Summer 2024 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Dogtanian]

On the Lukaku rumour - like, no offence, but I've never even heard of Il Mattino.

It's the main Neapolitan daily paper.

It comes in three sections.

[PeterWithesShin]

I doubt they know what, if any, negotiations Chelsea are doing. I also can't see us going for a fat lumbering 31 year old that looks in serious decline and would cost a fair chunk.

[paul_e]

On the Lukaku rumour - like, no offence, but I've never even heard of Il Mattino.

It's the main Neapolitan daily paper.

It comes in three sections.

but a lot of people only read one of them?

[Risso]

Neither barkley nor tielemans are Luiz quality I'm afraid, and neither are capable of posting Luiz's numbers from last season.

Hopefully the goals will be spread amongst our attackers but it's a worry imo

I disagree with that. Luiz got 5 goals in the league (excluding penalties) and Tielemans is well capable of matching that. If you put him on penalties he'd be even better than Luiz at them i reckon. I think Tielemans is a better player than Luiz, on the whole.

[Gareth]

Neither barkley nor tielemans are Luiz quality I'm afraid, and neither are capable of posting Luiz's numbers from last season.

Hopefully the goals will be spread amongst our attackers but it's a worry imo

I disagree with that. Luiz got 5 goals in the league (excluding penalties) and Tielemans is well capable of matching that. If you put him on penalties he'd be even better than Luiz at them i reckon. I think Tielemans is a better player than Luiz, on the whole.

I agree - and with the physicality and size of Onana in there and Kamara to return later in year the centre of mid is the one area of the spine that I’m not overly worried about depth wise…Martinez / Watkins back ups are a concern and centre back depth

[Monty]

I just think we'll see a recalibration, with two deep midfielders really staying deep more often.

[OCD]

Which makes sense with a box midfield and means there's more protection in front of the defence.

[Monty]

On the Lukaku rumour - like, no offence, but I've never even heard of Il Mattino.

It's the main Neapolitan daily paper.

Ah that's it yeah. Go down thereabouts to see sort-of-in-laws pretty often, but I never get the local news.

And, without wanting to indulge in stereotypes, if they're getting their scoops from De Laurentiis and his entourage, I don't think we need file it in the sure-thing folder...

[coreyfeldman]

Neither barkley nor tielemans are Luiz quality I'm afraid, and neither are capable of posting Luiz's numbers from last season.

Hopefully the goals will be spread amongst our attackers but it's a worry imo

I disagree with that. Luiz got 5 goals in the league (excluding penalties) and Tielemans is well capable of matching that. If you put him on penalties he'd be even better than Luiz at them i reckon. I think Tielemans is a better player than Luiz, on the whole.

Aren't penalties goals then?

[eamonn]

They are but they're easier than other ones.

[paul_e]

They are but they're easier than other ones.

I'm fine with not counting penalties when comparing players because they are more like team goals.

[Risso]

Neither barkley nor tielemans are Luiz quality I'm afraid, and neither are capable of posting Luiz's numbers from last season.

Hopefully the goals will be spread amongst our attackers but it's a worry imo

I disagree with that. Luiz got 5 goals in the league (excluding penalties) and Tielemans is well capable of matching that. If you put him on penalties he'd be even better than Luiz at them i reckon. I think Tielemans is a better player than Luiz, on the whole.

Aren't penalties goals then?

Yes of course they are, but they're not usually scored as a result of the player themselves getting into a great scoring position. You could have a player taking the penalties who wasn't involved in the build up play at all. Obviously anybody who's decent at taking penalties will have a boost to their stats that people who aren't chosen to take them, won't get. Tielemans is a brilliant striker of the ball, and I reckon he'd be just as reliable on them as Luiz, but if Unai decides for example, that Ollie will be our penalty taker this season, then Tielemans won't get the chance to score them, as Luiz did.

[edgysatsuma89]

I doubt they know what, if any, negotiations Chelsea are doing. I also can't see us going for a fat lumbering 31 year old that looks in serious decline and would cost a fair chunk.

He definitely isn't fat as the man looked ripped at the Euros, he's just too bulky. Rest of your point stands.

[paul_e]

I doubt they know what, if any, negotiations Chelsea are doing. I also can't see us going for a fat lumbering 31 year old that looks in serious decline and would cost a fair chunk.

He definitely isn't fat as the man looked ripped at the Euros, he's just too bulky. Rest of your point stands.

He's built like a heavyweight boxer more than a footballer and looks really short on mobility.

[edgysatsuma89]

I doubt they know what, if any, negotiations Chelsea are doing. I also can't see us going for a fat lumbering 31 year old that looks in serious decline and would cost a fair chunk.

He definitely isn't fat as the man looked ripped at the Euros, he's just too bulky. Rest of your point stands.

He's built like a heavyweight boxer more than a footballer and looks really short on mobility.

I completely agree, but it isn't fat, he's just built his body all wrong to be an elite footballer. He must be pretty stubborn because surely professionals will have pointed this out to him?