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

[PaulWinch again]

By tier I took him to mean within the Premier League. He can’t possibly have meant Championship and League 1.

[Risso]

Tammy Abraham is not good enough.

Even in the season we went up and he scored a stack that season, he still missed a high number of real sitters.

He's a second or third tier striker at best.

Second or third tier striker? Really?

For once I agree that is a ridiculous comment.

I read that as second or third tier in the Premier League, rather than Championship or League 1. Eg if Kane, Salah and Haaland are top tier, then it wouldn't be unfair to call the likes of Watkins, Wilson and Toney second tier. I might be wrong of course.


edit: as Paul has also just said.

[ozzjim]

I took it the same. Sort of a 6-10th prem club tier, not a top 2/4 club starter.

[AV84]

I believe the idea behind all the sports investment from Saudi is to replace the oil money that's drying up. So in that respect its more about making them a destination for sports, which will become a long term economic driver for the state.

They've been holding massive tennis exhibitions for years and only recently did people start questioning the players who took the cash to go and play. Probably angling for a Masters event there.

They've got the golf locked down. And as pointed out before, the football World Cup is an aim of theirs. Although I know people do travel for football, a lot, I don't see how they could create a league that could create an attraction in the same way a Barca/Madrid match might, for example. At least not on a global stage.

[paul_e]

By tier I took him to mean within the Premier League. He can’t possibly have meant Championship and League 1.

I agree, I'd assume it goes something like:
tier 1 - world class: Haaland, Kane, etc
tier 2 - consistently good in the premier league: Wilson, Toney, Watkins, etc
tier 3 - capable of a good season but also could go missing: Solanke, Bamford, Mitrovic, etc

I'd agree as well, Abraham would be 2 or 3 on that scale

[kippaxvilla2]

Fair enough.

[PeterWithesShin]

I like to think that if I were a top class player at the tail end of my career and with millions already in the bank that i'd either publically tell them to go fuck themselves, or take their money. And then use every penny they paid me from day one to support LGBT causes around the world.

[Clampy]

Anyhow, we need to get on with signings - it is all about integrating them quickly.

We've signed two. Why are you acting like an impatient kid on Twitter?

Clamps - stop being silly.

I don't understand the impatience. You whinged about how long the Torres signing took and you have barely mentionied him now he's here. Transfers take time, they always have and they always will.

[kippaxvilla2]

My posts come in peaks and troughs so I may not get round to commenting on something for some time not that I should have to justify commenting either way to you.  Anyway, make friends, break friends forever gonna be friends etc.

[AV84]

I like to think that if I were a top class player at the tail end of my career and with millions already in the bank that i'd either publically tell them to go fuck themselves, or take their money. And then use every penny they paid me from day one to support LGBT causes around the world.

This is the thing that really bugs me. Everyone they're signing is already set up for life, unless they've been really stupid with their money. So the lure of 25 million for a year, or whatever it is, should not be enough to make already very wealthy people throw away all moral reasoning.

That said, there's a lot of countries around the world with very questionable human rights records these days. The US, for example, is an awful place for many people at the moment, but we don't seem to judge it the same way when people do business with them. People praising Messi for going to Miami, of all places, over Saudi, is really bar on the floor stuff.

[AV82EC]

I like to think that if I were a top class player at the tail end of my career and with millions already in the bank that i'd either publically tell them to go fuck themselves, or take their money. And then use every penny they paid me from day one to support LGBT causes around the world.

This is the thing that really bugs me. Everyone they're signing is already set up for life, unless they've been really stupid with their money. So the lure of 25 million for a year, or whatever it is, should not be enough to make already very wealthy people throw away all moral reasoning.

That said, there's a lot of countries around the world with very questionable human rights records these days. The US, for example, is an awful place for many people at the moment, but we don't seem to judge it the same way when people do business with them. People praising Messi for going to Miami, of all places, over Saudi, is really bar on the floor stuff.

Are you seriously comparing Miami with Saudi?

[Ger Regan]

Florida is hardly a beacon of hope for the lgbtq+ community, or people of colour. A number of organisations have issued travel warnings for the state, so while they're not at the level of Saudi Arabia, it is a fair comparison.

[Risso]

Florida is hardly a beacon of hope for the lgbtq+ community, or people of colour. A number of organisations have issued travel warnings for the state, so while they're not at the level of Saudi Arabia, it is a fair comparison.

Come off it, to compare the two in any way is simply ridiculous.

[ChicagoLion]

I know we like to think how we would react when offered crazy amounts of money by regimes like Saudi Qatar but the reality is most people put them selves first, it’s human nature.
We should also consider that their per group is made up of extremely wealthy individuals and what most see as extreme riches a well paid PL player sees it as normal.

[ChicagoLion]

Florida is hardly a beacon of hope for the lgbtq+ community, or people of colour. A number of organisations have issued travel warnings for the state, so while they're not at the level of Saudi Arabia, it is a fair comparison.

Come off it, to compare the two in any way is simply ridiculous.

Yes, that’s just plain daft.