The Summer Transfer Window Thread 2014/15

[Lineker]

France.

We're signing France.

Or no one.

Again.

Funny you should say that....

Newcastle United approach Christophe Galtier to take over as new manager, reports the Chronicle. The St Etienne boss has guided his team to fourth place in Ligue 1 this term and is regarded as one of the best up and coming managers in France. A report in L'Equipe say that United officials have approached the club in the aftermath of Newcastle's bad form of late.

Probably nothing to that really though.

[DavidMarrio]

Now we have Champions League football we should be able to attract better players...but we still have Ian Ayre so I expect us to massively under bid for players and get told to fuck off.

[brenchill]

Paul Lambert has been spotted in Aldi. More to follow.

[DFF]

We look like we're going to put a bid in for Livingston striker Marc McNulty. Anyone know if he's any good (for League One level at least)?

[Lineker]

We look like we're going to put a bid in for Livingston striker Marc McNulty. Anyone know if he's any good (for League One level at least)?

Is his dad myke's favourite ever player who isn't Kevin Lisbie, Steve McNulty?

[stokeriño]

Although I've long since learned that chairmen and directors of Italian football clubs talk too much and are rarely truthful, all the same there have been plenty of quotes out of Inter Milan (such as director Piero Ausilio most recently) about their interest in Fernando Torres.

My initial instinct is that the player they talk about the most is the one they don't want, but use to motivate the club who own the player they *do* want that they'd better agree a price or risk getting no deal at all... But when they say things like:

"Yes, he is a player we’re following. Torres’s career speaks for itself — the titles he has won and the teams in which he has played. It’s all about whether he has the right motivation and the desire to be part of a new ambitious project."

...Then I can't see that as anything other than an appeal to the player himself. As we know, calling concepts such as a "desire to play" into discussion of transfer targets is basically a euphimism for "if he will accept a substantial pay cut".

[Gazz]

Paul Lambert has been spotted in Aldi. More to follow.

Chicken Chasseur tonight and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for the little lady.

[stokeriño]

You never know. You can get some half-decent German or Danish imports from Aldi.

[Lineker]

Andrea Dossena has left Sunderland by mutual consent.

[Jimmy]

The season isn't even over yet!

Spurs' is.

Our season was over as soon as we sacked AVB

Ooh, and we're trying to jump in on the Chelsea bandwaggon. Here's the latest 16 year old we're apparently signing. http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2014/5/5/5684232/andrija-balic-tottenham-hotspur-transfer-rumours

[brenchill]

The FA or someone needs to stop teams doing this ASAP, IMO.

Stockpiling kids just in case they are good. It's disgraceful.

[Thrilla]

Surely by being at the bigger teams with the better training facilities and coaches they have the best chance at becoming top level players though?

[brenchill]

Surely by being at the bigger teams with the better training facilities and coaches they have the best chance at becoming top level players though?

They never play, though. You could say the likes of Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, etc, had the best chance of becoming top players by joining Man City.

Chelsea have crates stacked on top of each other full of promising 16-year old players in a warehouse somewhere in London.

[METALMAN]

Yeah, I don't think it's right that these teams should just lure these kids from all over the world on the off chance they'll become good players just because they can afford to.

It creates imbalance if smaller teams have their best players poached at increasingly younger ages.

[Lineker]

Arsenal have confirmed that Laurent Koscielny has signed a new deal.

[TCO]

The FA or someone needs to stop teams doing this ASAP, IMO.

Stockpiling kids just in case they are good. It's disgraceful.

The homegrown rule in squads caused this and it's going to get worse if they introduce the new rules. It'll just be a load of foreign players who've made it through teh stockpile youth system.

[stokeriño]

Surely by being at the bigger teams with the better training facilities and coaches they have the best chance at becoming top level players though?

They never play, though. You could say the likes of Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, etc, had the best chance of becoming top players by joining Man City.

Chelsea have crates stacked on top of each other full of promising 16-year old players in a warehouse somewhere in London.

Are you kidding?

Chelsea "buy all the players" policy is of questionable benefit for Chelsea themselves (in terms of return versus investment). It's of highly dubious benefit for the fairness of league. It's a downright mockery of the "home-grown" system...

BUT.

But...! It is the sweetest of sweetest deals for the young players themselves.

You sign up as a kid (not sure for how much money, but let's just assume it's at least as much as you would get elsewhere) and get access to some of the best training facilities and coaches in the country. Whilst in the Chelsea youth team, you get to play against the best in your age bracket in a competitive squad that has had the drive to reach four FA Youth Cup finals in five years, winning three of them. You have the opportunity to showcase yourself at the top of national competitions before you've even reached adulthood.

Then, say you're now about 18 years old. If you were just a normal football player, you'd have to ferret around for whatever lower league club might take you, with all the uncertainty and pitfalls that might entail. With Chelsea, you come from an academy with a reputation and you have Chelsea football club actively working on your behalf to find you a good club.

Maybe it's a League 2 club. You go there, you blitz your first season. BOOM. You're clearly too good for League 2. Do you have to bide your time in the hope of catching the eye of a bigger club? Do you have to take the risk of asking your manager for a transfer? No, because Chelsea pull you out and say they're sending you to a League 1 club. Are you up to the challenge? There's only one way to find out - take the opportunity to prove yourself. If a spell at your club isn't working out for you for any reason (say a new manager doesn't fancy you, plays the wrong system, etc.), Chelsea can pull you out, even mid-season, take a look at what's needed and send you somewhere suitable.

Either way, you're on the fast-track to finding out what level of professional football you're cut out for. You might be like Patrick Bamford, moved from League 1's MK Dons to Championship playoff-chasing Derby County mid-season, and now, six months later, potentially looking at playing for a lower-level Premier League team because you've done well. That's quite a leap for one year. You might be like Josh McEachran, struggling a little in the Premier League but doing okay-ish in the Championship. Wherever your talent and performances take you, it's as easy as it can be.

Maybe at the end of all this, you won't play for Chelsea. In fact, you probably won't. So what? You'll be 22 or 23 years old and sold off to a team which, if you've been good enough, could be at virtually the same level. What are the odds that some twist of fate wouldn't have stalled your career if you'd just joined a lower club in the 'normal' way?

These kids have got it made.

[Ant]

Villa have also been linked to the St Etienne manager.

http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/newcastle-aston-villa-have-already-approached-st-etienne-manager-christophe-galtier-lequipe/

[brenchill]

I would argue paying 17 year olds in excess of 1k per week completely drains them of any drive to succeed. What a fucking joke that is, really.

17 years of age, never played a professional senior football game, but bowling around London in a top of the range Range Rover or Porshe. It's disgusting.

[Rafael]

Newcastle being linked with Jack Colback, Aaron Cresswell, Jean Pierre-Michel Lasogga ( I don't know his complete name, just threw some there), Lacazette and a midfielder from Montpellier who I could care less.

Ashley Cole interests Monaco, Real Madrid and Both Manchesters. He would cost somewhere around £12M.

Edited May 9, 2014 by RafaelFms