The Summer Transfer Window Thread 2014/15

[Gazz]

No chance. If it's not at least £80m, I'll eat Sousa's hat.

I can't see it being 80. Had a better season than Bale, but the bite will take off some value, plus he's not exactly a marketable star like Bale. I Think it'll be 65-70.

I've seen 80m and 63m reported (and now also 75m). When figures as disparate as those two (and one as curiously precise as 63) are quoted, I always just check what the euro/pound exchange rate is.

As it so happens, 80m euros equates to £63.38m.

I can hardly believe this to be coincidental, and suspect that any sources quoting £80m were doing the classic "Currencies? Pfft!" thing that papers do and the real price is actually 80m euros.

BARCA IN $39,116,305,305 SWOOP FOR SUAREZ~!

[Noah]

He should do a guest stint in the A-League.

[EddieG]

He should do a guest stint in the A-League.

That definitely couldn't qualify as footballing activities.

[Rafael]

Ashley Cole is heading to Italy for talks with Roma.

Liverpool are looking to bring DeAndre Yedlin in an initial trial basis before making the deal permanent.

Tottenham and Arsenal are interested in Joel Veltman.

Harry Redknapp is considering a move for former Arsenal striker Eduardo.

Daryl Janmaat interests Newcastle and Man Utd.

West Ham are lining up a 12m bid for Pachuca's Enner Valencia.

[Colly]

I like the fact that doesn't actually say QPR, so it just sounds like 'Arrys going to ask him out.

[brenchill]

I like the fact that doesn't actually say QPR, so it just sounds like 'Arrys going to ask him out.

Well, Sky Sports were trying to buy Emre Can last week.

[Gazz]

Debuchy leaving is like getting dumped by the 'not quite as attractive as your previous girlfriend' rebound girlfriend...

[Berober]

Daryl Janmaat interests Newcastle and Man U? Are they interested by watching him juggle?

[Jimmy]

Chelsea youngster Thorgan Hazard has joined Borussia Mönchengladbach on a season-long loan. (Source: @Borussia) pic.twitter.com/1HzmtW8cmM

[stokeriño]

Apparently Chelsea's bid to sign left-back Felipe Luis from Atletico is at a bit of a stand-off, as Chelsea are not willing to match the £19m buyout clause, but Atletico are currently holding firm to it.

However:

a) they've already bought a replacement (Guilherme Siqueira for £8m)

b) Luis' contract expires next summer

c) Luis has made his desire to leave pretty blatant, pissing off some people at AM in the process.

It is said that Chelsea's initial offer was about £11m, in a "we'll go as high as £15m" kind of way. I suspect that it'll get worked out eventually.

[brenchill]

I feel for Atletico.

One year they're champions, the next their squad is being gutted.

[Adam]

Are they ever going to do anything about Chelsea stockpiling young talents and loaning them out for years in succession? It's kind of stupid, how many players do they have on their books, when you factor in all the people out on loan each season?

[Jimmy]

I think the thing that's more worrying is that hardly any of them ever break into the first team.

[TCO]

They'll be fine without Costa, it's a rule in football that they have to have at least one world class striker.

I like how DeAndre Yedlin has one good game and the media are going to be linking him with every club possible.

[EddieG]

*cue GoGo coming in to tell the story about how awesome Yedline is for the Sounders*

[Baddar]

Atletico are kind of fucked next season, if they're unable to reinvest the cash they receive anyway.

Not just because they're weaker, but Barca and Real are going to be stronger. Messi, Neymar and Suarez for Barca (maybe) and Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema at Real, with rumours they're after Falcao too. Looks quite ominous for next season, which is a shame really.

[stokeriño]

Are they ever going to do anything about Chelsea stockpiling young talents and loaning them out for years in succession? It's kind of stupid, how many players do they have on their books, when you factor in all the people out on loan each season?

I think the thing that's more worrying is that hardly any of them ever break into the first team.

To me, it appears that much of the Chelsea youth/loan/etc. system is almost independent of the first-team. It seems to have become its own mini-industry of speculation and investment, with the acquisition of a player suitable for the Chelsea first-team almost a happy coincidence than the solitary goal. Just as important, I'd wager, is finding promising talent that might one day be sold on for a profit - even if that's only a small number of them - and generally using whatever avenues open to them to help with that thoroughly-flawed entity that is FFP.

With regard to the question "are they ever going to do anything about it", I would first ask from what angle you're approaching the question. Are you speaking of it as an injustice to other clubs, or to the players themselves? Just to establish what you see as the greatest problem with it, I mean.

[stokeriño]

Speaking of Chelsea youth, four 17 year old academy players signed their first professional contracts this week: Jeremie Boga, Kasey Palmer, Brad Collins and George Brady. Of these I am by far most familiar with Boga, who was already spending most of his time with the U21 squad even when he was 16, so hopefully he will get on to really solidify himself at that level now.

Boga is French, but joined Chelsea as an Under-12 when his family moved to London because of his father's job, so not part of the 'investment machine' per se.

[Adam]

Are they ever going to do anything about Chelsea stockpiling young talents and loaning them out for years in succession? It's kind of stupid, how many players do they have on their books, when you factor in all the people out on loan each season?

I think the thing that's more worrying is that hardly any of them ever break into the first team.

To me, it appears that much of the Chelsea youth/loan/etc. system is almost independent of the first-team. It seems to have become its own mini-industry of speculation and investment, with the acquisition of a player suitable for the Chelsea first-team almost a happy coincidence than the solitary goal. Just as important, I'd wager, is finding promising talent that might one day be sold on for a profit - even if that's only a small number of them - and generally using whatever avenues open to them to help with that thoroughly-flawed entity that is FFP.

With regard to the question "are they ever going to do anything about it", I would first ask from what angle you're approaching the question. Are you speaking of it as an injustice to other clubs, or to the players themselves? Just to establish what you see as the greatest problem with it, I mean.

I'm approaching it from the angle of it not being all that beneficial to a fair few of these players, and just isn't a way to conduct business in football for me. Is it not better for a player to sign for a team he is likely to actually play for rather than just be a profiting tool for his club. I'm not really criticising Chelsea because they're perfectly entitled to do it, and who is to say that they don't ultimately aim for these players to actually be part of the frst team. I just see lots of players, like Kevin De Bruyne, who sign for Chelsea, get loaned out without ever really getting a crack and then get sold on.

[stokeriño]

I'm approaching it from the angle of it not being all that beneficial to a fair few of these players, and just isn't a way to conduct business in football for me. Is it not better for a player to sign for a team he is likely to actually play for rather than just be a profiting tool for his club. I'm not really criticising Chelsea because they're perfectly entitled to do it, and who is to say that they don't ultimately aim for these players to actually be part of the frst team. I just see lots of players, like Kevin De Bruyne, who sign for Chelsea, get loaned out without ever really getting a crack and then get sold on.

It's a gamble I suppose, and I would think that players know what the deal is (presumably the club tells them their plans to begin with, but they should know by reputation by now anyway) when they join Chelsea. On the one hand, maybe they are unlikely to play for Chelsea specifically, but they are handed the opportunity to find/prove their level via loans to other teams where many can advance further in shorter time than they could at any other club.

If a player's dream is truly to play for Chelsea, it could be said that a shot is better than nothing, even though standards are so high and so many other players are competing alongside them that it's a very low probability. Alternatively, I'm sure there are players out there who think (or are advised by their agents/family) that they might as well use Chelsea as a shortcut to whatever other good club they end up at in 3 or 4 years' time.