and Isak both to still come back in) means I'd actually say a CM is now priority. Question is do we go for a defensive player and give Bruno licence to push higher up the pitch, or for someone like Maddison, which would likely mean having Bruno play in that deep lying '6' role. 

[Guest]

I guess we’ll see what they think of Karius if he starts in the cup against Palace

[Memphis]

So far we have shown most of our interest in two major categories of player:

 

1. Early 20s, potentially world class but already excellent players playing for good clubs, and who are on manageable wages -- Bruno, Botman, Isak

 

2. Teenage prospects who we rate as potentially top players - Kuol, the three Brazilian teens, the mackem teen

 

Obviously we signed Burn, Wood, Targett and Trippier in opposition to those trends but Wood/Burn/Targett were needs must signings and Trippier a statement/culture changing one. That first window was a desperate situation but thankfully I think we're past that point now.

 

We spent over half our total on the category 1 players. We identified them very specifically, sought them out, waited patiently and then struck. Our interest in these players isn't always well-known publicly but when they're available, we act quickly. 

 

The category 2 players are not as time-sensitive but we do need to get them on board as soon as possible to start acclimating them to our team culture.

 

All of that is to say, it would be very much like us for a player like Moussa Diaby to end up here in January. Maddison too, although at 25 he's maybe a tad older than our norm. Edson Alvarez?

 

Any other type of rumour I tend to dismiss out of hand. We have a specific type and we don't tend to deviate much from it. So no one over 26-27, no one on huge wages, no one who won't immediately push to be a first team member. 

 

[SUPERTOON]

 

[Whitley mag]

Think the next CB through the door will be Maxence Lacroix who Southampton nearly signed in summer, perfect partner for Botman long term.

[sushimonster85]

28 minutes ago, Memphis said:

Any other type of rumour I tend to dismiss out of hand. We have a specific type and we don't tend to deviate much from it. So no one over 26-27, no one on huge wages, no one who won't immediately push to be a first team member. 

 

I think the only potential mitigating factor in Jan may be our proximity to the European places. If they feel there is a chance to get into the top 6 this season (probably a season or two earlier than they anticipated), I can see them shopping for a more top level, established type signing in an effort to get us over the line. Not saying they're going to do something daft like sign Hazard, but can see them potentially trying to make another 'Trippier' style signing. Someone they know can come in and make an immediate impact. 

[Mountain]

1 hour ago, sushimonster85 said:

 

I think the only potential mitigating factor in Jan may be our proximity to the European places. If they feel there is a chance to get into the top 6 this season (probably a season or two earlier than they anticipated), I can see them shopping for a more top level, established type signing in an effort to get us over the line. Not saying they're going to do something daft like sign Hazard, but can see them potentially trying to make another 'Trippier' style signing. Someone they know can come in and make an immediate impact. 

 

Hazard is finished anyway, this is his 4th season at Madrid and he's only scored 4 league goals.

 

 

 

[KaKa]

1 hour ago, SUPERTOON said:

 

 

Like him a lot. Classy player.

 

Can play left, right and upfront.

[SUPERTOON]

5 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

Like him a lot. Classy player.

 

Can play left, right and upfront.

Yep we where linked in the summer so had a look then, looks the real deal and linked to Liverpool as a Firmino replacement. Did sign a new deal in the summer, wonder if it has a clause in.

[Deuce]

God forbid Pope goes down, but imagine if Karius has been Howe’d and plays like Ederson

[Guest]

I wonder how we’re gonna deal with Dubravka when he inevitably gets sent back from his loan

[Dr.Spaceman]

[Dr.Spaceman]

If he was so keen to leave this squad and be third choice elsewhere then he can go fuck himself tbh. Which is a shame, because I thought he was mint a year or so ago and questioned why we were signing a similar level of player in Pope 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Dr.Spaceman

[Mazzy]

2 hours ago, SUPERTOON said:

 

 

Would be a superb signing. For 30m that would be a steal for 25yr old with his record and talent.

 

Having a choice/mixture of Wilson, Isak and Terrier is an excellent thought. Especially if we are going to be competing in Europe next season, we need that kind of strength and adaptability in the squad.

[RodneyCisse]

21 minutes ago, Jack27 said:

I wonder how we’re gonna deal with Dubravka when he inevitably gets sent back from his loan

Transfer list and train with 21s.

[PauloGeordio]

56 minutes ago, Tomato Deuce said:

God forbid Pope goes down, but imagine if Karius has been Howe’d and plays like Ederson

He’s big into the psychology so may be helping him too. Deal with that. Iron the mental side out and we have a bloody good number 2

[Groundhog63]

40 minutes ago, Jack27 said:

I wonder how we’re gonna deal with Dubravka when he inevitably gets sent back from his loan

 

18 minutes ago, RodneyCisse said:

Transfer list and train with 21s.

I can see it now. Under 23s away to Sunderland. We play him in goal along with half the 1st team. They've only got 9 players on the pitch and, in the last minute, Dubs goes up for a corner and scores with his hand. 

Straight into NUFC folklore ?

[Guest reefatoon]

1 hour ago, Tomato Deuce said:

God forbid Pope goes down, but imagine if Karius has been Howe’d and plays like Ederson

I’m fully expecting him too. 

[STM]

Anyone else for Athletico that we might look at? Especially since they are now out of all European competitions?

[Manxst]

11 minutes ago, STM said:

Anyone else for Athletico that we might look at? Especially since they are now out of all European competitions?

Been linked to Carrasco quite a bit previously. 

[The Bonk]

2 hours ago, Groundhog63 said:

 

I can see it now. Under 23s away to Sunderland. We play him in goal along with half the 1st team. They've only got 9 players on the pitch and, in the last minute, Dubs goes up for a corner and scores with his hand. 

Straight into NUFC folklore ?

 

 then our 16 year old hooligans chase theirs off their own patch by chucking vape pens and coins. 

[TRon]

On 31/10/2022 at 17:01, Kanji said:

I'm still sat here thinking about how interesting this January window will be. Assuming we get the right results and stay around 4-5th place before the World Cup break, how do we strengthen? 

Tactically we're absolutely guns blazing pressing team and our #8's in Joelinton, Willock, and Longstaff all have a TON of legs to get about the pitch. I know Bruno wants to play further forward, but he hasn't the same athleticism as those three who are performing so damn well. If we sign a top class #6, and Bruno takes the Longstaff role, does that harm our ability to press? ie: Longstaff's interception v the Spurs game for Miggy's goal. If we sign a winger, how does that impact Miggy's role in the team? Miggy is undroppabe at this point from a goal return perspective but he's also incredible in the press. 

 

It puts us in the fabulous position of not desperately looking to plug gaps in every area of the pitch and risk spreading the money around too thinly to address any of them properly, and instead maybe look to make a couple of real impact signings who can take us to the next level instead. Seems like our summer policy of not spending on placeholder signings like Dennis or Sarr for example, has really paid off. Got to hand it to Howe again on this one, he could have panicked and whinged about his squad like Bruce did, but instead he insisted his players were already good enough, they just needed proper coaching. Now we can look to bring in only players we really think will make a difference long term.