Bryant wrote:

Klaus wrote:

He's a third rate defender. Nothing wrong with his talent but he's been playing like a real ass ever since he signed for Milan. Juve are buying a guy who wouldn't get into most Serie A teams in the upper half of the table on merit.

As for De Sciglio he's one of the best fullback talents to emerge in a long time, but what good does that do when he can't stay fit. Bloke is almost 25 now and hasn't developed an inch since the day he broke through.

Juve seems to do well with CB's though. Bonucci and barzagli weren't that rated when they signed with Juve. Ranocchia was considered better than Bonucci. 

As for Milan, they have clearly upgraded at RB with Andrea Conti. Surprised Juve weren't in for him. 

Juve looks like they're going for Bernardeschi after getting Costa. 

With the way Milan are splurging out, they might have this:

Aubameyang - Andre Silva
Calhanoglu
Rodriguez --- Biglia --- Kessie --- Conti
Musacchio - Bonucci - Romagnoli
Donnarumma

Milan really ain't messing around. Good to have them back as a strong club

Spurs have the best negotiators for outgoing transfers in the business. I wouldn't pay a bag of myrrh for Kyle Walker. That's £50m less for City to spend on Sanchez. We should tell them £100m if they come sniffing around

Claudius wrote:

Spurs have the best negotiators for outgoing transfers in the business. I wouldn't pay a bag of myrrh for Kyle Walker. That's £50m less for City to spend on Sanchez. We should tell them £100m if they come sniffing around

Mirror, who first broke the news now saying the whole deal for Walker will be about 100m.

Walker's good though

Clrnc wrote:

Bryant wrote:

Juve seems to do well with CB's though. Bonucci and barzagli weren't that rated when they signed with Juve. Ranocchia was considered better than Bonucci. 

As for Milan, they have clearly upgraded at RB with Andrea Conti. Surprised Juve weren't in for him. 

Juve looks like they're going for Bernardeschi after getting Costa. 

With the way Milan are splurging out, they might have this:

Aubameyang - Andre Silva
Calhanoglu
Rodriguez --- Biglia --- Kessie --- Conti
Musacchio - Bonucci - Romagnoli
Donnarumma

Milan really ain't messing around. Good to have them back as a strong club

They're in the EUROPA next season as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017%E2%80%9318_UEFA_Europa_League

Clrnc wrote:

Claudius wrote:

Spurs have the best negotiators for outgoing transfers in the business. I wouldn't pay a bag of myrrh for Kyle Walker. That's £50m less for City to spend on Sanchez. We should tell them £100m if they come sniffing around

Mirror, who first broke the news now saying the whole deal for Walker will be about 100m.

Does that include potential player bonuses and wages ??

If it's just fee related I'd be asking what they're smoking up at Citeh,
and try to flog some of our HG dead wood - Gibbs, Jenkinson etc.

For anyone who wants the backstory as to why Alves and Bonucci are leaving Juve: 

Apparently, they had a half time spat during the UCL Final in which Alves thought Dybala was playing like a pu**y and Allegri told him to chill. Then Bonucci sides with Alves, Barzagli tries to calm everybody down, and then Bonucci calls out Barzagli for constantly losing Marcelo. Barzagli then tells Bonucci that he was at fault for the first goal and the two almost fight but Allegri steps in to divide them. 

And then that abysmal 2nd half happens. 

Bryant wrote:

For anyone who wants the backstory as to why Alves and Bonucci are leaving Juve: 

Apparently, they had a half time spat during the UCL Final in which Alves thought Dybala was playing like a pu**y and Allegri told him to chill. Then Bonucci sides with Alves, Barzagli tries to calm everybody down, and then Bonucci calls out Barzagli for constantly losing Marcelo. Barzagli then tells Bonucci that he was at fault for the first goal and the two almost fight but Allegri steps in to divide them. 

And then that abysmal 2nd half happens. 

 

Perhaps we can make an offer for Dybala if we don't land Mbappe?

Anybody know a website with easy to access confirmed moves for all PL clubs in one window. Sporting Life had a great transfer center as recently as even last season I think but it's gone now for whatever reason. Pretty annoying. So yeah, any suggestions?

Bryant wrote:

For anyone who wants the backstory as to why Alves and Bonucci are leaving Juve: 

Apparently, they had a half time spat during the UCL Final in which Alves thought Dybala was playing like a pu**y and Allegri told him to chill. Then Bonucci sides with Alves, Barzagli tries to calm everybody down, and then Bonucci calls out Barzagli for constantly losing Marcelo. Barzagli then tells Bonucci that he was at fault for the first goal and the two almost fight but Allegri steps in to divide them. 

And then that abysmal 2nd half happens. 

 

Amazing story. Only a weak manager can let this happen in a UCL final.

Anzac wrote:

Bryant wrote:

For anyone who wants the backstory as to why Alves and Bonucci are leaving Juve: 

Apparently, they had a half time spat during the UCL Final in which Alves thought Dybala was playing like a pu**y and Allegri told him to chill. Then Bonucci sides with Alves, Barzagli tries to calm everybody down, and then Bonucci calls out Barzagli for constantly losing Marcelo. Barzagli then tells Bonucci that he was at fault for the first goal and the two almost fight but Allegri steps in to divide them. 

And then that abysmal 2nd half happens. 

 

Perhaps we can make an offer for Dybala if we don't land Mbappe?

i would kill for that bad boy. 

Tambourine Man wrote:

Anybody know a website with easy to access confirmed moves for all PL clubs in one window. Sporting Life had a great transfer center as recently as even last season I think but it's gone now for whatever reason. Pretty annoying. So yeah, any suggestions?

Transfermarkt

Ricky1985 wrote:

Clrnc wrote:

Yeah Walker and Mendy are huge huge upgrades on Clichy and Sagna. Can't imagine the world most expensive defender is now Kyle Walker though. Amazing.

They're still just fullbacks though. And both pretty poor defenders to boot and although explosive going forward, they're both inefficient in the final third. Both a bit meatheaded, for want for a better way to out it!

The worse they are, the better the outcome is for tottenham who are, now, our direct rivals.
I don't really care about petro-dollars city but that silly cash strengthens the hand of the spuds whichever way you look at it.
They are in a stronger position to fend off teams trying to poach their better players (alli and kane) as they now have the money to pay them.

Kyle Walker is a good athlete but he's a shit footballer. When are other clubs going to realise being good under Pochetinno doesn't make you a good player.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40598351

The fee is  £45m + £5m in add-ons. It's a crazy amount for a donut like Kyle Walker but it's in keeping with what others are going for: Mendy £40m + add-ons, Harry Maguire  £17m, Nathan Ake £20m + add-ons, Michael Keane  £25m + £6m add-ons.

The market has gone crazy and whoever Spurs try and buy with their money they'll pay the earth for as well. And, a thick footballer he may be, but Kyle Walker will be good for City. He's the best rght back in the League in my view.

Guys like Walker aren't going to make the difference for City. I'm delighted our rivals are blowing money on these donkeys.

Best right back in which league, Ricky?
I wouldn't piss on him, nor take him over Bellerin or Trippier. And depending on how you deploy him, Azpilicueta is better.

Agree with Ricky. He was also the best right back at the last Euros

Tripper! Jesus's wept is that even serious?

I dislike Walker immensely and have always argued he's an overrated knobhead of a footballer but he was comfortably the best right back in the League last season. Bellerin had a shocking season and Tripper is not even worth mentioning - he's completely average in every sense.

I think it's true that the way Pochetinno plays football, the fullbacks are vitally important and therefore look better than they would elsewhere, but Walker will do well for City and give them some much needed width because of how narrow Guardiola’s teams tend to become without good overlapping fullbacks.

Kieran Tripper!

Well Trippier has usurped Walker for club and country so he can't be that bad or Walker can't be that good. He got 5 assists in 6 league stars too, compared to Walker who got 5 in 31 starts.

Hector was 21yrs of age and had a poor period when almost literally every member of the squad looked shocking. As soon as we changed systems he looked fantastic again, culminating in a superb performance in the cup final.

Trippier only got into the team because Walker had his head turned by City (he's a knobhead as I said). Walker is just levels up from him, levels and levels. It's not even that I rate Walker that highly, he's not fit to lace the boots of top Premier League rightbacks of yesteryear, but he's still been the best or one of the best in this League for at least a few seasons now. Trippier can cross a bit and that's it, he's average in every other way and a worse defender than Walker to boot - and that's saying something because, his speed and crazy power aside, Walker is a crap defender.

Walker isn't a great player but he's a top PL fullback. He's also homegrown, which is the real reason City want him. Similar to when they signed Sterling they'll have two squad places sorted for the next 5 years now.

He's not bad, Klaus, but 50m? I guess City can be decisive and display largesse given that their squad is already relatively well-stocked.
If Wenger spent 50m pounds on Walker, I'd kick puppies.

If Wenger already Aguero, Jesus, De Bruyne, Sterling, Silva x2, Sané, Fernandinho, Gundögan and a bottomless pit of money, spending  £50m to get a player that ticks a lot of boxes is ready to go from minute one, and is very good at what you need him to be very good at in order for your team to function better - then I'd have absolutely no problem with it.

And that's without mentioning that they're weakening a team that is a supposed direct rival and finished ahead in the League last season. City have just taken their third or fourth best player off them and Spurs will probably go and spend it on some overpriced schmuck or a kid from somewhere because top players wouldn't touch them with a bargepole - and as an Arsenal fan I'll rejoice at any good player the scum lose for that very reason.

Real Madrid sign midfielder Dani Ceballos from Betis.

He has had a good season and also one of Spain's best players in the recent U21 championship. Bit of a headcase though.

http://www.realmadrid.com/en/news/2017/07/official-announcement-dani-ceballos

Ricky1985 wrote:

If Wenger already Aguero, Jesus, De Bruyne, Sterling, Silva x2, Sané, Fernandinho, Gundögan and a bottomless pit of money, spending  £50m to get a player that ticks a lot of boxes is ready to go from minute one, and is very good at what you need him to be very good at in order for your team to function better - then I'd have absolutely no problem with it.

And that's without mentioning that they're weakening a team that is a supposed direct rival and finished ahead in the League last season. City have just taken their third or fourth best player off them and Spurs will probably go and spend it on some overpriced schmuck or a kid from somewhere because top players wouldn't touch them with a bargepole - and as an Arsenal fan I'll rejoice at any good player the scum lose for that very reason.

That's a really good point, killed 2 birds with one stone.

Wouldn't swap Bellerin for Walker though. Used to be envious that Spurs have got such a good attacking right back when we had technically deficient ones but ever since Bellerin broke through, hadn't taken notice of Walker much.

Bonucci to AC Milan.. hmm...

Looks like Bakayoko might have failed his medical and now the deal's off. It's being reported by RMC in France (amongst others) and Bakayoko himself had deleted a picture he posted to instagram earlier of him at Cobham (Chelsea's training ground) and has changed his twitter blurb to to say he's a Monaco player again, as well as changing his profile picture back to him in a Monaco kit.

Fair to say, Chelsea are having a bad window! Might possibly help us in our Lemar chase though.

How does a player fail a medical? Is it because they're not fit enough or have dodgy readings on their hearts or lungs etc.?

Why is he OK to play for Monaco but not Chelsea?

He has a knee injury currently - he's out until the end of September come want may - and I think therea are worries over how it might affect him in the years ahead.

He's probably trolling. He intentionally followed United players, put some red white emoji and said he is in Manchester yesterday.

I saw that. Moronic behaviour from a  grown man.

Apparently the RMC report might be fake. We'll have to wait and see.

[Twitter]

Martial and Inter just seem to fit. Fancied it to happen all summer.

Would be a bit depressing if Aubameyang to Chelsea happened for only £65m. He is star power. And somehow our rivals just seem to keep getting better strikers than us. Hopefully, it doesn't happen. At least we have Lazacette and not Welbeck up front

I think Wenger was drawn to Lacazette's ability to link well with others

Just saw his first goal. It was a classic Lacazette goal, running into the box to finish. The kind we don't get enough of because Alexis constantly falls deep to fill the void left by Cazorla. I'm excited for him

Claudius wrote:

Would be a bit depressing if Aubameyang to Chelsea happened for only £65m. He is star power. And somehow our rivals just seem to keep getting better strikers than us. Hopefully, it doesn't happen. At least we have Lazacette and not Welbeck up front

Our play shows no signs of changing tempo in transition of the ball forward and into the final 3rd.
As such Aubameyang would be deprived of his physical weapon as much as Walcott.

So far we've yet to see Lacazette at CF as AW persists with the 2 behind a lone front man.

http://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2017/monaco-definitively-block-fabinho-from-moving-to-psg/

Monaco definitively block Fabinho from moving to PSG
In a dinner on Thursday night between Monaco Vice President Vadim Vasilyev, PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi and agent Jorge Mendes, the Principality side definitively ruled out the possibility of Fabinho moving to Les Parisiens, according to L’Équipe.

This move from Vasilyev was not designed to make PSG cough up more money, it was a genuine discourse intended to make clear that no top Monaco player would be joining their Ligue 1 title rivals. The same is said to go for Kylian Mbappé.

Surely all the top clubs aren't going to pass up on a top player like Fabinho this summer? He has a £42m release clause and has been there for the taking all summer. If PSG are out of the question then I hope it's not one of our rivals that end up getting him.

Also, obviously good for us if Monaco are refusing to sell Mbappé to their big rival. Not that I thought there was a chance of the kid going there anyway.

I don't understand why we don't activate that release clause. Wenger can't seriously think our midfield was good enough last season.

I'm going to pretend it's because he's got a release clause, so we're attempting to negotiate for the two that haven't with Monaco and then swooping in and stealing Fabinho last minute when they can't do anything about it!