I’m now looking forward to seeing the players arrive for training in their new volkwagen twingos!
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Twingos are made by Renault. The VW equivalent is called the Up! which does give them some kudos as having dreamt up a stupider small car name than the French.
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Doh!!!
As can be seen i am really not into cars,
I was in my youth though, loved reading car magazines,
Escort and Fiesta were my favs! 
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Audi Escort and Fiat Fiesta were nice cars.
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FSG didn’t give him the required transfer funds so he Schmadtke them in the face.
I hope this boat has sailed… the guy has turned Jurgen down about twenty times
Reports that WHU want £120m for Declan Rice or £100m plus a player…
Thats him gone off the wish list then.
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They can have Naby and Ox for free and we’ll take Rice for £80m.
Seems fair.
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FIFY
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Rice is a good player, but that’s silly money. At that sort of price Ugarte be kidding me!
For simple comparison purposes:
Ugarte + MacAllister probably sorts our midfield, if you add it to what is already here, or what will remain.
Declan Rice still leaves us one short.
This is on the premise that we sign two midfielders. We need to do at least that, and it may even be three.
Edit:
I lean towards two midfielders, unless a high capacity low cost option emerges as a third. Apart from that, two will be enough, given the emergence of our younger midfielders, the rest of what remains in the tank of the old guard, Trent’s inverted role, and two good additions will be just fine.
Add a central defender to that, mind.
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Rice will give us the energy boost we need.
I’ve said we would sign two the whole time and that’s not changed, so I agree. Two players in the 40-50m range is how we will try and approach it.
The good thing is the form of Jones means we have another viable starter in midfield in addition to the signings and Bajcetic showed he deserves to be in the squad regularly. Jones in particular I think means we don’t have to pursue a low cost 3rd midfielder - as none of them are likely to be as good as Curtis is.
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£120m for Declan Rice, like £130m for Bellingham, isn’t just silly money, it creates the same problem for us. We need two quality midfielders and spending that amount on a single player isn’t reasonable.
If we can cover RB with Bradley/Ramsey/Gomez,do you think TAA should be 1 of those 2 new mids,as well as 2 new mids or should he just revert back to his RB position.
Can Rice be our staple diet for years to come?
Somebody had to.
Rice will see out his final year, or chelsea, city or mu will pay a ridiculous fee.
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Personally I think this formation sticks - Trent gets so much space coming into a central role from the right back position that I don’t see why we wouldn’t stick with it. Also creates overloads in the midfield which is helping our pressing game.
Pre-season spent working on how to defend a quick transition and this system, making Trent a free roaming playmaker in possession and a RB when we lose it will be lethal. I don’t see us reverting back to a more ‘traditional’ shape after the success we’ve had with this one and the fact it makes our best player the focal point of the system.
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With the Rice puns I have to ask why (people of a certain age) have not gone for any (Lynda) Bellingham Bisto jokes?
The biggest limitation is it is a very Trent centric set up. City’s version is different, but this season they have used Stones, Walker and Lewis in that role this season. It’s difficult to see us being able to use the approach to anything like the same effect in the games Trent is not available. Do we go back to a flat back 4 with a more orthodox (albeit attacking) RB? Do we try to shove someone else in a role who can only do a portion of it - presumably we focus on the defensive side of being able to press from the midfield and has the energy to get back to defend in the RB position when needed and be effective there?
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