Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[LeeB]

Can somebody remind me was it Konsa or Engels that had previously played as a defensive midfielder? It's been bugging me for weeks.

Oh and fully agree with Paul_e on the importance of a defensive midfielder being able to read the game.

Christ, Engels in midfield would be like Eric Dier on mogadon.

[Steve67]

Can somebody remind me was it Konsa or Engels that had previously played as a defensive midfielder? It's been bugging me for weeks.

Oh and fully agree with Paul_e on the importance of a defensive midfielder being able to read the game.

Christ, Engels in midfield would be like Eric Dier on mogadon.

It was Konsa.

[KevinGage]

Also, as I said before, 5 of those goals were against Luton and Barnsley.

The wide player thing needs to be put to bed, if he'd never said it in an interview would anyone look at him and think "he'd make a good winger"?

On the box ticking thing for me too many of those boxes relate to him playing for us 2 years ago. It's the same reason why Milner will probably get a mention on this thread at some point and people have talked about Benteke as a serious option.

What really annoys me about this repeated conversation on him though is that it makes it come across as if I think he's a poor player and that's never been the case, I just don't think he's a good use of the £40-50m they'd want for him and that's been my view for the past 2 summers as well, if he'd been available at any point for around half that I'd be all for it but right now his fee is inflated because of the club he's with just like lots of young English players have been in the last few years.

That's pretty much where I am, TBH.

But aren't all modern fees inflated these days?  Also, if NSWE think £40 million is worthwhile use of their ample funds, who am I to argue.

As LeeB said earlier, if either Watkins (Or Tammy) were starting wide, they wouldn't be playing as conventional wingers banging in crosses.  Watkins does some of his best work foraging on the right, Tammy has expressed an idea of coming in from the left before. As per Terry Henry or whoever.

Depending on the match and depending on the particular line up of the opposition, if the full-back on either side is more of an attacking one who likes to wander and often gets caught out, asking one of that pair to start wide and cut in makes sense.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Cheers, Steve.

LeeB, it's so long since I saw Engels play I honestly can't remember what he's like. I'll take you word for him.

[sickbeggar]

Celtics Dvid Turnbull for 7 mill in the daily Record..  never heard of him

Same here. Looks like a 7m punt on one for the future which is peanuts really. Hard to judge given its' Scotland.

[dave.woodhall]

We should have learned the reality of transfer fees with Benteke and Wesley. When we were relegated £30 million bought one of the best strikers in Europe. Three years later it got you potential. In the summer better strikers than Tammy will be available but the big question is will they want to come to us, and if they do they'll cost a lot more than £40 million. 

[algy]

Celtics Dvid Turnbull for 7 mill in the daily Record..  never heard of him

Based purely on Wikipedia, central midfielder, scored quite a bit whilst he was playing for Motherwell, moved to Celtic last summer and was their player of the year this season.

He's only 21, so might be an interesting squad option but I'd wonder if he'd get enough game time with us.  Specially with us also trying to bring Jacob Ramsey through, and maybe give a few subs appearances to Chucky/JPB if they don't go somewhere on loan.  But the price is right for me, and he does look a decent prospect.

[OCD]

We shouldn't be signing people to be 'squad players'. We would need to have seen something about him. I've heard the name before but know nothing about him other than what I've read (being good with both feet was one thing I read). It would be interesting to see what people who have seen him think.

[UK Redsox]

Can somebody remind me was it Konsa or Engels that had previously played as a defensive midfielder? It's been bugging me for weeks.

Oh and fully agree with Paul_e on the importance of a defensive midfielder being able to read the game.

Christ, Engels in midfield would be like Eric Dier on mogadon.

It was Konsa.

I think that Konsa has the ability to do a job in any position. He's the new Riccardo Scimeca

[Risso]

We should have learned the reality of transfer fees with Benteke and Wesley. When we were relegated £30 million bought one of the best strikers in Europe. Three years later it got you potential. In the summer better strikers than Tammy will be available but the big question is will they want to come to us, and if they do they'll cost a lot more than £40 million. 

That's only true if you go down the Arsenal route of paying the going rate or above for really obvious targets. The key to it is to get value. Whether that's young players like Konsa whose value now will be four times (at least) what we paid for him, or players who are not in favour at their current club, or are just off he radar a bit. I'd say Watkins is a better striker than Tammy and he didn't cost a lot more than £40m.

[Monty]

If we didn't have Watkins, but instead all these great wingers with nobody to lead the line, I'd be very content with £40m for Tammy, and provided we get the first team improvements we desperately need too that would still be a fine signing. But to me, he's not the answer to our first team issues.

[sickbeggar]

We still need a good (and expensive) striker. I personally think Wesley will find his feet if the injury hasn't buggered him, but if Watkins gets crocked......

[dave.woodhall]

We should have learned the reality of transfer fees with Benteke and Wesley. When we were relegated £30 million bought one of the best strikers in Europe. Three years later it got you potential. In the summer better strikers than Tammy will be available but the big question is will they want to come to us, and if they do they'll cost a lot more than £40 million. 

That's only true if you go down the Arsenal route of paying the going rate or above for really obvious targets. The key to it is to get value. Whether that's young players like Konsa whose value now will be four times (at least) what we paid for him, or players who are not in favour at their current club, or are just off he radar a bit. I'd say Watkins is a better striker than Tammy and he didn't cost a lot more than £40m.

But he was still a gamble, potential rather than proven.

[cdbearsfan]

Watkins was clearly more of a gamble at £33 million that Abraham would be at £40 million. Watkins had never played in the top flight and Abraham's goals record, based on most recent Championship season, was better than Ollie's, too.

I'm undecided on whether we should sign Abraham. However, £40 million for a striker who has been capped for England, has played loads of games and scored plenty of goals for one of the best teams in Europe and who appears to have his best years ahead of him seems perfectly reasonable in the current climate.

I'm not too bothered about trying to get a "bargain" either. Everybody knows we are one of the richest clubs in the richest league on Earth. Just accept that you might have to pay a bit over the odds and don't bother with the penny pinching. Pretty much everyone thought we overpaid for Watkins, it has been more than worth it.

[Dave]

We should have learned the reality of transfer fees with Benteke and Wesley. When we were relegated £30 million bought one of the best strikers in Europe. Three years later it got you potential. In the summer better strikers than Tammy will be available but the big question is will they want to come to us, and if they do they'll cost a lot more than £40 million.

I think this is a summer in which that precedent doesn't apply so much though, both in terms of what clubs are willing to spend on new players and what they are going to need to sell in order to keep themselves going.

The dozen or so elite players are going to be heavily in demand, but I reckon the next level of player down might be available to us in a way that they weren't pre-Covid.

The French, Dutch or Portuguese Champions League club who was relying on selling their best player to Real Madrid or PSG for €80m to reinvest the money might well find that buyer isn't there this summer and rather than needing money to reinvest, they are forced to find a €50m buyer to replace a year of lost income.