This window is already winding me up big time. I just don't trust us to ever truly push the boat out when needed. And do we have a plan B?

Will be a long month.

    Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

    We did what was necessary two summers ago and brought in Ramsdale, White, Tomi etc. We did what was necessary this summer and brought in Jesus and Zinchenko.

    We are top of the table. Things seem to be moving along fine

      Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert To be fair we have got deals like Ben White & Ramsdale over the line despite the selling club pushing back heavily.

      This isn't personal, just business. Shakhtar are within their right to demand what they can for their player. We need to convince the player and stick to our guns.

        HomeSteak

        I agree. Bordering on proven elite tier money.. Move on if that's the case

        Can't say I'm as sold as many on here / online are.

          I trust Mikel’s judgment on this. It there is one thing he knows it is a wide attacking player, if he thinks he’s worth the extra £10m-£15m then do it.

          He’s young and has great potential, this is where you can sometimes pay big and take a risk.

          • Doc replied to this.

            JazzG

            That's also true and why I have been all for it when price was 'reasonable'. Calibre of player brought in has generally been great and for the way we play I can definitely see why we want him

            Just feel with a player like this it either bang or bust and for 80m, it's risky. How much would Felix cost? 80-90? What I'm saying is, If we are going to reach that level of spend then it would be worth reassessing the market as it potentially opens up more options for us..

                The guy is deep throating us. Should just say I’m only going to sign for us.

                Forwards are one area where you have to overspend really. Look at how much Wolves wanted for Neto or how much Madrid pay for these young Brazilian guys. If Mudryk is as good as Martinelli or Saka then £60070m is a bargain.

                • est replied to this.

                  Doc Having that kind of raw pace would be great, we have quick players but nobody who is gonna burn someone like he would.

                  I think Atletico would want more than that for Felix. They paid like £110m for him, Also the difference is Mudryk you feel he is starting to elevate himself to the next level. Felix is struggling at a top club so there will be big question marks about him. That is why a loan would work well for now so we can assess the player before making a move.

                    HomeSteak 😂

                    flobaba Not the greatest look for him, but it's very good he wants to join us. Compare to the deflating Vlahovic saga last winter …

                        Thought I’d spotted him at the time on the TV coverage.

                          I expect these deals to take a long time. So if you’re sitting around thinking these players will play versus Oxford, rethink. Lots of moving parts here. Fortunately, January and February are both manageable month schedule -wise. They need to be ramped up for March when we have 7 games, and the run in.

                          The good thing is we don’t have too many games in Jan. Dropping out the League Cup was a huge blessing.

                          ESR is coming back into the fold so he’ll have to be the attacking option off the bench against Spurs and United.

                          est That should be the starting price for anyone who enquires about Saka

                            James Think it was well known he was coming, as long as we have the player on our side I think they'll have to negotiate with us.

                            Also Chelsea's financial position isn't quite as strong as people think and then you consider that they're 10th in the league.

                              the last 24 hours has seen sky/athletic/telegraph all saying we're stepping up our interest in felix. could be legit, or a strategic media brief to get shaktar to cut the malarkey

                              With Mudryk repeatedly giving us 💓s on his socials, we could afford to pause our pursuit of him here for a week or more, Félix or otherwise.

                              Let his people have a few pissy conversations with Chelsea, so they know they're going to have to drag him along or buy him out, and Shakhtar know they'll look like pricks in the process. We've bid £62m. It's likely not quite enough, but it's far from insulting. If we have to armwrestle with Chelsea, let's not be too enthusiastic about it. If he readily chooses them, it wasn't to be.

                              So, the only fear is if he turns out like Zlatan/Mbappe - generational type talent, where we look back in regret and say we could've had that for a few more million quid.

                              Other than that I'm happy to pass at this stage.

                              I do think we can /should be a little bit more ruthless with our transfers though. Especially when the player has indicated ample interest in joining. Negotiate, but be ready and willing to put in some extra cash if needed to wrap things up fast. You hardly ever hear other big teams get caught up or slowed down by player pricing considerations. If they are going in, most times they are going in to seal the deal quickly and move on. We have the money so I don't get what the hold up is really.