Summer 26 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[PeterWithe]

Seems to be quite a bit of chatter about Sara, Soule and Mbaye.

Need to sign Soule as an excuse to sing Erasure.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't even sing that on my own in the car. 

Have a little respect.

[PaulWinch again]

Even at £28m Rashford is expensive because of his age and resale value.
Not to mention his wages.

£28 million is not remotely expensive for Rashford irrespective of his resale value. It’s peanuts in relative terms.

[PeterWithe]

I mean I know Gordon has really, really shit hair, in a way that he wouldn't look out of place in a late 1970s Panini Album, but he's some player. Pace, power, good finisher, good shot from distance. Hes got it all.

[LeeB]

I mean I know Gordon has really, really shit hair, in a way that he wouldn't look out of place in a late 1970s Panini Album, but he's some player. Pace, power, good finisher, good shot from distance. Hes got it all.

Yeah, but he's on of those players you love to hate.

[Dante Lavelli]

Even at £28m Rashford is expensive because of his age and resale value.
Not to mention his wages.

£28 million is not remotely expensive for Rashford irrespective of his resale value. It’s peanuts in relative terms.

It's paying a 33-year old 300K/week that's the issue IMO. 

[Dogtanian]

Seems to be quite a bit of chatter about Sara, Soule and Mbaye.

Need to sign Soule as an excuse to sing Erasure.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't even sing that on my own in the car. 

Have a little respect.

I do... sometimes.

[paul_e]

I mean I know Gordon has really, really shit hair, in a way that he wouldn't look out of place in a late 1970s Panini Album, but he's some player. Pace, power, good finisher, good shot from distance. Hes got it all.

I get what you mean but I also think that, at 25, it's not unreasonable to expect a lot more from him if he's going to turn that potential into regular match-winning performances. All of this noise around him is based entirely on him having a good year in the champions league this season but even then a lot of it is that he was a bit of a flat-track bully against a handful of very weak sides.

[PaulWinch again]

Even at £28m Rashford is expensive because of his age and resale value.
Not to mention his wages.

£28 million is not remotely expensive for Rashford irrespective of his resale value. It’s peanuts in relative terms.

It's paying a 33-year old 300K/week that's the issue IMO. 

I don’t think the age versus the wage is particularly relevant. That obviously assumes he signs a 5 year deal, but if he were still one of our top performing players at that point and was paid as such I don’t see the issue.

I don’t think there’s a scenario where we’d be paying that much anyway, but the issue is more where you’re paying over the odds for players not contributing to a level commensurate with their pay.

Rashford is a player that elevates our level.

[Smithy]

I mean I know Gordon has really, really shit hair, in a way that he wouldn't look out of place in a late 1970s Panini Album, but he's some player. Pace, power, good finisher, good shot from distance. Hes got it all.

I get what you mean but I also think that, at 25, it's not unreasonable to expect a lot more from him if he's going to turn that potential into regular match-winning performances. All of this noise around him is based entirely on him having a good year in the champions league this season but even then a lot of it is that he was a bit of a flat-track bully against a handful of very weak sides.

I think he's very good, but I don't think he's a "Barcelona" type signing, which is why it's a surprising move.  He has the ability to succeed there, but it does feel like the fans appreciate their 'entertainers' there, which isn't really Gordon's game.

Newcastle will be worse without him, which I suppose is good news, depending on how they spend the proceeds.

[Dogtanian]

Didn't Barcelona take Adama Traore on loan at one point?

[ChicagoLion]

Even at £28m Rashford is expensive because of his age and resale value.
Not to mention his wages.

£28 million is not remotely expensive for Rashford irrespective of his resale value. It’s peanuts in relative terms.

Based on his age it’s probably £14million a year as I don’t see him playing top level past 30, he is not without injury issues. Headbandino is the equivalent of about the same per year with a lot higher resale potential.
And lower wages.

[PeterWithe]

Didn't Barcelona take Adama Traore on loan at one point?

If memory serves, he came through their youth system before joining us.

[RamboandBruno]

He had a six month spell with us where he was excellent. Other than that, he was meh at best. He's not had much of a look-in since coming back, but when he has, he hasn't really made much impression.

Move on, send him back, look for better.

Harsh, IMO. I think he was our best player in the post-Covid break period in his first season and crucial to our survival. He perhaps didn't kick on straight away, but was one of few to generally come out with credit for Gerrard Villa. Under Unai, first spell, he was consistent very good. So probably about three good seasons for us in total and no particularly bad ones.

His form since returning shows a combination of a lack of confidence after the failed Juventus move and the after-effects of a nasty injury and I probably wouldn't choose to sign him now, sadly. Though if Unai fancies giving him another try I wouldn't be devastated.

So yeah, don't really agree with "meh except for six months".

Completely agree with all of this.

[fredm]

With regard to selling Rogers, we have to give Middlesborough 20% of anything we receive as part of the deal when we signed him.  To me that means the fee must start at 100m or it isn't worth us selling him.

[rob_bridge]

Seems to be quite a bit of chatter about Sara, Soule and Mbaye.

Need to sign Soule as an excuse to sing Erasure.

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't even sing that on my own in the car. 

Have a little respect.

I do... sometimes.

We are edging toward Circus territory here.

punalight - someone let CD know