We don't know exactly what's going on, but I agree with you as I don't believe it's as challenging as is made out and I also know from experience that Saudi's will just flex, because they can. "Botman, how much?" "Not for sale." "You've got £100m debt, how much?" "Ok, £60m" "**** off. £30m?" "No. £50m" "Call it £40m?" "Done". Next. Bollocks is it any more difficult than that. As I said earlier, all of the below are FREE in June/July. ****ing FREE. Now some clubs might be able to just hold out as they don't need the cash, like Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Juve. But a LOT of these clubs cannot afford to let £20m just disappear for the sake of 5 months. So how on ****ing earth haven't we signed like 8 players for about £120m and offloaded some of our utter **** for around £20m? CB - Ginter, Tarkowski, Felipe, Romagnoli, Denayer, Zagadou, Christensen. Not one of these would cost more than £20m now. MF - Brozovic, Kessie, Zakaria, Grillitsch, Isco, Kamara. The first two might be slightly more, but the rest? Well under £20m. Four of these are DM's. FW - Dybala, Lacazette, Dembele, Belotti, Aznoun, Brereton Diaz, Origi. Yeah, we're not getting Dybala and Lacazette's not likely. But the rest? They're not pricey. Get two or three just to have options. Or the alternative is try to survive with Clark, Lascelles, Ritchie, Shelvey, Hayden and Longstaff. I mean, I've seen some ****ing no-brainers in my time, but this takes the piss. And this is just the out-of-contract players - haven't our scouts supposedly been working this past 2 or 3 years on finding other players?? Madness.
I actually think all the talk of how much money we have is part of what is slowing it down. Clubs are holding out for as much as possible and overvaluing players saying they want more. They know they have until the end of the month to haggle with us (from their point of view) so aren't in a rush to agree a price lower than what they can get. Our position also means they know we are desperate and more likely to pay that premium this year than others. Players themselves may also be less likely to jump on board knowing it could well involve at least a year (we couldn't beat Cambridge) in the Championship. They will also be adding a premium to their wage demands thinking we have plenty of money. The owners could just throw money at it, but the pot isn't bottomless and even if it was the FFP isn't. Whatever we spend in this window is money we can't spend in the next five windows. Our position means they are going to have to spend more than they planned in this window but they will know they still have to do it sensibly.
The worst thing is seeing/hearing (repeatedly) that we need defenders to solve defending and strikers to score goals. Meanwhile, Howe (like Bruce before him) is rotating the worst midfield I think Newcastle United have arguably ever had. We could sign Botman, Dembele and Vlahovic and we're still going to struggle. I'd love a manager like Howe to explain to me why I'm wrong.
I agree we need midfielders mate, don't get me wrong we need new midfielders. However that defence has scared the **** out of me from day 1. I don't know if you go to games are watch them on telly. If you go, then like me you will see the absolute calamity of the positioning and non marking that goes on. If your watching on the telly you're only seeing them when the ball is near them or the camera is on them - The off the ball stuff is dreadful mate. It is so bad you couldn't even call it schoolboy stuff.
Yes, I agree with you. But the players I've mentioned are, as I said, free for other clubs in five months. So if you're AC Milan, with no money, and you've got Romagnoli who can piss off to Juve for £0 in four months, or there's £15m on offer from Newcastle right now, what will you do? Juve won't then offer £15m - because they can get him free in 4 months. The added issue is - we can't see it the same way. In four months, Newcastle WON'T be getting these players for free, because they'll all have better offers. We need to pay over the odds - which is £15m for a player who's free in four months, but small change in a Jan window - right ****ing now. Then if we do well enough, we survive with Trippier, Romagnoli, Felipe and Ginter in defence with Manq, Lewis, Schar supporting, Brozovic, Grillitsch and Kamara in the midfield with Almiron, Shelvey, Willock and Fraser, all behind Origi, Dembele, Wilson, ASM and Joelinton.
Yeah there has been no approach from us for Chris Wood and we have just been quoted £50m for Patrick Schick from Leverkusen according to Keith Downie
You can name all you want, the big factor is are they interested to move to a relegation battling or potentially championship club? We are in dire situ and I think we would've attracted them if we were in better position.
I think the next signing is crucial. If we were to pull of a Botman/Schick/Vlahovic (highly doubtful) type it shows ambition and intent which could well attract others of similar reputation to the project. If it's a Cantwell/Wood signing it shows a distinct lack of ambition and almost signifies a raising of the white flag regards relegation in my view. I'm not knocking these guys by the way. Good squad players but I've said all along no point in fluffing the squad, if we buy someone it has to be someone better than our current best not someone better than a second choice squad player. Again its like the owners want to show ambition but are almost caught between showing real intent or acceptance of a championship campaign next year. As for Dominik Solanke - Eddie Howe is literally writing his own script for Darren Farley
In daily FLight Radar 24 news, a private jet has just arrived at Newcastle from London. The flight flew into London last night from Grenoble.
