Bosmania? The 2022 Winter Transfer Window Thread

Cellar-Door

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Wood supposedly has a release clause.

Honestly makes the move even smarter. Get a decent goalscorer for money, and take the guy who has over 1/4 of a direct relegation rival's xG created for the season
 

Zososoxfan

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I don't think release clauses are required in England/UK, but that doesn't mean Wood can't have one. I know they're mandatory in Spain--i.e. the Neymar-PSG lesson. Not sure about elsewhere.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Wood supposedly has a release clause.

Honestly makes the move even smarter. Get a decent goalscorer for money, and take the guy who has over 1/4 of a direct relegation rival's xG created for the season
He plays a ton of minutes (which has value) but on a rate basis his xg+xa/90 is actually lower than their other four forwards.

Maybe just a bad patch but also plausibly just on the decline given his age.

I would expect Burnley to use the money to buy another attacker.
 

Cellar-Door

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He plays a ton of minutes (which has value) but on a rate basis his xg+xa/90 is actually lower than their other four forwards.

Maybe just a bad patch but also plausibly just on the decline given his age.

I would expect Burnley to use the money to buy another attacker.
that's because he doesn't get assists. on a rate basis he's 2nd in xG and xG/90. And keeping up rates is harder over more minutes so I'll give big benefit of the doubt to the guy who holds up at those rates over 1400 minutes almost vs guys in the 350 range (and 1 at 600). Especially given it's a career worst year for him and he's been better than those others basically every year, and at higher minutes.
 

the1andonly3003

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History repeats itself: In Jan 2016, Newcastle bought JonJo Shelvey from relegation comrade Swansea for 16 million. Newcastle couldn't do enough at the end of the season to escape relegation.

And JonJo is still on this team
 

OCST

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Ashley Barnes has fallen off a cliff and barely plays anymore. Burnley is sunk without Wood imo
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Ashley Barnes has fallen off a cliff and barely plays anymore. Burnley is sunk without Wood imo
The biggest problem for Burnley this year is that Wood himself seems to be falling off that very same cliff at age 30. Cornet is Burnley's best attacker by a country mile at this point. They badly need to find somebody else to play up front this window but at least they have 25m pounds to put toward that cause.

As for Newcastle, maybe they just can't convince anybody else to come and, if so, maybe this is their only option. But I think its fair to say that many of their supporters and other people (including myself) thought they'd be in for players like Martial, Lingard, Aubameyang, and Coutinho this window,.
 
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Blundatola

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As for Newcastle, maybe they just can't convince anybody else to come and, if so, maybe this is their only option. But I think its fair to say that many of their supporters and other people (including myself) thought they'd be in for players like Martial, Lingard, Aubameyang, and Coutinho this window,.
Newcastle need a striker in before this weekend, and two of these players aren’t even strikers. I wouldn’t want Coutinho or Aubameyang anywhere near a relegation battle. Plus, you talk about Chris Wood potentially being finished (which is definitely a concern), but I’d love to hear an argument that Aubameyang isn’t finished.

I’m far from convinced that Chris Wood will score the goals to keep us up, but someone has to come in quickly, which meant it had to be someone with a release clause, because selling clubs are playing hard ball as typical for January. I guess we’ll see what happens.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Newcastle need a striker in before this weekend, and two of these players aren’t even strikers. I wouldn’t want Coutinho or Aubameyang anywhere near a relegation battle. Plus, you talk about Chris Wood potentially being finished (which is definitely a concern), but I’d love to hear an argument that Aubameyang isn’t finished.

I’m far from convinced that Chris Wood will score the goals to keep us up, but someone has to come in quickly, which meant it had to be someone with a release clause, because selling clubs are playing hard ball as typical for January. I guess we’ll see what happens.
The Aubameyang thing is mainly wishful thinking on my part.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection was that just about nobody in the football world was throwing out Chris Wood's name when Newcastle transfer targets were being discussed this fall. And while I understand that the Callum Wilson injury made striker a bigger priority, if he was anywhere near their first choice then they would have just triggered the release clause on 1/1.

It definitely could work out perfectly, with Wood banging in just enough goals to save you from relegation and then having some kind of squad place in the team going forward. And there really might not be better options given that its hard to recruit players in January in general and to join a relegation fight even more so. I'm just saying that this isn't exactly what most people - including, I am guessing, the Newcastle hierarchy - was expecting from the transfer window.
 

Blundatola

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The Aubameyang thing is mainly wishful thinking on my part.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection was that just about nobody in the football world was throwing out Chris Wood's name when Newcastle transfer targets were being discussed this fall. And while I understand that the Callum Wilson injury made striker a bigger priority, if he was anywhere near their first choice then they would have just triggered the release clause on 1/1.

It definitely could work out perfectly, with Wood banging in just enough goals to save you from relegation and then having some kind of squad place in the team going forward. And there really might not be better options given that its hard to recruit players in January in general and to join a relegation fight even more so. I'm just saying that this isn't exactly what most people - including, I am guessing, the Newcastle hierarchy - was expecting from the transfer window.
You are correct that no one considered Wood a target. Luke Edwards from The Telegraph was the first to mention his name, and he was roundly mocked for it. It appears Newcastle were made aware of Wood’s release clause when signing Trippier, as they are represented by the same agency. Like you note, Callum Wilson’s injury changed Newcastle’s transfer plans, making Wood a more attractive option.
 

Jimy Hendrix

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There's also a difference between who was being talked about post-takeover, which was more along the lines of "they will have all the money, so they can sign ANYBODY!", and what premium players are actually willing to jump into a relegation scrap.

Even Trippier seems a bit of an oddity because he just wanted to come back to England, I don't think Newcastle will get many players at a Trippier level of success until they've survived this brush with relegation.
 

67YAZ

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There's also a difference between who was being talked about post-takeover, which was more along the lines of "they will have all the money, so they can sign ANYBODY!", and what premium players are actually willing to jump into a relegation scrap.

Even Trippier seems a bit of an oddity because he just wanted to come back to England, I don't think Newcastle will get many players at a Trippier level of success until they've survived this brush with relegation.
Plus, there's a lot of infrastructure stuff they need to do in order to attract world-class players. They need managers and coaches that move the needle those players. They need top-tier training facilities and locker rooms. And they need a Director of Football who is plugged into the agents, intermediaries, and commercial interests that really get deals done. All of this stuff can be bought, but it takes time...like a couple of seasons if Man City is an instructive example.
 

Joe D Reid

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Yeah, I mentioned when the takeover happened that the goal Staveley threw out was something like "getting into a position to regularly compete for trophies." That's a long way off the rhetoric that, for example, the PSG Qataris threw around after their takeover. There will be money thrown at this club, but I don't know that it is going to be this tidal wave that others are expecting. The Saudis own part of the McLaren F1 team and so far seem content that they are squarely in the middle of the table.
 

the1andonly3003

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I was going to crack a joke that Newcastle might as well go after Todd Cantwell from fellow relegation comrade Norwich, only to realize that is another legitimate rumor on the internet....
 

Zososoxfan

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I was going to crack a joke that Newcastle might as well go after Todd Cantwell from fellow relegation comrade Norwich, only to realize that is another legitimate rumor on the internet....
I've only seen him play a handful of times during his 2 EPL seasons these last 3 years, but I always came away impressed. When they were down last season I was legit shocked he didn't get picked up.
 

OCST

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Very classy statement. I've liked Digne since his stint at Barca, and I still wish he hadn't left. Best of luck to him.
rather pointed shot at Rafa.

In the meantime, in a move that was not remotely on anyones radar until a few days ago, passing Digne on the road from Birmingham to Liverpool is Anwar el Ghazi. Pretty good player, not quite a Villa regular, but a player at Evertons only real position of strength, winger - Gray and the rampaging teen scouse ginger Anthony Gordon, Townsend, you can put Richarlison in there as a forward playing sometimes wide in a 4231. Center back, a second striker other than Salomon Rondon the 2000 Year Old Man, and more quality and depth in midfield are by far more urgent.

So why El Ghazi? Evidently pushed by Kia Joorabichan, a sort of fixer, money-passer, quasi-agent, and bagman who has hung around the European and South American leagues, getting into trouble- the football equivalent of those sleazy AAU guys who vulture around for shady college hoops programs. Kia has Moshiri’s ear, unfortunately- one of several people who push him into questionable deals. Who knows what angle they’re working

The comedy is that Rafa has insisted on 100% control, and so as to be seen to be backing his controversial (and flailing) pick as manager, Moshiri has tossed overboard DOF Marcel Brands, several other club staff, and has backed the exile of fan favorite Digne. But now El Ghazi, whoRafa never wanted, is being forced on him by the owner and his Mini-Me.

View: https://twitter.com/johnmerro1/status/1481946672301236225?s=21


It would be at the same time delicious and incredibly sad, if Rafa the control freak, having alienated everyone with his my-way-or-the-highway act, walks of stuff like this.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Barca tell Dembele to scram by the end of the month. Liverpool have long had interest, wonder if they’ll approach looking for a steep discount…
Negotiations have broken down because he apparently wants wages practically in the Messi/CR7 stratosphere, so I think it'll be a hard pass from Liverpool.

Barca's demand that he leave by the beginning of February reeks of desperation. They probably want to avoid paying him some kind of loyalty bonus at the end of his deal at all costs. But Dembele seems like a guy who will be perfectly fine sitting on his ass for the next four months cashing Barca's checks until his contract runs out.
 

Zososoxfan

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Negotiations have broken down because he apparently wants wages practically in the Messi/CR7 stratosphere, so I think it'll be a hard pass from Liverpool.

Barca's demand that he leave by the beginning of February reeks of desperation. They probably want to avoid paying him some kind of loyalty bonus at the end of his deal at all costs. But Dembele seems like a guy who will be perfectly fine sitting on his ass for the next four months cashing Barca's checks until his contract runs out.
It's slightly more complicated than that because of Barca's registration issues. IOW, Barca are remaining quiet in the winter window right now because they don't have enough cap space (fun to use that term in global football but here we are!). Umtiti just went under the knife (poor guy, will always be a legend in my book) so they will likely deregister him and that will ease some of the cap problems. But Dembele is on another level with his wages.

So as you can imagine, even if Dembele pouts and decides not to sign a contract, Barca can still salvage something by not just sending him to the stands but ban him from the stadium entirely. The idea behind resigning him, at least in part, was to spread out his cap hit. Now, Xavi's been saying publicly before this that he wants Dembele to stay and Xavi thinks he has the ability to be an elite winger, but that just doesn't pass muster with how bad Dembele has been recently. I also think a public spat like this and sitting the rest of the season will drive down his value. Not to mention that Dembele has struggled with motivation issues, and that taking him out of a club structure could be a really bad situation for him.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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It's slightly more complicated than that because of Barca's registration issues. IOW, Barca are remaining quiet in the winter window right now because they don't have enough cap space (fun to use that term in global football but here we are!). Umtiti just went under the knife (poor guy, will always be a legend in my book) so they will likely deregister him and that will ease some of the cap problems. But Dembele is on another level with his wages.

So as you can imagine, even if Dembele pouts and decides not to sign a contract, Barca can still salvage something by not just sending him to the stands but ban him from the stadium entirely. The idea behind resigning him, at least in part, was to spread out his cap hit. Now, Xavi's been saying publicly before this that he wants Dembele to stay and Xavi thinks he has the ability to be an elite winger, but that just doesn't pass muster with how bad Dembele has been recently. I also think a public spat like this and sitting the rest of the season will drive down his value. Not to mention that Dembele has struggled with motivation issues, and that taking him out of a club structure could be a really bad situation for him.
I guess I don't fully understand how the salary cap stuff works in La Liga. If a player isn't registered, they don't count against the salary cap allocation? If that's the case, why not just deregister a guy like Umtiti (who has played 90 minutes total this season) at the beginning of the year?
 

Zososoxfan

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I guess I don't fully understand how the salary cap stuff works in La Liga. If a player isn't registered, they don't count against the salary cap allocation? If that's the case, why not just deregister a guy like Umtiti (who has played 90 minutes total this season) at the beginning of the year?
I don't understand the rules either, and to give you the best answer I'd have go re-read some articles. But to answer your question with the info/recollection I have ATM, I'd say it wasn't obvious to the club that Umtiti wasn't going to have a role at all this season. IOW, he may be the 5th best CB at the club, but he's still better than the 6th, 7th, and 8th guys. Moreover, if they had any hope of resuscitating his value ahead of a transfer, they had to keep him active. Now that the possibility of a transfer is gone, it behooves them to get him off the books for cap purposes and go get another player.
 

bosox4283

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What's the domino effect of this move?

Vlahovic to Juventus
Morata to Barcelona
Mbappe to Real Madrid
Haaland to City
Luis Suarez to Aston Villa
Kane stays at Tottenham
 

Zososoxfan

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No loan fee. They cover all wages.
Nice bit of business for both sides. MAN U offload significant wages and a player not figuring into the team, and Sevilla get a great young talent as they mount a title challenge to Real. 2 more seasons after this one to figure out still.

Darn, it really seemed like he might leave Italy. Juve is so drab. Even more bummed for Fiorentina, who were having an excellent season to date and are challenging for the European places I believe. Unless this move is effective in the summer??


What's the domino effect of this move?

Vlahovic to Juventus
Morata to Barcelona
Mbappe to Real Madrid - yes
Haaland to City - yes
Luis Suarez to Aston Villa - uh ok
Kane stays at Tottenham - yes!
I'm not sure all of these are so closely linked, but it's fun to play!

Vlahovic to Juventus - done

Morata to Barcelona - Would Morata really do this? He was a Real academy product I believe, and will have other suitors. I would love to have him at Spurs, and if I'm being honest, his penchant for poor finishing is on brand for Tottenham.

Mbappe to Real Madrid - sadly, yes.

Haaland to City - seems inevitable.

Luis Suarez to Aston Villa - I hadn't heard about this, but OK! Luis might get run over at his age in the EPL though. Spain is forgiving.

Kane stays at Tottenham - yes please! But for Arry's sake, please bring in a real backup striker!
 

Zososoxfan

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Articles out there are reporting that Spurs and AC Milan have an agreement for Kessie, but the player hasn't agreed to terms and likely wants to hit free agency this summer. It doesn't hurt either that AC Milan are having a nice run in Serie A this season. That makes a lot of sense to me, but couldn't he just transfer to Spurs for the home stretch and negotiate a contract, with Spurs or otherwise, following his current contract expiration this summer? Or do I have this backwards, and Spurs don't want to pay AC for the rental unless the player signs a pre-contract?
 

OilCanMDS

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I don't understand the rules either, and to give you the best answer I'd have go re-read some articles. But to answer your question with the info/recollection I have ATM, I'd say it wasn't obvious to the club that Umtiti wasn't going to have a role at all this season. IOW, he may be the 5th best CB at the club, but he's still better than the 6th, 7th, and 8th guys. Moreover, if they had any hope of resuscitating his value ahead of a transfer, they had to keep him active. Now that the possibility of a transfer is gone, it behooves them to get him off the books for cap purposes and go get another player.
From what I understand of the situation, once a contract is registered with the team it cannot be removed from the cap hit. The benefit to Umtiti being unregistered is that it opens up a first team spot for Gavi, Jutgla, Abde, Balde or whoever else comes through La Masia next to take. So the contract is still counted against the cap, but one of the 25 first team spots is now open. I believe that Nico took the spot that Coutinho opened up and I think there may have been a spot open that allowed Ferran to be registered. Barca has been running into issues with having enough first team players in the field because La Liga requires 7 (I think) first team players and Barca has frequently been playing Gavi, Nico, Jutgla and Abde, which doesn't allow them to sub in Balde or the other two B team players that have been on the periphery of the team (the CB and the other RW).

The salary cap issues come into play with registering new contracts for the team to play in Spain. I think if Torres couldn't be registered with La Liga then he still could have played in European competitions (sadly, now Europa League). I think if Barca terminated a contract it would still have to be absorbed into the cap so it wouldn't help with getting the contracts of new players registered, but would open first team spots.
 

Zososoxfan

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From what I understand of the situation, once a contract is registered with the team it cannot be removed from the cap hit. The benefit to Umtiti being unregistered is that it opens up a first team spot for Gavi, Jutgla, Abde, Balde or whoever else comes through La Masia next to take. So the contract is still counted against the cap, but one of the 25 first team spots is now open. I believe that Nico took the spot that Coutinho opened up and I think there may have been a spot open that allowed Ferran to be registered. Barca has been running into issues with having enough first team players in the field because La Liga requires 7 (I think) first team players and Barca has frequently been playing Gavi, Nico, Jutgla and Abde, which doesn't allow them to sub in Balde or the other two B team players that have been on the periphery of the team (the CB and the other RW).

The salary cap issues come into play with registering new contracts for the team to play in Spain. I think if Torres couldn't be registered with La Liga then he still could have played in European competitions (sadly, now Europa League). I think if Barca terminated a contract it would still have to be absorbed into the cap so it wouldn't help with getting the contracts of new players registered, but would open first team spots.
Re the bolded, it seems like Gavi, Nico, Jutgla, and Abde are all playing serious minutes, so why aren't they considered first team players? I assume there's a registration aspect, but why wouldn't Barca register them at this point? Is it contractual (i.e. tolling periods on current and likely cheap contracts), or are there other criteria?
 

OilCanMDS

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Re the bolded, it seems like Gavi, Nico, Jutgla, and Abde are all playing serious minutes, so why aren't they considered first team players? I assume there's a registration aspect, but why wouldn't Barca register them at this point? Is it contractual (i.e. tolling periods on current and likely cheap contracts), or are there other criteria?
It's just an administrative issue. They are all registered as B team players in the academy, so they are allowed to play for the first team but aren't considered first team players. They need to sign new first team contracts or play a certain amount of games to activate a clause that turns the contract into a first team contract. I think Nico actually reached a minutes or games incentive in his contract that turned it into a first team contract. Gavi is supposedly going to sign a first team contract soon with a buyout between 500 mil and 1 billion.
 
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Zososoxfan

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It's just an administrative issue. They are all registered as B team players in the academy, so they are allowed to play for the first team but aren't considered first team players. They need to sign new first team contracts orplay a certain amount of games to activate a clause that turns the contract into a first team contract. I think Nico actually reached a minutes or games incentive in his contract that turned out into a first team contract. Gavi is supposedly going to sign a first team contract soon with a buyout between 500 mil and 1 billion.
Makes sense, thanks! Just out of curiosity, where did you learn all of this from? I find getting this type of stuff from Spain a Quixotic quest!

In other news, Spurs now linked to Colombian Porto striker Luis Diaz and Fiorentina DMF Sofyan Amrabat (currently competing with Morrocco at AFCON). Diaz seems like an in-form but likely expensive striker. He's hoy 14 goals and 5 assists already in Liga BWin this year (TIL Liga NoS is now known as Liga BWin), he had 6 goals and 5 assists in the previous 2 Portugal seasons, and he's put in a handful of UCL and UEL goals already. He's 25. The offer is reported to be 45M Euros plus performance incentives--big moves! Amrabat is coming off an excellent season last year for Verona, but he's been used sparingly this season in Florence. His deal is likely contigent on...

Tanguy Ndombele moving to PSG. The offer is a loan with option to buy for 15M Euros (although I'm a bit sketchy on whether this is the actual framework--due to lexicon used in European contracts). GLC is also being offered to Sevilla who have any number of targets that make a lot of sense for Spurs. However, Sevilla look like they're making a run at the title, so it would likely have to be someone on the periphery (Munir, Nesyri, LAMELA?!???).
 

OilCanMDS

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Makes sense, thanks! Just out of curiosity, where did you learn all of this from? I find getting this type of stuff from Spain a Quixotic quest!
Being a fan of Barcelona this season has basically required becoming a semi-expert in La Liga rules. About 3 weeks ago, Barca had 17 to 18 players out for a couple games and the first team registration thing became an issue because there were only 8 healthy first team players including 2 GKs. There was speculation about ter Stegen playing midfield with the backup keeper starting in goal so that a first team sub that could play out in the field would be available. Xavi talked about the struggles to comply with the rules and field a team during that stretch.

The first team registration issue has come up a few times with jersey numbers (La Liga requires all first team players to have a jersey between 1 and 25) and the trouble with getting players from the B team to the first team. I think Barca only has 1 or 2 numbers left and the only way numbers can open up is if a player is unregistered. If a player makes an appearance in an official game with a jersey number, no other player can use it until the previous player is no longer registered for the team.

There are also timing issues with moving players from the B team to the first team, which is why the B team players are moving to the first team during the January window. Alex Collado was a B team player that had a loan move to an English team fall through at the end of the summer transfer window and couldn't be registered to the first team because there wasn't enough time to get the paperwork done. I don't know why he couldn't play for the B team, but he has been training with the squad without playing any games for the past 4 months and just got sent to Granada on loan because Barca didn't have room for him.

Basically, Barca has had every kind of drama and crisis that touches on the La Liga rules this season, so I've got my info from those.
 
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Zososoxfan

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Being a fan of Barcelona this season has basically required becoming a semi-expert in La Liga rules. About 3 weeks ago, Barca had 17 to 18 players out for a couple games and the first team registration thing became an issue because there were only 8 healthy first team players including 2 GKs. There was speculation about ter Stegen playing midfield with the backup keeper starting in goal so that a first team sub that could play out in the field would be available. Xavi talked about the struggles to comply with the rules and field a team during that stretch.

The first team registration issue has come up a few times with jersey numbers (La Liga requires all first team players to have a jersey between 1 and 25) and the trouble with getting players from the B team to the first team. I think Barca only has 1 or 2 numbers left and the only way numbers can open up is if a player is unregistered. If a player makes an appearance in an official game with a jersey number, no other player can use it until the previous player is no longer registered for the team.

There are also timing issues with moving players from the B team to the first team, which is why the B team players are moving to the first team during the January window. Alex Collado was a B team player that had a loan move to an English team fall through at the end of the summer transfer window and couldn't be registered to the first team because there wasn't enough time to get the paperwork done. I don't know why he couldn't play for the B team, but he has been training with the squad without playing any games for the past 4 months and just got sent to Granada on loan because Barca didn't have room for him.

Basically, Barca has had every kind of drama and crisis that touches on the La Liga rules this season, so I've got my info from those.
Am I allowed/justified to be furious at Barto for this shit too??
 

JohnnyWongs

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Without a doubt. His presidency ruined a respectable transition to the post-Messi era. The ridiculous waste of funds the Neymar sale handed the team being example #1.
 

Zososoxfan

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In a move that should have the footballing world turning their collective heads, Newcastle have signed Bruno Guimaraes for £ 30M from Lyon. Guimaraes is one of the best young DMFs in the world, and most major clubs were likely scouting him as a target. I believe Barca specifically were looking at him before signing a pre-contract with Kessie [insert fist pump here]. This is shrewd footballing business and NUFC are doing it pretty damn fast. This summer will be a bloodbath and they likely won't lose any matches in the Championship next season.

Teams still in the market for a young accomplished pivot are likely shifting their sights to Tchouameni (Monaco), Zubimendi (Sociedad), and Kamara (Marseille) among others.
 

Gunca

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In a move that should have the footballing world turning their collective heads, Newcastle have signed Bruno Guimaraes for £ 30M from Lyon. Guimaraes is one of the best young DMFs in the world, and most major clubs were likely scouting him as a target. I believe Barca specifically were looking at him before signing a pre-contract with Kessie [insert fist pump here]. This is shrewd footballing business and NUFC are doing it pretty damn fast. This summer will be a bloodbath and they likely won't lose any matches in the Championship next season.

Teams still in the market for a young accomplished pivot are likely shifting their sights to Tchouameni (Monaco), Zubimendi (Sociedad), and Kamara (Marseille) among others.
Despite possibly being very close, Newcastle have not signed him. Romano has flip flopped on the situation a few times and Lyon has come out and said no deal has been agreed upon.

View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1486337372736339970?s=21
 

Blundatola

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It’s been noted that Lyon have done this before with other transfers because they are publicly traded. Doesn’t mean the deal is done, but there’s a lot of smoke on this one. I’ve even gotten an ESPN alert about it, which doesn’t usually happen unless a deal is all but done.
 

Joe D Reid

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He'd be the first acquisition you could actually see playing on a Newcastle team that wins something. Although he is also way too good to play in the Championship next season--I bet they loan him out, possibly back to Lyon, if they get relegated.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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L'Equipe are claiming that Newcastle are now willing to pay 42m euro plus 10m more in bonuses for Guimaraes and that Newcastle have offered to quadruple his current salary. That sounds a bit more realistic given Aulas' reputation as a negotiator.

Lots of reports that Burnley is close to signing Wout Weghorst from Wolfsberg and maybe also the guy from Dinamo Zagreb who scored the hattrick against Spurs in the Europa League last spring. They could come out of January pretty well if they get those deals across the line.

Four Premier League clubs (not including Chelsea) fighting for one CL spot and yet none of them have done anything to strengthen so far. January transfers are hard.
 
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Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 2, 2006
22,345
Philadelphia
Lots of Portuguese sources now claiming that Luis Diaz will go to Liverpool for something in the range of 45m euro plus another 15-20m euro in add ons. I assume he's the long term Mane replacement, with Jota in the center and Salah getting a new contract.