January Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[tomd2103]

You're right OCD. It took us a while to stumble on what looked like the right system and personell. Stick with it I'd say.

Agree with sticking with the system Percy, but the personnel may need tinkering here and there.  I would consider bringing back Bennett (for Stevens) and KEA (for Bannan) for this weekend, with Holman, Dunne and N'Zogbia being in  contention in the future. 

[midnite]

If drogba goes anywhere it'll be somewhere like France. Slightly competitive league but nothing too taxing ready for the African cup.

And, y'know, he speaks French.

Does he now?? Well that make it even more alluring ;-)

[Steve R]

You're right OCD. It took us a while to stumble on what looked like the right system and personell. Stick with it I'd say.

Agree with sticking with the system Percy, but the personnel may need tinkering here and there.  I would consider bringing back Bennett (for Stevens) and KEA (for Bannan) for this weekend, with Holman, Dunne and N'Zogbia being in  contention in the future.

We played well and despite what happened at the end had every reason to be proud of the performance. But that doesn't hide the fact that we are very weak in midfield.

If you consider the spine of the team to be key, we have Guzan, Vlaar/Clark/Baker and Benteke/Bent/Weimann. Cause for optimism.

We have no-one in midfield good enough to complete the picture. Westwood's time will come, as will at least one of Johnson/Carruthers/Gardner. KEA may well turn out to be a good signing but right now and for the next couple of seasons we need a serious upgrade in midfield.

If we'd have had nearer to 50/50 possession against ManU they wouldn't have sniffed us. A better ratio against ManCity might have given us a very different game too.

[jonzy85]

Do people reckon there is much to spend or are we going to have to flog Bent to raise funds? It would be sadly ironic if, to give ourselves a chance of staying up, we had to sell the player that 2 years previously Randy somehow stumped up the cash for and kept us up that year.

[OCD]

Lerner's issue has always seemed to be about keeping the wages to a manageable level - he doesn't seem to have a problem with backing managers over transfer fees. He's got the money from the Brown's deal and from a business perspective, he's got another asset that is in real danger at the moment and the new, significantly larger tv deal starts next season. I think Lambert will have all the backing he needs.

[Steve R]

From what I have read we have money to spend without selling.

Wages has indeed been the issue. Hekey's fee of 3.5 mill, for example, would have been dwarfed by amount of money we paid him.

We can also buy/pay in advance against the salaries we are guaranteed to save in the summer - Warnock & Dunne.

[paulcomben]

Drogba seeking a move.

Didier Drogba asks Fifa for permission to move on loan

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba wants a loan move away from Shanghai Shenhua, despite being outside the official transfer window.
The 34-year-old is believed to be keen to play for a new team to prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as the Chinese season has finished.
He has asked Fifa for special permission to leave.

"The Fifa administration services are looking into it," Fifa said in  a statement.
It is not known whether Drogba has a club lined up to move to, but the Ivory Coast international has been linked with a move back to Marseille, the club he left for Chelsea in 2004, as well as Liverpool.
He teamed up with former Chelsea colleague Nicolas Anelka in China in June after agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Shenhua.
Drogba's last act in a Chelsea shirt was scoring the winning penalty in the Champions League final defeat of Bayern Munich in May.
He has scored eight goals in 11 games for the Chinese side.
Existing rules prevent Drogba from representing another club until 1 January.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations takes place in South Africa between 19 January and 10 February.

We'll see Lord Lucan in a Villa shirt before Drogba.

It is Movember. They all look like Lord Lucan. Except Benteke. And Bent. And Bannan.

[ozzjim]

If the FA or Fifa sanction Drogba going to Chelsea in November it will say a lot about the power in football and how much that power is bought.

[saunders_heroes]

From what I have read we have money to spend without selling.

Wages has indeed been the issue. Hekey's fee of 3.5 mill, for example, would have been dwarfed by amount of money we paid him.

We can also buy/pay in advance against the salaries we are guaranteed to save in the summer - Warnock & Dunne.

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull? If these are the type of players we'll be looking to sign in January we may as well sign up for the Championship right now.

[pauliewalnuts]

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull? If these are the type of players we'll be looking to sign in January we may as well sign up for the Championship right now.

I'd have to agree with that, although not so much as to term the player in question crap, but in the sense that buying just more "future potential" in January would put us in a really tough position.

[not3bad]

From what I have read we have money to spend without selling.

Wages has indeed been the issue. Hekey's fee of 3.5 mill, for example, would have been dwarfed by amount of money we paid him.

We can also buy/pay in advance against the salaries we are guaranteed to save in the summer - Warnock & Dunne.

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull?

You've seen him play?  You know of his capabilities and know he's crap?  I suppose he could never be another Hutton.

[PaulTheVillan]

From what I have read we have money to spend without selling.

Wages has indeed been the issue. Hekey's fee of 3.5 mill, for example, would have been dwarfed by amount of money we paid him.

We can also buy/pay in advance against the salaries we are guaranteed to save in the summer - Warnock & Dunne.

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull? If these are the type of players we'll be looking to sign in January we may as well sign up for the Championship right now.

When we're down next season we'll have no good players to lose.

Like when West Ham lost nearly everyone when they went down years ago.

We can keep the same squad and try and come back up again

[PaulWinch again]

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull? If these are the type of players we'll be looking to sign in January we may as well sign up for the Championship right now.

I'd have to agree with that, although not so much as to term the player in question crap, but in the sense that buying just more "future potential" in January would put us in a really tough position.

Yes 'crap' is a ludicrous word to use as we have no idea. However we need establish, experienced quality in January.

[PaulTheVillan]

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull? If these are the type of players we'll be looking to sign in January we may as well sign up for the Championship right now.

I'd have to agree with that, although not so much as to term the player in question crap, but in the sense that buying just more "future potential" in January would put us in a really tough position.

Yes 'crap' is a ludicrous word to use as we have no idea. However we need establish, experienced quality in January.

Wonder what Robert Pires is doing these days?

[saunders_heroes]

From what I have read we have money to spend without selling.

Wages has indeed been the issue. Hekey's fee of 3.5 mill, for example, would have been dwarfed by amount of money we paid him.

We can also buy/pay in advance against the salaries we are guaranteed to save in the summer - Warnock & Dunne.

So why are we still linked with more lower league crap like James Chester from Hull?

You've seen him play?  You know of his capabilities and know he's crap?  I suppose he could never be another Hutton.

I have actually, and he's nothing special. Just another average lower league player. The type we seem to be infatuated with at the moment because they probably don't demand more than £10k a week wages.
If we want to stay up we have to pay the going rate for PL players. You get what you pay for in life. Football is no different.