Yawn on the Harrison thing. Can't see a lot of truth in it, and I really can't see any accurate figures coming out in the media. Few really know anything, in honesty... Good player, plays well, we were interested at some point... 2+2=9 and some clicks. Seriously - Nunez, a target? Nobody (with any common sense) seriously thought we were getting him and nothing was confirmed from the club. Maddison - nobody even considered we could be after him at all, till the bid came out... Would have been a great signing. Too expensive, for now. Realistically, not many of us had really heard of Bruno before we went for him... Nor Botman. Our targets, achievable ones, for this part of the life cycle, are lesser known quantities or bargains (Pope / Burn / Targett). Anybody complaining about any of those lads? Our budget, for now, is not infinite. If our scouting / backroom / manager bring in a load of ****e and we waste money on them, I'll start to complain, but it's a bit disingenuous to just dismiss Pedro as a "prospect at Watford". Looking forward to Sept 1st to see how the squad is shaping up.
Nunez was a target for ages, we went for him in January and were interested in him at the start of the summer. It's only after he did well vs Liverpool in the champs league that they became interested.
What's embarrassing is that so many of us think we know the first thing about how theses deals are structured. Etitike - No way was that a simple £35m in instalments - will have been performances and sell ons, and ifs and buts and bloody allsorts of crap. Can't compare it to what it would take to get Leeds to sell Harrison. Known quantity. Proven talent. Ramos - you really believe that Benfica will take £25m, and that we, or anyone else is not lapping that up...? Sarr - Just because a few fans think it's a good idea, why do we think it should just be done? He might have already been set for Villa. We might not want him at all.
I've always had a target to shag Cameron Diaz on the 18th green of my local golf course. He was banging them in for fun last year before they played Liverpool. The European scouts didn't just wake up and notice him then... He was playing CL footy, for a big club and doing well... Chances of him coming to us? Slightly better than me impregnating Cameron, and I've had the snip.
Agree. Based on recent transfers, we weren't even 'linked' with the players (i.e. in the media) until deals were pretty much done. So I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with another couple of signings for players that haven't even been mentioned yet - despite the fact we've been 'linked' with at least 14 different players in the last 2 weeks. So far under new regime we've signed Bruno, Trippier, Botman, Pope, Targett, Burn and Wood. That's some decent dealing in my opinion. We just need a couple more attacking options for this window, IF the right players are available. I'm keeping the faith.
And yet we still got Bruno, one of the best midfielders in Europe and a Brazilian international, when we were bottom of the league?
Would he still be one of the best midfielders in Europe if he hadn't signed for us (I jest)? Few even knew who he was. Nunez. Banging in the goals in the CL. Much more prominent profile... Successful goal scorers are. Only the media linked us with him (and every other striker going, let's be honest). We will have been aware, and interested, sure, but we were never getting him at this stage in our development. All I'm saying is, don't be fooled into thinking we're at the table for Nunez and Maddison, then "settling" for Watford cast offs.
Nunez was unlikely, but we certainly could have signed Maddison if our bid hadn't taken the piss and was £50m+. They put a price on him, which shows they would have sold had we got near it.
Did they even set a price? Who knows... We don't have enough money spare within FFP restrictions to spunk £60 million (their "reported" asking price IIRC) on one (whole) player (not just left leg) without shafting ourselves on future spend / other signings for squad development, as far as I understand it. I absolutely agree with you that we could have signed him had we met the asking price (whatever that is). It was reported that he was keen on the move. Whether we don't think he's worth that (unlikely) or he doesn't fit into our budget (more likely) is up for debate.
Due to work I could only see the highlights on MOTD. Excellent performance, and has left me wondering if those 11 players are fit, who could we bring in that would get straight into the first team? Ok we've got to cover injuries but that doesn't really narrow it down beyond the striker backup. But brilliant yesterday.
Maddison, Harrison, Paqueta, Gallagher, Webster, Caicedo, Isak, Gakpo, and so on. Almiron, Wilson, Willock and Schar could all be upgraded or at least benefit from competition.
He started to fade part way through the 2nd half so I'd say, technically, he might have been, but it's a stretch. He was a collossas before fading though.
I think Willock is ubderrated by some, simply because he's alongside Bruno and Joelinton, who everyone gushes over. He typically puts in a shift and helps break up a lot of play just through work rate and positional play. It just goes more unnoticed because it's not the spectacular stuff you see on TV highlights. But when others come on in his place, you start to see gaps open up when he had been covering. That said, I do think he does tend to gas in 2nd half - especially for a younger player. Could we upgrade on him in the transfer window? Yes. But is he worth a starting spot in the current team? Most definitely.
