Transfer Talk Topic

[Bob Singleton]

1 hour ago, thevelourfog said:

If Fernández comes in now and with Nkunku and Gusto already done for June, our summer dealings are surely going to be almost solely outgoings! Hope some of those brought in are selling specialists.

If we get Enzo Fernandez, we'll still need another midfielder in the summer to play alongside him going forward for the next 5/6 years or more. If we think of him as a goal-scoring/assisting version of Kante, then we need a more mobile, more solid version of Jorginho (Rice, anyone?)

[Bison]

15 hours ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

Yep, new sponsorships going to be very interesting and very important, another reason securing European football of some sort next season is important. I would imagine these owners will be very good at finding and agreeing big sponsorship deals, with the background they have.

 

15 hours ago, Bob Singleton said:

@BisonAbsolutely.  Even if we don't qualify for Europe next season (and I personally don't discount our chances of winning the CL... we've won it with weaker squads) the team we're building for next season and beyond looks very exciting. Our past history, what looks like being a bright, exciting future, and a more American approach to sports marketing ought to see us getting decent sponsorship deals.

I'm not saying we did badly under Abramovich, but I think we were a bit "safe" at times. I get the impression Boehly & Co intend ripping up all the (unwritten) rules - just as they have done with these long contracts.

Interesting line in The Athletic today about this:

Quote

An agreement with a new shirt sponsor had been close but collapsed before Christmas.

Chelsea, though, feel they still have time to agree new deals, and the Boehly-Clearlake consortium is far more proactive in looking for new partners than under the club’s previous owner, Roman Abramovich.

But Chelsea are not the only Premier League club searching for a new sponsor in a competitive marketplace. Manchester United announced last month they will part with TeamViewer once a replacement has been found, while Newcastle United are also seeking a replacement for Fun88, the betting firm.

 

[Thiago97]

19 minutes ago, Bob Singleton said:

If we get Enzo Fernandez, we'll still need another midfielder in the summer to play alongside him going forward for the next 5/6 years or more. If we think of him as a goal-scoring/assisting version of Kante, then we need a more mobile, more solid version of Jorginho (Rice, anyone?)

I wouldn't be against Rice. 

Probably unlikely one, given the age of some of the other midfielders at Madrid. Some rumours around that they may have been prepared to let Camavinga out on loan. He is a plyer I would love to have at the club and I wonder if they could be tempted by a deal in the summer. 

[CarefreeMuratcan]

29 minutes ago, Bob Singleton said:

If we get Enzo Fernandez, we'll still need another midfielder in the summer to play alongside him going forward for the next 5/6 years or more. If we think of him as a goal-scoring/assisting version of Kante, then we need a more mobile, more solid version of Jorginho (Rice, anyone?)

I always thought Rice was a formality to us. But now there's more talk of Arsenal than us. I wonder if the new recruitment team aren't as interested as the previous regime was. 

[Bob Singleton]

18 minutes ago, CarefreeMuratcan said:

I always thought Rice was a formality to us. But now there's more talk of Arsenal than us. I wonder if the new recruitment team aren't as interested as the previous regime was. 

I think it was only a "formality" in the minds of some supporters and media. Came through the youth system until, what 14/15?, alongside Mason Mount and others, so therefore must have "unfinished business" (wasn't that the phrase used regarding Lukaku when we spent nearly £100m buying him from Inter?).

We did pursue him for several windows - always with the thought of "well, we'll get him next summer!" - and were essentially the only club that seemed interested in him, that I suppose it was easy to believe that Rice to Chelsea was essentially a fait accompli.

I think West Ham bandying about figures like £150m two summers ago put off other clubs who might have been interested, while we kept sniffing around. Now that it's clear that Rice won't sign a new contract, his financial value to West Ham diminishes with every season. The leverage they once had also diminishes with every season they fail to get into European competitions.

For West Ham, next summer is probably the optimum time to sell an asset that can help toward rebuilding the team. Other clubs, such as Arsenal and Man Utd, can see that.

[martin1905]

Said many a time how much I like Rice but also how he's stupidly over priced, even though I rate Jim very highly. I just don't think his type of footballer with his limitations will ever be a £60m+ player.

For me I also don't see him ever being good enough to play in a pivot, definitely a CDM in a three man midfield but he's just not good enough to play a pivot in my opinion.

The team we are building looks very technical and very fluid/mobile. I can't see us going for someone like Rice anymore.

So, someone to play alongside Enzo, as that position and maybe a striker, although I don't think we will buy one, is the last piece of the puzzle. The question is who? I'd like to see Kovacic be given a proper go and then reassess in the summer. After that I, and it's the first time in a long, long time I've thought this, have complete faith in the clubs scouting/recruitment team to bring in the right man.

 

[martin1905]

On 23/01/2023 at 14:19, mora said:

According to The Athletic, there is some sort of purchase clause in Felix's contract.

Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid are set for change – their story looks close to an end - The Athletic

Not sure if this could work:

            Nkunku

Mudryk - Felix - Madueke

Surprised this hasn't been discussed more, although maybe because most can't read the full article.

I don't think there is any doubt that there is a clause of some sort allowing us to purchase him in the summer, there is no way in a million years we'd have spent that much money on here for a straight up short term loan. 

Nobody else agrees with me though so I suppose we shall wait and see.

[Ham]

2 hours ago, paulw66 said:

That is somewhat lost on those crying about FFP. The core of the squad is now very young. IF the majority of these signings come off, then we wont need to sign many players at all for the next 2 or 3 years. 

Plus, if we did for whatever reason get a transfer ban, we're fine. 

[Bob Singleton]

33 minutes ago, martin1905 said:

Surprised this hasn't been discussed more, although maybe because most can't read the full article.

I don't think there is any doubt that there is a clause of some sort allowing us to purchase him in the summer, there is no way in a million years we'd have spent that much money on here for a straight up short term loan. 

Nobody else agrees with me though so I suppose we shall wait and see.

I agree with you. Given how they've operated so far, it would be going against the grain for Boehly & Co. to agree to a loan only deal with absolutely no possibility of a purchase.

Once he's served his suspension, it'll be interesting to see how he, Mudryk, Sterling and Havertz get on as an attacking foursome.

[Mark Kelly]

Just now, Bob Singleton said:

I agree with you. Given how they've operated so far, it would be going against the grain for Boehly & Co. to agree to a loan only deal with absolutely no possibility of a purchase.

Once he's served his suspension, it'll be interesting to see how he, Mudryk, Sterling and Havertz get on as an attacking foursome.

The way things have gone this season , I'm expecting a Keystone Kops type scenario as they all run into each other and repeatedly fall over.

[Bob Singleton]

6 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

The way things have gone this season , I'm expecting a Keystone Kops type scenario as they all run into each other and repeatedly fall over.

Yes, there is that!

[paulw66]

Joao Cancelo going on loan to Bayern........ the world's gone mad. He's their best full back.

[chrisb]

17 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

The way things have gone this season , I'm expecting a Keystone Kops type scenario as they all run into each other and repeatedly fall over.

With them all tearing hamstrings/ACL’s in the process and being out injured for the next 6 months.

[xceleryx]

9 minutes ago, paulw66 said:

Joao Cancelo going on loan to Bayern........ the world's gone mad. He's their best full back.

Had a falling out with Pep apparently.

[ROTG]

How did the club miss Yasin Ayari for £5 million. Guaranteed to be worth ten times the fee by the summer. 

[Mark Kelly]

1 minute ago, ROTG said:

How did the club miss Yasin Ayari for £5 million. Guaranteed to be worth ten times the fee by the summer. 

Maybe we can't buy every player that Brighton scouted? 

You'd only complain we'd let Gallagher go to Everton and signed a foreigner anyway. 

[paulw66]

4 minutes ago, Mark Kelly said:

Maybe we can't buy every player that Brighton scouted? 

You'd only complain we'd let Gallagher go to Everton and signed a foreigner anyway. 

40m offer for Gallagher, and 5m in add ons.........sad, but I'd take that all day long 

[Bob Singleton]

Sean Dyche has wasted no time

[FrankLampard8]

Sorry but we absolutely have to take that sort of cash for someone that I don't think is a long term starter here - if we sign Felix and Nkunku permanently i'm not 100% sure where Mount fits regularly let alone Connor. Imagine what that sort of transfer does to offset our spending spree this winter!

[My Blood Is Blue]

I really don't want us to let Gallagher go. I think he's still got plenty of room to improve, this is his first season in our first team squad and he'll have learnt a lot already.

I'd rather see others leave way before Gallagher, personally.

[My Blood Is Blue]

Just now, FrankLampard8 said:

Sorry but we absolutely have to take that sort of cash for someone that I don't think is a long term starter here - if we sign Felix and Nkunku permanently i'm not 100% sure where Mount fits regularly let alone Connor. Imagine what that sort of transfer does to offset our spending spree this winter!

As a back up to the 2 CMs. If Kante and Jorginho both go, then we're very light in numbers there. I'd much rather have Gallagher backing up than RLC for example.

[FrankLampard8]

Just now, My Blood Is Blue said:

I really don't want us to let Gallagher go. I think he's still got plenty of room to improve, this is his first season in our first team squad and he'll have learnt a lot already.

I'd rather see others leave way before Gallagher, personally.

There are loads of players i'd see go before him... but how many of those command a fee this big? Sometimes you have to do things out of sequence. The time for selling Pulisic, Ziyech etc will come.

[Mark Kelly]

2 minutes ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

I really don't want us to let Gallagher go. I think he's still got plenty of room to improve, this is his first season in our first team squad and he'll have learnt a lot already.

I'd rather see others leave way before Gallagher, personally.

 

1 minute ago, My Blood Is Blue said:

As a back up to the 2 CMs. If Kante and Jorginho both go, then we're very light in numbers there. I'd much rather have Gallagher backing up than RLC for example.

Yes , me too , I like the amount of effort he puts in even if the quality isn't always apparent.

However £40M for Connor when you're about to pay £105 for Enzo makes some kind of sense .

Maybe we can ask £30M provided they take RLC too.

[Rob B]

Re Gallagher, I think ultimately it'll come down to what the player wants to do.

I think the club will say (respectfully) that they've had an offer that meets their valuation, outline the situation in terms of playing time moving forward, and ask how he wants to proceed. 

If he doesn't want to go (which won't surprise me by the way as they are 19th after all) then it's all a moot point anyway. 

[Bob Singleton]

If £40m really is being offered, I reckon that's pretty much the most we can ever expect for him.

Everton have just sold Anthony Gordon and need some sort of replacement, not just in terms of returning squad numbers to where they were, but also as a statement of intent from the Everton board to placate an angry supporter base (not angry at the sale of Gordon, btw, just generally angry at the board)