I’d like Varela better than Zubi. Obviously I don’t know if we’re still in the market, but the reports from Steele that we are not doesn’t really tell us anything either way. It would’ve been silly to come out and say we’re still desperately seeking a player in that position.
Now theres talk we will take £60m for Diaz who wants to go to Barca.
Well the two guys I pointed out are genuine injury magnets. And we can’t play Virgil and Mo every game so when we lose Jota and Konate we put more pressure on those two.
And yes, we should be looking to buy a new left back given Robertson’s age and Tsimikas being filler at best. But we won’t do that this summer because apparently there’s not a left back who’d improve us. And next summer we’ll be addressing holes left elsewhere and so it’ll be when Tsimikas’s contract or Robertson’s legs run out that we start looking.
If the £50m for Zubimendi was just change lying round for an opportunistic signing we don’t really need then go upgrade another area now instead of waiting on the perfect time and market conditions to do that because doing that doesn’t seem to be working all that well.
The big question is who we plan to be playing on the right when Salah isn’t playing, given that the talk is that Gordon is heading out on loan while Doak may be sold.
On the other hand, at centre-back we still have van den Berg and Gomez as of yet, and Konaté.
And if the opportunities aren’t there? Or if we believe that we have players coming up through our youth teams who can emerge and take those spots?
You must talk the most drivel of everybody on here
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Realistically as fans on forums we are literally speculating opinionist, who hang on every word of well paid speculative opinionist, like Rumouramo and Co. like them we have no actual incite into the daily working of financial buys/transfers, we just want some.
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We have an amazing team here who will battle for everything. We shouldn’t just buy for the sake of three weeks left, it doesn’t often work.
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I’ll add to that, I admire anyone on a forum who states his piece and shows his passion, that’s what we do.
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stick me on mute then sportwat
We should have upgraded CB,DM and WF this summer.Those we have in CB reserve can help but as of now are not capable of filling in for a long spell should something happen to VvD who may also be off next summer.Salah is more than likely off after this season so we should be looking at replacing him now and we have no one at DM who inspires confidence.
You are right. We deserve to be relegated to the North West Counties football league. At least.
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I see emotions have been stewing over night and now we have a well cooked dish… I will try to be gentle and respectful today… hope everyone is the same
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I think what we want in midfield is rather a unique skillset. Definitely don’t see us going in for the likes of Ugarte or Varela - the lads whose second touch is a tackle. We obviously are looking for someone who can drop between the CBs, accept the ball from the GK on the half turn, be a creative passer AND do all the normal DM stuff.
We can probably piece it together with what we’ve got - Endo can play but not really do the possession stuff well, Gravenberch and Jones can do the possession stuff but not the DM stuff etc. It’s a bit more tricky for the coach but not something that can’t be worked around.
Would still like to see us go in for a CB soon. I know Slot said vdB was dropped for the friendlies for load management but I’m not sure I believe that.
By the way what did Pearce say about our outgoings - someone posted the Times article but its behind a paywall.
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Zubimendi blow, no interest in Guimaraes as an alternative, and monitoring Mamardashvili.
Plus latest on possible exits for Clark, Beck, Doak, Gordon, Stephenson and Van den Berg…
Hipster! 
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Our requirements profile has obviously changed somewhat and I understand that Slot is now clearing out what he doesn’t need. But I don’t understand why he isn’t being given more support to compliment his system. He already has it hard enough as Klopp’s successor. I find it disappointing how this is being handled now and that there isn’t even a plan B.
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So literally what I said earlier about Salah, Trent and Virgil being replaced by Bradley, Quansah, van den Berg, and Doak/Gordon is now what you’re suggesting?
You can’t honestly believe we couldn’t find improvements over Tsimikas, Endo, any of our central defenders or someone who could push Salah, at reasonable value anywhere in the world who are also better than the lads in the academy? Because that sounds like what you’re saying.
Not surprised to see its QPR interested in Owen Beck. I watched their opening game against West Brom and their left back, Kenneth Paal, was absolutely atrocious.
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It will have taken time for the recruitment team to tweak their models taking on board Arne’s requirements and come up with a list of targets. Edwards, approach has always been to build a shortlist to scrutinise and work over a lengthy period of time to get them to join us (I expect Hughes to follow the same songsheet)- so expecting the club to roll up and buy several key players this window given the coaching/ recruitment changes and the major tournaments is probably unrealistic. How many of those players identified would have been available this window (we don’t know but it’s worth thinking about) and not need any further research on?
This, plus the apparent ‘availability’ of Zubimendi (who appears to tick the majority of boxes wanted) when it looked like he was off elsewhere earlier in the summer is probably what was meant when the move was being briefed as ‘opportunistic’,
Outside of Chelsea, and perhaps West Ham, there doesn’t appear to have been a lot of movement this window. It feels kind of quiet to me for a summer transfer window.
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Zubi probably played us for a nice payday from Sociedad.
The ‘perfect’ signing does not exist, but it is the ‘perfect’ excuse for not making a signing.
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