The Unreliable Rumours Discussion Thread (Part 1)

[Kopstar]

Looking at how Pep handled Foden at the same age (there’s just under 3 years between them), I wouldn’t quite follow the same template.

I’ll divide the 18/19 season into two halves. First half to the end of December.

In the first half of 18/19 Foden was treated as follows:

PL Matchday squad 19/20 games. 8 appearances all as sub for a total of 92 minutes. The most in one appearance being 21.
CL Matchday squad 4/6. 3 appearances, 1 as starter for a total of 93 minutes.
FA Cup N/A
League Cup Matchday squad 3/3, all starts for a total of 270 minutes.

So in the first half of the season he played a total of 455 minutes of football.

Over the second half he was used as follows.

PL Matchday squad 10/18. 5 appearances, 3 as a starter for a total of 276 minutes.
CL Matchday squad 4/5. 1 substitute appearance for a total of 26 minutes.
FA Cup Matchday squad 5/6. 3 appearances, 2 starts for a total of 195 minutes.
League Cup Matchday squad 3/3. 2 appearances, 1 start for a total of 122 minutes.

So second half he played a total of 619 minutes.

Some notes of interest. He started 4 out of 5 games in City’s run to the League Cup final (came on as sub in the other) but Pep stuck him on the bench for the final and didn’t bring him on.

I personally think that over a whole season 1,074 minutes of football for a talented 18 yr old is not enough. [He didn’t play in any academy games]

But before that season Foden had played a grand total of 328 minutes of senior football so perhaps it was right for him?

Elliott’s already played 3,454 minutes of senior football (2,845 minutes last season).

I think going from that to potentially seeing less than 400 minutes of football in the first half of next year runs the risk of hurting rather helping his development and leaving him under cooked for the second half (AFCON!).

I think I’d rather see him go on loan for the first half of the season where he’ll play regularly at a decent level and bring him back in January to supplement the group for the run from January (and the AFCON absentees).

[Nikola]

I think that club have already recouped his transfer fee by ways of various loan fees but the higher fee they are reportedly asking for him is probably partially due to Crvena Zvezda retaining a 20% sell-on clause (which I’m sure they are desperate to see activated).

For what it’s worth, he’s now a member of Serbian national team (usually coming on from the bench) and will likely be regularly called up for qualifiers now that Stojković is the head coach. Factor in his CL appearances, greed of big clubs, oil money trickling down and maybe there’s a case to be made for such valuation.

He also has a rather competent agent - everyone on TAN knows that I’m not an optimistic person but I think that a deal can be made, though for a bit lower sum, maybe around 15 million euros, which should still count as profit (maybe with another sell-on clause to be inserted given the nature of Porto’s business model).

[Limiescouse]

@Kopstar

If true it’s roughly the net budget I expected. I wouldn’t sell Keita though.

I’d like to think there is still a positive outcome here, but if we’re going to sell him then this is the year given his contract situation. Given his unreliability (and his terrible performance, albeit with mitigating circumstances of being thrown back in, against Real), I think there’s a strong argument that with Gini leaving we cannot have another player in the midfield group so unreliable. It seems the best way to address that is t get what we can from him now and use that money to bolster the group with someone we expect to be more reliable.

[GaryBarlow99]

@rupzzz

I see Napolis Hysaj is available on free. From what I recall, he’s decent. Only 27? Can play both sides. Seen a unreliable shout that he could be handy and allow Neco to go on loan for a season.

If Tsimikas wants to leave as has been mooted then Hysaj would be a smart transfer. Would allow us to loan Neco and we have still got Milner to cover. Does mean having no other left footed full back in the squad though.

[Iftikhar]

@Nikola

Factor in his CL appearances, greed of big clubs, oil money trickling down and maybe there’s a case to be made for such valuation.

I don’t understand how the greed of big clubs and oil money trickling down factors in with Grujic transfer. I think that €20m valuation is for the Portuguese player Porto intends (rumored) to sell. Grujic will carry a far moderate price-tag, probably around €12-15m with add-ons.

I hope we don’t haggle over the price and stay stuck with him, like we did with Wilson last summer.

[Nikola]

These are factors in every transfer window, only this time they could be more pronounced as a lot of clubs will be relying on money coming in from the likes of Chelsea, Man City and PSG first, as well as those who traditionally spend a lot, like Real Madrid, Bayern, majority of English clubs… Once that money reaches the likes of Porto, they will be able to pursue targets like Grujić.

[redfanman]

@Iftikhar

I don’t understand how the greed of big clubs and oil money trickling down factors in with Grujic transfer

Because it inflates prices and expectations in the market.

[RedOverTheWater]

I read the Mirror article posted above, and it said the transfer budget was £50M, plus sales, after Konate already signed.

My best guess is we will sign two midfielders and one forward the rest of this summer, plus maybe one or two very young players to grow here too.

Then after that there will be sales, and the usual suspects have been listed in numerous posts.

[WooltonRed]

@RedOverTheWater

I read the Mirror article posted above, and it said the transfer budget was £50M,

And how does the Mirror know this? FSG told them maybe? I doubt it very much. More likely, it’s a figure plucked out of the air.

[MarcusBerglund]

Porto are on the verge of selling Sergio Oliveira to Fiorentina for 15 mln. euro and they view Grujic as the best possible option to replace one of their leaders, if that happens .

Sergio Oliveira, ballano 5 milioni. Corona verso la scadenza: parte con 15...

Sérgio Oliveira, alvo da Fiorentina, gera entusiasmo: ″Sabe fazer tudo bem″

[RedOverTheWater]

@WooltonRed

And how does the Mirror know this? FSG told them maybe? I doubt it very much. More likely, it’s a figure plucked out of the air.

Absolutely. Very unreliable I’d say. Perfect thread for it!

Just commenting on the amount as there was a question above, above whether it included the Konate money. But either way, we are chasing shadows as nobody knows what is going on!

[rab]

@WooltonRed

And how does the Mirror know this?

They read it on ESPN who made it up based on us qualifying for the CL, which according to ESPN just so happens to be worth, you guessed it, £50m.

[AnfieldRdDreamer]

Not that I believe the rumour (never believed we operate on a “transfer budget”) but £50m would actually not be sniffed at. Even the most pessimistic posts in the sales thread seem to go along the lines of at least £70m being raised (with no top stars moving on). So that, plus the supposed kitty and the konate fee equals a total of about £155m. With only one forward, one CM, one 2nd choice Keeper, possibly another CB/an AM/a RB cover to come in. Easily more than enough.

[GermanRed]

Taki Minamino will leave Liverpool this summer, if the club can get a decent fee for the Japanese.

[Paul Gorst, Liverpool Echo]

[GermanRed]

Marko Grujic is set to spark a bidding war with Liverpool ready to cash in on the midfielder this summer. Clubs have remained in contact with Liverpool over a possible permanent deal. The Reds will look for around £20m for the player.

[Liverpool Echo]

[rab]

I think the suggestion is the budget is £50m and therefore the Konate deal would come from that rather than in addition to it.

Even then, as you’ve pointed out, if we can shift the deadwood there’d still be some healthy funds available should that £50m be anything close to what we can afford to invest.

A conservative average of £10m each for Grujic, Wilson, Origi and Shaq, £15m for Minamino and some waifs and strays could get you to £60m. Anything close to £20m for Keita and we should jump at that too.

That would get us to about £130m, less Konate and that’d be £95m in the pot for one CM to replace Gini and Keita, a forward and then a backup keeper if Adrian goes. Perhaps a backup right back if we deem it necessary to get Neco more game time but even then I’d expect it to be a Klavan type. Cheap, experienced and easy enough to move on if Neco comes back ready to be more involved or we decide he isn’t and need to replace both.

Seems like a lot of cash for not a huge number of needs. Just depends on getting the outgoings sorted as soon as possible.

[Kopstar]

@GermanRed

Marko Grujic is set to spark a bidding war

[gasband]

[gazmaninaus]

I don’t actually see the need for a bucket load of players coming in. Mostly move some on and then get one quality midfielder. We need to move Ox. Keita. Shaq. Origi. Wilson. Grucic and others to free up space rather than money.

[legalalien]

Paris St-Germain chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi says the French giants will never sell France striker Kylian Mbappe, 22. (AS - in Spanish)

Looks like we’ll have to make do with Patson and Raphina then.