Transfer thread for 2016-17 season

West Scam have apparently slapped an £18m tag on Reece 'cameo' Oxford. If true, Bentaleb should fetch £45m easily.

Silly season has well and truly begun.

 

I assume for that price he will also wear the red codpiece and do a pre-season gig at some 80s
revival concert.

 

That is a "hope springs eternal" comment to cling to (I am clinging to it) .

 

As we haven't been linked with a lower league starlet lately...we're linked with a couple of them, namely Peterborough midfielder Leo Da Silva Lopes, while we're once more linked with Andre Green. Where's holtebellends when you need to use the terms "Aston Villa" and "lower league" eh?

Given the crap they've pulled with our transfer targets all summer, we should very publicly submit an offer of £6m and wait to see how close to that figure the bids from the other clubs are.

 

Reports suggesting that Bentaleb is in talks over a season long loan to Benfica.

 

Other reports say N'Jie has passed his medical with OM.

 

Southampton supposedly chasing Trippier. I like the lad but I remain unconvinced that he has what it takes to make it in a Poch system. If we can upgrade him to someone of Davies' quality I'd happily see him go. It's about time we paid Soton back for Lambert, Llalaalalalana, Shaw, Alderweireld, Lovren, Mane, Wanyama and all the other players we've signed from them over the years - not to mention stealing Poch and convincing Koeman to join Everton.

 

Excellent news if true. Good, technically sound footballing side who play the game the right way. He won't have the intensity or physicality of the PL but for me, if Poch has (hopefully) abandoned the farcical project of turning him into a DM, it is the technical side of his game that will need working on: decision making, passing, movement etc.

 

I agree on Trippier. His defending is limited and that's being very accommodating on the meaning of the word 'limited'. Going forward is a different matter, of course.

It could be that Yedlin's chance at Spurs is right now, on this tour. In my view, he's probably got more potential than Trippier but may be a little lacking in experience and I'd like to see whoever is Walker's back-up get more minutes in cup games and some PL games. If he isn't ready now, I hope he's overtaken by KWP.

Isn't there a German who can play RB/CH that we've been linked to? Somehow I think that might be unlikely as we've got a lot of potential in that position.

 

Pritchard's been linked with a few clubs: Swansea are looking for a permanent deal, while Newcastle and Leeds are interested in a loan.

Don't suppose Bournemouth are still interested in taking Mason off our hands? If Bentaleb does spend the season at Benfica, I don't want the thought of us being one Charlie Adam special away from having Mason in the pivot for any length of time.

 

Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Nabil Bentaleb is not in his plans for our future. He's gone. You don't cross our manager twice and I get the impression that the young man has a one-way ticket out of the club in a Townsend style.

It's going to be interesting to see who comes in for him. He'll expect a number of top Italian sides to be fighting for him. There may be 1 or 2 interested in a cheap loan but I don't see anyone outside the PL (or Newcastle) bidding anything that would interest us and I would expect us to want hard cash.

It's a shame but such is the faith that I have in Mauricio Pochettino that I have no qualms about selling anyone that he doesn't want.

 

State your sources good sir, or I shall bid thee good day!

 

Back Poch and we will go places.

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Really wanted Nabil to succeed at Spurs, but you got to respect the gaffer.

 

Loyalty is a two way street.
If you are going to clear out players like N'Jie and Pritchard, when their key season has been
ruined by injury, then don't expect too much more from such players other than going thru the motions.

 

I totally understand that thinking. I suppose the bar has been set high. You have to show your credentials in the few chances you get I.e Wimmer. This is a quality the squad players must possess...we have a fantastic first team. It's the nature of the beast that you have to make your mark in a short space of time, that is why subs are important. There are players out there that will think, I'm going to prove myself. Maybe that is why Poch prefers a young squad. Young players should have a lot to prove, if they don't show the willingness then they lack the fight in many aspects of the game. It's a first team players challenge to remain in the team. It's a squad players challenge to usurp him, show the fight. If you don't for whatever reason then it's no good for what Poch expects because I think he aspires to deliver the title. This is the kind of ruthlessness our club has been lacking for decades if you ask me.

 

And if injury reduces those chances to an infeasible few ??
Pritchard had pre-season 2015 like everyone else and then had his season ruined by
injury on effing England duty. Not the message a club should be sending to Academy prospects.

 

Fair enough with injured parties if it's just injury that has caused them to be isolated.

 

Sky Sports quoting Pochettino in a press conference.

 

Fazio and Pritchard not in his plans either. But he said that N'jie was injured.