1 hour ago, abramovich said:

I keep reading people mentioning how they're prepared to stay put and wait for the summer because there's no value to be had in January, the transfer fees quoted are overly inflated, because clubs know we're a bit desperate, no point in signing new players just for the sake of signing, etc etc and I happen to agree with most of it.

But the way I see it, each and every club's strategy and actions should be judged based on their needs, capabilities and circumstances they operate under. Liverpool and Man City, for example, don't have to sign anybody urgently, they're well stacked as it is, and can wait till summer to conduct their business. We aren't. On top of losing our best player and not being able to sign new players in the summer, we're still suffering from terrible transfer business of the last few years, where we spent a fortune on misfits, quite a few of them are so poor, they're currently out on loan because we have no use for them in the squad.

What happened to our scouting, by the way? When was the last time we've uncovered a relatively unknown player for a modest fee who became an integral part of the team? Who was the genius who decided that wasting £300m on a collection of Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Zappacosta, Kepa, Morata, Batshuayi, Barkley, Emerson and Giroud was a good strategy? Who scouted Michy and didn't notice that he is sh*t at everything except shooting from inside the box? Or that Drinkwater is a midtable level footballer? Who dug up Zappacosta in the dying hours of summer of 2017, the same window when City bought Walker, Mendy and Danilo? Who is the expert who felt Bakayoko is worth 40m and is the player we should go after at Monaco when he was literally the least technically  gifted player on that team? Who thought it was the risk worth taking to splash the world record fee for a goalkeeper on you-know-who? 

I know there are no guarantees but don't you think we've had way too many misses in the recent years than we did hits? Our shocking transfer business in the last three years or so is bigger reason for our current struggles than the transfer ban or even loss of Hazard. The board repeatedly failed to back the managers and by extension failed the supporters.

I'm positive there are players out there that can upgrade our team and they can be had, and they're not necessarily the names we keep reading on the internet. Whether it's doable with the current team running the show, I'm not so sure. I'm sure Marina is a tough negotiator when it comes to fees and contracts but she isn't the one identifying and scouting potential targets, or at least I hope she isn't. I'm still holdIng out hope that they can get somebody in but if they fail to get Frank some help by the time Saturday comes, I'll be very disappointed, but not surprised.

I hope the club have learned from those transfer windows 

6 hours ago, big blue said:

Anelka = Werner 

Could play wide off Abraham 

Gudjohnson = Jovic

Could play behind Abraham instead of mount

Neither are available now though unfortunately.

Have watched quite a bit of both and I wouldn't agree with those characterisations.

Position wise maybe but neither have the all round game of Anelka or Eidur which is what I would be more interested in!

1 hour ago, abramovich said:

I keep reading people mentioning how they're prepared to stay put and wait for the summer because there's no value to be had in January, the transfer fees quoted are overly inflated, because clubs know we're a bit desperate, no point in signing new players just for the sake of signing, etc etc and I happen to agree with most of it.

But the way I see it, each and every club's strategy and actions should be judged based on their needs, capabilities and circumstances they operate under. Liverpool and Man City, for example, don't have to sign anybody urgently, they're well stacked as it is, and can wait till summer to conduct their business. We aren't. On top of losing our best player and not being able to sign new players in the summer, we're still suffering from terrible transfer business of the last few years, where we spent a fortune on misfits, quite a few of them are so poor, they're currently out on loan because we have no use for them in the squad.

What happened to our scouting, by the way? When was the last time we've uncovered a relatively unknown player for a modest fee who became an integral part of the team? Who was the genius who decided that wasting £300m on a collection of Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Zappacosta, Kepa, Morata, Batshuayi, Barkley, Emerson and Giroud was a good strategy? Who scouted Michy and didn't notice that he is sh*t at everything except shooting from inside the box? Or that Drinkwater is a midtable level footballer? Who dug up Zappacosta in the dying hours of summer of 2017, the same window when City bought Walker, Mendy and Danilo? Who is the expert who felt Bakayoko is worth 40m and is the player we should go after at Monaco when he was literally the least technically  gifted player on that team? Who thought it was the risk worth taking to splash the world record fee for a goalkeeper on you-know-who? 

I know there are no guarantees but don't you think we've had way too many misses in the recent years than we did hits? Our shocking transfer business in the last three years or so is bigger reason for our current struggles than the transfer ban or even loss of Hazard. The board repeatedly failed to back the managers and by extension failed the supporters.

I'm positive there are players out there that can upgrade our team and they can be had, and they're not necessarily the names we keep reading on the internet. Whether it's doable with the current team running the show, I'm not so sure. I'm sure Marina is a tough negotiator when it comes to fees and contracts but she isn't the one identifying and scouting potential targets, or at least I hope she isn't. I'm still holdIng out hope that they can get somebody in but if they fail to get Frank some help by the time Saturday comes, I'll be very disappointed, but not surprised.

I agree that we shouldn't assume that it will be any easier in the summer. While some clubs may be more willing to let their assets leave for the right price in the off season, we are likely to be competing with a lot more  the big teams in that window. If we really want to get a player like Timo Werner for example, we should try to secure him in this window and agree a deal where he stays there for the rest of this season (like Pulisic).

We need to get Agent JT to whisper in Grealish' ear all roads to the bridge are paved with Gold, he really is an outstanding player.

Edited January 28, 20206 yr by Ballack & Blu

1 hour ago, abramovich said:

I keep reading people mentioning how they're prepared to stay put and wait for the summer because there's no value to be had in January, the transfer fees quoted are overly inflated, because clubs know we're a bit desperate, no point in signing new players just for the sake of signing, etc etc and I happen to agree with most of it.

But the way I see it, each and every club's strategy and actions should be judged based on their needs, capabilities and circumstances they operate under. Liverpool and Man City, for example, don't have to sign anybody urgently, they're well stacked as it is, and can wait till summer to conduct their business. We aren't. On top of losing our best player and not being able to sign new players in the summer, we're still suffering from terrible transfer business of the last few years, where we spent a fortune on misfits, quite a few of them are so poor, they're currently out on loan because we have no use for them in the squad.

What happened to our scouting, by the way? When was the last time we've uncovered a relatively unknown player for a modest fee who became an integral part of the team? Who was the genius who decided that wasting £300m on a collection of Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Zappacosta, Kepa, Morata, Batshuayi, Barkley, Emerson and Giroud was a good strategy? Who scouted Michy and didn't notice that he is sh*t at everything except shooting from inside the box? Or that Drinkwater is a midtable level footballer? Who dug up Zappacosta in the dying hours of summer of 2017, the same window when City bought Walker, Mendy and Danilo? Who is the expert who felt Bakayoko is worth 40m and is the player we should go after at Monaco when he was literally the least technically  gifted player on that team? Who thought it was the risk worth taking to splash the world record fee for a goalkeeper on you-know-who? 

I know there are no guarantees but don't you think we've had way too many misses in the recent years than we did hits? Our shocking transfer business in the last three years or so is bigger reason for our current struggles than the transfer ban or even loss of Hazard. The board repeatedly failed to back the managers and by extension failed the supporters.

I'm positive there are players out there that can upgrade our team and they can be had, and they're not necessarily the names we keep reading on the internet. Whether it's doable with the current team running the show, I'm not so sure. I'm sure Marina is a tough negotiator when it comes to fees and contracts but she isn't the one identifying and scouting potential targets, or at least I hope she isn't. I'm still holdIng out hope that they can get somebody in but if they fail to get Frank some help by the time Saturday comes, I'll be very disappointed, but not surprised.

Most constructive and sensible post I've read for ages, echoes everything i've wanted to say,  but CBA to right an essay, well done you

3 hours ago, Davey Baby said:

 

Lo Celso replaces Eriksen. Signed permanently today, for £35m, which is a great bit of business.

On the same level as Eriksen though.....? 

It will be interesting (not that we’ll ever really know) to see how the club treat and judge Frank’s work if we don’t sign anyone in January. I’m sure before the start of the season that the club would have accepted 4th place and CL group qualification at the end of January. 
 

Failure to bring in quality replacements will unfortunately damage Frank’s work and may jeopardise our league position. Then again, Frank May well be saying to them not being anyone if they are not of the right profile or quality. 

1 hour ago, Spiller86 said:

Have watched quite a bit of both and I wouldn't agree with those characterisations.

Position wise maybe but neither have the all round game of Anelka or Eidur which is what I would be more interested in!

Both young enough to grow though. How rounded a player was anelka when he was jumping between fenebache, city and bolton? 

Gudjohnson's game changed massively from when we signed him, until when we won the league. 

How many players under 24 have the complete package? 

edit re werner. He has changed his game a faur bit over his rarly career already. Started out as more of a winger, then he was more of poacher, playing on the shoulder, and this season, he has been used as a false 9. Ive seen him quite a bit as well, and he has a really broad skill set, modern forward imo. 

Edited January 28, 20206 yr by big blue

56 minutes ago, big blue said:

Both young enough to grow though. How rounded a player was anelka when he was jumping between fenebache, city and bolton? 

Gudjohnson's game changed massively from when we signed him, until when we won the league. 

How many players under 24 have the complete package? 

edit re werner. He has changed his game a faur bit over his rarly career already. Started out as more of a winger, then he was more of poacher, playing on the shoulder, and this season, he has been used as a false 9. Ive seen him quite a bit as well, and he has a really broad skill set, modern forward imo. 

I don;t think Werner would suit us this season as we need an alternative to Tammy.

Gudjohnsen and Anelka were both good in no.10 roles or playing in a front three.

The only thing is I always thought if one was playing in a three you needed at least one out and out winger too.

5 hours ago, Gol15 said:

Hakim Ziyech looks to be a target now as well.

Says next season when there will be more interested teams. No reason why we haven’t made a move considering Ajax have said they are open to it.

59 minutes ago, Strider6003 said:

I don;t think Werner would suit us this season as we need an alternative to Tammy.

Gudjohnsen and Anelka were both good in no.10 roles or playing in a front three.

The only thing is I always thought if one was playing in a three you needed at least one out and out winger too.

Werner isnt coming this season, who knows what frank wants the team to look like ideally, since he hasnt had the chance to bring anyone in, and he has only been a manager for 18 months. Maybe Werner is perfect for how he wants us to play, nobody knows. 

Anelka was never a number 10 though, wide forward or down the middle. 

Gudjohnson adapted his game when jose came in, he went from more a tradition centre forward, to a number 10, so jose still had 3 men in the midfle if park, which is what i suggested jovic could do in my original point. 

Come on Chelsea. Only a few days to go. Push Giroud, Emerson, Batman and Pedro out the door already, save us from their incompetence. Lol

Edited January 28, 20206 yr by axman2526

6 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Come on Chelsea. Only a few days to go. Push Giroud, Emerson, Batman and Pedro out the door already, save us from their incompetence. Lol

Unfortunately I think they have become door stops  You'll be lucky if we get rid of one, let alone all 5 plus the trash we have on loan that everyone seems to have lost track of. 

45 minutes ago, axman2526 said:

Come on Chelsea. Only a few days to go. Push Giroud, Emerson, Batman and Pedro out the door already, save us from their incompetence. Lol

Crazy that Giroud is on a £110.000 per week, Pedro £100k. It's also about the club saving itself from them. 

This is by no means a rumour but I'm wondering if we've considered a move for Danny Rose? In my opinion he's a better left back than Alonso and anything is an upgrade on Emerson. Would Levy sell/loan to a rival for one of the Champions League spots? 

19 minutes ago, sabin6912 said:

This is by no means a rumour but I'm wondering if we've considered a move for Danny Rose? In my opinion he's a better left back than Alonso and anything is an upgrade on Emerson. Would Levy sell/loan to a rival for one of the Champions League spots? 

Absolutely no chance. Levy wouldn't p*ss on us if we were on fire 

14 hours ago, abramovich said:

I keep reading people mentioning how they're prepared to stay put and wait for the summer because there's no value to be had in January, the transfer fees quoted are overly inflated, because clubs know we're a bit desperate, no point in signing new players just for the sake of signing, etc etc and I happen to agree with most of it.

But the way I see it, each and every club's strategy and actions should be judged based on their needs, capabilities and circumstances they operate under. Liverpool and Man City, for example, don't have to sign anybody urgently, they're well stacked as it is, and can wait till summer to conduct their business. We aren't. On top of losing our best player and not being able to sign new players in the summer, we're still suffering from terrible transfer business of the last few years, where we spent a fortune on misfits, quite a few of them are so poor, they're currently out on loan because we have no use for them in the squad.

What happened to our scouting, by the way? When was the last time we've uncovered a relatively unknown player for a modest fee who became an integral part of the team? Who was the genius who decided that wasting £300m on a collection of Drinkwater, Bakayoko, Zappacosta, Kepa, Morata, Batshuayi, Barkley, Emerson and Giroud was a good strategy? Who scouted Michy and didn't notice that he is sh*t at everything except shooting from inside the box? Or that Drinkwater is a midtable level footballer? Who dug up Zappacosta in the dying hours of summer of 2017, the same window when City bought Walker, Mendy and Danilo? Who is the expert who felt Bakayoko is worth 40m and is the player we should go after at Monaco when he was literally the least technically  gifted player on that team? Who thought it was the risk worth taking to splash the world record fee for a goalkeeper on you-know-who? 

I know there are no guarantees but don't you think we've had way too many misses in the recent years than we did hits? Our shocking transfer business in the last three years or so is bigger reason for our current struggles than the transfer ban or even loss of Hazard. The board repeatedly failed to back the managers and by extension failed the supporters.

I'm positive there are players out there that can upgrade our team and they can be had, and they're not necessarily the names we keep reading on the internet. Whether it's doable with the current team running the show, I'm not so sure. I'm sure Marina is a tough negotiator when it comes to fees and contracts but she isn't the one identifying and scouting potential targets, or at least I hope she isn't. I'm still holdIng out hope that they can get somebody in but if they fail to get Frank some help by the time Saturday comes, I'll be very disappointed, but not surprised.

Brilliant summation of the current situation !!

I have been thinking for a long while, that whoever was in charge of recruitment for the last 5 years needs shooting! Was it Emanalo? is it now Maria? she may be a brilliant deal do'er but I would venture she would not have the foggiest idea about the best young LB's CB's and Strikers in the World. So who is it? why do the club remain silent? and who in the hell has the job of spending our supposed "war chest" now or in the Summer?

I also believe that we do not need much of a tweak to make this year's top 4.  It looks as though we will buy nobody, but if we could only have one on deadline day, I would still take a striker, as that is what we need most. I know that Dave is not the player he was, Emerson has been woeful, Alonso is way past his best and we cannot seem to find a CB pairing that works but as the old adage goes, Goal win games and Frank is clearly frustrated by the shocking number of chances that go begging. We have plenty of money stashed away, so I would make PSG an offer they can't refuse or go back to Lyon for Dembele and make their eyes water.

12 hours ago, big blue said:

Both young enough to grow though. How rounded a player was anelka when he was jumping between fenebache, city and bolton? 

Gudjohnson's game changed massively from when we signed him, until when we won the league. 

How many players under 24 have the complete package? 

edit re werner. He has changed his game a faur bit over his rarly career already. Started out as more of a winger, then he was more of poacher, playing on the shoulder, and this season, he has been used as a false 9. Ive seen him quite a bit as well, and he has a really broad skill set, modern forward imo. 

We'll have to agree to disagree re: Werner. He's got a killer shot and has broadened a bit this year under Nagelsman but for me his main threat is still using his pace to get behind the defence in that inside left channel.

It says a lot in my view that Bayern won't sign him (and they hoover up any decent talent in Germany) because they are worried his strengths won't suit playing against the deep defences they often face. He would have the same problem here for us.

Edited January 29, 20206 yr by Spiller86

15 hours ago, Strider6003 said:

Yes I saw that too, looks talented yet nothing from more mainstream sources.

Ziyech is a funny one. So mecurial. First leg against us he looked weak and rubbish. Just tried dribbling around our players and got shoved off the ball every time. Second leg he played differently and just whipped evil crosses and corners at us and we couldn't cope. 

If he is cheapish he'd be good as an option for something different even just as a left footed  option that can cross.

13 hours ago, Ballack & Blu said:

We need to get Agent JT to whisper in Grealish' ear all roads to the bridge are paved with Gold, he really is an outstanding player.

No, he really isn't.

Getting to the silly stage when the latest is Giroud to spuds. Makes me smile. 

28 minutes ago, Spiller86 said:

We'll have to agree to disagree re: Werner. He's got a killer shot and has broadened a bit this year under Nagelsman but for me his main threat is still using his pace to get behind the defence in that inside left channel.

It says a lot in my view that Bayern won't sign him (and they hoover up any decent talent in Germany) because they are worried his strengths won't suit playing against the deep defences they often face. He would have the same problem here for us.

Bit of a long bow on what Bayern think. Could be a slow burner this one. 

5 minutes ago, ozboy said:

Bit of a long bow on what Bayern think. Could be a slow burner this one. 

I don't think so. Very relevant to our considerations as we face similar packed defences. No point in having a striker great at running in behind when you are a possession team and other squads defend deep along the 18 yard box removing that space. 

How do we never learn?

Always leave it until the last minute and end up getting rinced by some club for some bang-average player when the panic sets in. Kepa, Drinkwater, Zappacosta etc.

At this point we are probably better off not getting anyone and hope for the best. 

 

26 minutes ago, Spiller86 said:

I don't think so. Very relevant to our considerations as we face similar packed defences. No point in having a striker great at running in behind when you are a possession team and other squads defend deep along the 18 yard box removing that space. 

Sure but how do you know that’s what Bayern think?