No, but a reminder has been put in the calendar for the 1st September to change the password for the recruitment data analytics portal when Hughes officially leaves 
I mean, I literally said yes we would be speaking with Diomande during the season after you mentioned the idea. That doesn´t sound very immutable does it… So you´re talking nonsense .
I´ve noticed you taking swipes at me before though and redfanman liking any post opposing what I say. Sad really.
Barcola is 23 and has registered 60 g/a for his club in 2 seasons, the difference between him and Wirtz is PR. He is worth it because he will be the best in his position in the PL next season and has the potential to be top 3 in the world. His underlying numbers, which are what the club use to determine his value, are in the upper percentiles for virually everything that is important in a player in his position. £130m is a lot but everyone thought £60m for Jacquet was huge 6 months ago and now that’s how much Spurs had to pay for Van Hecke who is in the last year of his deal and what Villa want for Ezri Konsa who is 28. Costs will continue to rise because the purchasing power available to ALL PL clubs will continue to inflate the market. Whoever is available next year will probably cost more and have less experience. Guys like Rayan Vitor at Bournemouth, Fernandez Pardo, Said el Mala will all have fewer top level games and less output than Barcola does now but still cost similar or more. Buying the best young players now in the positions where there are supply issues and when the market clearly hasn’t peaked feels like the best strategy available.
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I think you are right, with the first part especially.
Of all the young wide players in Europe who would be available, he is the one who has performed the best across the best few seasons.
Doesn´t definitely mean him for that money is the best use of our budget but he is almost certainly the wide player with the best pedigree behind him.
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That does raise the question why PSG would want to part with him then?
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Because they have half of the good young wingers in Europe and can’t keep all of them happy.
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Playing for PSG in Ligue 1 really pads those stats and he just doesn’t look clinical nor indefensible (at times) like a world class talent in his position would; Flo clearly met all the parameters before we purchased him - that he hasn’t had the impact (yet) we hoped shows that even players of his calibre need to play in an environment where they can flourish. At PSG and for France, Barcola has so many attacking threats that he doesn’t have to breakdown defences alone. He’d have a much tougher time with us in the PL and I question (for the little it’s worth!) if he’s such a cert that he’d be able to do it for us and thus worth paying top dollar for.
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I’ve been wondering the same thing for quite some time now. He’s a decent player, but is this really all we can get for £120m?
If he does come, I hope he’ll put my doubts to rest, but for now, I have more faith in Victor.
Mo having his best season in a Liverpool shirt in his mid 30’s kind of fucked the club’s planning. I doubt they were anticipating having to give him a new contract at the end of last season. The fact that the club have had 5 people (I’m including Jurgen) in charge of recruitment in the past 6 years has meant there has been a lack of continuity and it has impacted squad turnover. I actually sympathise with Hughes. In the 3 years he has been at the club he hes had to deal with renewals of the club’s highest earners. Had to replace some of the best players in the clubs history, whilst operating in a market that lacks like for like options and is incredibly inflated. If he gets out of this window with the 5 he appears to be targeting (CB, RB, DM, LW, RW) he will have refreshed an aging squad with a bunch of young quality options and given the club a chance to win trophies in only two summers.
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We live in a world where Leeds spent £40m to buy a keeper, so top-tier attackers like Barcola deserve a £100m+ price tag.
In comparison, most of the well-known left wingers in the Premier League, I think, only have around half of his output: Martinelli, Doku, Gordon, and Gakpo. Maybe it’s a different league, but the output gap is still massive.
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There are a few reasons. PSG have Kvaratskelia ahead of him in the same position. Barcola wants to leave, has only 2 years left on his contract and is refusing to sign a new one. PSG cashing in now makes sense.
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Which all points to us not paying crazy money. A bit like interest in Gakpo or Macca, or Elliot last summer, on our part.
I think playing for PSG in ligue 1 makes the stats incomparable.
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Not incomparable. Club analysts will apply a weighting to the stats if they view the leagues’ quality as being different enough
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Not sure what you mean when you say “Flo met all of the parameters when we purchased him”.
Does that mean there are “parameters” Bradley does not meet?
The idea that Barcola is good because he has good team mates is not how football works.
And, I have watched a lot of Wirtz and never seen him “break down defences alone”.
Is Flo a starter for PSG? Doubt it. Does that mean he’s not an incredible player? No.
Regarding output -
Play in Ligue 1 is less transition heavy, lower scoring, is more physical than anywhere outside of the PL and teams typically play more low blocks. The Bundesliga, by contrast, is famously a high press, transition heavy league with more space.
Barcola like Hugo, whose transfer was subject to similar unnecessary scrutiny, will be fine.
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This, basically. It’s not that PSG want him to go, it’s he who wants to go. He’s basically the Jota or Diaz of that attack, in competition with Salah, Mane and Firmino in their prime.
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No reliable sources yet, but reports confirming the Barcola deal are coming in from all sides. It feels like it’s a done deal. Hopefully, nothing gets in the way now.
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Like all new members you started here with a clean slate, if you’ve noticed people taking a dislike to your posting style I daresay there are reasons for that.
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To be fair, Redfanman is a like slut. He’ll give them to anyone
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It’s a toss-up as to whether I’ll get a like or a cringe emoji from @redfanman when I make a joke tbf lol
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