Looks like your side also signed Rabiot to a pre-contract. A £9m signing-on bonus & £170k/week...if he fulfills his potential, that's a great deal. If, if, if...Announced several weeks ago, but effective only now I believe--Barca scooped up Colombian Jeison Murillo from Valencia to add to their CB depth in light of injuries to Umtiti and Vermaelen. He's likely a break glass in case of emergency type, but I could be wrong. Vermaelen's injury should have him available before the end of the month, but it would likely be prudent to get Murillo some time in the Copa to see if he can provide any real value.
Going the other way, I hope and think there is some possibility that Denis Suarez gets an outbound transfer. This guy is insanely skilled and deserves to play. Put him in the Prem or another La Liga club, and he will become a darling again.
Wow, I hadn't seen that. A 23 year old comfortable playing multiple spots in a MF 3 with his skill is a tremendous bet. Getting him on a free transfer is just outstanding. I don't know if his future at Barca is at the pivot or in the Rakitic glue guy role, but I think he's a reasonable candidate for both. Very good business by Barca IMO.Looks like your side also signed Rabiot to a pre-contract. A £9m signing-on bonus & £170k/week...if he fulfills his potential, that's a great deal. If, if, if...
Agreed, but what is it about the guy that so rubs managers the wrong way - at PSG & the French national team - that they leave him out despite the talent? The team that can get him to play up to his talent and not piss off his managers will be very happy. Is that Barca?Wow, I hadn't seen that. A 23 year old comfortable playing multiple spots in a MF 3 with his skill is a tremendous bet. Getting him on a free transfer is just outstanding. I don't know if his future at Barca is at the pivot or in the Rakitic glue guy role, but I think he's a reasonable candidate for both. Very good business by Barca IMO.
Chicharito is probably back and would start. I think they'd like a younger striker to take over for Chicharito next season and compete now. A DM and a LB would be nice as well, with Sanchez out for the year Rice has no clear backup£45-50m for a soon-to-be 30 year old striker would be a no-brainer for West Ham, especially with Lanzini coming back. Even if a replacement isn't bought, Antonio back up front with Anderson, Lanzini, and Nasri behind him wouldn't be too shabby
In principle, yeah - bundle him off and reinvest the fee. In practice - if Silva really feels his job is on the line, then he's going to fight like hell to keep Gueye.Three Everton rumors:
-Getting serious interest from PSG for Idrissa Gana Gueye. Gueye absolutely excels at what used to be known as the Ngolo Kante role before Sarri moved Kante - DM cleaning up in front of the back line. Is among the league leaders in clearances and interceptions. Trouble is that he is not very good on the ball, is a low-accuracy and bad-judgment passer, and generally has no attacking game to speak of. Everton podcasters are fond of saying that Gueye does an excellent job of winning back the balls that he himself coughed up the minute before. Mixed feelings here. Everton look (more) terrible when he's not in the lineup, but his limitations are real. He is like several other Everton players- good enough that their absence will hurt the club, but not quite good enough to get the club to the next level. Since he's about to turn 30 and takes a ton of abuse, and PSG seems ready to pay, this might be the time to sell - his value is only going to go down.
I'm due for an update in the Everton thread, but yeah, this is the dilemma. Everton have both brought in a good crop of players this year and shown real quality when at their best -and demonstrated at the same time that they are painfully lacking in depth and in personnel at key positions, have many bad players on bad contracts, and most damningly, since Pickford's fuckup at the derby, have not shown good resolve - they can't take a punch.Selling high on Gueye is probably the right move, but if Everton do sell they need to have a replacement lined up if they want to challenge for the last Europa League spot. They could just sell him, punt on 7th place, and look to replace him next summer. But that would be declaring in January that your season is over.
For sure. I know he’s got the choker rep, but he always impresses to me. I think his game could fit in well in England.Genuinely excited to see if Higuain can have success in the Premiership.
Higuain's move to Chelsea is apparently facilitating Morata's departure to Atletico, which, in turn, is sending Gelson Martins to Monaco.Genuinely excited to see if Higuain can have success in the Premiership.
Agreed. The way I see it, Juve would not loan him to a team in Milan unless they saw him as pretty cooked. Especially the Rossoneri.Higuaín has declined pretty significantly the past couple of years. Maybe he’s a better fit for Sarri than Morata, but I don’t think he’s a better player at this point in their careers.
What does "he had the service" mean, or is it a typo?Morata has been terrible for Chelsea. He had the service and his confidence was shot. I agree with with shedding him. If Higuain doesn't work out then go for someone in the summer.
Everyone? That’s a stretch. Kante is playing out of position regularly. They had to move Hazard to the false 9 because Morata was so poor and Giroud can only play so many minutes. Other than that guys are where they normally play. Bringing in higuain gives Sarri a guy he knows and has succes with. It might work or might not but it gives Chelsea a chance.Chelsea is a bizarre situation. Sarri is playing everyone out of position. They seem awkward. I don’t get the sense of the future they’re trying to build. I dint see Higuain taking the current lineup past where they are now.
His teammates created opportunities for him to score and it didn't happen.What does "he had the service" mean, or is it a typo?
Paredes to PSG. This probably moots their interest in Gueye, which I never quite understood anyway.I'm due for an update in the Everton thread, but yeah, this is the dilemma. Everton have both brought in a good crop of players this year and shown real quality when at their best -and demonstrated at the same time that they are painfully lacking in depth and in personnel at key positions, have many bad players on bad contracts, and most damningly, since Pickford's fuckup at the derby, have not shown good resolve - they can't take a punch.
The bad food in England can only improve Gonzo's chances.Genuinely excited to see if Higuain can have success in the Premiership.
Yeah - I cynically wondered about this in the aftermath of the crash. From a technical standpoint I suppose it comes down to all the paperwork being complete.Nantes still demanding transfer fee payment from Cardiff for Sala. This sad saga is set to drag on.