17 Jan 2025 18:32:48
I don't think we'll buy anyone in this transfer window and to calm the fans i think the club will announce new contracts for probably VVD and Salah at the end of the window.
They'll be like 'new signings' and it will probably placate a lot of the fans.

1.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 18:57:15
Am not sure that will happen, I think it’s starting to look like all 3 are going I think it will have been sorted by now. I don’t know if there is some plan to replace all 3 well Trent is sorted Bradley does that. I just hope VVD stays above the all others as I think losing a cb like him is nearly impossible to replace as I know because it took for Virgil to come in to replace Hansen.

2.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 18:58:56
Maybe van Dijk, don't think Salah stays, wage structure and all that good sh*t.

3.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 18:49:25
They won’t be like new signings at all, that’s not what transfer windows are for. I reckon all 3 will leave myself. And Diaz will be off in summer.

4.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 19:35:00
Virgil is the most important.
Can you imagine if he had off days like Salah often does? (Yes his stats are crazy and possibly irreplaceable) . If Virgil had those off days we'd lose more than we won.
Trent I'm actually not fussed about. Great if he stays, but if he goes then I wish him all the best.

5.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 21:10:32
Virg will stay, don’t mind the other two going at this point but more gutted that Trent is leaving.

Re Diaz he may want to guy but I can’t see Barcelona wanting him. IMO he could easily end up in Saudi - again great player but not irreplaceable if he does leave. Guess it would leave Gakpo as clear first choice even though I don’t really rate him.

Don’t mind the potential rebuild but hoping we actually get given the funds to make 5/ 6 signings.

6.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 21:41:12
Bradley does what trent does? Are you mental grino, trent is 10 times the footballer Bradley, Bradley may defend a bit better but trent gives us so much more, think Bradley will replace all that is absolutely ridiculous.

7.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 22:08:26
Port red, somewhat agree. Bradley can't pass the ball like Trent, but I think he is a much better defender and can beat a player.

8.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 22:46:57
Bradley is not a much better defender, where does this notion come from? The kid has played a handful of games and has been at fault for a couple of goals already. He plays as a RW for N. Ireland!

9.) 17 Jan 2025
17 Jan 2025 23:18:23
Alright lads. Do we know ball park what trent mo and virg are looking for money wise?

{Ed025's Note - well Mo is on £350k a week Cumber and i dont think he will be taking a drop mate, VVD is on£180k and i expect he will want a significant rise to stay, TAA earns the same and will want at least parity with VVD whatever he gets rise wise..

10.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 00:41:35
It's funny how players can be so hard on Bradley but then state Danns is the second coming.

11.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 04:04:16
We've coped well without Ali, Mo, Trent, etc. What we didn't cope well with was when Virgil was out. Hands down our most important player.

12.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 04:05:57
Ed I know it's a diff world but if Virgil is on what you say then that's borderline criminal. Looking around the league at the likes of Mount, Sterling, Rashford, etc. all on double what you say Virgil is on.

{Ed025's Note - those figures do not include bonuses RF but i must agree that when you compare him to that lot hes basically on the minimum wage mate, maybe we should start a go fund me page to get him a few bob.. :)

13.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 06:07:11
Also McGoveb, we could be in a situation where we dint sign players for positions that we are lacking in currently. and the 3 contracts are NOT renewed.

Dint want to be pessimistic, but that's the reality.

Questions around our recruitment and contract negotiations are rightly placed at those in charge, whoever that might be wrt Hughes, Ward and Edward's.

14.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 07:00:51
You joining for red side now mate? ?.

{Ed025's Note - you know me better than that mate.. :)

15.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 10:23:50
As days pass by I am less confident of us extending any one. Hope I am wrong though.
On other note, I am eagerly waiting for annual post of Joyce, Oristein, James, Reddy on war chest to attack summer transfer.

16.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 13:30:15
All this contract embarrassment says to me is that the club is far too big now for JH and his clowns so maybe it’s time to sell the club NOW.

17.) 18 Jan 2025
18 Jan 2025 18:49:37
You are right about the bad signings point. We actually have a pretty good record on acquisitions, with very few duds since the Salah/ VVD/ Alisson signings. If frankly low cost and low profile punts like Thiago and Minamino had happened at City absolutely nobody would care/ remember. Deliveroo is really the only big exception, and you could easily identify more than one parallel to him at every big club.

The key point about our owners is that at their absolute core they are hedge fund deity-pricks. They fundamentally believe in their own genius, they are better and cleverer than market sheep who pay full whack for things - whether financial assets, companies, sports assets, players. They don’t beat the sheep by spending the same money the sheep would on the same assets the sheep target. No, no no - they are soooooooo much smarter. That’s the fundamental belief which links their hedging strategies, buying distressed assets like LFC, Moneyball/ Comolli data-porn, and not paying top end on ‘talent’ like the sheep do.

Their theological belief that only stupid people (not them) spend the most, is part of why they are being sticklers on PSR, grassing on City and Chelsea, etc. What they ultimately want is to end the ‘just spend more’ advantage persisting in football. Or looked at in another way, the unfairness of sheep who aren’t as smart as them being able to beat them by having more money. They want all the biggest teams locked into the same, closed competitions (hello ESL) and broadly the same income levels, and therefore locked into broadly the same spending plane (hello PSR) . Once that is achieved, then the only differentiator is being smarter than everyone else. And then we’ll see who wins, and who has the most money.

18.) 19 Jan 2025
19 Jan 2025 10:05:08
If Virg is on £180k he had better be on some amazing bonus package for carrying Trent, Ibou, Gomez, Robbo, Quansah and Tsimikas at various points this season.

Seriously, we are talking about a defender that came 2nd in the Ballon D’or when it was a two-horse race (and he was neither of the horses), a player we can literally play as a line centre back and attackers still don’t want to go near him. Yes, £180k per week is a lot of money, an obscene amount. Yes, he is too relaxed at times but I wouldn’t swap him for anyone playing currently. Maybe prime Maldini but even then I would have to think long and hard. And Virg could play well into his late 30s.

Of the three, he is the captain and the vital cog. The other two are less fundamental. Yes, Salah scores a lot of goals but he also misses a lot of chances, and I mean too many on some days. Virgil rarely has an off day. Salah will be missed but Slot will adapt the team and we will cope.

Trent has a few off days but almost always plays a pass that nobody else in the world can. A pass that results in a goal that wins us the game. Crucial to the team at times. Corner taken quickly? Yesterday’s reactive pass to Nunez? The 100s of YouTube Hollywood QB Blitzes? And we are talking about Bradley as a replacement? lol

What a mess. Virg - £208k p/ w, sign him now. Trent - do everything you can to keep him £200k per week. Salah - offer him a slightly reduced salary on a two year deal and done. Renegotiate his bonuses to equate to goals scored but exclude penalties. Sharpen him up a bit.