The way too early January 2023 Transfer Window Thread

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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OCST said:
And I just don't think they have enough depth now. I don't think they had enough before this.
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Yeah, I've been impressed by Rico Lewis every time I've seen him but he can't be expected to do the same things as Cancelo in terms of floating into midfield and becoming like a sixth attacker who pops up in all sorts of places.

City's attack has become a bit too predictable and reliant on KDB creating for Haaland and playing some combination of Walker, Lewis, and Ake as fullbacks every match isn't going to improve that problem. They were already basically doing that but nevertheless.
 
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Zososoxfan

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Agreed. I'm gobsmacked MANC-Pep let it get to this point. Cancelo is a stud, in a unique way, and fits MANC-Pep to a T. Fucking hell Bayern. Will be interesting if Porro starts for Spurs against a Cancelo-less MANC next Sunday.
 
HowBoutDemSox

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Chelsea apparently back in Portugal trying to swing an Enzo Fernandez deal, probably trying to close it this window before UEFA imposed a five year amortization cap on transfer fees (better for FFP accounting purposes to pay more now but spread the hit over 8 years than to pay slightly less in the summer but only spread it over 5 years, plus they’ll be more teams bidding in the summer).
View: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1620048970851696640


In terms of outgoings, Everton apparently offering £40 million plus add-ons for Connor Gallagher:
View: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1620067257165680640

I would think if he’s going anywhere it would be back to Palace (gets to stay in London, productive loan spell there, not in the relegation zone) but don’t know what they’re offering. I’d also guess he only goes if Enzo is incoming, but who knows.
 
InstaFace

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at least Chelsea is buying a midfielder for way-too-much money this time, and not just yet-another winger.

I'm not sure why they'd decide that Gallagher isn't worth to them what they can sell him for, though. At times he's seemed like the only guy who was really trying stuff out there, and obviously he's young and came up through the Chelsea system so I would've thought he'd get more of a Mason Mount treatment. And god knows they need depth behind the oft-injured Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic. If I were them I'd rather keep Gallagher and sell RLC for € 25M or so.
 
HowBoutDemSox

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InstaFace said:
at least Chelsea is buying a midfielder for way-too-much money this time, and not just yet-another winger.

I'm not sure why they'd decide that Gallagher isn't worth to them what they can sell him for, though. At times he's seemed like the only guy who was really trying stuff out there, and obviously he's young and came up through the Chelsea system so I would've thought he'd get more of a Mason Mount treatment. And god knows they need depth behind the oft-injured Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic. If I were them I'd rather keep Gallagher and sell RLC for € 25M or so.
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How about Jorginho to Arsenal instead?
View: https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1620129401823444994

Seems a little late in the window for some of these, but I could see a Jorginho move being a little easier than a younger kid like Gallagher since he’ll be gone on a free this summer anyways so probably less haggling. Jorgi would also be a good option as a CDM for Arsenal in case the Partey situation goes bad (not sure what the latest is on that) and somewhat of a like for like swap with Enzo from Chelsea’s perspective (assuming that goes through).
 
InstaFace

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Yeah as a short term stopgap that would make a ton of sense for Arsenal and Chelsea. And lots of other ambitious clubs.

Makes Leeds' acquisition of McKennie look downright genius by comparison though, given how much more tread he has left on his tires.
 
67YAZ

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InstaFace said:
Yeah as a short term stopgap that would make a ton of sense for Arsenal and Chelsea. And lots of other ambitious clubs.

Makes Leeds' acquisition of McKennie look downright genius by comparison though, given how much more tread he has left on his tires.
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That €33m fee plus a wage increase means he’ll really have to ball out for Leeds to lay down that cash.

This past summer, Leeds had a €32.5m net spend - the Raphina & Phillips sales covered a lot of their business. I don’t think they will be moving similarly priced players this coming summer, so Leeds may want to do more bargain shopping.
 
candylandriots

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Lots of stories in German, and some Twitter reports in English, that Isco is signing with Union Berlin. Can’t say I expected that.
 
Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Its hard to get too excited about Jorginho but if it can be done cheaply without much commitment then its probably better than a lot of other last ditch alternatives.

Pep tried to sign him at City when Arteta was an assistant, then Arsenal looked hard at him a couple years ago too. Its very clear that Pep/Arteta have long viewed him as a good player for the pivot in their kind of systems. He is 31, on the decline, and couldn't possibly replicate Partey's physicality and coverage in the center of the pitch. But he'll move the ball well in possession and occupy the right spaces out of possession. As "break-glass-in-case-of-emergency" alternatives go for the next four months, you could do a lot worse.

If that's what Arsenal do try to do tomorrow, however, I will be very fearful of Chelsea backing out and fucking us over at the last minute.
 
67YAZ

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There’s reports bouncing around Twitter that Arsenal have gone as high as £75m including add ons for Caicedo, but Brighton are unmoved. They want to sell this summer. Caicedo not turning up the past few days hasn’t changed the club’s position.
 
teddykgb

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67YAZ said:
There’s reports bouncing around Twitter that Arsenal have gone as high as £75m including add ons for Caicedo, but Brighton are unmoved. They want to sell this summer. Caicedo not turning up the past few days hasn’t changed the club’s position.
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If Enzo is worth over 100 million anyone with a young promising midfielder should hold out for more. Imagine the uproar if City were spending like this? Boehly has completely blown the market and Brighton should probably be looking for 100
 
Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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teddykgb said:
If Enzo is worth over 100 million anyone with a young promising midfielder should hold out for more. Imagine the uproar if City were spending like this? Boehly has completely blown the market and Brighton should probably be looking for 100
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It's really pretty insane. If the Enzo deal goes through (and also counting the Nkunku transfer, which hasn't happened yet but has been arranged), Chelsea will have spent about as much in six months as Pep spent over the first four years of his time at City.

The only thing comparable is Roman's first year at Chelsea, if you adjust for market inflation.
 
rguilmar

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candylandriots said:
Lots of stories in German, and some Twitter reports in English, that Isco is signing with Union Berlin. Can’t say I expected that.
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I did not see that coming. I thought some mid to low table La Liga team would take a run at him. On the plus side, he’s only 30 and hasn’t had a lot of mileage put on those tires in recent years. On the other hand, he hasn’t been “Isco” in many years and I am really curious about the fit. He was spectacular back in 2018.
 
67YAZ

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Big news on the women's side - Arsenal have tabled a world record offer of £400,000 for ManU's Alessia Russo.

It's a bold move. ManU are something of a surprise at the top of the table halfway through the season - tied on points with Chelsea, but +2 GD. ManU were clearly one of the top 4 sides in the WSL, but looked a little too young to challenge for the title...or so everyone thought in the preseason.

Russo is United's leading scorer and is just about to turn 24. She's also out of contract this summer and has rejected all the club's extension talks.

Arsenal looked primed for a massive season early on, but have had their dreams derailed by ACL tears for their 2 best players - Miedema and Mead. They sit third, only 3 points back, but seemingly lack the firepower to keep pace.

Unless of course they swoop for a rival's best player. Some real drama to close the window!

Oh, and Liverpool have signed 3 midfielders this window as they battle to stay up - currently 5 points above the drop. With all these new mids running around, maybe they can loan a couple over to Klopp.
 
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candylandriots

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rguilmar said:
I did not see that coming. I thought some mid to low table La Liga team would take a run at him. On the plus side, he’s only 30 and hasn’t had a lot of mileage put on those tires in recent years. On the other hand, he hasn’t been “Isco” in many years and I am really curious about the fit. He was spectacular back in 2018.
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Apparently it’s a one year, incentive-laden contract, so seems low risk to the team. But also makes a nice statement (hopefully) to other players with his kind of reputation about the team’s aspirations. I definitely didn’t anticipate this either.
 
Time to Mo Vaughn

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Jorginho to Arsenal confirmed done by just about everyone. Wow! Not what I was expecting, but happy with the depth addition for the remainder of the season to make sure a key injury can't completely derail the premier league run.

He was set to expire this summer, but the deal apparently includes an extension for another year to summer 2024. So now we've got 3 CM that are 30+ (or about to be) so you'll still expect Arsenal to make a big summer move or two to get younger there targeting players like Rice, Tielemens or Caicedos.
 
67YAZ

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67YAZ said:
Big news on the women's side - Arsenal have tabled a world record offer of £400,000 for ManU's Alessia Russo.

It's a bold move. ManU are something of a surprise at the top of the table halfway through the season - tied on points with Chelsea, but +2 GD. ManU were clearly one of the top 4 sides in the WSL, but looked a little too young to challenge for the title...or so everyone thought in the preseason.

Russo is United's leading scorer and is just about to turn 24. She's also out of contract this summer and has rejected all the club's extension talks.

Arsenal looked primed for a massive season early on, but have had their dreams derailed by ACL tears for their 2 best players - Miedema and Mead. They sit third, only 3 points back, but seemingly lack the firepower to keep pace.

Unless of course they swoop for a rival's best player. Some real drama to close the window!

Oh, and Liverpool have signed 3 midfielders this window as they battle to stay up - currently 5 points above the drop. With all these new mids running around, maybe they can loan a couple over to Klopp.
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Sky reporting that United have rejected the bid for Russo. As well they should, but love the cheek from Arsenal. The effort probably doubles as a statement of interest for this coming summer, too.
 
67YAZ

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Erickson picked up an injury ankle at Reading that’s projected to keep him sidelined for 3 months, so United have dived head first into deadline day.

They are engaged with Bayern about Sabitzer. I like Sabitzer. He’s experienced and can play all over the midfield.
 
tmracht

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InstaFace said:
at least Chelsea is buying a midfielder for way-too-much money this time, and not just yet-another winger.

I'm not sure why they'd decide that Gallagher isn't worth to them what they can sell him for, though. At times he's seemed like the only guy who was really trying stuff out there, and obviously he's young and came up through the Chelsea system so I would've thought he'd get more of a Mason Mount treatment. And god knows they need depth behind the oft-injured Kante, Jorginho and Kovacic. If I were them I'd rather keep Gallagher and sell RLC for € 25M or so.
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Not disagreeing with the premise, but who is giving 25M for RLC? And it sounds like Chelsea has about faced and is planning on holding on Gallagher. I could see it going either way, if they need the 40m to offset a potential Enzo release fee balance sheet acceleration, I can kind of squint and understand it.
 
Time to Mo Vaughn

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Since I just looked it up and others may have the same question: The transfer deadline closes right at 11:59pm in the UK, so 6:59pm ET.
 
Time to Mo Vaughn

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I went looking for some more recent scouting reports of Jorginho to determine if he's more of a Xhaka or Partey substitute and funnily enough this was one of the first articles that came up. Did a double take after the first sentence, but pulled out a couple of fun (or not so) gems:

View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2611449-scouting-arsenal-target-jorginho


It’s a little surprising to hear that Wenger is in the market at all. Having completed the signing of Mohamed Elneny from Basel, many assumed that Arsenal’s business was done and dusted.
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Ouch!

Jorginho could be a very neat replacement for Arteta. Like Arsenal’s club captain, he is well suited to playing in that deep-lying pair, picking the ball up off the back four and instigating attacking moves.

With a more physical ball-winner alongside him such as Coquelin, he has the intelligence and skill to dominate the midfield. This season, Arsenal have occasionally missed Arteta’s ability to slow the play down and dictate the tempo. Jorginho’s presence could assuage that problem.
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candylandriots

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candylandriots said:
I think it's one hour earlier. Midnight in continental Europe, 11:00pm in UK and 6:00 ET.
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Here are the deadlines per Sky:

Transfer deadlines around Europe...
  • Premier League: Tuesday January 31, 11pm GMT
  • EFL: Tuesday January 31, 11pm GMT
  • Scotland: Tuesday January 31, 11:59pm GMT
  • WSL: Tuesday January 31, 5pm GMT (domestic transfers), midnight (international transfers)
  • Bundesliga: Tuesday January 31, 5pm GMT
  • Serie A: Tuesday January 31, 7pm GMT
  • La Liga: Tuesday January 31, 11pm GMT
  • Ligue 1: Tuesday January 31, 11:59pm GMT
 
67YAZ

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Seeing reports for Lokonga loaned to Palace. Nice move. Palace seems to have a keen eye for these young midfield loanees.
 
67YAZ

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Sabitzer to United on loan through June, no option to buy.

Haven't watched Bayern this season, so no idea why Sabotzer is surplus. I really wanted Liverpool to move for him a couple of years back. He can capably cover all the midfield roles, so he's a key depth piece for megaclubs. You can also start him as an attack-inclined 8 against mid- and bottom-table sides to rotate the squad without losing much advantage. And from his Red Bull years, he really knows how to press within a team context.

Yes, I'm jealous that Liverpool are waiting on Arthur to get healthy instead of making this move.
 
shaggydog2000

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67YAZ said:
Seeing reports for Lokonga loaned to Palace. Nice move. Palace seems to have a keen eye for these young midfield loanees.
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He could use playing time. As it is, he looks ok going forward but lost in defense. The role they are trying to use him at Arsenal has a lot of responsibility and he's jut not there yet. He could shine in a role that puts him under less pressure.
 
67YAZ

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SocrManiac said:
How is what Chelsea have done fully legal? The balance sheet is wrecked.
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I think this is John Henry’s cue to sell. Book a couple billion in profits, leave with find memories, and buy the Washington Commanders.
 
InstaFace

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What Chelsea did was factor the receivables. They (Boehly) engaged a financial middleman who paid Benfica the entire release clause, subject to 3 term repayments by Chelsea, at a premium for the latter but done in such a way that they can make it work under FFP; the middleman is making a profit (return) in exchange for shifting the timing of Chelsea's obligations.

It's not sketchy. It might be financially unwise, and it's definitely unusual in football, but there's no trickery to it. It just violates the *spirit* of FFP, but not the letter.
 
swiftaw

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Chelsea also handed out 7 and 8 year contracts so they could amortize the transfer fees over a longer period.

UEFA/FIFA is already working to close that loophole.
 
OCST

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swiftaw said:
Chelsea also handed out 7 and 8 year contracts so they could amortize the transfer fees over a longer period.

UEFA/FIFA is already working to close that loophole.
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I suppose thats self limiting behavior if the players turn out to suck. I don’t think anyone thinks the Mets got away with one with the Bonilla contract.
 
DJnVa

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Spurs apparently had an "Oh crap!" moment in their dealings today.

Matt Doherty was announced as going on loan to Atletico but Spurs already have 8 players out on loan, and that's the limit. They apparently couldn't find a loophole and in the end terminated his contract by mutual agreement, and now he can sign on a free with Atletico.
 
candylandriots

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The Berlin newspaper had a story about the failed Isco transfer (next to a story about the longest OG in DFB Pokal history, and another showing Brooks’ transfer fee was only €300,000).

Anyway, Isco was in Berlin, and had a medical checkup. Apparently the thing that sunk this is a terrible miscommunication. I’m not sure if the blame lays with the agent, with the team, both or neither. But the reported problem that scrubbed the deal is that salaries for footballers in Spain are quoted net of taxes, and in Germany, before taxes. So he basically thought he would be bringing home almost double what Union Berlin were actually offering. Wow.
 
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