PSG Raid Watch ...may as well make this a category too, eh? L'Equipe are reporting that we've made a €30m bid for Julian Draxler, as we look to take advantage of PSG needing to meet FFP by June 30th Honestly, if we're looking to help out PSG, we should make a bid for Thomas Meunier as he ticks so many boxes: he's a right back, he has a year on his contract and is actively talking about leaving due to lack of playing time, and with the teams which finished fifth and sixth sniffing around we can offer him something they can't
Have to agree with this Not sure why everyone fears Kane getting a real test. I don't really want no has been whos sat on West Broms bench...I want someone hungry to displace Kane or least trying to. Not someone who's had a whole career to get it right been bang average and now wants another payday and the odd couple of games in the Carabao Get some real competition...get players with hunger and points to prove...someone to put a fire up the arses of all the players in their comfort zone
You're not gonna get a top forward to play second fiddle most weeks though. We also don't need anyone to displace Kane, we just need someone to take over in periods to allow him sufficient rest. Clubs with world class strikers don't really have a great back up. City with Jesus is probably the only one.
I certainly don't want us buying serial cripples. Jesus wasn't all that but he had serious potential...the rest is up to club ethos. I still think we should give up trying to buy players and pump our money into decent scouts...the current crop are worthless and deserve the sack. Buying serial cripples just suggests that no one is serious about challenging Kane up top. Competition improves the best players. Buy someone who's totally deluded and thinks he's going to conquer the world not someone happy to collect a wage because we all know he's ****
I think the main problem is the cost of such a player. Anyone who is going to challenge Harry Kane is going to take up vast amount of our transfer budget. It's unbelievably annoying that we didn't land Moussa Dembele from Fulham a few years ago. He would have cost peanuts and is developing into a very talented forward. The second issue is Troy Parrott. The kid's shaping up to be a serious talent. He's been the 19th man in a number of squads and he's still only 17. I think he will start to get game time next season and bringing in an expensive import is going to kill that progression and probably see him sod off to Germany. My preferred option would be to get another Sonny type, who can play wide and centrally - step forward Steven Bergwijn, who we are said to be very interested in. It's a shame that MP doesn't see Lucas as that player, because in my humble opinion, he's a real talent and with a Lo Celso/Ndombele midfield his game would be enhanced further.
It's not club ethos, it's about a good striker who won't be willing to play second fiddle. Barca/ Bayern etc don't have great backup strikers, PSG's backup to Cavani is a guy that got relegated with Stoke last season. Wouldn't say Rodriguez is a serial cripple either, he played 40+ games this season and 30+ last season. He only really had that one major injury a few years back which ruled him out for over a year. Our scouts are pretty good too, not as good as Ajax/ Porto/ Barca ones but in general they've been successful. Even players the club haven't signed were on our radar, like Brooks and Maddison. Right now we have bigger priorities than worrying about trying to displace Kane, we need to fix other areas in the first XI before trying to sign a player who could potentially displace arguably the best striker in Europe.
Promote/buy someone with dreams instead of some has been that's all I'm saying I wanna see some drive. I'd rather give Llorente an extension...he warmed the cockles of my heart in the CL with his gutsy performances plus he's already settled. Has beens will improve zero they will fill squad numbers at best.
I'd spend the Eriksen money on someone like Dybala or Zaha...they can both be more than an understudy for Kane whilst having a primary role too(behind our striker) instead of a bang average out n out striker on his way out. It's up to Poch to grow some over the summer and actually utilise players we have in the squad or why have them if he has no faith...he does do some odd things himself...eg KWP let's forget about Moura.
I think it just needs to be someone that fits the system and who Poch can trust and utilise well enough. We've bought big in Soldado, bought potential in Janssen and bought experience in Llorente, the latter finally came good towards the end. Llorente if anything was a has-been yet has been the best striker we've bought since... ****ing hell, Pav or a returning Defoe? That's like over ten years ago I think, mad.
I'm not bothered about the price tag...I don't want a big buy...we need the right people. Llorente didn't feel like a has been to me...he was a regular at Swansea and I could clearly see what he was bringing. His experience was important too...it's for Poch to utilise him. If Spurs want to buy Ibrahimovic who's well on his way out...I'd understand what he brings but the likes of Jay Rodriguez or Sturridge...****in set of wastemen with the odd lucky touch.
Llorente was definitely a has-been for me, went from being Bilbao's main man, moved to Juve where he done well, then to Sevilla and then Swansea and finally to our bench most weeks. He was no longer the top level striker he once was. But has-beens aren't a problem for me so long as they bring the hunger which Llorente did. Your point about being the right people I agree with but that's the hardest thing to determine. I doubt we'll even sign Rodriguez FWIW but I think he ticks a lot of boxes for Poch, he's also HG too and we do need to be careful with our signings. The two main ones we're linked with so far are Ndombele and Lo Celso, add in Andersen at CB and that's a lot of foreign talent we're potentially signing at a time where our HG numbers aren't too great. Personally if it were down to me, I'd go for Ollie Watkins, I've been a fan of his since he played for Exeter. Still only 23, can play anywhere behind the striker or as a number nine and has that silky flair to him that I think would suit Poch's style, his only criticism at Brentford has been that he sometimes doesn't work hard enough but if he joined us I think Poch would change that.
Llorente's been largely rubbish but as a signing he's worked out well overall, giving us another option and occasionally making an important impact. Still don't think we can buy a better striker as backup to Kane than we already have in Sonny. We'd be better off strengthening the options behind the striker, whether Llorente stays or goes.
Nabil Fekir is reportedly available for £15m ...once again punting any claims of Lyon having FFP issues into the long grass ...and also surely sounding the Levying Alarm
With Jovic signed for 65 million euro Hazard 100 Million euro agreed and Mendy apparently a done deal also another 50 million who are they going to sell to fund an 100 million pound bid for Eriksen or is a swap deal on .
I've seen talk of Dani Ceballos being shopped around. Don't suppose the local government of Madrid have an office team who need a new £125m midfielder? Failing that, Odegaard can reportedly leave for £20m this summer, and they're presumably going to listen to offers for Rodriguez and Kovacic
Real agree a deal with Chelsea for Hazard. £88m plus add-ons. Eriksen isn't as big a name but we should be looking for a minimum of £70m I think.
