2023 Summer transfer window - hopes, needs, expectations and rumours.

[Stu]

Would've been great but no despair, it's pretty cool that we're shopping in these kinds of places now, I'm sure we'll get someone exciting.

Shopping in the same way that I like to browse Patek Phillipe watches online.

Here, have a Swatch instead!

Or in football parlance, a Youri Tielemens

[chrisw1]

I don’t get this whole being used thing. We went for a player and the player and his agent considered our offer to others available. And we will win some of those and lose some. That’s the whole point of considering options. Alemany considered his options and chose Barcelona in the end. Asensio may choose PSG. We will also be the beneficiaries of deals when players choose us over other clubs.

If you don't think that agents play clubs off against each other to get the best deal they can then I think that's pretty naive.

[Monty]

I don’t get this whole being used thing. We went for a player and the player and his agent considered our offer to others available. And we will win some of those and lose some. That’s the whole point of considering options. Alemany considered his options and chose Barcelona in the end. Asensio may choose PSG. We will also be the beneficiaries of deals when players choose us over other clubs.

If you don't think that agents play clubs off against each other to get the best deal they can then I think that's pretty naive.

Of course, but the clubs have to both be viable options.

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t get this whole being used thing. We went for a player and the player and his agent considered our offer to others available. And we will win some of those and lose some. That’s the whole point of considering options. Alemany considered his options and chose Barcelona in the end. Asensio may choose PSG. We will also be the beneficiaries of deals when players choose us over other clubs.

If you don't think that agents play clubs off against each other to get the best deal they can then I think that's pretty naive.

Agents want to get the best deal for their clients. That’s not the same as being used. Do you not think clubs are fully aware as to how that works. Our job is put the best deal possible in front of a player and his agent. The agent then speaks to other interested parties. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they then didn’t try to secure the best “package” for their clients. And by “package” it is about the scope of the opportunity and compensation. The agent, in this case Mendes is close to both to Nas and the team at PSG. Clubs aren’t naive as to how this all works.

[Stu]

These kind of signings are out of our reach until/if we get CL football. Currently the club has to scout well and sign players whom Unai can improve and mould into a team to get there.

Asensio is 27 years old, in the prime of his career, has already played in the CL and wants to move forward. Signing for us would be a step back for him and no matter how much money we could offer him, PSG can afford to pay him more by several magnitudes and also offer him a realistic tilt at a CL medal.

Our market is more along the lines of the Kamara signing, which was still a coup for us.

[Hairbandinho]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

[Stu]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

The team's performance since Unai took over suggests that we may well have been able to get CL if he had been here since last August. Having talented players is obviously really important but the main thing is to have a really talented manager imo, something which we have not had for a very, very long time. We're still at the point of signing very good prospects and polishing them up, we are not yet at the point where we sign players who are already the finished article, so to speak.

[Pete3206]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

Newcastle managed it.

[Risso]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

The team's performance since Unai took over suggests that we may well have been able to get CL if he had been here since last August. Having talented players is obviously really important but the main thing is to have a really talented manager imo, something which we have not had for a very, very long time. We're still at the point of signing very good prospects and polishing them up, we are not yet at the point where we sign players who are already the finished article, so to speak.

Don't agree with that at all sorry. We've signed Carlos and Moreno, for a start.

[SamTheMouse]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

Newcastle managed it.

I suspect that, had we appointed Emery last summer, we might also have managed it.

[Stu]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

The team's performance since Unai took over suggests that we may well have been able to get CL if he had been here since last August. Having talented players is obviously really important but the main thing is to have a really talented manager imo, something which we have not had for a very, very long time. We're still at the point of signing very good prospects and polishing them up, we are not yet at the point where we sign players who are already the finished article, so to speak.

Don't agree with that at all sorry. We've signed Carlos and Moreno, for a start.

That's fair in terms of the finished article. Although I think there's a difference in calibre of player here which was in my head and didn't communicate!

[Bad English]

PSG They will lose... Mbappe next season unless the French PM steps in again.

The French President stepped in.  All the PM (Elisabeth Borne) has done is publicly chide Mbappe for pissing himself laughing at a press conference when PSG were rebuked for taking a plane from Paris to Nantes for a game and their manager Galtieri said "We'll go by sand yacht next time."

[Toronto Villa]

PSG They will lose... Mbappe next season unless the French PM steps in again.

The French President stepped in.  All the PM (Elisabeth Borne) has done is publicly chide Mbappe for pissing himself laughing at a press conference when PSG were rebuked for taking a plane from Paris to Nantes for a game and their manager Galtieri said "We'll go by sand yacht next time."

I meant Macron. It was all rather ludicrous

[pauliewalnuts]

The problem with getting to the CL is signings such as that would help get us there, but you can't make the signings because the existing teams in it are more attractive options. It's a circular argument.

Newcastle managed it.

I suspect that, had we appointed Emery last summer, we might also have managed it.

Newcastle haven't really made any CL level signings, or anyone that we couldn't have signed.

They've got where they are more through excellent coaching.

[Clark W Griswold]

Very true.
Asensio was always unlikely at this stage. We need some quality ‘under the radar’ signings to complement what we already have, and he didn’t do too badly with what we already have anyway.