Summer Transfer Window 2023

[FLiam]

I have no idea what the plan with Havertz is.

@Chelsea fans. Can he play as a left-sided eight? As a replacement for Xhaka.

I still think he’s being brought in as another option across the front-line, but could be wrong. 

[Szumi]

Gundogan is off to Barca, like many were predicting.

 

As a Liverpool fan, I am so happy he's leaving City. What a marvelous, marvelous player.

[stokeriño]

11 minutes ago, FLiam said:

@Chelsea fans. Can he play as a left-sided eight? As a replacement for Xhaka.

He claims he started his career "as a number eight, or number 10", but that could mean anything, like how Ashley Cole started his career as a striker. 

At Chelsea, the closest we've seen to him playing as an eight is when Lampard (in his first reign) occasionally played him in a midfield three as part of a 4-3-3. This was on the right side, however, with Mount on the left and Kante central.

[Naitch]

33 minutes ago, FLiam said:

I have no idea what the plan with Havertz is.

@Chelsea fans. Can he play as a left-sided eight? As a replacement for Xhaka.

I still think he’s being brought in as another option across the front-line, but could be wrong. 

He isn't good enough to replace Jesus up front (maybe cover/domestic cups at best?) or play on the wings, so it's worth giving it a shot playing him further back.

[FLiam]

59 minutes ago, stokeriño said:

He claims he started his career "as a number eight, or number 10", but that could mean anything, like how Ashley Cole started his career as a striker. 

At Chelsea, the closest we've seen to him playing as an eight is when Lampard (in his first reign) occasionally played him in a midfield three as part of a 4-3-3. This was on the right side, however, with Mount on the left and Kante central.

Was he any good there? 

I wonder if he is being looked at as cover for Saka and Odegaard as well as playing that left-eight role. 

[stokeriño]

6 minutes ago, FLiam said:

Was he any good there? 

I cannot recall. He didn't score any goals from there, but that's hardly surprising.

[stokeriño]

Tsk tsk. And with the PIF major investors in Walmart, whose family Stan Kroenke is married into. What flagrant cheating this must be from Arsenal.

[Tigerstyle]

Plus get a rapist off your books. Arsenal making money off him sucks, him making money off this double sucks.

[gunnar hendershow]

Oh yeah sending all the problematic ones off to a place where the news about them has never been in the headlines, that tracks.

[Kaney]

I'll just be happy that he's no longer at the club. We were (rightly) criticised for playing him last season, i said it multiple times i dont think he should have participated regardless how our season went, but seeing folk now criticise us for trying to get rid of him is typical.

[Lineker]

Quote

"There is no extradition treaty in force between the UK and Saudi Arabia."

Sounds like exactly what he is looking for.

[stokeriño]

47 minutes ago, Kaney said:

but seeing folk now criticise us for trying to get rid of him is typical.

It's unavoidable that people who probably think his contract should have been terminated look sourly upon the club being given 40m to send him off for a big payday.

[Tigerstyle]

2 hours ago, Kaney said:

I'll just be happy that he's no longer at the club. We were (rightly) criticised for playing him last season, i said it multiple times i dont think he should have participated regardless how our season went, but seeing folk now criticise us for trying to get rid of him is typical.

It's not that, it's that he should've gone to fucking jail and then Arsenal can claim off their insurance, fine. But instead they're going to profit and he's going to profit and that's gross in general.

[Lineker]

Quote

Tottenham are expected to have a €19m (£16.4m) bid for the Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario accepted after progress in negotiations with the Serie A club. Personal terms have been agreed with the 26-year-old on a contract to 2028.

Spurs are searching for a goalkeeper after Hugo Lloris declared his intention to leave. They have also agreed terms with David Raya but are not willing to meet Brentford’s £40m asking price.

Vicario has just finished his second season as the first choice with Empoli in Serie A, having played in Italy’s lower divisions and been the second choice at top-flight Cagliari in 2020-21. He has been a regular in the Italy squad since his first call-up last September but has not played for the national team.

Tottenham have made the Bayer Leverkusen and Burkina Faso centre-back Edmond Tapsoba their top target in that position. The 24-year-old has been with Leverkusen since 2020 after joining from the Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães. Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo is among other options being considered by Spurs, who are have given Davinson Sánchez the go-ahead to look for a new club.

He any good?

 

Quote

Bournemouth are close to signing Justin Kluivert from Roma for £9.5m plus £850,000 in add-ons. The forward has agree a contract to 2028.

 

[Jimmy]

 

Also @Lineker, some Serie A experts speaking very highly of him. It feels quite weird to see us move on quickly from a transfer because it's more than we want to pay and swiftly move onto another target. Apparently we're doing a lot more data led recruitment. 

3 hours ago, Kaney said:

I'll just be happy that he's no longer at the club. We were (rightly) criticised for playing him last season, i said it multiple times i dont think he should have participated regardless how our season went, but seeing folk now criticise us for trying to get rid of him is typical.

Also I very much appreciate your position on this throughout the season, but yeah, find it hard to move past Arteta's gross comments about Partey and now seeing them sell him on for £40 mil to Saudi is just quite grimey. 

[DavidMarrio]

Can City just fuck off buying anyone good in the Prem please. 

Wonder if West Ham will try and get Kalvin Phillips and money out of it. May potentially be more beneficial for them than just straight up cash 

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Can see Phillips end up at Fulham, maybe just on loan, as part of a triangle with Palhinha if he's the supposed replacement West Ham have in mind.

[stokeriño]

Watch City sign Rice and Chelsea fail to get Caicedo as a consequence.

[Gazz]

Watch City sign Rice and Caicedo, just for the craic.

[Colly]

I know Gundogan is going, but have they basically now got Rodri, Kovacic, Stones and potentially Rice as the holding midfielders? Feels a lot.

I even forgot Phillips, though as you say he's probably gone if these go through.