Transfer Rumours transfer thread fact and fiction

Funnily enough, "trying too hard" is the phrase that best describes Diego...

 

It's a huge shame as he more or less carried the teams at times last season and was integral in ensuring we weren't totally out of touch with the top 6 when football resumed after lockdown. He is a huge upgrade on Lamela in terms of ability and vision but as you say, his injury record makes for painful reading.

I do still think he'll have a huge impact when he returns this season and on paper a midfield three of Gio, Hojbjerg and Tanguy is rather tasty. But if we're only going to see it 10 games a year there isn't much point.

 

As I frequently say, the english league season is a harsh "acid test" of players.
Far more stellar players than GLC have come here and
not made the grade, for physical/attitude/suitability reasons.

There is no shame in Spurs letting him go nor him returning to Spain.

 

I guess we'd better sack off Harry Kane too, then, given he's guaranteed to miss a bunch of games every season through injury

 

Lower League Rando Watch
Football BSider report that we're looking at Birmingham's 17-year old CB Rico Browne, who West Scam are also looking at

No doubt talkBALLS will be saying he should be signing for Man Utd instead...

 

Michael O'Neill's said that he's considering asking if they can re-loan Jack Clarke for next season

 

Botman/Milenkovic Watch
I know it's Romano and everything, but still...

 

Milenkovic will have 12 months left on his contract, which might explain our interest.

 

Botman would appeal to me more even if he’s likely the more expensive of the two. He’s a natural left sided CB so would properly replace Vertonghen. Ideal world we get both though.

 

He's been linked with us consistently for the past three years, which does play into things

That being said, he did flat tell Fiorentina he won't sign an extension back in January, so there's a Levyin' to be had there

 

Can't say that I blame him. They're completely toothless. He's their third highest scorer with 2.

 

Given their forward options are a superannuated Franck Ribery and Wolves reject Patrick Cutrone, it's no surprise that they're scoring as much as much as someone walking around Croydon in a Brazil shirt

 

Wolves recalled Cutrone in January and loaned him out to the even bigger ****show that is Valencia, so they don't even have him.

 

Even worse

Who else do they have on the bench? SS Andrea Doria?

 

Aleksandr Kokorin, who signed in January after being released from jail in Russia and short spells at Sochi and Spartak Moscow.
Apparently his two assaults on the same day and racist abuse of a government official weren't enough to put them off.

 

He'd have fit in pretty well when Sinisa Mihajlovic was managing them...

 

I think this was more or less said when we signed him in the summer but good to see Ally saying it again, as reports today were saying otherwise.

Get. It. Done. ASAP.

 

Churnalists conveniently forgetting details that they were reporting a few months prior?

Who would have thought of it?

 

I think we have time to sit on it until the end of the season with a first option in place. While Bale's fitness has clearly improved and he's played a few games in quick succession now, it's important that he can keep up the form and avoid further wear-and-tear-style injuries while playing well regularly to the end of the season. If he can do that then I'd love to have him back for a second year. If he starts breaking down again though then I have to wonder if the wages are worth it.