2013 Summer Transfer Thread

[Szumi]

I played as Gronigen on FM12 and he was my star, assist machine! So clearly that proves he is going to come to Villa and do the same for you. Clearly.

[Gazz]

Annoyed.

Okore is the exact type of player Newcastle need and he fits our remit on recruitment (young, hungry, cheap and with huge potential resale value - though he isn't French speaking ) and we weren't even in the equation.

[Colly]

Firstly, we can't sign everyone, and secondly I think there's going to be a bit of a shift going forward anyway. We aren't going to do a complete 180 and start signing 'seasoned Premier League players' like Wayne Bridge, but I think there'll be a few slightly older players coming in, particularly if Colo goes. Having the fate of the season hanging on a few inexperienced new signings (some of whom clearly aren't quite there yet. Gouffran.) very nearly sealed it this year with a precious few senior players off form or unavailable.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Colly

[Matticus]

Reports from holland that Royston Drenthe is signing for Reading on a 3 year deal. Apparently been brilliant in Russia this season, calmed down and changed his attitude.

Exciting championship signing

[brenchill]

Wasn't he at Real Madrid a few years back?

[Baddar]

Yep, and Everton.

[MDK]

Resulting in one of the finer puns I've heard from MOTD. He was holding his child in his arms and the interviewer asked him a question, he answered and thanked him by saying 'That's all from Drenthe and Drent-b'

Gold, mate, gold.

[Colly]

I'm definitely backing Reading for the league. I was already, but thats sealed it for me. Sorry Reading fans.

[Hobo]

Iago Aspas to Liverpool is pretty much done.

[GoN_]

Portuguese newspapers say that Chelsea is about to make a 40 million euros offer for Nemanja Matic.

[stokeriño]

Portuguese newspapers say that Chelsea is about to make a 40 million euros offer for Nemanja Matic.

And it's hilarious if anyone should think that it's true.

[MJB]

Haven't they already bought him once?

[stokeriño]

Bought him for £1.5 million in 2009. Sold him in part-exchange for David Luiz (£21m plus him) in 2011.

More amusingly, the supposed price that we'd supposedly pay to supposedly buy him back has already shot up 10 million euros from what it was a week ago.

In your dreams, Benfica.

[Baddar]

EDIT: already covered, never mind.

[GoN_]

Bought him for £1.5 million in 2009. Sold him in part-exchange for David Luiz (£21m plus him) in 2011.

More amusingly, the supposed price that we'd supposedly pay to supposedly buy him back has already shot up 10 million euros from what it was a week ago.

In your dreams, Benfica.

The guy had an amazing season, was our best player the whole year, but it would be an amazing transfer. Oh and his release clause is actually 50 million euros.

[stokeriño]

Amazing for Benfica, sure.

For midfielders, we've probably got van Ginkel coming in for about £9m. That'll do.

[GoN_]

Amazing for Benfica, sure.

For midfielders, we've probably got van Ginkel coming in for about £9m. That'll do.

Yes, I was talking about my side of the business. While we would lose our best player of the last season to whom we have no replacement right now, that sum of money is too big for us to turn down. It would even give as a chance to try to retain other key players like Garay. But I doubt it will happen anyway. I think Mourinho needs a striker, a left back and maybe a center back. No need to pay so much for a midfielder right now.

[stokeriño]

We've only been linked with Varane and Mangala with regards to centre-backs...and of those two I only sort of believe the Mangala interest because it's so completely out of left field to have been randomly invented. We can probably leave a new left-back until next summer, just about.

The striker thing continues to be weird. Regarding Cavani, the longer that the rumours coming out of either a) Napoli itself, i.e. the President, or b) the Italian media, aka the people who Napoli would otherwise talk to, say that Chelsea are making all these official bids...while more, shall we say, 'peripheral' sources are saying that his destination is Madrid (his parents and so forth)...it just makes me think that Chelsea's name is being used to bring about leverage with Real in their negotiations, and we may not actually be as involved/advanced as everyone seems to think.

Either that or we were involved but now aren't because we're not willing to pay the full £53m release fee.

Quite where that would leave us otherwise, I'm not sure.

[GoN_]

We've only been linked with Varane and Mangala with regards to centre-backs...and of those two I only sort of believe the Mangala interest because it's so completely out of left field to have been randomly invented. We can probably leave a new left-back until next summer, just about.

It's not that odd, just like in Matic's case. Mangala had a good season and was linked with moves to other big teams like Barcelona. With the rumors that Mourinho is not too keen on David Luiz, I would say it is pretty normal, since he is good and out of the bigger markets.

[stokeriño]

I mean odd in the context of 90% of our transfer rumours, which can generally be pinned down to "ah yes, Mourinho used to manage him at one point, hence he gets linked".

I don't believe the rumours about Luiz either, incidently, although I think I made a longer post about that before.