Summer Transfer Window 2017/18 - Rumours & Signings

[BaZ87]

It's getting to that time of year when transfer rumours start picking up so I thought I'd get this thread up.

Use this thread to discuss anything from rumours to actual signings or even just who or what type of players you think your side needs for the upcoming season.

Andy Heaton says on twitter that providing we finish top 4 then Van Dijk has agreed to sign for us. Good start to the window if true.

Journo's close to City say he wants to play under Pep and journo's close to Chelsea are saying he's Stamford Bridge bound. Looks like he's keeping his options open.

 

[BaZ87]

True enough but then im not sure how connected those journos are...I do know that Heaton wouldnt put it out there if he didnt know something in fairness.

40-50mil could be the fee...seems a lot when we need players in other areas.

I wasn't questioning Heaton. The point I was making is that it seems like the Van Dijk camp are telling different people different things and who can blame him? When you've got 3 or 4 of the biggest sides in the league after you, you're in a position to dictate terms.

Agree it's a lot of money but the one area we need improving most is CB. My issue isn't spending that much on a CB but on a CB that's been injured for the last 5 months.

 

[BaZ87]

Barkley has much more ability that Ox. I remember seeing him play a pre-season game when Moyes was still at Everton and he was the most talented 17 year old I'd seen in a long time. His problem is very similar to Pogba's but even more extreme - neither he nor his managers can figure out where to play him and or how to best make use of his ability.

 

[BaZ87]

No he didn't. Pacheco for instance had ability but you were always saying he looked good for a 16 year old - Barkley looked a cut above everyone regardless of his age. And Ox is playing minutes but Barkley isn't? Whoscored doesn't record minutes played for FA and League Cup games but in the PL and (in Ox's case) the CL, Barkley has played 2765 minutes this season compared to 1941 for Ox - so despite having less matches available to him, Barkley is playing far more often.

And as I said, the issue is as much to do with him as it is the manager. He's not the first and won't be the last player that takes time before they figure out how to best make use of their ability - as I said before in relation to Pogba, Gerrard was another that although was far better than others, only really showed his best consistently when Benitez came in and put him in a set position (06/7 when he played on the right and then 08/09 when he played off Torres).

 

[BaZ87]

If Mourinho continues with his 4-2-3-1 formation next season then I think there's definitely a space in the three behind the striker for James

Where? I can't see Mourinho not buying a defensive midfielder this summer (I was shocked he didn't last year) which will mean, assuming Herrera doesn't get bombed out, Utd playing a 4-3-3 more often or Pogba becoming the number 10 in a 4-2-3-1. That leaves the 2 wide roles. Now ask yourself why does Mourinho trust players like Lingard more than Martial. Mourinho wants pace, energy and work rate in his wide players and I'm not convinced James meets the criteria.

There could potentially be quite a bit of activity at Utd this summer. With question marks over De Gea's future there's possibly 6 first team spots that might need to be addressed this summer - keeper, left back, centre back (?), DM, winger and centre forward. And that still leaves Valencia as your first choice RB

edit: I'll be stunned if Utd don't try to sign Willian this summer btw.

 

[BaZ87]

Much will depend on what clauses, if any, are in his contract. I've said it at the time De Gea nearly joined Real the other season, I'd be surprised if Real were willing to pay a massive fee on a keeper.

 

[BaZ87]

Supposedly he also said his chances of staying at Atletico were 7 out of 10 though

 

[BaZ87]

In today's market a top quality center back at the age of 23 for 30 million is very cheap. That's ten years worth of potential service. Almost half the price of stones.

Today's market isn't based on 1 player. He wasn't that expensive but £30m for a relatively unproven player wasn't cheap. For every Stones there's a VVD, who cost considerably less and is a lot better.

 

[BaZ87]

I've got more prospects of being our LB next season than Moreno. It's clear he has no future whatsoever with us, I just hope he doesn't do an Enrique and sit out the rest of his contract. But no to Clichy from me too. The decision to switch Milner to LB (and TAA to RB (he's naturally a CM)) is quite telling as to what Klopp wants from his fullbacks. Not too dissimilar to Guardiola, he wants his fullbacks to double up as extra midfielders and Clichy doesn't fit the bill.

We're strongly linked with Sessegnon from Fulham who, so I read at least, is supposed to be a very rounded footballer. I can see us getting somebody like him and persisting with Milner, and as above, I suspect Moreno will be knocking about if worst comes to worst.

 

[BaZ87]

Twitter going daft again this mornibg saying we have agreed terms for Keita and will pay 50m. Despite last week therr club saying none of this happened. Be a long summer :/

I believe what was actually being reported was that we're willing to pay £50m and meet his personal demands rather that it's been agreed.

 

[BaZ87]

A bit out of the blue, we've signed Dominic Solanke from Chelsea:

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/265085-reds-agree-terms-to-sign-dominic-solanke

Assuming the sides don't agree a fee between them then a tribunal will set the compensation fee.

 

[BaZ87]

he didn't look the slightest bit interested last year, not sure who's going to be willing to pay what Leicester are going to demand for very much a one-season wonder thus far?

Tbf Arsenal do need another tricky attacker that lacks fight when the going gets tough.

So a 19 year old and a 16 year old Bosnian. Yet more signings with "potential" , which will end up barely playing, then going out on loan somewhere, then being sold for a token fee. Meanwhile, our rivals are already splashing the cash. I can already feel that I am going to be disappointed by a transfer window yet again.

It's May! The transfer window hasn't even opened for crying out loud.

 

[BaZ87]

You're a bunch of miserable ****s

Look at our transfers last summer - Karius, Matip, Klavan, Wijnaldum & Mane. Klavan was ultimately brought in as cover but of the 4 main signings 3 turned out to be undoubted success's. If any side manages to bring in 3 players that go on to improve their first team as much as Matip, Wijnaldum and Mane did then they'll have had an incredible summer. I'm sure if I looked back 12 months ago there would have been just as much moaning from you lot though.

 

[BaZ87]

Who cares? All that matters is the end result. Everybody wet themselves when we were linked with Gotze and then went mental when we signed Mane instead. How'd that work out? For the first time in 10 years I'm confident about a transfer window - we've got a club being lead by a manager with a clear vision of what he wants and I'm happy to trust him to sign the players that will make us stronger.

Like I said, look at last season. We didn't make the glamour signings everybody wants but we made signings that we needed and improved the side. If we have another summer like last and bring in 3 players that have as big an impact as Matip, Wijnaldum and Mane then we're going to be a very strong side next season.

 

[BaZ87]

I'd want to stay at Utd if I was getting £370k per week and injured for 8-9 months too. Who was it that got upset when last summer I said he would cost Utd £20m odd per season?

 

[BaZ87]

highly doubt we would pay him anywhere like that amount if he is out of contract and going to be injured for 6 months+.

I was taking the ****. If you listen to what his agent actually says, he wants to stay but they've also got other offers. Maybe I'm cynical but that translates to me, I want to stay if you pay me enough.

 

[BaZ87]

You didn't notice the post inbetween referencing the 3m goal bonus ontop of your fictional wage then?

Edit - and yes even after last summer that agent is a particularly bad **** imo

You confuse the life out of me Frank. What does the post in between matter unless all you were saying is Utd wouldn't pay was his goal bonus - which makes no sense? To anybody with an ounce of sense your post reads as if Utd won't pay Zlatan the astronomical wages he's on next season, which is what I initially joked about.

And what makes you say it's fictional? As I heard one journo say when these figures became public, what normally happens when these sort of leaks come out is that people get sued if the details are wrong and nobody is getting sued about this.

 

[BaZ87]

I'd be surprised if Real really have offered that much.

 

[BaZ87]

Whether he's worth it or not, Real had the chance to sign him 2 years ago for half the amount but ultimately they weren't willing to pay that amount. I said it that summer, Real will spend massive money but when they do they spend it on glamour signings - unless something big has changed then I'd be surprised if they've bid this much.

 

[BaZ87]

Because that post directly quotes you and states 3m Ontop of what you stated, which was already 4m or so higher a year than rooney - now possibly he's on a similar amount after bonuses etc etc but even then it seems incredibly high even for Ibra on a free.

So yes it was relevant

2ndly if everyone sued about inaccurate wages every club in the Pl would be forever in court with the amount of articles written about most players
Eg everyone was convinced last summer pogba was on 300k / week, yet suddenly a few weeks ago he was on 190k/w + large bonuses and a golden handshake if he completes the deal - either way it's not remotely the same thing.

No one knows at all until figures are published but doesn't stop them guessing.....and most of them are pure guesses.

It's in reference to both what he has been paid up to this point and also how unlikely he will get the same amount next season until he had proved his fitness ( M.E.N has already bought up the possibility of a pay as he plays contract which seems reasonable given the long-ish term nature seriousness of that particular injury)

Just because you seem to want to argue about every little detail doesn't make your view automatically correct - only one possibility

I'll say it again, you confuse the life out of me Frank. Ok, somebody quoted me and added on the goal bonus figure - what the absolute **** were you talking about when you asked the following then

You didn't notice the post inbetween referencing the 3m goal bonus ontop of your fictional wage then?

It's almost as if we're having completely different conversations because I haven't a ****ing clue what that's meant to mean and how it has any relevance to what I said.

Again so it's clear and you don't get confused any more, when I said I'd play for Utd for £370k per week, it was a **** take. I know full well that Utd won't offer him that sort of deal for next season now that he's going to be injured for most of it.

And there's one thing a newspaper speculating what somebody might be earning and somebody actually publishing details of what's in a contract. Since these figures have come out, nobody has disputed them which leads me to think they can't be too wrong.

It could also said that the specific amount itself in your original post is statement of fact not a joke

Are you drunk Frank? I'm not even joking, I really do not have a clue what you're talking about.

I made an off the cuff joke about Zlatan being happy to stay for a **** load of money and you've lost the plot.