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

[Mister E]

Re Jackson it is a big no from me.  Whilst I obviously hero worship Unai he did sign Pepe for £70m.

I think Pepe was signed over his head; Emery wanted Saha.

Louis was old and shit by then, think you mean Wilfried Zaha.

Ha, yes. Mea culpa.

[trinityoap]

Weren't Mea Culpa a support band on ACR's ill-fated Bolivian tour?

[Percy McCarthy]

Could Jackson sign for Bayern, and then sign for us, like the Tammy arrangement?

[cdbearsfan]

Yep.

[frank black]

This is a bit of an assassin piece on Mbaye:

EXTRAORDINARY and HUGE demands to agents interested in representing the PSG youngster:

• Agents were asked to finance several major projects from Mbaye's family, including: A hospital, an academy and a football club in Senegal, investments companies, startups in France, purchases of trucks and maritime transportation

• The demands also included a private family box, a MERCEDES VIANO, offices in Paris and an annual operating budget.

• Mbaye's family also asked for a special box at the Parc des Princes, coverage of travel and general expenses

• His family demanded 50% of all agent commissions and 50% of his image rights.

• They  wanted to be present during EVERY negotiation involving the player.

• Despite his English agency investing between €150,000 and €250,000 in his development, Mbaye is said to have changed agents THREE times in less than a year.

• After the AFCON, his mother complained repeatedly about his lack of playing time, allegedly saying: “My son is Lamine Yamal. He’s the best... Better than Dembélé. Why isn’t he playing?”

• Mbaye’s entourage constantly reinforced the idea that he deserved to play more. However, concerns emerged inside PSG over his weight, diet and overall discipline.

• His father also pressured Mbaye to do certain things that conflicted with the player’s religious principles.

• Mbaye accumulated several late arrivals to training, causing him to fall down PSG’s pecking order... The coaching staff eventually became frustrated with the situation and no longer wanted to tolerate the repeated problems.

• PSG were also said to be furious with the player’s entourage, particularly Luis Campos, who blamed Mbaye’s father for numerous leaks to the media

@touchlineX

[frank black]

Maybe I can why we went for Garnacho, he’s seem quite easy to manage compared to Mbayes mom and dad.

[AGRIPPA]

A

[Todd Packer]

Fabrizo touting we are after Paqueta again….initial loan..??

Is he? Can't seem to find any links....

[AGRIPPA]

Fabrizo touting we are after Paqueta again….initial loan..??

Is he? Can't seem to find any links....

Think I’d seen a very old post….now deleted….

[Dante Lavelli]

Nobody guarantees us anything. Keeping Watkins is as much of a gamble as replacing him. It's not like he can fall back on his technique if his body starts to decline.

Yes, "guarantees" is probably too strong a way to put it. 

But with Ollie he's a known quantity. We know what we're getting. Some frustrating performances, but also goals. The chances of him dropping off physically this season are small (he's only 30), but they're also not zero.  He's always looked after himself, shown himself to be pretty resistant to injury, so I'd expect him to have another couple of seasons without any significant drop off in his physical attributes.  32+? Then, maybe, yes, but he'd had very little sell-on value by that point, so I guess if we want his fee to cover the cost of his replacement, it might be we have to sell him and watch him have a couple of good seasons elsewhere while wondering "what if?" if things back home don't go as well as we'd hope.

If we keep Watkins then I’d hope the plan is to grow a replacement in the meantime as an ‘oven ready’ striker will be a massive fee to find without cash coming in.  The Espi and Madjo links are presumably players working towards that plan. 

[ASHTONVILLA]

Maybe I can why we went for Garnacho, he’s seem quite easy to manage compared to Mbayes mom and dad.

Sounds like the perfect Bailey replacement.

[Todd Packer]

Maybe I can why we went for Garnacho, he’s seem quite easy to manage compared to Mbayes mom and dad.

The same journalist who leaked the information about the parents has also shared a photo of them at Villa Park, posing with a 2025–26 Villa shirt, with Mbaye on the back.

[LennyVilla]

Not really, he still saw him in training every day, he's still the manager he worked with for a year. I'm not saying he definitely does or doesn't want him but "worked with him before" clearly isn't lazy journalism, it's just objective truth.

Linking him to us as someone we want to sign as a result is lazy, but that's not the same thing.

Also we don't have 3 better strikers, that's clearly bullshit, we have 1 who is better and 1 who, at best, is similar to Jackson. I have no idea who the 3rd is supposed to be.

My point exactly is that he saw him in training every day, and then decided not to play him very much, so I don’t see why he would now spend £65m on him.

And I’m putting Abraham and Madjo ahead of him on the count of them not being completely useless and could hit a barn do with a banjo.

[frank black]

Maybe I can why we went for Garnacho, he’s seem quite easy to manage compared to Mbayes mom and dad.

The same journalist who leaked the information about the parents has also shared a photo of them at Villa Park, posing with a 2025–26 Villa shirt, with Mbaye on the back.

I saw that, crazy stuff. They are basically taking him off the market and building quite a reputation

(Unless it all some elaborate load of rubbish)

[eamonn]

Mbaye seems more trouble than Stephen Ireland, Benni Carbone and Jhon Duràn mixed in a blender.