I'm not so sure that Emery sanctioned the Malen sale, he seemed really pissed off after the game, we sold the one backup for Watkins before a replacement came in, Emery is fanatical about detail and that transaction doesn't seem like his decision.
Quote from: Drummond on January 19, 2026, 11:40:42 AMThe deal for Malen may have been off the table if we hadn't done it then.Why? Are we about to take the deal for Abraham "off the table" because it hasn't happened as quickly as we'd have liked?They signed him because they wanted him. They don't stop wanting him if we say "but we don't have a forward on our bench for our game this weekend, so we need him for another few days. Or, use whatever influence you have with Besiktas to hurry along our Abraham deal".
The deal for Malen may have been off the table if we hadn't done it then.
Quote from: Dave on January 19, 2026, 11:44:58 AMQuote from: Drummond on January 19, 2026, 11:40:42 AMThe deal for Malen may have been off the table if we hadn't done it then.Why? Are we about to take the deal for Abraham "off the table" because it hasn't happened as quickly as we'd have liked?They signed him because they wanted him. They don't stop wanting him if we say "but we don't have a forward on our bench for our game this weekend, so we need him for another few days. Or, use whatever influence you have with Besiktas to hurry along our Abraham deal".Maybe. Maybe we're so financially fucked that we had to move him on when we did. I've no idea, just the same as everyone else. It's a possibility though. There are plenty of other scenatios that may, or may not, apply.
It looked like we had the green light for the Gallagher deal before news broke that Roma were in advanced talks for Malen. Maybe Emery sanctioned it to get a player he’d been keen on for a while - only to see that hit the skids when the divine manbun decided to hide out for a bit in London N17 instead. We did something similar (though not quite as destructive) last season, when we let Diego Carlos go to free up space for the French lad at Sevilla. Before he decided he didn’t fancy it either.
Even if he does have complete control, as others have said, maybe we've just had to ship one high earner out to give us wiggle room for an incoming. He was angry, but so are we, so why shouldn't he be as angry as us.
Quote from: Ian. on January 19, 2026, 04:42:24 PMEven if he does have complete control, as others have said, maybe we've just had to ship one high earner out to give us wiggle room for an incoming. He was angry, but so are we, so why shouldn't he be as angry as us.Is that how these sanctions work, on an ongoing, cumulative basis?Or is it subject to periodic review - i.e., we have to comply at the review date?Obviously, it might still have been out of our hands to a degree - maybe we'd promised Malen it would go ahead if he played for us at Spurs. Still, the optics aren't good.