Summer Transfer Window Thread 2015

[Lineker]

Utd could still land Müller, honest! 

[FLiam]

Don't forget Ronaldo.

[TCO]

I'd imagine Pedro would replace Oscar in the team, with Hazard taking the central role and doing whatever he damn well pleases.

[stokeriño]

Those questioning the Pedro move apparently have not been paying sufficient attention to the Disaster Zone that has been Chelsea's right wing position in recent times.

Willian gets played there as the least-worst option we have - that is, one that offers sod all in an attacking sense, but does everything else well. Our build-up play involves clogging up the left flank (as everyone surrounds Hazard) and then spraying a cross-field pass to Ivanovic and Willian in space~! ...Why is that space there? Because even the opposition knows that neither of them can cross for shit 99% of the time. They exchange a couple of passes...and Willian then plays a safe pass inside and we begin again. Having any kind of ACTUAL attacking threat from the right wing wouldn't only be for its own benefit - it would give Hazard more space too.

To be clear - Willian's defensive work is very good but he does not come alive unless playing through the middle. Really, he ought to be competing with Oscar for the #10 spot.

Our other options on the right wing? Playing Ramires there is as close to an admission of failure as you can get (he gets played there in games against big teams purely for defensive purposes). Victor Moses is possibly okay, possibly not. Then you have the two kids (Traore and Kenedy), who are even bigger question marks at this point.

Cuadrado. Oh, Cuadrado. He just shouldn't be here, full-stop. He should never have been here. £30 million? What in the actual fuck? I have never seen a player look so lost and ineffectual - and although he's only had a few appearances on the pitch, I can only presume he's not showing a whole lot more in training (aka the 90% of a player's performance that none of us see). My favourite quote on him is from Dan Levene's report on the Man City game: 

Cuadrado, yet to muster anything approaching mediocrity in a blue shirt, was tried in a new position: instead of watching the game from the bench, he watched it from the pitch.

So we have 2 winger positions to cover and currently to do this we have Hazard, Willian, Ramires, Cuadrado, Moses, and the two kids. From these players, what ought to happen is:

a) Ramires returns to the midfield and never approaches the AMR position. 

b) Cuadrado goes ANYWHERE (apparently a loan is possible) and never approaches the AMR position.

c) Willian moves centrally to compete with Oscar for the #10 spot (which is why I've not mentioned Oscar, btw).

d) Two out of Moses/Traore/Kenedy should stay for depth. The other would be either on loan or (maybe) with the U21s if not Moses.

In this situation, Pedro fits into our squad just fine.

...So having slated most of these other players, is Pedro a genius signing? I DON'T KNOW. I haven't watched him in any meaningful way. I'm *told* he is actually more of a goal threat than Willian, Ramires, etc. - and if so, that is exactly what we need. Either way, about £20 million is a full one-third less of a stupid expenditure than Cuadrado was.

I'd imagine Pedro would replace Oscar in the team, with Hazard taking the central role and doing whatever he damn well pleases.

I really think Hazard prefers being out on the left, for whatever reason. Oscar and Willian competing for the central role would at least keep Fabregas from wasting his time there.

[Rafael]

Thauvin to Newcastle is a DONE DEAL.

[ZJ Penn]

I like to think the top 3 have entered into some kind of secret pact where they take it in turns to buy United's targets and never allow them to recover.

But yeah, I'd have thought Pedro will slot in on the right wing and help Chelsea stretch more than they can with Willian in the side? Especially seeing how the Sterling-Silva-Navas trio are pulling teams all over the place so far.

[The Lusophone]

Don't forget Ronaldo.

Pretty sure its Benzema we're linked with this week.

[Rafael]

Aymen Abdennour and Layvin Kurzawa are apparently set to join Newcastle on a combined 36M deal. Wow.

[Colly]

No idea but massive Scrabble scores. Bonzer.

[Gazz]

Thauvin to Newcastle is a DONE DEAL.

And he brought along Mrs. Thauvin

Absolutely top notch.

[Baddar]

Very good looking.

She's not bad either.

 

[TCO]

Aymen Abdennour and Layvin Kurzawa are apparently set to join Newcastle on a combined 36M deal. Wow.

I cannot see that happening in any bizarro universes, not to mention after already spending £50mil.

Isn't Kurzawa like one of the highest rated left backs in the world, linked with all sorts of huge clubs?

[Arjen Robben]

Isn't he that dick who got lippy with Sweden in the U21's and had it backfire pretty spectacularly?

[TCO]

Isn't he that dick who got lippy with Sweden in the U21's and had it backfire pretty spectacularly?

Yeah that's the one, very good player though. There's basically no evidence of Rafa's rumour anywhere though, everywhere has him linked with PSG or Chelsea with Dave moving to right back. So there's no way Newcastle would get him.

Sky Sports News may blow up though if they try to compare his FM attributes with Paul Dummett's. 

[The Lusophone]

So good he was in Ligue 1's worst team of the season.

[TCO]

I'm pretty sure I was Ligue 1's worst team at this point, seemingly everyone was!

[Baddar]

Ligue 1's worst team of the season was just the division as a whole.

[Lineker]

Otamendi done deal. Five year contract. Will wear the #30 shirt.

[brenchill]

Don't forget Ronaldo.

Don't forget Bale, too.

[Gazz]

I'm pretty sure I was Ligue 1's worst team at this point, seemingly everyone was!

Which one are you?