Transfer Thread: 2023 -> 2024

[Baphomet]

Read today that Spurs were almost ready to make an offer for Maddison and Barnes - £50m for the 2, I nearly fell off my chair laughing. Maddison alone is costing more than that.

Read on Twitter

This is what Fab had to say about it. I guess we are interested in Barnes.

[wco81]

No one else in Europe including Real can currently afford him. The tweet admitted in the most roundabout way that literally nothing changed.

City, Newcastle?

What other club is owned by a sovereign wealth fund?

[Baphomet]

Spurs sign Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus. We were able to haggle a few million off the 35m Euro option price, so I think it's a good deal. He will have a better season under Ange, I think.

Meanwhile City are in talks with Gvardiol.

[Baseline81]

Spurs sign Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent deal from Juventus. We were able to haggle a few million off the 35m Euro option price, so I think it's a good deal. He will have a better season under Ange, I think.

Meanwhile City are in talks with Gvardiol.

RB Leipzig will likely demand a minimum of £80M, as the club does not have to sell.

[HIF]

As much as I hate the Saudi regime, it's interesting to see them getting the players over there and now Europe is starting to cry. Let's face it, the prem has been doing this to the rest of the world for sometime now.

[Baphomet]

As much as I hate the Saudi regime, it's interesting to see them getting the players over there and now Europe is starting to cry. Let's face it, the prem has been doing this to the rest of the world for sometime now.

I think it will be a good way for teams to shift their expensive deadweight and aging stars, at the very least. Seeing that Chelsea actually made a profit on Koulibaly for example is crazy considering how poor he was for them.

But my feeling is that this will eventually lead to a more concrete Super League plan with middle eastern teams included, at least one that isn't seemingly cobbled together overnight. The ultra rich owners of these Saudi clubs will eventually want to see their teams up against the world's best in a competitive format, and money talks, as they say.

[wco81]

Besides a Ronaldo in his late 30s whom do they have over there?

Do they compete in some regional multinational leagues, like their version of the UCL?

Since some Turkish teams play in the UCL, can they compete against those teams?

[Baphomet]

Besides a Ronaldo in his late 30s whom do they have over there?

Do they compete in some regional multinational leagues, like their version of the UCL?

Since some Turkish teams play in the UCL, can they compete against those teams?

Benzema, Kante, Ruben Neves, Ziyech, Mendy, Koulibaly, and possibly Aubameyang and Saul and others to follow. A non-zero chance of Neymar going there as well.

They're making some pretty big splashes, the Neves one especially was a shock given the way his career has panned out. Captained Porto at 18 in the CL, then winds up in the Championship and mid-table mediocrity with Wolves for 6 years despite being an excellent player. Looked set for a big move to a top club, now he's in Saudi Arabia. I'm not criticising his decision, he will be paid very handsomely and will help expand the league out there.

[Baseline81]

Benzema, Kante, Ruben Neves, Ziyech, Mendy, Koulibaly, and possibly Aubameyang and Saul and others to follow. A non-zero chance of Neymar going there as well.

They're making some pretty big splashes, the Neves one especially was a shock given the way his career has panned out. Captained Porto at 18 in the CL, then winds up in the Championship and mid-table mediocrity with Wolves for 6 years despite being an excellent player. Looked set for a big move to a top club, now he's in Saudi Arabia. I'm not criticising his decision, he will be paid very handsomely and will help expand the league out there.

The contracts Chelsea wanted out from...

[HIF]

As much as I hate the Saudi regime, it's interesting to see them getting the players over there and now Europe is starting to cry. Let's face it, the prem has been doing this to the rest of the world for sometime now.

I think it will be a good way for teams to shift their expensive deadweight and aging stars, at the very least. Seeing that Chelsea actually made a profit on Koulibaly for example is crazy considering how poor he was for them.

But my feeling is that this will eventually lead to a more concrete Super League plan with middle eastern teams included, at least one that isn't seemingly cobbled together overnight. The ultra rich owners of these Saudi clubs will eventually want to see their teams up against the world's best in a competitive format, and money talks, as they say.

I think it's a little bizarre how chelsea are benefitting from this - there are conspiracy theories out there.

I'm tired of the money in the sport being misused and abused. Whether that is by a few clubs or a few players.

I'm coming to a mind where I sort of hope for a super league to separate the money from the sport. Sad and wrong in many ways but a flatter field for the game I love would be nice.

[Shaazzam]

What are people's take on Mason Mount?
Our MF needs improvement, would he fit? Offer what we need? Is he just another expensive player for the right flank (Sancho, Antony)

[HIF]

What are people's take on Mason Mount?
Our MF needs improvement, would he fit? Offer what we need? Is he just another expensive player for the right flank (Sancho, Antony)

For £40m less than Maddison he may be worth it. Runs around a lot and is decent but not the level of Madders or many other CMs available. Surprised he's so expensive.

[Baphomet]

What are people's take on Mason Mount?
Our MF needs improvement, would he fit? Offer what we need? Is he just another expensive player for the right flank (Sancho, Antony)

I like him. I thought he was outstanding in Chelsea's CL winning campaign in 2020/21 and their subsequent PL season, and was also the standout player on loan in the Championship when Frank Lampard was the Derby County manager. He's coming off a poor season in a structurally dysfunctional Chelsea team devoid of goals, which has seen notoriously fickle Chelsea fans turn on him.

Mount is a strong runner. He's good at finding pockets of space, advancing the ball and exploiting the opposition's structural weaknesses. He's pretty efficient with his touches, and also has a great delivery on him. I think he would do fine at United, if Ten Hag intends to deploy him in a midfield trio with Casemiro and Bruno. He could do a job out wide too, as a tactical switch, and he often played as sort of a left-sided inverted forward under Tuchel, and he caused defences problems there.

I agree with HIF that Maddison is better and most statistics and the eye-test will support that conclusion, but they're also different types of player. United have Bruno and don't need another playmaker/chance creating attacking midfielder, but they do need someone who can help link things up and advance the ball. Anything above £50m would be too much money, imo, but it's not my money and I'm not the best when it comes to assessing a player's monetary value.

[Baseline81]

Something smells fishy:

Read on Twitter

[Shaazzam]

Thanks HIF and Baph. Appreciate the insights.

[HIF]

Something smells fishy:

Read on Twitter

The athletic have done a good article pointing out how petty this idea is. I suggest you read it.

[Baseline81]

The athletic have done a good article pointing out how petty this idea is. I suggest you read it.

Unfortunately, I do not have a subscription to the Athletic.

[HIF]

The athletic have done a good article pointing out how petty this idea is. I suggest you read it.

Unfortunately, I do not have a subscription to the Athletic.

It's dirt cheap man.

https://theathletic.com/guest-pass/?access_code=htyjc38ib4

that'll give you 30 days for free to read the article and any others that interest you.

[stormi]

What are people's take on Mason Mount?
Our MF needs improvement, would he fit? Offer what we need? Is he just another expensive player for the right flank (Sancho, Antony)

I don't rate him personally. His ability to score goals is probably his hallmark feature (as if that's a bad thing.. lol. however i do think he hides behind his G/A), but for a midfielder his passing radius is limited and so is his technical level. He provides legs in the middle of the park and will press like a dog, he's also very good at finding pockets of space. His half turn on the reception is another one of his strong assets - receiving and then driving up the pitch.

For me though I think his decision making is notoriously poor, I don't think he has the awareness or the positional discipline to play as an 8. He gives the ball away in poor areas / not press resistant and his weight of pass hasn't improved since he burst on the scene.

He's a good squad player to have not dissimilar to Newcastle picking up Anthony Gordon.

I think he'll be great for United, and EtH is familiar with him from their time shared in the Eredivisie. My main issue with him occurs when you expect Mount to be a talisman of your project, which is out of his depth -- but was also teetering on an unavoidable crash course at Chelsea due to him being a popular figure with the fans, from the academy and an English international.

He's not a tier 1 academy talent like Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold
or Levi Colwill are, but sometimes it feels like he thinks he deserves to be catered to like one.

[stormi]

Read on Twitter

bomba.

Personally I would have thought Newcastle's next big splurge would be on a #10 to play in front of Guimaraes (Wirtz / Cherki), whereas Tonali is at his best as a deep lying 6.

Interesting player though, neat on the ball and physical. Definitely suits their DNA.