Whenever I watch this rugby-looking guy I see a very tidy player. But I don't see that little extra that makes my heart pump a little faster. He could improve us, but I would not be elated.

I recon he’d be great for us. Tremendous work rate and he’s direct. Low centre of gravity and speed - that’ll unsettle any defenders.

Remember him giving Sagna a torrid time a few years back

Don't reckon he's starting material but he would be a quality squad addition. I'd much rather have him than, say, Mkhitaryan. If we're thinking about activating Suarez's release clause we're probably better off splashing it on Fraser too. I just hope, if we do sign him, that he comes in addition to another player with a little higher ceiling.

Klaus wrote:

Don't reckon he's starting material but he would be a quality squad addition. I'd much rather have him than, say, Mkhitaryan. If we're thinking about activating Suarez's release clause we're probably better off splashing it on Fraser too. I just hope, if we do sign him, that he comes in addition to another player with a little higher ceiling.

I'd completely forgotten about Suarez in recent weeks. 

Definitely would take him over Mkhitaryan or Suarez. I'd rather splash another 15-20M and get Under though. Sell Mkhi if required to fund the incremental.

Suarez was a sure flop the moment we saw him at Ettihad. You don't need too long to see whether the guy is quality.

BWoolley wrote:

Definitely would take him over Mkhitaryan or Suarez. I'd rather splash another 15-20M and get Under though. Sell Mkhi if required to fund the incremental.

Yup. Get Under or Pepe. Better yet, get both. If we got into Champions League, I would not be averse to refreshing the team immediately. 

Pepe's out of reach. If we want a winger over the summer, should ideally be one of Under, Bailey, Thuram, Malcom. Sell Mkhi if required.

No way Pepe is out of reach.

You guys need to show a little bit of belief. Did Liverpool day Fabinho and VvD we’re out of reach? I’d dump a bunch of out players to refresh with lightning players like Pepe and Under

Pepe will cost more than either of those two. Bayern have been on him for months and will likely pay 80m+

Inter have a starting bid of 60m euros for him.

Remember he was like 30m last year and nobody rated him here even from compilations

As far as I remember most rated Pepe except Ricky and a few others.

Coombs wrote:

No way Pepe is out of reach.

i think so too. i don't think we'll be splashing out huge amounts on individual players next summer. i reckon the most expensive buy we'll make will be around 40-50m, then a couple more in the 15-30m bracket

jones wrote:

Pepe will cost more than either of those two. Bayern have been on him for months and will likely pay 80m+

Numbers being quoted in papers are 70m. It’s a ton considering what was quoted last summer. You need to strike early with these guys. Probably still worth it. How many more times do you want to watch Iwobi try the same moves?
If we get into Champions League, sell our oldest AMs. Get the Pepes and Unders of the world. Build something fresh and exciting.

Claudius wrote:
jones wrote:

Pepe will cost more than either of those two. Bayern have been on him for months and will likely pay 80m+

Numbers being quoted in papers are 70m. It’s a ton considering what was quoted last summer. You need to strike early with these guys. Probably still worth it. How many more times do you want to watch Iwobi try the same moves?
If we get into Champions League, sell our oldest AMs. Get the Pepes and Unders of the world. Build something fresh and exciting.

Seemed like another perfect recommendation by Sven. If we actually had of backed him we'd have more money. His signings go up in value. 

It's worth considering that players are only as expensive as the fee they actually get sold for. Maybe Pepe is theoretically worth £70 million, but that's a huge chunk out of Bayern's funds too. I don't see them paying that much for him, and I don't really see anyone else do it either. I might be wrong, I didn't think City would pay the kind of money they did for Mahrez last summer, but they are an outlier in this context. More often than not good footballers still leave for affordable fees unless someone is absolutely hellbent on signing them at any cost, like Liverpool with van Dijk and Alisson.

There are also a lot of good footballers coming onto the market and a few clubs that have been banned or have to be careful with their spending due to the FFP scrutiny (Chelsea, PSG).

If we qualify, we should be able to come out on the other side with at least one really good AM. Pepe, Under, Sancho, Neres, Joao, Malcom, Ziyech, Bergwijn, etc could all be in play this summer. How do we fail to get a winger in these circumstances?