Remember we’ve agreed everything with Guehi but he still went to Shitty still wearing our shirt.
What in my last post was an implication of things being mutually exclusive and immutable?
By “speaking to a player,” that’s generally referring to talking to their agent. And Barcola is represented by Moussa Sissoko (no, not the former Spurs player), who himself represents a ton of high profile French players - like Dembele, Doue, Cherki. We talked to Cherki last summer before going for Wirtz. I could very well see us discussing Barcola with Sissoko as well.
That’s too much. Virgil, Flo and Ali were generational world class talents; Barcola is not at that level and the fact we are here is a real indictment on our recruitment and has me concerned that we are thinking like Man Utd.
I think so too, I’ve been thinking they’ll end up somewhere between what Liverpool paid for Isak and Wirtz. The €140m for Diomande seems like a good reference point.
Barcola is probably the better player here and now, is obviously much more tested at top level, as well as having the top club experience, suggesting he should command a higher fee; while the contract situations probably evens things more out.
You are probably right @norwegian_wood but does that leave us with funds for a CB? If not we are incredibly foolish and overpaying on Barcola will prove so very costly.
I don’t know, but I heard a podcast last summer with a football finance guy saying they have a standing credit of £300m somewhere to ensure they’ve got the cash flow for signings when they need them. And apparently we’re good when it comes to the spending rules. So yeah, probably.
Unfortunately as this stage, what would be the alternative? We´re likely running out of options.
We do need an upgrade in the wide areas and for cheaper prices there don´t seem lots of options.
I suppose we could wait a year and instead buy CB, RB, CM and have a better side overall. Assuming we can´t do that AND get Barcola. Althought what NW says above, suggests we could.
Ornstein reported this a couple of hours ago
https://x.com/david_onrnstein/status/2085458132549976212?s=61&t=VxX1vHU3NOwwNhlbyICG-g
David Onrnstein? Think thats an imitator account
“Parody” account.
Here’s the real one, where no such thing happened:
I take your point but it’s not like Mo leaving was a shock and the club have known this was coming for some time - ffs I predicted it four years ago ![]()
Minteh perhaps? Just 22 with a couple of seasons in the PL and would be able to slot straight in.
Beyond Barcola and the price, our overall transfer dealings in the last 3 seasons have just seemed off. Cf to Arsenal who have ensured depth across the squad and when Saliba gets an injury at the WC they straight away buy a replacement.
Oh absolutely. Totally with you there. We should have been preparing for this years ago, arguably with his replacement already here and ready to go. Not to mention Van Dijk and Konate.
I think Minteh is probably the best PL option and I mentioned Abde from Betis before. Not many players who have had a few very good seasons though unfortunately.
And I agree, which is why we are in this position. We won the league and then thought we could just stop. All this nonsense about giving Slot a year to evaluate the squad really hurt us in the longer term. He´s no longer here and we are left with a squad that needs a lot of work to get us anywhere near the top again.
Barcola is arguably the only player available who has had multiple good seasons. The best on the market we could hope for. Just a question of if we want to spend all that money or gamble on somebody we think could be the next Salah or Mane a little earlier.
Hughes was well known for leaving it late at Bournemouth to get the best price. That worked for a small club like them because their results weren’t impacted much. But for a club like us, where most of our targets are the best in the world and things are way more complicated, it’s a suicidal plan. Thank f he will be gone soon.
Arsenal have an extra £150m burning hole in pocket they were gonna give Vini Jnr.
Arsenal were never going to sign vini
Arsenal fans will be fuming when they hear Chelsea have already agreed a deal to sign Vinicius Junior Jnr on a 9 year deal for their crèche squad ![]()
Ok LFC recruitment team - if you insist on Barcola it’s time to get this deal done or sort out some other positions before going back later in the month - there are 25 days left in the transfer window, please do something, I need to pick my FPL team ![]()
A theory posited is that the club wanted both Diomande AND Barcola. The club can spend somewhere between £250 & £300m without sales and they are signing these very young players to long contracts so not out of the question.
It’s not limited to the post I replied to, it’s becoming a pattern across multiple discussions.
In this latest example you seem to be unable to grasp why we’d be prioritising a particular player 12 months ago only to change priorities the following year. The truth is the football world and transfers in particular is a fast-moving, frequently evolving market where players burst without warning into the spotlight while others fade due to form, injuries or numerous other factors.
Your implication seems to be that because we were interested in Barcola a year ago but not Diomande then a year later we shouldnt be switching those priorities, that doing so is extremely odd behaviour. Or that we shouldn’t be in contact with multiple players concurrently.
Hence mutually exclusive and immutable.
Have we signed him yet?
