I've followed exactly zero transfer windows in my life. Just let me know who's on the side for the first match and spare me the rumors so that I may remain sane.

That said, it's a big window for Spurs. I assume Walker is gone, which is fine so far it is not to an English side. As long as the spine and the front four remain in place I'm good.

Oh, and roughly a billion dollars will change hands as superpowers develop new weapons to destroy the world.

https://www.mancity.com/news/first-team/2017/05/26/man-city-to-sign-bernardo-silva-monaco-transfer/1495797186416

#2 priority: resign Alexis

taking him from chelsea is just an added bonus. i'm also pleased that most of the van dijk rumors have him coming to anfield, but we'll see if they pan out.

we're looking at a lot of left backs as well, so i wonder what milner's future will look like. though with european football there should be enough games to go around.

I'd love to get Milner back as a MF. He would be great depth.

However, recent reports have said that Atletico had 65 "serious breaches" of FIFA's youth transfer regulations, whereas Barcelona had six and Madrid had eight.

http://www.espnfc.us/atletico-madrid/story/3137327/atletico-madrid-transfer-ban-upheld-by-cas-until-january-2018

all because Atletico's ban didnt get overturned.

you have GOT to be shitting me. our window is already tanked.

All reports say we're flailing about to sign one of Lukaku Belotti or Morata.

Never even a sniff on Bernardo Silva despite Mendes being his agent and lots of rumored interest.

All this Perisic talk. I'd be staunchly against that move. Especially for the quoted prices.

Nothing else imminent.

Im not sure wtf happened but Jose gave them targets 2 months ago. Our work should already be done but for formalities. There should've been a deal ready to go day 1. Now we're suddenly restrategizing as Zlatan got hurt yesterday and not 3 months ago.

This window is already a disaster and it looks like we're just playing for the 4th place trophy this year.

from what i read, Atletico can still sell Griezmann under the rules of the ban, but we've "cooled" on the move.

is the true story that his fee is going to be higher now, or just that since Atletico can't sign new players they just plain ol' don't want to sell him for ANY fee?

With the ban being upheld AM wants it all up front rather than over 3 or 4 years like it was originally planned. Which we can do but Woodward and Jose are sticking to our buying principles. I disagree with that idea in that I think its absolutely critical to buy Griezmann and a #9 if we want to get back to the top

The other issue is that Griezmann doesn't want to leave AM in the lurch with no replacement. Lacazette was lined up to slot in for him.

It's all just really stupid as Griezmann really shouldn't feel obliged to hold AM out of a situation they created. The move was obviously on until today.


With that news and the Perisic news this is the worst I've felt about the club since we hired Moyes. Now I'm seeing briefings about us signing Lacazette making the rounds. Idk this all just really fucking sucks.

>It's all just really stupid as Griezmann really shouldn't feel
>obliged to hold AM out of a situation they created. The move
>was obviously on until today.

i just think its a bit lame that he feels beholden to the egregious mistakes the club has made in the market.

and now they can't strengthen the team this season so this is basically a lame duck year for him at AM.

he said he wants to win trophies and for all of our "down years, we've still got 3 major trophies in the time he's been at AM to the 1 he has. and while AM may be better than us right now, we're far more likely to win things than they are.

calling him stupid for going with his heart or whatever might make you feel better, but I honestly never thought he was as dead-set about United as their fans seemed to believe, at least based on French sports media reporting I read/heard

This is why I don't really fuck with transfer stuff (I'm aware of the irony of saying this in a transfer thread), just tell me who we sign at the end and I'll think about how the new squad fits together. All the rest is tinder-level emotions

and then see if you're right or wrong (if the player is signed, are they good?), but all the judging players or teams for things they decide is silly. There's always so much more than we know behind the scenes and so many rumors are based off of zero actual info.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

>
>This is why I don't really fuck with transfer stuff (I'm aware
>of the irony of saying this in a transfer thread), just tell
>me who we sign at the end and I'll think about how the new
>squad fits together. All the rest is tinder-level emotions

>i just think its a bit lame that he feels beholden to the
>egregious mistakes the club has made in the market.
>
>and now they can't strengthen the team this season so this is
>basically a lame duck year for him at AM.
>
>he said he wants to win trophies and for all of our "down
>years, we've still got 3 major trophies in the time he's been
>at AM to the 1 he has. and while AM may be better than us
>right now, we're far more likely to win things than they are.

lol @ a Man U talking about how great their recent trophy collection is vs. staying at Atletico that was in the semi-finals of the champion's league and the finals two of the three years before that.

but the FA CUP!!!!
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Forget the silliness of celebrating a win in the consolation bracket and the outright absurdity of championing the fucking League Cup.

The

Community

Shield

FA cup
Europa
Efl cup

3 trophies. In the 3 seasons since griezmann been at AM. All he has is a Copa Del Rey. And well win a league or CL before he does even if they are in a better position right now. Bet that.

BTW How many spurs got in that time. I'll wait the rest of my life for that answer like you will for a trophy.

>FA cup
>Europa
>Efl cup

but if it makes you feel better.

>FA cup
>Europa
>Efl cup

Cmon, the EFL cup, really? Its OK to be mad at Griezmann if he hurt y'alls feelings, but no need to go full C Conway over it, just move on to the next dude who'll take your money.

We will observe over the next few years as he continues to play bridesmaid at atletico while we return to the peak of the game. Without him. And probably at his expense.

lol cmon

would be a world record for a defender.
60m
200k/week wages (im sure coutinho and co are eyeing that with glee)

i'm not sure what kind of sanction this would warrant, or if it's just a matter of southampton's feathers getting ruffled. but this doesn't sound like there will be a quick resolution here.

to offset some of that van dijk cost

For once an accusation of tapping up has paid off. Liverpool ran for the hills. Wonder wtf they did. All clubs tap up but I figure this has to be really egregious if Liverpool just packed up shop and went home.

if trying to shed their image as a feeder squad and just went nuclear to get other teams off of van dijk. sounds like their owner is trying to lock down their talent long term.

at least solanke is making positive headlines, i guess.

>but this doesn't sound like there will be a quick resolution
>here.

Dembele's a beast, but where does he play? Would they go 4231 to add him? Where would the defense in midfield be? Actually, rakitic would be ok back there with busquets. Gomes, not so sure.

Meanwhile, Arda attacks a journalist and his agent says he's staying at Barca. And no clear resolution at RB or clarity about buyback clauses or anything.

Valverde has been known for a month, there should be more clarity of their transfer strategy by now. Uggh.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I don't care what the price tag is, dude only started caring once Draxler showed up, and even then it wasn't by much. Plus he can trade tax tips with Messigawd

if not, NOOOOOOOOO
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

another creative attacker is not the issue. the midfield got run over because it was too attack focused. the front line doesn't need another winger as backup. even if the team moves to a 4-2-3-1, the need isn't another guy to play in the 3 there, it's to find someone else to rotate in the defensive midfield.

like i said, if he's willing to play as a supersub and come on with 20-30 minutes left with fresh legs and push the pace, fine. but that's not what the squad needs. the squad needs a CB, a RB and a defensive mid before they need Di Maria.

plus, no way PSG doesn't demand a huge price. so why bother again?

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

If we don't address the midfield and defensive needs (AGAIN) then it doesn't matter if we buy him. But i'd still buy him if it doesn't stop us from addressing those needs.

never sulked when he had to come off the bench, nope never

the odds of which are about 99% against.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

extended until 2020. If they keep enough of their core, with whoever they'll sign from the Bernardo Silva (who is great, but was never the end-all be-all of that team) money, they're gonna be a problem again in Europe

that absolutely warms my cockles.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40208316

so disappointing that it ended with injury.
i wish we had gotten him when he left barca.
he is everything i want when i imagine a man united striker. power, tekkers, CHARACTER, leadership.

https://streamable.com/ijzso

That's 17 in his 17 last starts for France

the half volley off the outside of the foot????? holy smokes

Giroud and Benzema may be underrated as far as strikers go. I don't know why he was so far wide though.

But Giroud pretty consistently scores incredible goals.

nothing says "summer's here" like les Bleus losing a game they shouldn't

https://streamable.com/rxk9g

guess that's the plan B then. In related news Ibra is set to join LA Galaxy (duh)

when Real brought him back. Think of that.

He's a great all around striker. Juve should've paid up and kept him instead of breaking the bank on Piguain. They would've won Serie A with anyone at striker. Piguain was bought to deliver a CL and that was a bust. Now the rapid decline will begin.

they play in a 1 team league like bayern. they'll be fine.

not that I'm not entertained by your takes on players' career choices, but what brought on this hate for Higuain? An Arsenal fan I could see, but he wasn't a serious candidate to go to Utd was he?

but you have to be honest hes a bottler. and he's gotten fat in italy too.
i would not have bought him for that price at his age.

United couldn't have a better start if they let me make the schedule myself.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/20/liverpool-set-sign-mohamed-salah-roma



Liverpool expect to sign Mohamed Salah before the end of the week, with the winger due to have a medical on Merseyside before completing a £35m transfer from Roma.

Salah left his native Egypt on Tuesday and is likely to have his medical at Liverpool’s Melwood base. Personal terms are believed to have been agreed with the 24-year-old.

The deal will bring to an end a period of negotiations between Liverpool and Roma that began at the start of the month and saw the Serie A club reject an initial £28m bid. With Jürgen Klopp determined to sign Salah an increased amount, which could rise with add-ons, was eventually offered.

Signing Salah represents a case of second time lucky for Liverpool, who wanted the player in 2014 only to see him move to Chelsea instead from the Swiss club Basel. He struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, however, and in 2015 moved to Italy, joining Fiorentina on loan before moving to Roma, also on loan, soon after.

That became a long-term move last August and Salah has subsequently flourished for the Giallorossi. In the 2016-17 Serie A season he scored 15 goals and assisted 13 others in 31 league appearances.

Klopp believes Salah can provide Liverpool with an injection of pace in their frontline, something all but absent when Sadio Mané is unavailable, and such is the manager’s keennees to acquire the player that Liverpool are poised to make him the joint most-expensive signing in their history, following the £35m spent on purchasing Andy Carroll from Newcastle United in January 2011.

Going home to Pep.

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/dani-alves-agrees-two-man-100004908.html

the 6 years left on bellerin's contract leaves arsenal in the driver's seat, even with Barca.

There's no doubt he'll eventually go to Barca, it just won't be this year (or even the next)

the 6 years just means you get a bigger fee.

I get it - old hand, defending PL champion that can really teach Nathan Baker how to be a fucking awesome center half. But does it have to be him? Really?

which has strayed so far from the last administration's policy of strengthening through La Masia. We no longer give a shit about developing our youth and just want to sign already established stars.

it's always a shitshow.

Sucks that Mboula is leaving, but what could barca really have done different with him? Monaco was offering him first team, CL squad time.

Lucho was supposed to be better with youth--he was a former B coach, that was part of selling him as coach. He really didn't promote anyone. That's on the board?

Or is this about Lee? Cuz again, what's the board supposed to do when Dortmund comes calling?

Or Garcia? going to Pep when England still has that advantage of offering pro contracts 2 years early.

Barca B had to get back into Adelante. Alena is getting promoted. Deu's coming back. Samper is gonna get a shot (and then get loaned, because where's he gonna get minutes?).

or is it about dembele? that's silly. but Veratti would be a great signing.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2716773-what-is-causing-the-youth-talent-drain-at-barcelona

Cesc = previous board.

Thiago = weird drama while in the first team.

Bellerin = england can sign pro contracts at 16

Fontas? wasn't gonna be A team material. Same with Gomez.

there's something there, but it has more to do with a stall between the B team and Barca which as a lot to do with the extreme expectations and unwillingness to experience growing pains as a team.

take a look at the examples of players who deserved A team minutes: Grimaldo (agreed, but that was personal between Lucho and him), Samper (nah, sorry. He's not ready. Hoping he will be next season, but he wasn't this past season), and Palencia (not yet. Again, maybe this upcoming season. maybe).

The gnashing of teeth over Mboula is comically frustrating. WHEN WAS HE GOING TO SEE BARCA MINUTES? YOU'RE GONNA SIT NEYMAR OR MESSI FOR...MBOULA? CMON. WHY THE FUCK WOULD A REASONABLE COACH TELL HIM TO STAY IF MONACO'S OFFERING HIM REGULAR MINUTES? They should tell him to go.

it's more complicated than "we've screwed our academy." I do think the board should make some moves to make clear that narrative is wrong, but I'm not convinced that narrative is right.

Alena and Palencia don't have contracts, I believe, in part because the board wants to know if B is playing in Adelante or not before writing those contracts. Palencia's come out and said that. Alena got first team minutes last season. He's not going elsewhere.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/03/08/madridification-barcelona-barca-went-mes-que-un-club-just-another/

Well except RM is still buying megastars.

But they are investing heavily in youth and playing a lot of youth players in spots

I mean obvs it is 100% a fake tournament (heck even FIFA seems to not want it anymore), but I've caught a few of the last few games and the action is on point. This Germany-Chile game is quite lit

2009: USA's run
2013: the "alright is Neymar actually good or a fraud" thing

mostly I've watched because we have it on at work and it's a slow week. I'll probably half-boycott the WC next summer but this one feels too lame to care about either way, so I might as well keep an eye on how Draxler is doing

van dijk around 65M, naby keita for 70M, mbappe for 100M. i can't even believe liverpool would be in the race for mbappe, nor do i see them splashing around this kind of money. i also don't know what we'd do with another winger or midfielder.

For players who haven't actually been dealt yet, we can only go off rumors, of course.

Just saw Calhanoglu quoted as available for 35M euros, which seems really low for me, given the market.

If Mahrez can be had for 40M that's great value too IMO.

I thought Ousmane Dembele should be valued over 100M...now his rumored priced is creeping closer to that, rather than the 60M we saw bandied about earlier in the summer. I'd argue he's still undervalued, given the price difference between him and Mbappe. Dembele is arguably just as talented and definitely just as proven.

On the flip side, I may well be proven wrong, but if Alvaro Morata goes for 80M that's a ton for a guy who's been a supersub for two (admittedly loaded) clubs. On the one hand, his scoring #s this past year were excellent, given his limited minutes. On the other hand, he had service from the best midfield / attacking fullbacks combination in the world.

it helps that he's in the last year of his contract. i think lyon got good value for traore. the 40M being bandied about for matic seems high, but when you are dealing with clubs like ManU and Chelsea there's always going to be some inflation involved.

and CR14.7 didn't even take a penalty. Truly one of the worst PK sessions in memory

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/823219/Naby-Keita-Liverpool-transfer-news

i will take any and every positive rumor at this point. but, we're gonna have to start offloading some of our roster if we keep signing midfielders.

Euro U21 Final, should be lit

Gnabry beastin

The midfield has to be both smart and hard-working to unlock this Chile press...give the backline options by working into pockets and changing the angles constantly. Way too stagnant which turns into really tight windows and high risk turnovers.

As it stands, we continue to give the ball away in high risk positions as the Chile press swarms. Only a matter of time before they capitalize (very fortunate they haven't already).

2 unforced giveaways essentially in their own box...both should have been goals - Draxler's vision failed him today, either chose the wrong pass or made it a second too late.

I've not actually watched him at all... I think it's mostly his pecking order on the French team.

Or more likely the Sanchez cloud is overwhelming everything else.

I really should find a way to truly checkout till August.

good crisp finisher, the issue I have from the Lyon games I caught was that he seems to get a little lackadaisical through stages of the game. But he also plays for a coach who isn't exactly famous for knowing how to use players in their best roles.

Two years ago, that amount would have seemed crazy but worth the gamble, like Martial nuts. Now? Strange to spend that sum on a guy closer to the end of his peak than the beginning who put up okay numbers in France pretty much carrying a struggling giant of a club. Everyone is more hyped on the Monaco and Dortmund guys because they are so much younger, but if that is the amount for Lacazette, what does Mbappe or Dembele go for now? Things are about to go bananas.

what does Mbappe or
>Dembele go for now? Things are about to go bananas.

what does Mbappe or
>Dembele go for now? Things are about to go bananas.

50m bps is nothing these days, been that way for a while. Were paying same ad Atletico was going to to replace Griezz, which makes me feel better. They actually know what they are doing.

Mbaps wouldn't go for less than $140m

Honestly, I think dude is legit. He's everything you want in a striker to be successful. I don't think he has the speed of a Walcott(who I think REALLY needs to be sold elsewhere) or the Ox, but definitely more clinical.

the real pity is that Giroud has to leave now. What Arsenal see in Theo Walcott is beyond me. Dude has regressed in my eyes, and doesn't put in the effort that Oxlade-Chamberlain does on the defensive end.

Just because Deschamps can't figure out a way to make it work with Benzema or Lacazette that doesn't mean Giroud is close to them.

One issue is we prolly could have had him last year for half of what we'll pay now, at least per the rumors last summer anyways

Regardless, I think he'll pan out for us. Dude can finish, which is more than welbeck can say, unfortunately

While I'd like to keep Giroud with him...given the French nat'l team dynamic, there's no way that happens


>Or more likely the Sanchez cloud is overwhelming everything
>else.


This, as you know, is the real problem: assuming arsenal sells alexis to citeh this summer...the only thing that could make up for that L would be for Kroenke to ante up for mbappe, *in addition* to Lacazette...

Yeah, I know.

Anyways, what arsenal needs to do is let Alexis see out the last year of his contract. Fuck selling him to a direct rival. With this being a World Cup year, I'm confident Alexis will be professional about it before signing with Citeh on a free transfer

He won't pull a Na$ri

Supposed to be a good young player, but I'm not familiar...is this a good pick up?

makes good runs, just not exceptional at anything. a nice piece and smart buy at the price.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

And they are spending the money as if it's a sure thing it's coming in, so...But if Sandro blocked CL and I were an Everton fan, I would be pissed. CL is the real god damn deal.

Barkley.. Toffees will have a very different look this season

WELL...Real refused the latest and greatest Morata bid so United just shrugged their shoulders and threw down €85m on Everton's table instead, pretty much clearing the debt for all the business they've done so far and making some space for Rooney's ass and wages in their dressing room. And if you believe the Guardian's spin, this totally fucks up Chelsea's plan, whose entire Costa-shuffle was predicated on Lukaku coming back. If that is true, then this likely also pulls the plug on the Matic to United rumors, which then makes the Weigl to United rumor seem the plausible plan B.


Insane amount of money, but United have an insane amount of money and the kid is just now 24.
So next up...Serge Ibaka?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWJYmCYgWXj

No room for him. I'm sure you can pawn him off to a hopelessly romantic French guy who'll overpay for him - please

When they play 4 at the back, he'll be the left prong on attack; when they play 3 at the back, he'll be the second striker.

>I'm sure you can pawn him off to a
>hopelessly romantic French guy who'll overpay for him - please
>

he can't be happy with the leftover minutes at real, can he?

or does he just replace benzema? but then...what happens with benzema?

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Possibly Morata to Chelsea.

https://www.managingmadrid.com/2017/7/6/15929848/barcelonas-managerial-incompetence-is-paving-the-path-for-future-real-madrid-dominance

the on-field product is still almost as good as it gets just because of MSN but i didnt realize things had gotten so bad over there

it's not good either. but losing two youth players is not atypical.

the paulinho thing is weird, but if he's cheap and depth and the board has long had a weird obsession w/ brazilian players. meh. too much panic over a small (stupid) move. Naby Keita isn't relevant to barca--he's not a target, he's not coming, and he shouldn't be (he should be a starter wherever he goes and barca's midfield is crowded with players of about his quality right now).

Mathieu is gone, Paco is quality, and Arda is a debacle we can blame on Lucho who desperately wanted him.

by the logic he uses, real's got james, pepe, and coentrao making waaaaaay too much also.

Sergi Roberto is moving back to the midfield, Aleix Vidal is the starting RB next year, and the youth crisis isn't that bad. but yes, it is difficult to replace a historic generation of talent. Shocking, I know.

(and the board is not doing a good job of it, but they're not grossly incompetent. unless paulinho is the only signing this summer. then they can go fuck themselves)
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

also lmao at this quote from Rummenigge: "until now Germans only knew about Coco Chanel. I hope that soon, Coco Tolisso will be just as famous"

https://twitter.com/SkySportsNewsHQ/status/884435497766014978

good move for him. wish Pep had used him a bit more as i think he's got something about him

England have young talent in droves (as attested by their Toulon/WC U20 win combo), but they're gonna go nowhere fast with the way this league is managed. From living there and still talking to some English buddies my suspicion is that they don't care that much, and might even secretly enjoy moaning about their national team, then move right back to obsessing about their respective clubs once the 3 Lions get knocked out. As nice a guy as Southgate seems, the EPL is too much of a juggernaut these days for him to have all the best cards in hand.

Anyway, GL to young Kelechi, he seems to have the skills. Too bad he couldn't get more opportunities at City, kinda reminds me of how PSG treated JK Augustin

although i think the fans do care about the NT. just not as much as their clubs. i hear too often from fans that they'd rather their stars not even bother with NT stuff. especially united fans.

and i think the FA knows that and they aren't all that bothered (beyond making the odd APPEARANCE of giving a fuck) about really being successful on the national stage because the operation prints money regardless.

i really don't think there's a solution though. as much as we played Rashford, he only ever got a shot because literally everyone in front of him was hurt.

the Chelsea kids for example: Chalobah, Baker, Abraham. they probably just more Loftus-Cheeks (remember him? he's only 21). promising talents that won't get a look in because the game to game pressure is too much for a manager to risk it.

like...i don't see a reason why West Ham isn't playing Reece Oxford. he came in at 16 and looked like he belonged already. two years later loaned out to Germany for the year. how does that help him?

Spurs and Southampton pretty much carrying england's teen -> adult development on their backs rn.

that's not one I was expecting

How they pull these things off is perplexing. Same way they got Coman.

32.5 buy after 2 years? Bayern's ruthless german efficiency at work again. Damn.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

RM must have idiots running their finances. They paid over 80 mill for him just like 2 years ago right. They are in essence selling him for less than half that.

That's just not smart business. These inflated prices are going nowhere.

So they don't so much have to worry about finances until all Spanish banks roll over, and even then . . .

I wouldn't be surprised if they were seriously cooking the books. Or there accounting is funny.

But they've got FIFA looking at the general finances of everyone, and if they keep taking losses like this, they may run afoul of FFP.

I thought he was doing gangbusters there? I'll admit I don't follow the Buliga much but I thought he was part of their core there.

basically, same thing that happened to James at RM happened to Costa at Bayern.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

had a big fallout w/ Allegri and he's on camera saying go fuck yourself

and he had a big bustup w/ Dybala and Alves at half in the CL final.

and to Milan of all places? No one does drama like the Italians

worlds most expensive backline incoming.

and they didn't overpay for Bellerin!!! WOOOO!

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Looks to be a great fucking move.
Dude is a beast.
I'm so excited to see him combine with Leo once he gets acclimated.
And I'm always happy to see more black players on the pitch for us.

not that it means much but it's all over Sky Sports today. Makes no sense to me from City's POV but I'm also salty that PSG isn't trying harder to bring him in.

If arsenal has to sell Alexis, I really hope it's to PSG and not City.

The only way I'd be cool with selling Alexis to City is if arsenal can get Kun in return...& the thought of Alexis at City and Kun at Chelsea makes me sick

Kun would be great to backup/complement Cavani. Right now we don't have a second striker (JKA sold to RB Leipzig) and an injury leaves us woefully exposed

But I love the way Alexis plays, and feel like he could be a great fit. Even if we have a slightly less dynamic version in Draxler, so it's not as bringing in Sanchez solves a problem.

So, overall probably Aguero (#firstworldissues)

LOL @ the rumor.
LMAO if it happens. 222 million + taxes.

if it is real, barca should come with the "veratti + 125 mil" reply. saves PSG a TON of money (more than 100 mil), barca get a midfielder, and as great as MSN was, veratti's probably the more useful fit in some ways.

and then buy dembele.

but anyway, this is some funny season funniness. barca blogs are flipping their shit because they don't trust this board at all.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

the only thing that mildly piques my interest is that the Brazilian journalist who broke the story works for one of the biggest sports media in BR, and is based out of Barcelona. Allegedly not the kind to troll, but this would be an epic one if it ends like last summer

and he's definitely seen as an insider @ barca (supposedly the only non-spaniard who regularly gets to ask questions at press conferences). but this seems just batshit regardless.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

I'm gonna take this the same way I deal with all this transfer stuff: wait and see

emirates cup / community shield treble on deck!

LIFTING TROPHIES SON

http://www.espnfc.com/story/3154621/wojciech-szczesny-completes-transfer-to-juventus-from-arsenal

...why did Arsenal let him go?

There's literally no good reason to not take him back, maybe as the cup keeper with Cech playing the league games for 1 year, with the plan for szczesny to assume the #1 in 2018.

Honestly, I'd rather he return as the #1 over Cech right now (obviously letting Ospina go).


Dude proved he's a good keeper at Roma...the fact that Juve feels he's a good replacement for Buffon speaks volumes...

It's not even close in my mind

smart signing by Conte, Morata managed to always fit in well when Zidane called on him last season. Will probably want to prove himself on the CL stage as well, which could very well be Chelsea's main goal next year

destined for Barca/Real/Juve.

Raiola represents a few players in Paris current and past, it sounds like the club wanted the owl to get rid of his agent since he was very vocal in pushing for a move.

BWhat ain't wrong about Marco being soft though (as much as I love his play). Can't wait for the next round of excuses from him and Silva once we get bounced from the CL quarters

OK maybe a bit harsh since he tried really hard, but he is impossibly inefficient in the box. The main problem is we have to play him as much as possible in the preseason to see if anyone will bite, but if he plays then other teams can see what they'll get so uh...

he aint got it and yall won't recoup.

we should just put him on ebay, $0 start, no reserve price

btw the Neymar thing is edging ever closer. My buddy in Brazil confirmed ppl over there think it's almost done. Madness (the good kind, tho I'd probably prefer we get some dude like Vidal tbph)

if it really happens, barca better fucking buy dembele immediately. and Mboula's departure looks a lot more unacceptable.

but if this = this board's demise + a better wage structure + two good prospects at LW and CM + more coherent on field tactics? could be win/win for everyone

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

with the field expanding from 16 to 24. Big clubs will be happy, players not so much (unless they have every single tournament in S Africa, that weather is gonna suuuuck). Oh well, it'll still be one of the most fun tournaments around, and on odd years it'll be a nice change from no-futbol summers

they nailed our aways this season and last season. the first season was bad but a plain white united jersey is always a mistake. should always be blue or black

they gotta do something more than just a plain ass red shirt for the home. that lil hexagon half tonal shit last year was a decent start. 07/08 still hasn't been topped yet. amateurs on instagram crank out better shit than adidas does.

Nike's clearly infatuated with using the same design for its teams

That stupid dot matrix thing was preloaded and you had to use it in your final design. It's not the best, but it's a 3rd kit we likely wont be using much this year (who has a solid black home kit?).

against Conte's wishes. I don't think he's the midfielder United need (would rather roll the dice on Weigl), but if it means more pee in the cheerios at Chelsea, I'm all for it.

i'm fine w/ that.

222m buyout
100m signing bonus for neymar
40m agent fee for neymar's dad
40m a year for 5 years

562 million euro outlay for this.

We have officially entered a new era of stupidity. I know I know I know...he has the potential to be the next Henry, but he's 18 and will be the 2nd striker behind the BBC. They got rid of Morata and Jaime because they were sick of sitting there. Shitty that Monaco got gutted like this, ending the small specter of parity in France, but you can't turn down that sort of money.

Strange that they are spending this sort of money on someone that doesn't immediately seem marketable.

>Strange that they are spending this sort of money on someone
>that doesn't immediately seem marketable.
>
>

and yeah, this is ridiculous. Although this is just being reported by Marca I believe? So not quite done yet.

this is to:
1. make the neymar buyout more feasible (who wouldn't pay an extra 40 mil for neymar over mbappe?)
2. Make the buyout worth a lot less to barca because talk about inflated prices! Before, the Neymar buyout coulda been Dembele + Coutinho (meh @ him being a proposed target, but whatever. you get the point) + another piece + pay down debt. Now? Dembele + a piece at most. +

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Bale is the next one out of the RM circus. Benzema after that.

Mbappe and Asensio got next there.

RM like 3 deep everywhere anyway so it doesn't matter who plays really.

Reportedly, Monaco was hoping that retaining Lemar could convince Mbappe to sign a new deal

you can't come out and crow left and right about "hey we're rich as fuck yall some broke boys. money is no object"

and then turn around and penny pinch and haggle left and right. and i know the market has gone off the deep end this summer. but if you're gonna flex wealth you just cant have it both ways. you cant

---

we've gone from expecting 4 players minimum (5 w/ Griezmann but he'll come in January or next summer) to Jose openly HOPING we get 3.

i really thought we'd spare no expense to compete in both the league and the CL. i'll be happy if we just get top 4 now.

especially if we go into the season w/ just two all around quality midfielders in Pogba and Herrera. Jury's out on Pereira although i expect him to step up. Carrick is basically retired. Fellaini LOL. and probably Matic who is absolutely nothing special.

Jose's really betting the farm on the kids like Martial, Rashford, McTominay, Pereira, TFM, Tuanzebe, Demi Mitchell making a major leap (which im sure would appease the penny pinchers)

i still think we need at minimum a CM x 2, Winger and RB. but Jose insists we'll be lucky to get just a CM

very frustrated right now.

bright side is except for the 2nd half vs. RM which was the weirdest shit i've ever seen i think we have looked good in preseason.

now, i get it, it's preseason, but what i mean is i saw some growth out there in a few players (Rashford, Lingard specifically) which i really appreciated.

i think Lukaku will get his and we have the benefit of Micki all year AND he has also looked pretty baller so far.

i think we will field a team that SHOULD win the Prem BUT that's dependent on health.

we are very weak with our depth and that's where all these non-transfers are killing us. i mean, we haven't been the healthiest team the last couple years so it's a bit unnerving.

https://s4.postimg.org/lgy5kjtz1/Screen_Shot_2017-07-26_at_8.47.53_PM.png

Brazil won its 3rd world title in 1970. With that achievement, the Brazilian game — bold, technical and innate — was universally considered the best in the world. That same year, Paris Saint Germain was founded, and from its inception, the dream of the club was to integrate the magicians of the seleção into the roster.

Since then, Brazil has been the most represented nation (outside France) in the club, with 29 players passing through the Parc des Princes over the last 50 years. Paris, the city of light, is avant-garde, and the atypical style of the Brazilian game is uniquely matched to its singularity.

Between the 1970s and '90s, the most famous Brazilians players joined the club, bringing with them a free and elegant form of football. The strong relationship between Paris Saint Germain and Brazil strengthened in 2001, when the talented Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, a.k.a. Ronaldinho, arrived, and with him, an otherworldly talent that has inspired future generation of footballers.

Today, the presence of Thiago Silva and Marquinhos at PSG reminds of the indelible link between the country of football and the city of light. Moreover, the striking yellow and blue color palette of the new away kit reflects the club’s strong Brazilian influence from players past and present – including Ronaldinho, Silva and Marquinhos.

watching it live I didn't connect the dots with this being the same yellow as the Selecao (and not that clear even looking back at the pic), but whatever, I'm too old to be getting caught up over futbol shirts

Random transfer thought: why isn't there more noise about JM Seri? Perhaps if Nice gets knocked out of the CL prelim by Ajax he'll be a big headliner. He's easily my #1 preference if we somehow lose Verratti, but I remember reading Spurs and Arsenal were on him too.

That really surprises me - damn they are closer to MLS teams in terms of legacy/history than to most European big clubs

I will say though that the club has a decent history (1 European cup + a few legendary wins in CL) and was a big club in France since the 80s and especially after 91 when Canal+ (like a French HBO+ESPN hybrid) invested.

I don't know that there's really an apt comparison, since we were a much bigger fish (in a smaller pond) than a City or Chelsea. But like those teams pre-gulf money, we had some clear down years, and in fact nearly got relegated in 06-07, needing a win in the very last game to survive. Strangely those are some of my fondest memories of supporting the team, but perhaps in part because I was living there at the time and could go to the occasional game with buddies. Then again I'm a glutton for sad-sack teams, so the Qatar era has been jarring to say the least

Sounds like the Neymar buyout is gonna happen.

And like coutinho is plan a for replacing him. I'm kinda ok with this plan, tbh. Pissed at Neymar, but psg is throwing huge money around.

Would have preferred a way to get verratti instead of the full buyout, but obvious the plan was Neymar and him as core players.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

>I've followed exactly zero transfer windows in my life. Just
>let me know who's on the side for the first match and spare me
>the rumors so that I may remain sane.
>
>That said, it's a big window for Spurs. I assume Walker is
>gone, which is fine so far it is not to an English side. As
>long as the spine and the front four remain in place I'm
>good.
>
>Oh, and roughly a billion dollars will change hands as
>superpowers develop new weapons to destroy the world.

the dude is just relentless. Scored the equalizer on a beauty of a FK yesterday in the French Supercup:
https://streamable.com/k32dk

and just for kicks he added a dope assist for the winning goal
https://streamable.com/zh2q6

Oh and Monaco's opener wasn't too shabby either
https://streamable.com/8kdvj

Can the season start already?

it's coming so fast. This was a rest-up summer with no real international soccer.

https://mobile.twitter.com/cmwinterburn/status/891738374100406273

No message

we'll have to see how the new show shakes up. I don't find AC Jimbo perfect (loves the tabloidy "controversies" stuff a bit too much), but he is a really good host, and generated a very pleasant vibe with his panel that I never really felt when Rushden or Farrar were subbing in. Hopefully they can gather a good crew around him and Mackintosh. IMO it would be great if they can get Sid, Honigstein and Auclair to keep appearing, since these guys bring aspects that the regular guest don't always possess (most notably a non-Brit-centric viewpoint)

Hope he never wins another UCL.
Hope he never wins BdO.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXSsPyEgp_Y/

i'd rather the 222 mil to spend. he hasn't yet matured on the pitch, still makes stupid challenges, still hero-balls too often, still decides not to track back because he's pissed about something too often.

undeniable talent and MSN was special to watch, but the team would do better with a guy more comfortable being a compliment to messi + suarez and money for an upgrade at MF or a 3rd high quality CB. Still dreaming of 100 mil euro (or more) and veratti for him.

shitty fucking end to a fun run. and fuck PSG oil money and neymar can suck a dick for how he played this.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

We obviously need someone now in both of their roles, but if we can only get one, who do you go for?

verratti + dembele ideally.

but really, any WC younger talent works and we'll shift responsibilities to maximize. dybala, verratti, dembele, coutinho, whichever.

I'd like to see them experiment with paco and suarez on teh pitch at the same time. i think it could work, but it also could flame out dramatically.

valverde's gonna have his chance to make his tactical mark. with MSN, the team's tactics were basically dictated by that talent group.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Barca has sorely been missing a balanced, high work-rate CMF who can effectively tilt their team balance and link the back and front-lines.

Dybala is dynamic, obviously, but this is Barca's chance to shift their team balance and style of play.

but goddammit I wish we'd never let Thiago go.

:( :( :(

neymar's been a particularly shitty saga for a variety of reasons beyond just getting poached. barca loses players all the time, especially youth products to the EPL solely because of differences in labor laws (shouts to Pep for bitching about that type of poaching as a coach and then doing EXACTLY THE SAME THING THIS SUMMER). this has been a debacle for a variety of reasons beyond that and the idea that a 222 million (plus tax) doesn't stop a team from activating a release clause is absurd.

that's bad precedent for everyone. except neymar's dad. he's loving it.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

is this the biggest one yet? maybe
is it a radical departure from the path european soccer has been on for a while? no

thats all.

real set ronaldo, bale and benzema at a billion each.

messi's is 300m lol.

When it's more than double the most expensive transfer fee of all time?
These fucking Qatari's just don't give a fuck
They're gonna spend close to half a bil when this shit is finalized.

Unprecedented.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

not that we would because of neymar sr's extortion operation and i doubt neymar wants to play in england. but it's well within our budget.

previously, taxes were thought to be 50% of the buyout. So it would have been 333 million at minimum (excluding the contract).


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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

budgets have skyrocketed, but this type of jump is one that has never happened before.

barca wanted to keep it below messi's because, duh. it had a clause to continue rising.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

and made it absolutely unreasonable. this is the risk you took. it failed. damn sure wouldnt happen to RM.

unforeseeable change in spanish tax law was UNFORESEEABLE.

messi's clause was signed years earlier. madrid got lucky in setting absurd release clauses.

and 222 million spent smartly >>>>>>>> Neymar for barca. just not 100% confident it will be spent smartly.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

They were happy to do that business.

They will become a better and more consistent team. Find a LW with a high work-rate who isn't prone to let his attitude affect the rest of his game, shore up the midfield with a top class holding and link-player, and perhaps overhaul the backline.

Of course it's hard to lose a star player and a legendary attack but a huge tilt towards attacking football to the chagrin of the other parts of the game isn't always conducive to success. Barcelona's greatest recent success came when they were most balanced in all 3 levels and they need to utilize this cash influx to re-distribute their strengths. For example, Real Madrid's CL success has been driven by Zidane shuffling and re-focusing the midfield on defensive conisistency, risk/reward awareness, and quick link-up play with their front-line; their MF is the engine and foundation and it has balanced the team.

because his dad was waiting on money and maybe it could have been a smoother swap for veratti + cash than this.

i agree. a more balanced barca can/should be better as a team.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Now Barca has a leverage problem because the window is closing and other teams know that.

I was so happy when Nelsinho was brought in. Then when he had his bust-up with Neymar, I knew it was over.

I wanna see us making moves by next week. Hopefully later this week.

it's live. starting 11, for both iphone and android.

you can make 3 subs during games. Really excited for him.

https://starting11.io/

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

The only soccer fantasy I do is total points over season.

I honestly don't know how to process this Neymar stuff, other than not process it and just think about how cool it'll be to have him on the squad. The money is absurd, borderline ridiculous, but we were on our way to something like this for a while now.

Anyway, bring on Amiens (lol) on Saturday, that's at least one tangible thing I can relate to

turning that money into a MF, CB, and a LW for the future would be a W for barca. as dominant as MSN was, it was like putting gold foil on a delicious ice cream. Yeah, it's cool to actually eat gold, but the foil does nothing for the flavor.

The problem is, there's talk about buying Di Maria for the year and then paying griezmann's buyout. Which not only probably wouldn't happen, but is just not smart. Send Dortmund 100 for Dembele and 40 or 50 to nice for Seri and get a CB with the rest and we're golden.

but instead, barca's probably gonna overpay for someone dumb, not sell Arda, not play Samper or Alena enough and potentially waste a year or two of Messi's prime.


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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/aug/02/neymar-psg-barcelona-lionel-messi

A history of highest transfer fees

£1,000: Alf Common, 1905 The English striker joins Middlesbrough from Sunderland in the first four‑figure transfer fee for a player.

£10,890: David Jack, 1928 The forward’s move from Bolton to Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal is the first five-figure transfer deal, though Wanderers had wanted £13,000.

£23,000: Bernabé Ferreyra, 1932 The Argentinian became the first non-British player to break the world record, joining River Plate from Tigre.

£152,000 Luis Suárez Miramontes, 1961 The Spanish midfielder’s move from Barcelona to Internazionale is the first six-figure transfer deal.

£1.2m: Giuseppe Savoldi, 1975 The Italian striker, who made only four international appearances, joined Napoli from Bologna in the first £1m-plus deal.

£3m: Diego Maradona, 1982 The record was twice broken for Maradona, with his move from Boca Juniors to Barça and his £5m switch to Napoli in 1984.

£15m: Alan Shearer, 1996 The Premier League showed its emerging financial muscle when the England striker, a star at Euro 96, joined Newcastle from Blackburn.

£21.5m: Denilson, 1998 The Brazilian winger’s move from São Paulo to Real Betis was an eye opener, but Denilson never fully built on his youthful talent.

£37m: Luis Figo, 2000 The Portugal playmaker’s acrimonious move from Barcelona to Real Madrid kickstarted the galáctico era in earnest.

£80m: Cristiano Ronaldo, 2009 Real cemented their position as the game’s biggest spenders when they prised the Portuguese from Manchester United.

£89m: Paul Pogba, 2016 The Frenchman overtook Gareth Bale as the world’s most expensive player in rejoining Manchester United from Juventus.

£198m: Neymar, 2017 The Brazilian’s huge release clause means PSG have to dwarf all previous transfer records to get their man.

and if someone is a january transfer, you have one slot for whom a player can be eligible even if they should be cup-tied, i think.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

And i've never heard about an exception for one cup-tied player, link?

from the 2015 rules form uefa itself:

"a player can play for one club in the first, second and third qualifying round, and/or the play-offs, of the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League, and then represent another club from the group stage of either competition."

so it doesn't matter if Nice makes it to the group stages, it matters if he plays for them in the group stages. so he's not cup tied yet.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

http://www.espnfc.us/story/3171271/la-liga-refuses-to-accept-psg-cash-for-barcelonas-neymar

in a roundabout way this is kinda fucking barca even more.
either they get stuck w/ a player that doesnt want to be there

or the league drags this out and makes Barca have to rush in the market even more than they already need to.

Other than la liga officials believing PSG is essentially cooking their books...but good luck proving that lol.

about losing a superstar would be La Liga accusing someone else of cooking the books.

unsurprised they'd fuck with it. but neymar's lawyers could just give the money to the team office too, i believe.
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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/GOAL/59/fa/pes-2018-cover_vnnfi4qe5pbw1lkb5198qbaor.png?t=-1516938596&w=940

https://twitter.com/PSG_English/status/893162222905643009

though using verratti was reasonably savage, gotta admit.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

well, him, the referee, and this entire bitchass PSG squad, of course.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/aug/03/kelechi-iheanacho-leicester-city-manchester-city

christ

just fucking sell vvd, assholes.

staying...

?

Marca is calling it a done deal. They've been bullshitting before, but who knows?
If it's true, Di Marià's agent better get to work.

fuck Leipzig's chairman. Whatever. He'll be Coutinho's replacement.

He should have been sold much earlier in the window

For all the historic good Wenger had done, his stubbornness and shit tactics to address the fact he hasn't had the right personnel at centerback should have been enough to fire him. But Arsenal's board are dickless, so he stays on. Trying to play a back three with Monreal is suicidal and, once again, if there is any sort of injury to Mustafi or Koscielny, there is zero depth to cover even in a normal back four setup.

Didn't want to re-sign and even when playing, always a question mark in terms of his health and consistency in the final 1/3.

I would say I hope we use this fee to up our offer for Lemar but not holding my breath.

It's telling that this 5 month stretch is the longest he's ever gone without an injury. I'll take 35 million for him and call it. Further, Ox has made it clear he wants to play CM and there's no chance of him getting consistent mins there with us...a key reason he didn't re-sign.

All of 2017.

I'd still rather have OX as rwb, but that ship has sailed. And really # 36 on our list of existential issues currently

Flat out terrible as you said

180 mil, without the bonus clauses
they're still working on Fabinho, too

other than that, rumor is Liverpool made a 72 mil offer for Lemar (who Monaco got for something like 2 mil 2 years ago)

meanwhile, Monaco still whooping ass
it will be really hilarious if Jardim unpants Emery again in their face-offs

That is an absolute sham arrangement but, whatever, it's not like other clubs don't do the same thing (James to Bayern).

hmm

Sterling has the same agent as the Ox, who obviously hasn't had the best relations with arsenal.

If it were to happen, it's definitely better than a straight cash deal, though there's still gonna be a serious fan revolt that ensues.

Selling players coming up on being out of contract is understandable, especially in midfield, but clearing out defenders is insanity. Someone tell Stan Kronke that you can't "blow up and rebuild" a soccer team like the NBA.

(christ, i hate this club)

put some respek on his name he's more accomplished in the league than anyone you already have bar Cech

it's just not a signing that shows any particular ambition.

now him *and* VVD? sure. but on its own it's just more of the same.

Seems like a rather pointless buy.

despite you know...not being good at anything gerrard was. like playing soccer for starters.

and maybe Emre Can too

but damn that midfield is going to be crowded, esp. with the pursuit of lemar as well. or he figures with european and domestic cup fixtures there is enough to go around and keep the team healthy and fresh. or laying the groundwork for can and coutinho's ultimate departures.

if he doesn't leave tomorrow. Surprised Can has been rumored to leave to but oh well.

Since none of the other guys are undisputed first team selections, I figure none can get too angry if they don't get selected ahead of players who are clearly in better form.

Like, Ox shouldn't come in expecting a starting position.

Otherwise, everyone should be happy to get playing time whether in PL or CL.

...Hooray?

would love to have him at United and Pogba tried to make it happen.

we still need another midfielder, but maybe we handle that in january, or maybe lamela can come back strong enough to mitigate that need or winksy takes a step up.

but we're now rock solid across the back, got a pacey CL level talent for the wing, and have a better backup for Sir Harry. not bad.

they're at a profit on this transfer window. what are they doing with the fucking money
https://twitter.com/5liveSport/status/902958849677705216
https://twitter.com/MrDtAFC/status/902957167661199373

also Oxcart-Chamberpot turned down 180k from arsenal just to take 120k at liverpool

edit: this dude dug all the way into it. in short, strap up for a rebuild
https://twitter.com/Campistability/status/902955097482768387

I am intimately interested since we have millions worth of equipment going into it and now it sounds like it won't happen till at least 2019 when all along it was slated for late 2018 (our portion)

http://i.imgur.com/qr1jnqF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/rUihLD1.jpg

Hence taking less money. I personally say good riddance regardless...always a injury concern, unreliable in the final 1/3, unreliable in his tracking, and unhappy with his position. This makes way for Reiss-Nelson while netting us 40 million.

As for actually using that 40 million...wouldn't hold my breath. The financials especially with an owner who is leveraged to shit with stadium construction (sound familiar Arsenal fans?) are a joke. Complete misinformation by the club at the start of the summer (and being reported by David Ornstein who is essentially the Woj of transfer reporting, at least in the BPL) that we had a "150 million war-chest". We made money this summer and still don't have enough allegedly for another big player signing.

Club has sincerely become a fucking laughing-stock...ownership, the board, and Wenger all culprits.

1 year left on his contract. tired of being shunted around to all kind of odd positions

it almost writes itself if wenger wasn't already old af.

left the algerian team to finalize his contract. one rumor says he's in Paris, one says he's in barcelona, another says he's heading to unknown destination in england.

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you think we playing chess, but i'm playing mad-making. Basaglia

Lemar said no and he has every reason to. No CL, shit show board, manager over the hill, team going to shit

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

https://twitter.com/DarrenArsenal1?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

I'm not holding my breath. That could help our mess of a midfield tho

Loan with obligation to buy *nudge nudge, wink wink*

It's hilarious how FFP has become a complete joke already. PSG didn't really sell that many players either.

Let's see if UEFA has the guts to do what they said they'd do. PSG already ran afoul of FFP guidelines before. They should be kicked out of UCL next year.

But is Ligue 1 already a wrap. That Neymar, Cavani, and Mbappe line is nasty.

they the most intriguing team around rn. let it play out on the field. they still not ready to win a CL yet. that backline and midfield needs beefing up.

I think they're great too, but they've run afoul of these rules before. UEFA needs to grow a backbone or it's just going to be the same ol' thing we see every year.

They spent over 400 million euros in tranfer fees, and only sold about 55 million. You're only allowed to be in debt by 55 million euros, so how can they cover that losing over 300 million in transfer fees.

The wages and the fees are crazy. But you can't press your luck like that. They won't be excluded from the CL this year, it would have to happen next year.

I don't see it happening frankly