January ‘18 Transfer Window
- Thread starter dirtynine
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That’s a nice move for Brighton. Dembele is a big, strong forward that could be a force for their attack similar to Benteke at Crystal Palace (well not this season). Brighton’s defense has been fair in the top division but their offense lacks punch. Getting Dembele seems like a power move for a team that expects to play in the EPL for a while.
I have a hard believing this for a number of reasons but I've been wrong before. This rumor started on Sky Sports which is wrong 90% of the time and they quickly withdrew the headline. Anyway, I just don't see Celtic selling their prized asset or agreeing to sell prior to the official transfer window opening. There is a long way to go and plenty of points will be won and lost in the EPL before window shuts at the end of January. There's plenty of time to see what other EPL clubs come calling. I just don't see Brighton being a likely destination, I think he has his sights set higher than one of the more 'provincial" EPL teams.
The rumored fee was 18 million, I have a feeling it will take more than that for Celtic to sell him. I think Celtic do sell him in the next 8 months but they have time on their side. When I see a 25 year old striker like Chris Wood going for 15 Million just a few months ago, no disrespect to him, Dembele is far more talented and only 21 years old. 18 Million seems cheap. He's one of the more talented regulars in the French under 21 sides, scores regularly and has scored at the CL level as well. Plus some of the highest profile managers have had many positive things to say about his talent.
He's been unfortunate this season and the end of last season with niggling hamstring injuries. He has yet to reach the levels of last season , however that will come with match fitness. When he did come back from injury he was Celtic's 3rd striker behind Griffiths and the under 19 French international Edouard. How much of that is not rushing him back and wrapping him up in cotton wool or an audition for Edouard to be Dembele's eventual replacement I don't know.
Anyway, that's all speculation on my part but I'd be surprised. I think it will take an offer north of 20 million and I would not limit his eventual landing spot to an EPL team, plenty of scouts from the continent have been sniffing around.
The rumored fee was 18 million, I have a feeling it will take more than that for Celtic to sell him. I think Celtic do sell him in the next 8 months but they have time on their side. When I see a 25 year old striker like Chris Wood going for 15 Million just a few months ago, no disrespect to him, Dembele is far more talented and only 21 years old. 18 Million seems cheap. He's one of the more talented regulars in the French under 21 sides, scores regularly and has scored at the CL level as well. Plus some of the highest profile managers have had many positive things to say about his talent.
He's been unfortunate this season and the end of last season with niggling hamstring injuries. He has yet to reach the levels of last season , however that will come with match fitness. When he did come back from injury he was Celtic's 3rd striker behind Griffiths and the under 19 French international Edouard. How much of that is not rushing him back and wrapping him up in cotton wool or an audition for Edouard to be Dembele's eventual replacement I don't know.
Anyway, that's all speculation on my part but I'd be surprised. I think it will take an offer north of 20 million and I would not limit his eventual landing spot to an EPL team, plenty of scouts from the continent have been sniffing around.
Not trying to get my hopes up but...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/12/27/liverpool-agree-world-record-75m-deal-virgil-van-dijk/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/12/27/liverpool-agree-world-record-75m-deal-virgil-van-dijk/
Big fee, but a big, athletic, commanding central defender will REALLY tighten up the back line....
Whatever, if you're a Liverpool fan you won't care about the fee. He's the best player available at your biggest position of need.
Not too concerned with fees at this point considering they’re sure to exceed that with what Coutinho will bring back, and the bargain that is Salah.
Edit: what he said
Edit: what he said
Agree .. don't care about the fee. As for it being offset by whatever Coutinho brings back .. well, I don't think they are intrinsically linked. I'm still not convinced 'Pool will sell him .. even in the summer. On current form he's a top 10 world class player .. basically impossible to replace. Not at all sure Barca could even afford the fee he will command. (They are rumoured to be acquiring Griezeman - not to mention the delightful anticipation of a transfer ban - initiated by Atletico over tampering with Griezeman)
I think you should be worried about the fee. FSG isn't going to go too deep into the pockets and paying 40+M pounds over what you should for a solid CB just because it's January is crazy to me. You can get 95% of Van Dijk for 15M and reinforce the rest of the back-line and midfield with the rest. Just crazy to me. Liverpool's defense is still going to be pretty garbage. I guess they might give up 2 or 3 less goals per season on corners, but still.... batshit crazy.
Where exactly are Liverpool getting the money for fees at this level? The VVD signing brings their net spend in the FSG era to ~370m gbp, with about 180m in the last two windows (including the Keita deal). FSG don't have Man U/Barca/Madrid/Bayern-level revenues, and they don't have petrodollars. LFC reported a 20m gbp loss for the year ending 31/5/16, and that was in a year with a net spend of 40m, not 180m.
Beats me. Although I believe their net spend was actually positive last year.
Couple of points .. Klopp seems to have "his guys" .. and he doesn't seem to care what it costs to get them. Keita would seem to fall into that category .. and maybe even Oxlade-Chamberlain. Not to mention showing incredible loyalty in the face of what would seem to be glaring weaknesses .. Lovren being exhibit A.
Secondly, it wasn't just VVD and Keita .. they wanted to sign Thomas Lemar last window .. and that was going to be in the 90m plus area.
As to where the money is coming from, I guess the Premier League windfall plus champions league profits - and the expanded Anfield - have embolden FSG. They clearly have bought into "In Klopp We Trust"
Couple of points .. Klopp seems to have "his guys" .. and he doesn't seem to care what it costs to get them. Keita would seem to fall into that category .. and maybe even Oxlade-Chamberlain. Not to mention showing incredible loyalty in the face of what would seem to be glaring weaknesses .. Lovren being exhibit A.
Secondly, it wasn't just VVD and Keita .. they wanted to sign Thomas Lemar last window .. and that was going to be in the 90m plus area.
As to where the money is coming from, I guess the Premier League windfall plus champions league profits - and the expanded Anfield - have embolden FSG. They clearly have bought into "In Klopp We Trust"
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My guess is that they already have an agreement with Coutinho to let him leave next summer plus a good sense of his market.
Sadly this is probably the case. If he was worth 100m last year to Barca then it has to be up to 130-140m next window. And that would pay for both VVD plus Lemar - who I think they view as Coutinho's eventual replacement.
Their transfer business in 16/17 was basically break-even (they made a 5m profit). Expanding Anfield would seem to weigh against transfer fee investment, not in favor -- it's an additional capital expenditure that sucks up cashflow.
Could be that their plan is to sell Coutinho for huge money, but can they really get 100m+ for him? Barca already spent a lot of the Neymar money on Dembele. Who else will they be bidding against that will push the fee to that level?
Expanded Anfield vs. Expanding Anfield .. I was referring to the expanded main stand opened last year. There have been rumblings about
expanding the Anfield Road end but nothing concrete as yet (haha).
It's certainly conceivable that they already have a deal with Barca although , personally I have my doubts.
As for evaluation.. the last of the reported offers last summer was IIRC in the 90m region (after stripping out the unachievable "add-ons" )
So it's not unreasonable - given Coutinho's form this year - to inflate that up to the 120m range. Barca really seems incredibly desparate to get him.
The price tag is eye watering, but ‘Pool are looking to make a push in the EPL & CL. This is about getting results that grow the team “brand” not generate posture transfer revenue. It also seems like Sturridge will make a push to leave this window (in a separate attempt to get back in the England squad), and Ings is already on the block. A few pounds will come back to balance things out.
On the field, VVD immediately becomes their best CB. His ability to read the game, disrupt attacks, clear his lines, and be a mobile presence in the back are all a cut above the current cast. He also adds a bit to set pieces and moving the ball around at the back. It pushes Klavan down to 4th on the depth chart, which is where he belongs these days. I’ll be keen to watch how VVD partners with Lovren and Matip, see which partnership becomes Klopp’s “go to.”
Countinho’s form has made him all the more desirable to Barca. I think he goes before the World Cup, with Lemar as the top choice replacement. For gods sake, please don’t try to woo him in Blackpool.
On the field, VVD immediately becomes their best CB. His ability to read the game, disrupt attacks, clear his lines, and be a mobile presence in the back are all a cut above the current cast. He also adds a bit to set pieces and moving the ball around at the back. It pushes Klavan down to 4th on the depth chart, which is where he belongs these days. I’ll be keen to watch how VVD partners with Lovren and Matip, see which partnership becomes Klopp’s “go to.”
Countinho’s form has made him all the more desirable to Barca. I think he goes before the World Cup, with Lemar as the top choice replacement. For gods sake, please don’t try to woo him in Blackpool.
Its definitely an overpay, but it doesn't matter right now. Unless you're going for an unknown name, a club with money is almost always going to have to pay more.
VVD is a solid defender, he's the best available right now and he's premier league proven. I don't think he's a top 5 defender in the league but he's certainly better than anything Liverpool has at the moment and will improve them. Barca are going to overpay for Coutinho, United overpaid for Lukaku, etc... When everyone overpays no one overpays. Make sense?
VVD is a solid defender, he's the best available right now and he's premier league proven. I don't think he's a top 5 defender in the league but he's certainly better than anything Liverpool has at the moment and will improve them. Barca are going to overpay for Coutinho, United overpaid for Lukaku, etc... When everyone overpays no one overpays. Make sense?
Rumors that in January and continuing in the summer Liverpool will go after Goretzka, Lemar, and Milinkovic-Savic.
Goretzka from Schalke would be on a free. I'm sure the other two would cost a pretty penny. Milinkovic-Savic is someone I really hope doesn't go there. He's been Serie A's best midfielder (next to Nainggolan) and would vastly improve any midfield he went to.
Goretzka from Schalke would be on a free. I'm sure the other two would cost a pretty penny. Milinkovic-Savic is someone I really hope doesn't go there. He's been Serie A's best midfielder (next to Nainggolan) and would vastly improve any midfield he went to.
It would be a massive January to pick up VVD and even one more of those guys, but I’m skeptical.
Goretzka will be talking with every Champions League club in the top leagues this month; a talent that young and promising is never available on a free. He’s going to pull in a massive salary.
Lemar also appears to be Wenger’s Alexis/Özil replacement plan. Monaco will want to match, if not top, the £92m bid they accepted from Arsenal back in August.
And Savic is the hot new thing right now. Lazio and Savic have to be thinking that his value will probably be higher this summer, possibly peaking with an impressive turn at the World Cup.
More likely is a run at Stefan de Vrij, whose contract expires this summer.
Well it means Southampton can now afford to buy Theo Walcott for a decent inflated-because-he's-English price, and pay his wages.
If Wenger was going to be proactive for a change, he'd be trying to buy Goreztka and de Vrij in January for cut prices before they get to the open market and sign with other teams. But that requires foresight and aggressiveness rather than waiting around and dithering, so it isn't happening.
If Wenger was going to be proactive for a change, he'd be trying to buy Goreztka and de Vrij in January for cut prices before they get to the open market and sign with other teams. But that requires foresight and aggressiveness rather than waiting around and dithering, so it isn't happening.
West Ham willing to offer £3.72 for Wilshere I hear, maybe able to talk them into adding a packet of Walkers Cheese and Onion.
I doubt Schalke will sell Goretzka right now. They´re in 2nd place fighting for a CL spot, which would be massive for them. They need him although he didn´t play much in the 1st part of the season. Leipzig and Dortmund should make attacks, so the money they could get on a transfer could be lost on the CL/Euro league spot.
He said many times it´s not about money (of course...), which means he doesn´t care how much Schalke will pay him, he could leave.
There´s also rumors of Vidal leaving Bayern, so they could get younger in midfield by picking up Goretzka.
He said many times it´s not about money (of course...), which means he doesn´t care how much Schalke will pay him, he could leave.
There´s also rumors of Vidal leaving Bayern, so they could get younger in midfield by picking up Goretzka.
A bunch of Russian football writers are saying that Krasnador accepted a £11m offer from West Ham for Smolov, but he hasn't decided if he wants to leave Russia.
Hoping that it falls through, he brings nothing Chicharito doesn't and Moyes needs no further excuse to leave his best player on the bench
Hoping that it falls through, he brings nothing Chicharito doesn't and Moyes needs no further excuse to leave his best player on the bench
That'll never get it done, every one knows Cheese and Onion is the weakest flavour on the Walker's roster. If they could dig deep and find some Salt 'N Lineker they might get it done but it's gonna take a least a box and they'd need to be edible, which is a concern, if you're an Irons fan.
Today's over pay is tomorrow's market value. And I'm trying to think of a time when a generally considered to be top five in the league defender was playing for a mid table club. Rio had to move to Leeds before he got the big transfer, and the big rep, but if you saw him at West Ham, he had it.
And what is more relevant is where does he rank as a central defender, no much use comparing him to a left or right back? Would VVD get in the Man U back line? I'll ask the same question next year. All that being said, I do think it's a statement of intent for Liverpool. Lets see if he can live up the price tag, cos £75M is a lot for solid.
Tier-1 Liverpool journalist Paul Joyce posits Coutinho is 'confident' he's played his last game for Liverpool.
I still think he stays until June. Nothing to be gained by Liverpool if they sell him now vs. this summer, he can't play in the CL for Barcelona, and they have La Liga almost sewn up already.
I still think he stays until June. Nothing to be gained by Liverpool if they sell him now vs. this summer, he can't play in the CL for Barcelona, and they have La Liga almost sewn up already.
I’m surprised there isn’t any chatter about Mahrez to United. We’re desperately needing some creativity from the right and with Mkhitaryan playing terrribly I thought Jose, who normally is active in January, would go for him.
He's sure put himself in the shop window the last few weeks. If he went to Utd, would it make Pogba's job easier, to do more damage in the final third, where I, and many punditos think he's most effective?
I mean I think a player of his quality would benefit the whole starting eleven, but yeah Pogba is our best player and Mahrez can finish so he’d benefit from Pogba’s creativity.
I mean the other way round dude. If you take Scholes' recent comments about Pogba he was saying Pogba needs to be in the final third doing his thing, not spraying ball from a deeper position.
Goretzka to Bayern (in the summer for free) all over the german media now.
Schalke´s Heidel is fuming over Bayern´s Salihamidzic talking about it, although it isn´t done, yet (he still has to pass his medical and it´s not yet a contract there). Could mean that Vidal is leaving...
Schalke´s Heidel is fuming over Bayern´s Salihamidzic talking about it, although it isn´t done, yet (he still has to pass his medical and it´s not yet a contract there). Could mean that Vidal is leaving...
the most hilarious rumor yet:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/5269281/chelsea-andy-carroll-antonio-conte-west-ham/
The Big Donkey to Chelsea. PLEASE YES!
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/5269281/chelsea-andy-carroll-antonio-conte-west-ham/
The Big Donkey to Chelsea. PLEASE YES!
Andy Carroll is a lot like Adam Dunn, except if Dunn didn't walk, just 40 HRs and 200 Ks ever year
there's also a rumor of him to West Ham, which some fans like because he's an East London boy and Hollywood through balls.
His utter inability/disinterest in defending anything or making basic passes apparently not a concern.
As close to an official source as you'll get - Coutinho to Barcelona for £142m
FSG risk a fanbase revolt if they don't have a Lemar level replacement lined up... I don't think Lanzini cuts it
FSG risk a fanbase revolt if they don't have a Lemar level replacement lined up... I don't think Lanzini cuts it
Who’s definition of 142 bps are we using here? Wasn’t one of the pre-season hang ups that Barca’s big offer wasn’t a real one with incentives, etc?