If I’m West Ham I’m rejecting any player + cash deals but push comes to shove the only realistic options I’d consider would be Amad Diallo, Anthony Elanga and Kobbie Mainoo. None of them are replacements for Rice - that would have to be a seperate deal.
Rice to McTominay is not even a conversation.
Cracking signing for Arsenal. Chelsea look like they’re cracking up!
Precious little evidence to date that he’s actually good.
Arteta and co. are fucking unimaginative in the transfer window.
Looks like Di María’s going back to Benfica. They’ll be a lot of fun to watch next season.
If Arteta actually improves a guy who Tuchel, Potter & Lampard couldn’t do much with I’ll be impressed.
I still like and have belief in Havertz, maybe he needs a different move. The fact that he’s remaining at a top level (or going to higher than Chelsea’s right now) still has certain value. His best positions clashes with Odegaard’s, but maybe he’ll be competing for two roles, #10 and false #9. Sometimes they might play together and form that box, which we see more of these days.
Im not so sure for Arsenal.
Arsenal are in a strange place. They have a good first team with few weaknesses, but outside of 2 or 3 players have very little squad depth. It means on the one hand they have a really wide range of players they can bring who would strengthen them, yet also risk doing something like this - spending good money on a player where it’s difficult to see how he fits in and is as likely to disrupt things as force his way into the first team and improve them there.
yep, i think he will be very good for especially with the way they play
Investing in quality competition even when you look to have the starting 11 sewn up is what we have struggled with over the years. I would say that Havertz and Townsend provide them with some genuine competition in forward roles, something that Minamino, Origi, Shaqiri never did. Obviously it’s much better now with the 5 we have in terms of competition for places.
I guess Barca will still want a proper Busquets replacement at the single pivot role. But… maybe Gundo in will enable them to drop Frenkie in the #6 role in some games. Then have a midfield trio of Frenkie, Pedri and Gundo. Even though they have also toyed with the structure change to a double-pivot (like Real at the end of the season) and asymetrical attack; a proper winger on the right side and a more tucked in combining player (Gavi) off the left.
A bit different player than Barella. I guess then Newcastle might be looking at a change from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1. So possibly a #10 next.
They are allegedly really quite adamant they dont want De Jong playing that role and so despite reviving his career there last year you could see him being on the chopping block again this year. Honestly selling him for big money to Utd makes too much sense for all parties for it to not happen so Im surprised it just doesnt seem on the cards.
I didn’t see this one coming. If that was us, I’d be up in arms, screaming that they fleeced us again. I think he should have been far further ahead in his development, by the way, and it’s interesting to see that Milan aren’t reluctant to cash in on him. That said, he still has plenty of talent and time to make his mark on football.
You mean you wouldn’t want us paying 70 million for him?
Tonali has never really stood out to me the little I’ve seen of AC Milan recently.
To be perfectly blunt, I wouldn’t want him even at half that price.
Predictably, James Horncastle has already come out with a piece for The Athletic where he extols Tonali’s virtues (though I rate Horncastle as a journalist) and Tonali may well make us both look like fools but I also haven’t seen why he’s so highly rated. I’ve asked my Milan-supporting mate to give me his view on this, I predict that he’ll want Milan to take the money and run.
Wasnt Tonali one of our targets a few years ago?