Time to stick your neck out a little bit. Which players do you think will come and who will go? No positions here, just players. Here are mine: Out Schneiderlin, Clyne, Toby Dani/Gaston not returning In Clasie, Soares
Agree with all of these except I'm more 50/50 with Toby. Could see us getting him for c. £10-12m as I'm not convinced there is real interest from Top 4 or that Toby wants to possibly bench warm. Soares will be 1 of 2 RB's if Clyne goes so interesting to see how high/low profile the other one would be. e.g. Would Soares be definite No. 1 (if we sign and Clyne goes), or just competing for that role day 1 of the season?
I hope Toby stays, I really do, but I'm not sure they'll play ball in Spain. I am the man who said Jayrod was gone though
Anyone know if the interest in Jürgen Locadia (PSV) from last summer is still an option we're looking at, or any info on how he's perceived to have progressed or not in the last 12 months? Had been rated highly, but played less mins last season than in those previous.
Susan, of course! What I am asking is which exact players would you stick your neck out and name? I couldn't commit to any others. Just a bit of fun to see what comes out. For example there are rumours about Charlie Austin, but I'm not confident enough to say we will sign him. I think there'll be lots more but no idea who. I'm expecting more than 5!
Out: Toby, Morgan, Gaston, Dani (to liverpool i hear) In: Austin, Clasie, Vilhenna, Moreno, Sczsesny (no idea about which keeper, just a guess really)
We'll sign one player who will underwhelm the fans so much, everyone will be pleasently suprised when he makes a decent contribution to several matches (ala Shane Long). My money is on Ki from Swansea.
Ah okay. It's a tough one. Pretty sure we will sign players who have hitherto been absent from the rumours thread.
Austin might sign if other options don't appear for him. Can't help feeling his agent is hoping top 4 or Spurs/Scousers for big pay cheque, but thinking that we'll throw him a lifeline if all else fails. Cynical? Yes. Bloody insulting to a growing football force? Undoubtedly. Realistic? Very probably.
Can't untangle the threads between these facts and alleged truths about Toby: - Atletico have paid us £1.7m to release that clause - Toby wants to stay with us - Atletico want to keep him themselves - He's wanted by Chelsea etc. The removal of the clause removes our advantage; but if they do have an idea they could use him for themselves, or if another planned purchase falls through, I'd say there's no chance of us getting him, as would be absurd for them to have paid us £1.7m and then sell him back to us too. So it does look a bit bleak - if they want to sell him, we'd have to compete openly, and would have to match some big spenders, and even if we got him, we'd have to pay (now) £1.7m over what we could have got him for. But there is a price we could probably get him for that we would be willing to pay. After a certain price (probably < £15m), Chelsea or other big suitors will likely switch to another target who is close to that price bracket but a bigger name/better. As long as that price is not too extortionate, that would leave teams at our level to go for him. And we know we are his favoured club (unless he is paying us lip service in his comments because he knows he won't be staying) so could probably win that battle. I'm still quietly confident, but if they have paid us that money, it is a lot harder to be positive.
Well if they pay us £1.7 and we buy him for £15m (which would be about right/a decent price) they still make ££ so it does make some sense.
That's the exciting thing. I can't wait to log on and suddenly Pedro espanioItalianosengelian-Brown has been strongly linked and photographed getting off the plane at Eastleigh airport and then he's signed!!! I'll be ecstatic and send links to everyone I know, ring my Dad, tell my son, show the wife three times and then finally listen to the fact that she has said "who's he?" And I realise that I haven't go a dickie bird!
I would want and hope to see Heaton come in. Don't rule out the influence of Dave Watson (coach) in the current England get together, as I expect he had something to do with Forster joining last summer as well.
This would be one of those occasions where I think England coaching staff can be allowed to talk to the players about their future ....
