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1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

Definitely is a rush like, we could offload so much junk including wages to a sister club :lol:

 

They've been here for a year and a half. They've barely touched the sides in terms of tapping into our potential.

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Would be sad to see ASM go because I think at his best he's far more electric and unplayable than Barnes, but his injury record is a major problem. According to transfermarkt:

 

22/23: Missed 13 games

21/22: Missed 3 games

20/21: Missed 18 games

19/20: Missed 12 games

 

I count 5 hamstring injuries (4 if we're being kind because 1 was a setback) plus 4 muscle injuries there. These seem to be recurring and as an explosive player facing a more congested fixture list than before, I wouldn't be surprised to see him miss a dozen or more again.

 

ASM is a better wildcard option off the bench, but I'm struggling to think of successful clubs who kept an injury prone top earner in this kind of role? Correct me if I've missed any obvious ones. ASM's fitness record means you absolutely can't plan around him being a first teamer. With Barnes you could. I saw someone comparing Barnes stats to Rashford and not only are they very close, but that's a good comparison in terms of style. Unlike ASM, Barnes is a more direct player who just wants the shortest route to goal and is more pragmatic in his play. We know Barnes isn't capable of what ASM can do but he is much more consistently effective and fit, and has a ruthlessness in front of goal which we are lacking.

 

As for selling ASM, I don't see how we'd get away with selling to Saudi clubs, but I think some here underestimate what Premier League clubs might pay for ASM. For the same reason it's a tough decision for us to sell him, other clubs also know what he's capable of. He helped keep us up and is coming into his peak years. I absolutely could see a desperate club forking out and gambling on him, but it would probably be late in the window, because the richer clubs tend to get their business done first and then the dominoes start to fall and then panic sets in. Could we regret it? Definitely if he stays fit. He could do a Bellamy and turn a corner fitness wise, but he could also see a recurrence of hamstring issues that just keeps getting worse. We need squad depth and I'd trust Barnes to be available when the big games are coming thick and fast. If ASM could stay fully fit thoughout the season in a functional team I think he'd post similar numbers to Barnes, but what are the chances?

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Signing Barnes would be about reliability and flexibility in my view. The last 5 seasons he played 40 or more games in 4 of them. He's a right footed left winger.

 

Combine that with his impressive goals/exp goals stats for a winger, then at the right price this seams like a no-brainer.

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5 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

Doesn't seem remotely like our move for Maddison. The clubs were miles apart in valuation and as far we know, the player never agreed terms.

It was nowt to do with valuation, we would have paid £40m but Spurs offered a higher wage and his lass probably fancied London more as well.

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1 minute ago, Beth said:

It was nowt to do with valuation, we would have paid £40m but Spurs offered a higher wage and his lass probably fancied London more as well.

 

I was referring to the original bid in 2022. 

 

Does the above relate to Barnes?

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Just now, The Prophet said:

 

I was referring to the original bid in 2022. 

 

Does the above relate to Barnes?

So you think we were never in for him this summer then? It's a pity he didn't fancy joining us, as along with signing Tonali that would've been our entire midfield sorted for the next 3 or 4 seasons.

 

Like Gascoigne joining Spurs over Man U all those years ago for extra money, I think he could regret it.

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3 minutes ago, Beth said:

So you think we were never in for him this summer then? It's a pity he didn't fancy joining us, as along with signing Tonali that would've been our entire midfield sorted for the next 3 or 4 seasons.

 

Like Gascoigne joining Spurs over Man U all those years ago for extra money, I think he could regret it.

 

beth?

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5 minutes ago, Beth said:

So you think we were never in for him this summer then? It's a pity he didn't fancy joining us, as along with signing Tonali that would've been our entire midfield sorted for the next 3 or 4 seasons.

 

Like Gascoigne joining Spurs over Man U all those years ago for extra money, I think he could regret it.

 

I think we were definitely interested in Maddison in some capacity, but I have no idea if we made a move. Reports have been pretty mixed on that.

 

On the other hand the Barnes transfer seems to be a one horse race, with most reporting we've either agreed terms or we're his preferred destination.

 

Feels more like the Gordon transfer to me. The player was keen, but it took a while to come to an agreement with Everton. Meanwhile fans tried to convince themselves we weren't in for him because they either didn't like him, didn't rate him as a player or were hoping for a sexier name.

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I do think there’s something in it. We’re edging close, but nothings in concrete just yet. We’ve agreed personal terms, but we’re still way off by a few days. Maybe a week. Just keep an eye on those private jets . It might be him, but it probably isn’t. 

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