Yeah I think medical’s can take place a day or so later if I remember.
The Mo Salah stuff is a bit concerning. The timing is all wrong as we would be boxed in without time to do anything. The fact that their window stays open another couple of weeks is also ridiculous.
Apart from that, I would sell, for the right price. He is slightly past peak, still brilliant and has years to go, but if he wants to leave and it helps us build the team, all good things come to an end.
Maybe it will be a January sale, and it gives us time to line someone up?
I always expected next summer, since the Saudis emerged, but they are pushing now.
They can push all they want. No way we sell right at the end of the window.
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Or we accept an increased deal of 300m with the guarantee that he’ll join at the end of this season.
Oh and yeah , them Arabs can pay his wages in the meantime as well
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Gvardiol, Caicedo and Diaby for Salah would be the only deal I would have done (+Mac, Dom and Gravy). None of them are available any more so they can fuck off.
Yup and all this talk of their window is open for another 2 weeks or so tbh means little, other than just spouting shite from the sidelines of “honestly were super rich” because regardless of what they offer mo, it comes back to the club.
If Saudi really really want mo, they know today is the day they need to strike the deal and it’s going to take a seriously stupid bid…if we accept it then we save that money for January imo…
Anything £175 million plus then he can go, if he’s pushing for it , he can fuck off and wait until the next window for it all to start again.
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It seems a bit complacent to assume that Mo would automatically reject a move to Saudi. They’ll offer him a million a week or whatever it takes because he would be the absolute jewel in their crown. They’d probably make half of it back in shirt sales across the Arab world.
No doubt they will do everything they can to try to force a move. It’s up to us to stand firm and refuse to budge. It’s hard to see a scenario where he doesn’t go next summer though. I just hope the succession planning is more Keegan/Dalglish than Suarez/Balotelli.
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Or 3yrs if it’s the NHS doing it.
Quansah is an England U20 international who has represented them at every level. He is by all measures a top prospect who has now outgrown reserve football. As a 5th choice I think it’s difficult to justify bringing in someone to be ahead of him. If we’ve made an issue in the CB group it will be more a case of not replacing whichever of the 4 senior ones we dont have confidence in rather than getting a more experienced 5th choice.
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But what if they press? Are we press resistant?
If Gomez is our first choice RB backup this season, even with these defenders there is or was room for a new defender. Not to mention if we got interest for either of Matip or Gomez.
So you’re saying Trent was eased into the team and then took over when there was a long term injury?
Yes, people need to stop worrying about the injury records of two players because both have had the odd period where they’ve managed to stay fit. We should definitely bank on the outcome being the exception to the rule.
It’s like a rinse and repeat last summers conversations about injury plagued midfielders.
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Been here before with Suarez and Coutinho.
I dont see Gomez being asked to back up this role Trent is playing. Do we completely change our shape to accomodate one personnel change or would our back up be someone who looks more suited to playing that role? Maybe someone like Bajcetic
FIFY.
Salah is the most marketable Arab footballer around. He’s their crown jewel. Want him in , pay the money.
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If Gomez does a job at RB, he doesn’t have to and of course we can’t expect him to play it like Trent. Not to go too away from my main point, it could be tricky in defence this season.
That might be the case but you are missing the point that the “Arab leagues” are in general shite , it’s one thing to have a crown jewel…but then it’s almost as though you are ( not you, Saudi in this context )marketing that crown jewel into an idol.
I’m not sure what you’re suggesting. What is now asked of our RB is nothing close to what Gomez has done before and doesn’t seem aligned with what he can do. So whether he can fill in for Trent without us changing our entire shape and approach to the game seems like the main point in whether Gomez is being considered as a RB stand in, thus thinning our options at CB
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A lot of this sportswashing is to do with appeasing the home population as well. It’s just not the international acceptance of Saudi which is at stake. MBS has to show the local populace as well that he’s a reformist even if nothing changes at the end.
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Why? How is that remotely compatible with him continuing to be utterly ruthless at home? The whole reformer thing is entirely an international play
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