The Summer Transfer Window Thread 2014/15

[stokeriño]

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.

Well that should go down well.

And Ashley Cole for £12m? His contract is up. If he doesn't renew he'll go for nothing.

[brenchill]

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

He wouldn't.

[Rafael]

Yeah, if he renewed it would be for 12mi.

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

He wouldn't.

Screw you, Anti-RAFA TIME.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Apparently Spurs are getting some young Argentinian for next season. Lamela I think his name is.

[Adam]

Yeah, if he renewed it would be for 12mi.

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

He wouldn't.

Screw you, Anti-RAFA TIME.

If he renewed, he wouldn't be going anywhere would he.

Lineker is ahead early in the "who is better at transfer rumours" battle.

[Rafael]

Sorry, 12mi would be the salary the interest club would offer for over 2 years. Rafa mistake.

[The Lusophone]

#rafaout

[METALMAN]

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.

I bet if Chelsea were responsible for genocide Stoker would find some way of justifying it. :/

[Lineker]

What do you mean if?

[Lineker]

Nottingham Forest have completed the permanent signing of Danny Fox from Southampton. The left-back spent the last four months of the Championship season on loan at the City Ground, starting 15 games, and had agreed a three-year contract at the time of his initial loan deal.

[stokeriño]

I bet if Chelsea were responsible for genocide Stoker would find some way of justifying it. :/

Skimmed over the bit at the top where I said it was bullshit for pretty much everyone else, huh?

What do you mean if?

Well there *are* still some burning questions about Ken Bates' trip to Kigali in the spring of 1994...

[Lineker]

Leicester's Premier League plans continue with the announcement today that defenders Sean St Ledger and Zak Whitbread will both be leaving the King Power Stadium this summer. Also departing the Foxes is Neil Danns, who has already fixed himself up with a deal at Bolton for next season.

[Rafael]

Liverpool and Manchester Utd are battling for Barcelona's midfielder Alex Song. He is valued at around £8M.

London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are looking to sign QPR's Loic Remy. The price is rumoured at about £12M.

Toronto FC will sign striker Luke Moore as backup for Jermaine Defoe.

Chelsea's 19-year-old Mario Pasalic is wanted by Braga.

Chris Hughton looks set to be West Brom manager.

Leicester City are looking at Aston Villa's Marc Albrighton as their next signing.

Steven Taylor has attracted interest from Fenerbahçe. More Turkish club-related news, as Besiktas target Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie.

Internazionale are interested in Blackpool winger Tom Ince, who is out of contract this summer.

[Lineker]

Well, looks like it's time to put Rafa on ignore until September 1st!

[DavidMarrio]

I laughed at Steven Taylor to Turkey. Which player was it who went to Turkey and the club stopped paying their wages so he couldn't pay his hotel fees. I just remember there being an interview on Sky Sports

[Lineker]

Allan McGregor maybe?

[MDK]

Kevin Lisbie to Arsenal shocker!

[Cymbols]

Something similar happened to Darius Vassell iirc

[DavidMarrio]

Something similar happened to Darius Vassell iirc

That's who I was thinking of! Think he left shortly after that happened.

[Baddar]

Well, Remy to Arsenal seems nailed on, especially considering he was at at The Emirates watching a game last week.