Pay That Mendes His Money: The Summer 2021 Transfer Thread

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Zososoxfan

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Carlo to Real Madrid looks to be happening (sorry OCST).

View: https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1399704989539487745


The amount of managerial turnover in the past few months is pretty crazy in top level football. So far we have:

Mourinho sacked by Spurs, takes the Roma job.
Nagelsmann leaves RBL for Bayern.
Rose leaves Gladbach for BvB.
Hutter leaves Eintracht Frankfurt for Gladbach.
Flick leaves Bayern, will manage Germany after the Euros.
Zidane leaves Real Madrid, apparently looking for a job.
Allegri goes to Juve, which sacks Pirlo.
Conte leaves Inter, still looking for a job.
Inzaghi leaves Lazio to take the Inter job.
Sarri reportedly tipped for the Lazio job.
Ancelotti seemingly set to leave Everton for Real Madrid.
Garcia leaves Lyon, replaced by Bosz.
Galtier leaves Lille, destination unclear.

So clubs without managers or who still may hire new ones include:

PSG - Claim to be sticking with Poch, but may be pursuing Conte or Zidane.
Spurs - Seemingly trying to get Poch out of PSG, not sure what they plan is if that doesn't work.
Everton - What do they do now? Potter makes a lot of sense IMO.
Barcelona - Are they really wedded to Koeman if someone like Conte is available?
Lille - Not often that you win the league in amazing fashion then your manager immediately resigns without anything else lined up.
Barca likely have no interest in Conte. Barca want something very specific from their managers and it's not what Conte's offering. The managers they would be interested in right now are Ten Hag and...Xavi? Honestly, with Nagelsmann off the table, there's not many that fit the description of Barca's manager. Koeman is a counter example of sorts, but he was hired by the previous Board. In any event, I think Barca stand pat or give the reins over to Pimienta (Barca B) for a season, until they can get the finances back in order and roll out the red carpet for Xavi.

Spurs trying to get Poch back brings up all kinds of conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he's magic you know, but on the other, this squad is an older shittier version of the squad that got him the sack. So unless Levy's going to give him a lot more input and control over transfers, this doesn't seem like the right time for the reunion show.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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I was wondering where you went. Shame this is what brought you back.
It's all good. Really a testament to how much I enjoy this place that I have to keep myself away in order to get some short term important stuff done, same way I can't keep peanut butter in the house without eating the whole jar at once and weighing 400 pounds.

But, yeah. I'm a little more philosophical about it now that the shock has worn off. There's no real shame in losing him to RM; RM and Barca are pretty much 1 and 1a for apex predators in the world football structure no matter what kind of shape they're in at the moment. Actually I have to admit that I like Carlo the man, the public figure, the face of the club, the bon vivant, more than the manager. Being able to attract the likes of James was great, but the on-the-pitch stuff actually kind of meh. Remember he got canned by Napoli and although they later regretted it, some of the warnings that we heard then were spot on - lack of shape, lack of identity (which goes along with the lack of identity, right? are you going to press or soak up pressure? do you want to keep the ball and attack or play on the counter?), lackluster conditioning, etc. You wonder if despite his warmth for the club and the project, he really had his heart set on the hard work of driving a promising but poorly assembled mid-table side into the upper echelon. The first half of the season showed what's possible, the second half just how far away they are.

It just leaves me at a loss where to go from here.

I also have to throw out his book.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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One more tear stained diary entry:

—just a few days ago Carlo was roasting players not committed to the club, saying if anyone doesn’t want to be here they should go. Also had been critical of the Super League and nowhops into bed with its architect. The reality is that RM is RM and if they call you pick up the phone but that’s the kind of thing that is puke inducing.

—having broken my heart he will stomp on the pieces when he buys Calvert Lewin

—at this time next year he is out at RM. it’s a poisoned chalice, a shit show, and they’re bleeding money. They’re looking for a silver bullet and hoping that reaching back to 2015 is going to be the cure all. Not going to work. He might be helped to an extent in that Barca is an even bigger basket case but it says here that AM wins La Liga again next season, and if RM finish below Barca in third, only a CL title saves Carlo and you’d peg RM as what? below City, Bayern, AM, PSG, Pool, Chelsea, Inter, maybe Dortmund if they keep Harland.
 

the1andonly3003

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I'll be gutted for West Ham fans if Moyes goes back to Everton, if those rumors are credible. I'm not sure that is the right move for either the team or Moyes.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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View: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1400087726712573960


I can't like this as an Arsenal fan. He is one of the best managers in the game IMO.

I do think it is kind of an awkward fit, however, and quite possibly ends badly if it happens. Conte is absolutely fanatical about winning and control, will burn everything down if he doesn't get all the signings he wants, and he doesn't do long term projects. On one level, if you can get Conte, you should because he's just really really good. On another level, this does seem like Spurs learning nothing from the Mourinho hire - another attempt to hire the short term fix manager who promises to win things and/or get back to top four without building a new team.

I don't know whether Paratici would be a positive or not. The status quo seems bad at Spurs in terms of director-level football operations, so perhaps anything would be an improvement. But most people credit Marotta for Juve's rise since 2010 and say that the club kind of began to fall apart when he transitioned out and Paratici took the top job there.
 

Kliq

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I will refrain from thinking too much about it until its official, it's silly season after all.

The similarities to Mou are strong and that makes me uncomfortable; Tottenham need a manager with a longer term approach as the core has gotten older and players have fallen off the form that they were in during the peak Poch years. I don't think this roster is good enough to win-now, even if they keep Kane, and I would be surprised if they spent a lot of money without selling Kane. We need to move on from a lot of players in bring in younger faces, and that is not Conte's style.

That being said, the difference between Conte and Mou would be that Conte appears to still be at the top of his game. The problem with Mou wasn't his attitude, it was that his teams didn't win and his philosophy was outdated, and there was evidence that was the case when he was at United but Spurs hired him anyway. Conte appears to still be a successful manager capable of winning trophies, which Mou really wasn't by the time he got to Spurs.
 

67YAZ

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I will refrain from thinking too much about it until its official, it's silly season after all.

The similarities to Mou are strong and that makes me uncomfortable; Tottenham need a manager with a longer term approach as the core has gotten older and players have fallen off the form that they were in during the peak Poch years. I don't think this roster is good enough to win-now, even if they keep Kane, and I would be surprised if they spent a lot of money without selling Kane. We need to move on from a lot of players in bring in younger faces, and that is not Conte's style.

That being said, the difference between Conte and Mou would be that Conte appears to still be at the top of his game. The problem with Mou wasn't his attitude, it was that his teams didn't win and his philosophy was outdated, and there was evidence that was the case when he was at United but Spurs hired him anyway. Conte appears to still be a successful manager capable of winning trophies, which Mou really wasn't by the time he got to Spurs.
This also means Levy is being pushed out of his footballing role, which is big. He has been a transformational figure for the club in every aspect - cementing them as part of the Big 6, new stadium, new practice facilities, productive youth pipeline, and on and on. No doubt, he would still be involved in the business-side of things, but seeing him leave the sporting-side is eye-catching. Levy couldn't survive Jose.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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I'll be gutted for West Ham fans if Moyes goes back to Everton, if those rumors are credible. I'm not sure that is the right move for either the team or Moyes.
I can't quit youze.

Moyes to Everton is not happening. While Everton fans know that the Moyes years were a golden age compared to what's happened since, and no one ever really begrudged him going to Utd, he shat on the club on his way out, and has been a failure everywhere since before this year at WH. There is widespread acknowledgement that DM has done a fantastic job at WH this year but there is no appetite for bringing him back. I wouldn't want it if I were Moyes anyway. There might be a few bigger stars at Everton but they're not reliable game in and game out, and the roster is full of holes. At WH has a solid, dependable XI, with at least some depth. He's a hero for getting WH into Europe and deservedly so but he'd be under pressure at Everton. Not good for anyone.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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I haven't seen him linked to the job yet but I'd like to see what Potter could do at Everton.
Heard it being kicked around on the Everton podcasts. This is the right answer. Potter's squad was solid and disciplined front to back this season, they just couldn't finish. If there had been a Maupay-for-Calvert-Lewin trade at the start of the season, Brighton would have pushed for Europe and Everton would have flirted with the drop.
 

67YAZ

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Christian Benteke signed a 2-year extension with Palace.
Has any EPL player caused his club’s supporters from frustration and irrepressible “fuck me!” shouts over the past 5 years? Hope he keeps up his most recent form for you, Candy.
 

candylandriots

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Has any EPL player caused his club’s supporters from frustration and irrepressible “fuck me!” shouts over the past 5 years? Hope he keeps up his most recent form for you, Candy.
I hope so too!

Palace is a good spot for him. He really didn’t get much grief at all from the fans despite his well-known struggles.

This makes me wonder how much Mateta figures into their future plans.

In any event, with Eze likely out for the season, they need all the attacking help they can get. Actually they need a lot of everything. Ferguson also had a big setback, and they still have 11 players now out of contract.
 

Tuff Ghost

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Chelsea are keeping busy with a few updates:

1. Tuchel signs a new 3-year contract:
Thomas Tuchel has signed a new three-year contract at Chelsea.

Tuchel was only appointed as Chelsea manager earlier this year following the departure of Frank Lampard, and signed an 18-month deal with the west London club.
(The Athletic link)

2. Olivier Giroud's contract extended by a year (exercised option):
Chelsea have announced that Olivier Giroud's contract has been extended until summer 2022.

The striker's current deal was set to run out at the end of the 2020-21 season but Chelsea triggered an option in April to extend that contract. He will now stay in west London for a fourth full season.
(The Athletic link)

3. Thiago Silva's contract extended by a year (exercised option):
Chelsea have exercised the option to extend Thiago Silva’s contract by one year.

The 36-year old joined from Paris Saint-Germain as a free transfer last August on a one-year deal with the possibility to stay for a further 12 months.
(The Athletic link)

4. Tomori to AC Milan on permanent deal for €28.5m:
@FabrizioRomano
Confirmed. AC Milan have just communicated to Chelsea they’re triggering €28.5m clause in order to sign Fikayo Tomori on a permanent deal. The agreement will be completed and announced next week. Contract until June 2026.
(Link to Tweet)
 

Zomp

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Some reports that both Dortmund and United want a quick resolution on the Sancho transfer, with a rumored 90 million Euro (77 million pounds) as the fee.

Lets hope its true.
 

67YAZ

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Depending on prices, of course, but this is some crazy good business from Leicester.
Wonder if getting Soumare means they're going to cash in on Ndidi?
seeing €23m for Soumare & £15m for Eduoard.

I think Soumare is more of a Tielsman replacement - string-pulling, tempo-setting, possession-keeping midfield maestro - than a Ndidi replacement.
 

candylandriots

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That would be a brilliant hire. But the cynic in me wonders what else Mendes is negotiating here. Palace have a lot of open roster spots and Mendes has uh...a lot of clients.
I can see Palace overpaying perhaps in salary (they reportedly have one of the highest wage bills in the league), but they are pretty tightfisted with transfer fees. I seem to recall that they are around zero or even a net credit on fees in the Hodgson era. But they absolutely are going to have to part with some money before the start of the season. And like the talk about Kane earlier in the thread, I wonder if this is the right time to move Wilf? I’d lean towards “no” on that because he’s probably critical to have a chance to stay in the league, and there is a lot of financial uncertainty about going to the Championship, especially these pandemic-ish days. But there is an argument to be made. I’m just not sure if Doogie Freedman is the right guy to replace all that Wilf brings to the table.

I’m near certain that Andros Townsend will be back given the situations with Eze and Zaha.
 

the1andonly3003

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I can see Palace overpaying perhaps in salary (they reportedly have one of the highest wage bills in the league), but they are pretty tightfisted with transfer fees. I seem to recall that they are around zero or even a net credit on fees in the Hodgson era. But they absolutely are going to have to part with some money before the start of the season. And like the talk about Kane earlier in the thread, I wonder if this is the right time to move Wilf? I’d lean towards “no” on that because he’s probably critical to have a chance to stay in the league, and there is a lot of financial uncertainty about going to the Championship, especially these pandemic-ish days. But there is an argument to be made. I’m just not sure if Doogie Freedman is the right guy to replace all that Wilf brings to the table.

I’m near certain that Andros Townsend will be back given the situations with Eze and Zaha.
I've seen Townsend do quite a bit of TV work. Are we sure he isn't looking forward to his second career soon?
 

candylandriots

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I've seen Townsend do quite a bit of TV work. Are we sure he isn't looking forward to his second career soon?
I didn’t know that about him. His dad is a reasonably frequent guest on the Palace podcast though, and seems pretty polished for media, so I guess I can envision that for him too. Andros is only 29 though (soon to be 30) so it seems a little early to be hanging up his boots.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Sergio Ramos leaving Madrid.
One of the best players of the last 20 years, full stop.

His resume as a winner is completely insane: 5x La Liga, 4x CL, World Cup, 2x European Championships.

Tough defender, fantastic with the ball at his feet, dominant in the air despite being only 6'0, great leader, and he scored 101 goals for Real Madrid as a defender.
 

SocrManiac

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I "sports" hate(d) him as a player and he was always a red card waiting to happen (which is what I would cheer for), but yeah. Hard to argue with that statement.
This is where I am as well. I think he could have achieved similar heights without being a dick. He is (was) good enough. His legacy will always have a "but" at the end because of his darker side.
 

tmracht

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I "sports" hate(d) him as a player and he was always a red card waiting to happen (which is what I would cheer for), but yeah. Hard to argue with that statement.
Yep he was the perfect heel for a perfect heel team. Nothing quite like rooting for Sergio to get a red in a big game.