Maybe it’ll be next summer when we do our major business but maybes we’ll snick a star or two in January

Saw links to Edouard and Patson Daka

Edu and Tets know what’s up

An advanced deal for Daka and/or Szoboszlai

Buy in Jan, let them join in June.

Would make sense if finances are still tight and we can make a minimal payment.

Wonder if we still retain interest in either Upamechano and/or Aouar & if we'd entertain similar deals for either?

Hopefully we find a club for Kolasinac to move to permanently. Would be one less headache to deal with in the summer. If Chambers is moved on, that would be a bonus as well.

The fellas running down their contracts will probably hang around and I don't think there will be too much we can do about that.

From an incoming perspective, don't see too much happening. Maybe a surprise deal for an attacking player might be on the cards but personally don't foresee us doing much business on this front.

There could be a lot of free agents or players down to one year next summer given this Covid-19 situation. Let’s see what transpires.

One Buendia please.

A lot of our ability to buy will be dictated by our ability to sell. Between now and then must make a plan for some or all of:
Ozil, Mustafi, Sokratis, Cedric/Kolasinac, Chambers. I’d even sell Mustafi for a small amount for the cash flow saving.
Perhaps there are youngsters as well with no real prospects, e.g., Bola.

I think our ability to buy will be dictated more by how likely we seem to kick into another gear than by whom we sell, Claude. We just made a big commitment buying Partey, and if we seem more likely to challenge/get Champions League as a consequence it makes sense to keep strengthening so that investment doesn't become pointless. A club that is moving forward shouldn't be afraid of taking on costs. It's only when you're moving backwards that it becomes a problem. Ideally you would want players to leave not because you want to reduce the wage bill and save pennies, but because they're taking up valuable squad places.

I'd stick it out till the summer personally, unless an opportunity for a bargain presents itself.

Klaus wrote:

I think our ability to buy will be dictated more by how likely we seem to kick into another gear than by whom we sell, Claude. We just made a big commitment buying Partey, and if we seem more likely to challenge/get Champions League as a consequence it makes sense to keep strengthening so that investment doesn't become pointless. A club that is moving forward shouldn't be afraid of taking on costs. It's only when you're moving backwards that it becomes a problem. Ideally you would want players to leave not because you want to reduce the wage bill and save pennies, but because they're taking up valuable squad places.

You’re talking the way I was talking all through the 2010s. That we should take our money and aggressively invest.
It feels like we are in a slightly different position here. Just because our revenue is gutted we need to manage that risk as well, so we cannot go overboard on spending. We have a bloated cost base. If we can start to chip away at the “non-essential” players that would help Mikel in the transfer market. Losing up to £100m in revenue is a massive problem for us. The early to mid 2010s are still the biggest wasted opportunity in sports history as far back as the Athenians.

Claudius wrote:

You’re talking the way I was talking all through the 2010s. That we should take our money and aggressively invest.

I'm saying I think we'll keep investing if we get results and see discernible improvement, which is different.

The aggressive investment way to do things is the United way, where you keep throwing hundreds of millions of pound around while you're slowly sinking into a black hole. That's how you end up with the most expensive squad in England and it's full of Maguires and Wan-Bissakas.

Klaus wrote:
Claudius wrote:

You’re talking the way I was talking all through the 2010s. That we should take our money and aggressively invest.

I'm saying I think we'll keep investing if we get results and see discernible improvement, which is different.

The aggressive investment way to do things is the United way, where you keep throwing hundreds of millions of pound around while you're slowly sinking into a black hole. That's how you end up with the most expensive squad in England and it's full of Maguires and Wan-Bissakas.

Honestly Wan Bissaka would make an awesome right sided CB when coupled with a wing back in a setup like Conte's.

Klaus wrote:
Claudius wrote:

You’re talking the way I was talking all through the 2010s. That we should take our money and aggressively invest.

I'm saying I think we'll keep investing if we get results and see discernible improvement, which is different.

The aggressive investment way to do things is the United way, where you keep throwing hundreds of millions of pound around while you're slowly sinking into a black hole. That's how you end up with the most expensive squad in England and it's full of Maguires and Wan-Bissakas.

It would’ve made sense then because we were just always on the cusp. We were consistently a top 4 team that just didn’t have enough. The Leicester season and the Ramsey hot streak season being the best examples of being nearly there but needing a Partey or 2.

In January if we are doing well, we should absolutely consider what it takes to put us over the top. And no Denis Suarez / Kallstroms.

A striker would be great. If we don't sign someone would be great for us to do an advanced deal in the next few months so we aren't faffing around in the summer.

Am hoping we can trim down the squad a bit as well in January. A lot will depend on how we do in the next couple of months, will become evident very soon what else we need in the squad.

Klaus wrote:

One Buendia please.

We can do that transfer now can't we?

Anzac wrote:

Would make sense if finances are still tight and we can make a minimal payment.

Wonder if we still retain interest in either Upamechano and/or Aouar & if we'd entertain similar deals for either?

The opportunity to land Upamecano is gone you would think. If there is the slightest chance then we should push the boat out.

We are lacking creativity and another striker, so maybe that is what the club focuses on next year.

The owners' injecting money to fund the Partey transfer is really encouraging. It's unlikely that we will be title contenders, but by any chance if it stays close till January, if we ride a wave of momentum behind the good end to last season and signing Partey then we can really go hard in this window. None of our reported targets are at big clubs where dominoes need to fall before we can sign them.

The refusal to utilise the January transfer window, and I know it's hard, has been the biggest failure of this club. We have been in great positions only to not fortify further. I am certain, we could have had a title or two.

In my opinion, the signing of Reyes in January was a big reason for our push towards the unbeaten run. He was exciting, had destroyed Real and he was coming here. He started off well too. Ultimately Henry rescued us after the CL exit but the signing made a big difference. Hopefully Partey's signing isn't a false dawn but a signal of intent. The Kroenke's bought Arteta's vision behind last season's end. If we are ahead than they collectively imagined it will be imperative to capitalise.

He's fairly reliable this chap so might be some truth in the reports his family scuppered the deal.

Klaus wrote:

We can, yes.

You think he's a better option than those we have been linked with? Not seen him often but never been that impressed. Wonder how much Norwich would want for him.

Reports all summer have been for 20-25 million.

Creative mid
Laca replacement
Luiz replacement
All action centre mid to complement partey and the creative mid

In that order please

JazzG wrote:
Klaus wrote:

We can, yes.

You think he's a better option than those we have been linked with? Not seen him often but never been that impressed. Wonder how much Norwich would want for him.

Yes, I think he's much better than anyone we've been linked with. Here's how he compares to Aouar for instance, using Squawka's comparison matrix:

Third most chances created in Premier League last season, only behind De Bruyne and Alexander-Arnold, ahead of guys like Grealish and Maddison. Maybe he didn't score or assist as much as some of his peers on account of playing for a trash Norwich side, but his creative stats are up there with the best ones in Europe. You feel he's worth a punt, especially if we're on a budget.

He's definitely.a really good target to go after, especially at the 20-25 range. Good experience at a good age as well, Add him, trim the team.

Klaus wrote:
JazzG wrote:

You think he's a better option than those we have been linked with? Not seen him often but never been that impressed. Wonder how much Norwich would want for him.

Yes, I think he's much better than anyone we've been linked with. Here's how he compares to Aouar for instance, using Squawka's comparison matrix:

Third most chances created in Premier League last season, only behind De Bruyne and Alexander-Arnold, ahead of guys like Grealish and Maddison. Maybe he didn't score or assist as much as some of his peers on account of playing for a trash Norwich side, but his creative stats are up there with the best ones in Europe. You feel he's worth a punt, especially if we're on a budget.

Apparently you can't get good players for decent prices.

He's also PL ready.

I somehow doubt that Norwich would accept a measly 25m for Buendia considering that's the price they got for Godfrey. They've got parachute payments to lean on as well, it's not like being relegated instantly makes them easy pickings. In fact, yo-yo clubs could come out pretty nicely if they don't sell off all their best players and go into freefall.

I want Buendia. I'm not convinced that he's better than Aouar and I think Aouar is more versatile, but I see them as relatively equivalent talents. What we don't really know is how they compare in terms of character and mentality.

If Buendia goes I could easily see him costing about as much as we bid for Aouar.

I started noticing Buendia after Klaus namechecked him and subsequently MOTD always features him as a standout player.

I think for the prices quoted he will be an absolute steal in terms of what we need. Norwich fans have been warning us though on social media whenever he is linked that he gives the ball away a lot which I don't mind if it's to make things happen like Alexis

Gazza M wrote:

Creative mid
Laca replacement
Luiz replacement
All action centre mid to complement partey and the creative mid

In that order please

This. Although wouldn't mind the Laca replacement being the priority.

JazzG wrote:

He's fairly reliable this chap so might be some truth in the reports his family scuppered the deal.

He has clarified today that this is fake news

Clrnc wrote:

I started noticing Buendia after Klaus namechecked him and subsequently MOTD always features him as a standout player.

I think for the prices quoted he will be an absolute steal in terms of what we need. Norwich fans have been warning us though on social media whenever he is linked that he gives the ball away a lot which I don't mind if it's to make things happen like Alexis

He is an excellent player. One of the very best creatives in the league. I wouldn’t worry about his losing the ball. That’s exaggerated because he’s a playmaker with so much off the ball. He has very good numbers on successful dribbles versus one of the highest attempted dribbles in the league. As per the Squawks, his pass percentage is low but it is quite progressive.

The one glaring weakness in his game is lack of goals though. You won’t see him score. And it’s not an issue of Norwich being so shit. His shot xGs are bad which means he’s taking bad shots. So you do need to be comfortable that you have a non-scoring AM in your front 4.

I seriously doubt Buendia would go for only 25 mil. Otherwise someone would've signed him by now.

Claudius wrote:
Clrnc wrote:

I started noticing Buendia after Klaus namechecked him and subsequently MOTD always features him as a standout player.

I think for the prices quoted he will be an absolute steal in terms of what we need. Norwich fans have been warning us though on social media whenever he is linked that he gives the ball away a lot which I don't mind if it's to make things happen like Alexis

He is an excellent player. One of the very best creatives in the league. I wouldn’t worry about his losing the ball. That’s exaggerated because he’s a playmaker with so much off the ball. He has very good numbers on successful dribbles versus one of the highest attempted dribbles in the league. As per the Squawks, his pass percentage is low but it is quite progressive.

The one glaring weakness in his game is lack of goals though. You won’t see him score. And it’s not an issue of Norwich being so shit. His shot xGs are bad which means he’s taking bad shots. So you do need to be comfortable that you have a non-scoring AM in your front 4.

We've done so with Ozil,
Goals is what Szoboszlai has over the likes of Buendia and Aouar.

You can have a non-scoring AM but you can't pair them with Laca. You need your first choice front 4 to bang in 50+ goals between them in the league. Right now we are a player away from that. Willian or Pepe will get you 10 at best, probably the same for Saka really. 20 from Auba. Then you need either an AM who will contribute over 10 or another 20 goal player.

Yeah you need goals from your forwards. But I think if you have players who can kep getting the ball forward in the attacking half under pressure (and Buendia is statisticallynthe post press-resistant player in Europe; not even Havertz make as many forward passes under pressure) then you can also field strikers who focus more on goalscoring than playing the Heskey Firminho role, which would help. Auba and Eddie are pretty good options in such a system in my opinion.

Klaus wrote:

Third most chances created in Premier League last season, only behind De Bruyne and Alexander-Arnold, ahead of guys like Grealish and Maddison. Maybe he didn't score or assist as much as some of his peers on account of playing for a trash Norwich side, but his creative stats are up there with the best ones in Europe. You feel he's worth a punt, especially if we're on a budget.

Impressive stats but will Norwich sell cheap? How quick is he?

I have no idea but you have to think they'd be more inclined to sell now rather than in a year when his value will be lower. They have started the Championship badly this year and might be stuck there for a while. Better to take the money and invest it in players who'll benefit them in the longer term.

Closest thing to Cazorla out there. Two footed, nimble, has a bit of flair and unpredictability to his game. Sometimes gets dispossessed easier than I would like but you can coach that out of his game. Most importantly for me, he can see and make the angled through pass to feed his forward. Pukki has benefitted greatly from that in Norwich’s set up, and if we are going to fully unleash Aubameyang as the lone striker, we need a player who has this quality.

He reminds me a bit of Cazorla too, before he broke his foot. The version of Santi that we got at Arsenal couldn't quite cope in that congested attacking space and had to take a step back into the field after Wenger tried other solutions, such as punting him onto the wing. But before his fracture in 2009 he was perhaps the best attacking mid in Europe, downright impossible to press.