Donyell Malen

[ozzjim]

We need goals, we'll get goals. Brian, Tammy and Moise will score! 😉

Malen isn't good enough to start for us and that's what he wanted.

We need options. Those options are extremely thin for a club fighting on 3 fronts. Malen was a very very good impact player, as was Duran, as was Diaby, because they are different to Watkins. We have to get a couple of forward options in this month, and not just the leggy Championship striker.

[N'ZMAV]

I'm not convinced by Abraham, hopefully I'm wrong if he replaces Malen

[Drummond]

Diaby is the one I miss most from that list. He combined with Watkins. Duran just wasn't right for the team morale.

Last winter window was decent with Asensio and Rashford, that's the sort of quality id like us to be searching for.

[Ian.]

I’m with you on that. Diaby was exciting and I thought for his first season he was generally a success.

[PeterWithe]

Diaby is the one I miss most from that list.

Yeah me too, I get that he was patchy but thought he would get better and better in his second season. Wonder if he’s available on loan? And other of the younger players out in Saudi might want a bit more of a shop window with the WC coming.

[Dave]

Presumably most of them will still be hamstrung by that thing where they get taxed on their Saudi blood money if they come to the UK too soon?

[simon ward 50]

Still puzzled?

[PaulWinch again]

To be honest I think it’s overly simplistic to look across the entirety of his time here and question his effectiveness. He’s very clearly “upped his game” in recent months, as he’s got more familiar with the play. He had a bad game at Chelsea, but generally has made a real impact of late. Reality is he gives us something different, it might not be a direct replacement for Ollie, but across the forward line.

[ozzjim]

To be honest I think it’s overly simplistic to look across the entirety of his time here and question his effectiveness. He’s very clear “upped his game” in recent months, as he’s got more familiar with the play. He had a bad game at Chelsea, but generally has made a real impact of late. Reality is he gives us something different, it might not be a direct replacement for Ollie, but across the forward line.

Exactly. Ollie doesn't set the Buendia goal up at Spurs as he just doesn't move and think at that pace in a team move, maybe Tammy might I don't know. Malen sped the whole game up which created a lot of space for others in the second halves of games.

[Dick Edwards]

Diaby is the one I miss most from that list.

Digby had ability, without a doubt, but he was too lightweight to be a consistent top end of the Premier League performer.

[Halfway to Moseley]

Diaby is the one I miss most from that list.

Digby had ability, without a doubt, but he was too lightweight to be a consistent top end of the Premier League performer.

Lightweight? He was the biggest dog in the world.

[Dick Edwards]

Fecking spellchecker! 

[paul_e]

Diaby is the one I miss most from that list.

Digby had ability, without a doubt, but he was too lightweight to be a consistent top end of the Premier League performer.

Yep, once teams worked out what to do against him he was much less effective in the 2nd half of the season after a brilliant first few months. Thankfully Bailey's bump in form and Rogers arriving and settling far faster than expected covered for it. He may well have improved in his 2nd season but I don't think he wanted to risk it so he took the big money whilst it was on the table, which is absolutely his right.

[PeterWithe]

Presumably most of them will still be hamstrung by that thing where they get taxed on their Saudi blood money if they come to the UK too soon?

I've no idea if them coming here on a temporary short term contract would change that, my (albeit very limited) understanding was that it was a potential issue with the Saudi tax authorities rather than ours, so if they were still under contract there?

In truth I haven't the foggiest, but as it's never stopped me before....

[ChicagoLion]

If you mis time your return to the UK, then you end up paying UK tax on earnings received outside the UK.