I think the fixtures we have during the Afcon are very difficult and think the club are prepared to play them with a slightly weakened squad. If it means we have those players for rest of season
It needs to be mixed with some UK based experience IMO. But it's exciting and the recruitment team have a pass. But aye, this has to be the last player we lose for 2 month over Christmas.
The counter argument of course is that we've been able to sign a higher quality of player BECAUSE they're African and AFCON is this year, meaning other clubs are just slightly reluctant to pay the asking price or opt for the European player if they had 2 targets in mind.
Why is it I giggle every time you post this I keep getting a mental picture of @becs doing that as she snares some young, good looking player, arriving at the SoL Sorry @becs those old jokes just won't fade away
Talbi looks ok to me. I think some people have got a bit carried away with the talk of the likes of Bakayoko etc. I can see why there'd be some disappointment if that's where expectations are set. I do feel we're overpaying a little (on all our signings really) but that's what you have to do if you want players in early in the window, there's a premium on that for a club where we are in the pecking order.
5 year deals is the maximum for PSR after Chelsea took the mick with their 8-10 years contracts a couple of years ago.
I never know anything about any of the lads we bring in, think I have mentioned a few times I'm not one who watches any football. SAFC and England once it gets to the actual finals of a competition, I'll occasionally watch Liverpool as I'm married to a scouser (not a plastic Liverpool fan) and live in Liverpool so my little lad supports Liverpool (does my head in but hard to talk him out of it when he goes to school etc... and his locl club who his mates support are the most successful team in the country I will say he watches lads matches with me more than he ever watches theirs and imo has a bigger soft spot for the lads cause of me but would never admit it to his mates etc.. at 9 years old!) other than that I never watch football! But it quite obvious we now have data, scouts crating target lists who we then go after! I'll looking for best value and maximum potential and it's exciting to see how it will turn out Seems like in the past the transfer window was simply sending out a marketing email to all clubs and agents asking if they knew of any players interested in coming for more money than they would get at equivalent level clubs!
Just to remind people that this lad wasn’t linked with us before today - from what I remember. Shows that the club will be watertight with links and rumours until it’s agreed or close.
yeh I don’t mind overpaying a little but landing our targets. It’s better than missing out on targets and then overpaying for rubbish!!
I'd like to see a CB CM and another winger who are capable of coming in to play straight away, but I've been really impressed at how we've gone about it so far. All these lads have some pace about them, we might have the quickest team in the league at this rate
The other thing is that many of the African nations have players with the right physicality and running power for playing here. Apart from the very best it matters here.
Its not as though Dan Neil has not been humming and arrring for a while now, at least 12 months, where he has dithered on signing a new contract. He wanted to play in a higher league be that home or abroad. Well now he is there, in the EPL but personally I think he could see the writing on the wall for him, way back. I believe he will struggle with the pace and intensity of the league. Why pay him good money for what is a gamble on him being able to cut it. All of these new signings, mostly, have a track record of being able to produce performances at the highest level. If he wants to go, then thanks Dan, good luck.
It doesn't look like we're going that way, but that would all be exceptional business to compliment what we already have in the squad.