Latest from the rumour mill... We have been in talks with Swansea since late January (roughly the time it became abundantly clear Toby wasn't putting pen to paper) for the signing of Alfie Mawson. As usual, the asking price (£40m) is at least £10m higher than El Baldo will go, so we're turning our attention to cheaper options. These include Jonny Evans, who apparently has a £3m release clause triggered in the event of relegation. If true, this is a no-brainer for me. Plenty of PL experience with multiple major trophies. Would be excellent back up for Dave and I'd sooner see him start in tricky cup games than 1/4th. We are apparently also looking at Mee, which is incredible news as it has always been my dream to play for Spurs and I used to play CB at Sunday League level. In all seriousness though, if we're knocking on Burnley's door I'd prefer it to be answered by Tarkowski. There are also whispers that we might return to Ajax to establish another Dam good CB partnership (I'm here all night) by bringing in De Ligt. That's a signing that would get me rather excited, although given the fact that they value him similarly to Dave, I doubt Levy will sanction the move. In any event, most ITK's are a) full of bullshit, and b) in agreement that we will be shopping for a new CB this summer, and c) the new CB will preferably have plenty of PL experience. Which is good, as Fazio taught us that general experience isn't necessarily the key to PL success. Nor for that matter is the turning circle of a freight ship.
Why won't he just pay the extra 10 million instead of wasting money in a staggered fashion by spending it on some ****ty player anyway?
Providing Toby is off - otherwise I don't think a CB is necessary: Mawson - good but definitely not £40m good. Evans - good and amazing value at £3m. Mee - underrated by many, likely the key reason Burnley are solid at the back. They've been defensively impressive for two seasons now, Keane has flopped since joining Everton while Tarkowski stepped up nicely this season but Mee tends to go under the radar yet has been near enough an ever present. De Ligt - immense potential and would be worth a fortune, IF Toby leaves I think we'd need someone with a bit more experience as it'd leave Jan as the only experienced CB in the side until Dave gets another season or two under his belt. Wildcard options: Lascelles - really stepped up for NUFC this season, young but experienced and also seemingly a good leader. Dunk - we were linked with him years back when he broke onto the scene at Brighton, been proving this season he can certainly compete in the Prem. Big Kev - highly doubtful but has seemingly fallen out of favour at Stoke, we know he has the capabilities to play at a good level and with Stoke possibly going down, he'd likely be cheaper than the £15m we sold him for.
I've seen it suggested that the reason Ben Mee's contract is getting down to his final year is because he's playing silly buggers with an extension, no doubt looking to see if someone with deeper pockets than Burnley come along, and to be honest that sounds a lot like the problem we're having with Alderweireld - and since Mee's just six months younger than Toby, the obvious question is whether he's thinking of trying his luck at someone with deeper pockets than Burnley such as Spurs or Everton, or with much deeper pockets like Chelsea.
Centre Back Watch So with Toby's omission from Sunday's squad pretty much confirming his status as an unperson, that's led to yet more suggestions for his replacement being given - and, no, none of them have considered Davinson Sanchez is a straight replacement... Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax, 21yo, Netherlands, contracted until 2021) Pretty much a given he'd be linked at some point, considering Verts and Sanchez were both signed from Ajax while Toby previously played there, and he certainly fits the bill for what Poch expects from a centre back as he's capable of passing it out from the back instead of just hurling long diagonals in the general direction of the other half of the pitch - although let's be honest here, he'll cost a fair bit. Jonny Evans (West Brom, 30yo, Northern Ireland, contracted until 2019 w/ a relegation release clause) On the other hand we have Johnny Evans, who let's not forget was being touted for big money moves as recently as January, who on paper is the least Pochish signing there could due to being a hell of a lot older than 99% of Poch's signings, but not only would he be a good option at the back considering Foyth and CCV probably need to do a little bit more developing before they can be credible contenders for first team football and can also help mentor them. :::EDIT::: Alfie Mawson (Swansea, 24yo, England (uncapped), contracted until 2020) Then there's Mawson *ahem* who combines the skills of an old school centre back who's good in the air and has great timing when making challenges to the more modern defender who can contribute to build-up play, and has shown that he can step up having moved from League One to the Championship to the Premier League and not looked out of place - and his time at Brentford and Barnsley also means that we wouldn't suffer the bollocks that somehow meant that Ben Davies isn't a HG player in spite of playing his entire career in the English league - although something tells me Barnsley have a hefty sell-on clause we'd need to contend with...
If it weren't for the taxi thing and his reaction to it I'd be all over us getting Evans on the cheap but having the wrong attitude is a deal breaker for this squad imo. I'd like us to try and get Holgate off Everton, or Mawson off Swansea.
Despite having a couple of seasons under his belt, he's still only 18. His birthday's in August, too.
Alderweireld Watch Our good, honest and reliable friends at the Daily Wail are saying that the sticking point in contract negotiations is that Toby wants a five-year contract. It somehow didn't occur to them that the £200k a week wages they're also reporting might be a much larger issue...
Much as I hate to sound like a vulture, it does have to be pointed out that Hamburg are currently at the bottom of the Bundesliga, seven points from safety and their remaining eight fixtures see them play Schalke, Hoffenheim, Eintracht Frankfurt and A German Team so it looks unlikely they'll be able to perform their annual escape act. Which is where I can't help but pick through their squad for potential summer signings, and so far I can see Jann-Fiete Arp, their 18-year old striker we have been linked with a few times this season Kyriakos Papadopoulos, an experienced 26-year old centre back who previously played for Schalke and Leverkusen (and we may need one of those...) Lewis Holtby, because our social media just hasn't felt the same since he left
And as if by magic, talkBALLS have written a story (if throwing a set of crayons at your monitor and having some of them land on a keyboard constitutes as "writing" anyway...) about us and Chelsea competing for Jann-Fiete Arp's signature. So that's the BBC and talkBALLS who owe me money this week, and it's only Wednesday...
Jamaal Lascelles is a name surfacing quite a bit recently as we cool our interest in Mawson. Also growing rumours that CCV will be encouraged to seek a permanent move away in the summer. I've been CK , and this is your weekly ITK Bullshit Bulletin.
I'd wager CCV has given a better case for his being brought into the fold next season than Onomah has, especially since his move to Ipswich.
I don’t see CCV ever playing for us again. He’s a decent player, but he’ll be massively down the pecking order, despite a good loan spell. As good as Onomah has looked, again, I just don’t know he’s going to replace either. I think both lads will look for moves elsewhere that guarantee them first team football.
