Rumours from Holland that we are interested in FC Gronigen’s 6'4" Centre back Eric Botteghin. please log in to view this image The 27yr old Brazilian is said to be ‘a bit of a beast’ and, tatistically, was the best defender in the Dutch league last season. He’s valued at about £2m. Sounds like we're hedging our bets on not getting the likes of Lewis Dunk. Interesting, if the story is true, that we're prepared to go outside of the strategy of opting for players with Championship experience.
No bad thing for the defender to be tall, but I hope whoever we get is composed in possession and a vocal organiser. I'd keep Burn and Hutchison as options, it's the Budorov role that needs replacing.
It's gone a bit quiet on the left back front the Joe Bennett rumours disappeared as fast as they came, I'm glad we are looking at a centre back but we really need to get a left back in. I fully expect that by the end of July there will be at least five more transfer movements...... Out........ Mitroglu, Amorebieta and Roberts In........... Centre Back and Left Back
Left back and centre back have to be the priorities. I'm pretty happy with our signings thus far, but we need to replace Amore & Staf. It'd be nice to sign up a DM to cover for Parker, but that is not quite as immediate a need.
I don't see Parker as a DM, that's where I thought he was going to play but he's either been box to box or more advanced. If he can adapt it would be great but I don't think he will ever just sit
I thought he was not in Portugal due to the compulsory three week break after international tournaments????
No sooner said than done, yet again. The Times are saying that Besiktas have been in town ckecking out Loic Remy and while here to the opportunity to ask us about Nando. We apparently quoted 5m euros which may put them off a bit, however. Can see another loan in the offing. [As you know that's where we seem to be with Besiktas on Mitrolglou.]
Looks like Delph is going to City - prospect of LVC and Roberts leaving looms. Hope that all the positives so far transfer wise don't get undone by spate of Dembele style last minute departures, it took me ages to get over that.
Well done Delph for turning down City. Maybe he can have a word with young Pat in tonight's game and explain the reasons why. .
I'm not sure if Delph rejecting City is a good thing for us. Had he joined them and with the potential signing of Sterling it might have meant that City had their home-grown quota filled and with us holding out for the reported £10 million for Pat I could have seen City dropping their interest in him. Delph staying combined with Villa splashing £9 million on Idrissa Gueye who is also a centre midfielder probably means that they won't come in for LVC but the rumours were that Lasse was looking to sign a new contract anyway so I think we would have been OK. Now we're just more likely to lose Pat I think.
Pat is under 21, so if Man City did sign him they wouldn't need to name him in their squad anyway. They would not be signing him for quota reasons.
They don't have to be registered but they can. If City only have 7 home grown players over the age of 21 they can choose to register an U21 player to fill the home grown quota.
That's true FI, but they could just leave the spot empty. My point is that if they sign Roberts it would be as an investment for the future, not to shore up their home grown players this season.
A few tweets stating Fulham have bud £4 million for Tom Lees, just appears to be a few rumours and not the flow of tweets you often get quickly when there is substance behind it. To be honest I feel a decent centre back and left back and I would be happy with our sumner business, having only spent £4 million of a rumoured £10 million transfer fund I would be tempted to identify who we want in these two position and just go for it even if it means slightly over spending, get Dunk or Lees in for £4 mill and Husband for £2 mill
That would be quite jump from our original, albeit rejected, bid for him. Agree with you about the need for a CB, Cookie and about Husband. However, another priority has to be DM. In yesterday's game against Villa we had Donnelly and his replacement Tunnicliffe, with no other options on the bench or back home at Motspur Park. [I've suggested previously trying Grimmer there but Kit obviously doesn't agree; and Parker isn't the answer]. So, if we're going to pay over the odds for someone I'd rather it was Kevin McDonald.
Luke Garbutt from Everton is available on loan. I'd prefer either an experienced left back or to sign a youngster permanently, but I imagine we'll be linked with Garbutt.
