After his performances at the Euros, I would say that Yamal is already a star.
And you’re right: Barcelona will do everything they can to keep him. The problem is that if he does decide to leave, there is no way we can compete with Manchester City and PSG on transfer fees and wages.
What Chelsea is doing is not even close to comparable to what Man City were doing.
What Man City were doing was downright fraud and falsification of records, deals, etc. In my mind, a criminal act.
Chelsea are trying to find loopholes. The super long contracts was one. Whether the selling of assets to related entities is another is for the lawyers to decide according to the regulations. They did things in the open and if Chelsea did in fact find a loophole, props to them and their team… the PL should then question whether their lawyers are competent. But if Chelsea are wrong about it, they should suffer the same sort of punitive penalties that were applied to Everton for violating FFP but of course to a level that matches their offense.
Even though his susceptibility to injuries means that he fits the most important criterion for a Liverpool player (he did his ACL), I don’t think he would be a good addition - Aston Villa wouldn’t sell him unless it was a big offer and Liverpool definitely wouldn’t pay 30+ million pounds for someone who’d basically be a utility player.
What I think the club should do is feed stories about their interest in Baleba and then see who Brighton start negotiating with as Baleba’s replacement and then buy that player. Sorted.
Now we’re being linked with Eze. I don’t think his name has popped up before.
Arsenal and Liverpool are set to be among the main teams trying to sign Crystal Palace and England midfielder Eberechi Eze, 26, this summer. (Caughtoffside)
40 million? Makes me wonder how much RM should pay for Trent to take part in the Club World Cup.
Bournemouth will demand £40m for Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, 21, who is on Liverpool’s radar, along with £50m-rated Fulham and United States defender Antonee Robinson, 27. (Mirror)
Bad fitness record and not the most disciplined on the pitch in terms of maintaining position, almost zero defensive work. Doesn’t seem like much of a fit.
I dont think I see it, but I am long past being concerned about whether a target of ours is a good fit. If he is genuinely identified as a possibility then the data guys will have put those concerns to bed.
Eze is a funny one because statistically he looks good and he has flashes of brilliance but when I watch Palace play I always feel like he should be contributing a lot more.
In terms of pure skills and ability in very tight areas around the box, he’s one of the best in the league. You don’t get a lot of these players anymore.
Dare I say he even reminds me of Okocha at times. Though Jay-Jay was more skilful (one of those entertainers type), what I also like about Eze is how solid he is on the ball, balanced, can use both feet. A natural footballer.
I don’t know much about his personality from the outside, but he seems normal enough to me. Bloody hell, Southgate even used him at LB or LWB last summer, off the bench?
He will be 27 this summer and 2 years left on his deal, similar to Diaz. Not much time left if he wants to achieve something big…
He is one where you wonder how good he could be if he played for one of the top teams, where there’s less pressure on him and he has more options to combine with.
Probably not much in it and I’m not saying he’s the right fit for us (we can all agree that out of all possible necessities this summer, Eze wouldn’t spring to our minds), but who knows if Slot would see him as an option for two positions, #10 and left side.
27 is a problem. It feels he’s too close to 30 at this point to pay the sort of money Palace would likely demand for a player that important to them. It feels it’s one contract cycle too late for him to make a big move like this now.
Yeah, I guess either he stays at Palace and manages to negotiate an improved deal which would likely be his peak money or possibly there’s a move, if there’s room and need somewhere, but not really at one of the best sides in the league.
Eze is a good player but I can’t see us signing him. Age and likely cost would work against him. I can’t see us pushing the boat out for a good, but not great, player.