Yeah I agree. Not too fussed either, would happily have him here but bigger priorities at the moment that I’d rather we focus on with whatever cash we do have.
Yeah I think so too. A shame, seriously think he’d have done well for Spurs under Poch. Only way it happens is if there’s one of those gentlemen agreements that allow him to go for a reasonable fee if they fail to get promoted again.
Yeah I said similar mate. He’s become a really good player these past 18 months. Be very surprised if he sticks with Villa next season, I rate him for his loyalty to them and how professional he was after the move to us fell through but if he wants to fulfil his potential he’s gotta leave.
He signed a new contract in September, so there could be something like that. Strange choice for him otherwise, though he is a Villa fan. Maybe he's just loyal, as unusual as that is in the modern game?
Bayern just signed young Atletico defender Hernandez for £70m, revealing a few things: They have more money than I thought they did. He's a good player but if this is seriously the new going rate for promising young defenders we are screwed in terms of replacing Toby. Talking of Toby, that leaves one fewer club he could move to not in the PL.
I wouldn't read too much into his fee and what the going rate may be for other promising young defenders. He's a World Cup winner who started every game in the tournament and a member of the elite Atleti defence, he may be young but he's already one of the best defenders in Europe. The only other young defender who'll cost similar or even more would likely be De Ligt.
Also, isn't he a LB? He certainly plays there for France, doesn't he? If so, Toby would still be on for them (not that I want him to be).
Yeah for France he’s definitely a LB, though I think CB was/ is his original position. Probably another reason why he’s so costly come to think of it, two-in-one defender.
If you Google "Danny Kelly spurs equaliser" you can hear him going mental when Lennon made it 4 all aftef we'd been 4-2 down with 2 minutes to go.... https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAJ6BAgKEAg&usg=AOvVaw0_oaqN1OZY0GVNBxpUDjYG It's my ring tone and it makes me smile EVERY TIME
Bayern already secured Benjamin Pavard for the princely sum of €0.00 so they were in a position to pay that for Lucas Hernandez - although why they're splashing out on defenders when they need to replace Robben and Ribery is beyond me
I reckon our best strategy going forward is to hire the best scouts out there. I don't think they will demand anything ridiculous as far as wages are concerned in the context of PL football. Our current scouts aren't great it seems. We aren't going to compete for the best and those players we would have poached in the past because they fit our transfer policy can't be purchased anymore due to the fact that prices are inflated. I always use Mahrez as an example. Without the crazy price rises of the last 3 seasons he is exactly the kind of player who we would have gone for and I reckon he would have joined us. So we are in a bit of limbo due to our philosophy therefore I say put the money into getting the best scouts in the world Long term planning right there for you that Levy would be proud of
The first two summers under Poch saw an influx of talent costing relative pittance by today's standards. Davies, Alli, Dier, Son, Toby and my favourite RB Trippier cost a grand total of £55m. If we sold them all tomorrow we'd be looking at bringing that in just for Dele's left foot. The one that can't kick. My concern is that we've been dining out on those 2 windows ever since.
It really is a mystery as to what our summer plans will be. Do we have a larger budget than most anticipate? Or are we still a bit short what with the new stadium? If the latter, we can do a lot worse than searching the lower leagues for more Dele’s. Ollie Watkins, Max Aarons, Dan James and Super Jack could all add something to this side. Obviously none will be £5m like Dele but should still be affordable, especially if we shift some deadwood. If we’ve got a solid budget, along with what we make from player sales then we’ve gotta show some intent. AWB, Chilwell, Super Jack/ Rabiot/ Berge/ SMS (who may actually be cheaper this summer than last, as he’s not been as good for Lazio this season) would all excite most fans and set us up nicely for 2019/2020.
Rabiot is currently mid-way through a month-long suspension as a result of his decision to go clubbing immediately after their 3-1 loss to United. He also liked a couple of posts from Patrice Evra celebrating United's win. Instead of apologising and moving on, he turned on his current employers and blamed his behaviour on Tuchel's decision to drop him. Attitude stinks, I'm afraid. Even on a free I'd be nervous bringing in a character like that to the changing room.
