Oficial January Transfer Window Thread

[BlackDiamond]

We all know Sullivan isn't very good at most things. But surely bidding for players of the calibre of Raphinha and Phillips DOES show a modicum of ambition. And the point I'm making is that we're being ridiculed in some quarters for making "unrealistic bids" by the very same people who would undoubtedly be moaning if we made what they would see as realistic ones for average journeymen.

And if you think there is no such thing as the spend spend spend brigade I respectfully suggest you are maybe looking in on the wrong clickbait sites or twatter feeds. And as for people wanting the club to show a modicum of ambition I can only assume they must be Johnny Come Latelys. Like a lot of people on here I've supported this club for over 50 years and never once has any ambition to climb the greasy pole been shown.

Leopards, spots and all that. I think most of us gave up hope of West Ham showing ambition many many years ago.

At the end of the day there is a reason why none of the top 4 contenders strengthened and some arguably weakened their squads (though I dont personally think we are good enough for the CL even with 50-70m spent) and would rather we aimed at EL.
Players available in Jan tend to be ones with issues since those that are successful with clubs almost never want to move or their clubs are in latter stages of tournaments and dont want them to move. Clubs won't sell to teams around them either.
Of course there are a few exceptions but generally buying in Jan means either paying a huge premium (Newcastle were asked for 17m in total for a Lingard loan for about 17 games left of the season !!) or buying someone with baggage.
Even Newcastle struggled to get more forward players in and they have unlimited funds.

I have not been on twitter this week but I can assume then that the usual meltdown has occurred again ? All I would say is I keep thinking back to the Virgil van Dyke deal that took 3 transfer windows to complete and when Liverpool were short at the back with plenty of money they were asked why they didnt go for a plan B since there were plenty of CBs out there. Klopp basically said that he wanted a specific player and would not give up until he signed him.

We all love transfer stories but the Window is an artificial tool created by an already greedy sport to whip supporters into a frenzy and it causes fans to never be happy wherever they are. Ironically the only twindow where we bought a load of players was when Pellegrini was here and that turned into a disaster as there was no team spirit, ethic and arguably only one player was a success (Fornals).

Raphinha and Phillips where never going to move this window but those bids were designed to start a process and I suspect we are really planning to bid for them in the summer. It might come off and it might not. You are correct, people ridiculed them but they also ridiculed the signing of Dawson, complained that we got Vlasic and moaned when we signed Zouma because of his wages (If I remember the story was that Declan (again) was not happy with Zooms wage demands) so nothing will ever please the fans.

The team still needs our support, we all want a transfer in or two to talk about but often that is all that it is about for the newer generation. I dont buy the 'team is knackered' argument though. Spurs will play Kane in every game if the get a chance, Arsenal only have Lacazette and Nketiah so they will all be playing. Ok we have a couple of cup competitions but that may be 3 games it may be more, Spurs have a load of fixtures to catch up. They are professional players, played a lot of football last year and can play 16 more league games and a few cup games between now and the end of the season.

As for where we will finish. We may finish 4th-8th whether we get new players in or not. Moyes rarely gets the signings wrong but they all take time to bed in anyway so even with a couple of new players, nothing is there to suggest they would hit the ground running. Fornals, Bowen, Vlasic, Benrahma all took time. Lingard would have been perfect but Man Utd would never have sold to us even for the 1m a game they tried to rip Newcastle off for.

We have what we have but the team we have got us into Europe and they can get us further in that tournament. Its fine for people to not like Moyes strategy but given we are 5th and in the knockout stages of the EL, I am happy to support what he is doing rather than cunt him off. As for the owners, I have no reason to suspect that they withheld money but we no longer buy the Ajeti, Hugill, Perez, Fletchers of this world and that is fine by me.

We need to be careful we don't elevate the first XI into a position they are do not merit. The argument that only players that are superior to the existing ones, make replacements difficult to find, needs retiring.

Lets agree that the only true quality players that this applies to are:

Areola
Zouma
Rice
Bowen

None of the others have significant special value and could be replaced/swapped on a like for like basis. That doesn't mean they should be, but lets not attribute marvellous qualities or powers where they don't exist.

And lets not give sympathy to a claim doing the rounds, people tried tirelessly to do find replacements, but after 31 days effort, all that blood sweat and tears was in vain. Because I can assess a load of bollocks as well as the next person.

[terrya1965]

We all know Sullivan isn't very good at most things. But surely bidding for players of the calibre of Raphinha and Phillips DOES show a modicum of ambition. And the point I'm making is that we're being ridiculed in some quarters for making "unrealistic bids" by the very same people who would undoubtedly be moaning if we made what they would see as realistic ones for average journeymen.

And if you think there is no such thing as the spend spend spend brigade I respectfully suggest you are maybe looking in on the wrong clickbait sites or twatter feeds. And as for people wanting the club to show a modicum of ambition I can only assume they must be Johnny Come Latelys. Like a lot of people on here I've supported this club for over 50 years and never once has any ambition to climb the greasy pole been shown.

Leopards, spots and all that. I think most of us gave up hope of West Ham showing ambition many many years ago.

At the end of the day there is a reason why none of the top 4 contenders strengthened and some arguably weakened their squads (though I dont personally think we are good enough for the CL even with 50-70m spent) and would rather we aimed at EL.
Players available in Jan tend to be ones with issues since those that are successful with clubs almost never want to move or their clubs are in latter stages of tournaments and dont want them to move. Clubs won't sell to teams around them either.
Of course there are a few exceptions but generally buying in Jan means either paying a huge premium (Newcastle were asked for 17m in total for a Lingard loan for about 17 games left of the season !!) or buying someone with baggage.
Even Newcastle struggled to get more forward players in and they have unlimited funds.

I have not been on twitter this week but I can assume then that the usual meltdown has occurred again ? All I would say is I keep thinking back to the Virgil van Dyke deal that took 3 transfer windows to complete and when Liverpool were short at the back with plenty of money they were asked why they didnt go for a plan B since there were plenty of CBs out there. Klopp basically said that he wanted a specific player and would not give up until he signed him.

We all love transfer stories but the Window is an artificial tool created by an already greedy sport to whip supporters into a frenzy and it causes fans to never be happy wherever they are. Ironically the only twindow where we bought a load of players was when Pellegrini was here and that turned into a disaster as there was no team spirit, ethic and arguably only one player was a success (Fornals).

Raphinha and Phillips where never going to move this window but those bids were designed to start a process and I suspect we are really planning to bid for them in the summer. It might come off and it might not. You are correct, people ridiculed them but they also ridiculed the signing of Dawson, complained that we got Vlasic and moaned when we signed Zouma because of his wages (If I remember the story was that Declan (again) was not happy with Zooms wage demands) so nothing will ever please the fans.

The team still needs our support, we all want a transfer in or two to talk about but often that is all that it is about for the newer generation. I dont buy the 'team is knackered' argument though. Spurs will play Kane in every game if the get a chance, Arsenal only have Lacazette and Nketiah so they will all be playing. Ok we have a couple of cup competitions but that may be 3 games it may be more, Spurs have a load of fixtures to catch up. They are professional players, played a lot of football last year and can play 16 more league games and a few cup games between now and the end of the season.

As for where we will finish. We may finish 4th-8th whether we get new players in or not. Moyes rarely gets the signings wrong but they all take time to bed in anyway so even with a couple of new players, nothing is there to suggest they would hit the ground running. Fornals, Bowen, Vlasic, Benrahma all took time. Lingard would have been perfect but Man Utd would never have sold to us even for the 1m a game they tried to rip Newcastle off for.

We have what we have but the team we have got us into Europe and they can get us further in that tournament. Its fine for people to not like Moyes strategy but given we are 5th and in the knockout stages of the EL, I am happy to support what he is doing rather than cunt him off. As for the owners, I have no reason to suspect that they withheld money but we no longer buy the Ajeti, Hugill, Perez, Fletchers of this world and that is fine by me.

Your post does actually give me food for thought,but I am not changing my mind.

[h69]

At the end of the day there is a reason why none of the top 4 contenders strengthened and some arguably weakened their squads (though I dont personally think we are good enough for the CL even with 50-70m spent) and would rather we aimed at EL.
Players available in Jan tend to be ones with issues since those that are successful with clubs almost never want to move or their clubs are in latter stages of tournaments and dont want them to move. Clubs won't sell to teams around them either.
Of course there are a few exceptions but generally buying in Jan means either paying a huge premium (Newcastle were asked for 17m in total for a Lingard loan for about 17 games left of the season !!) or buying someone with baggage.
Even Newcastle struggled to get more forward players in and they have unlimited funds.

I have not been on twitter this week but I can assume then that the usual meltdown has occurred again ? All I would say is I keep thinking back to the Virgil van Dyke deal that took 3 transfer windows to complete and when Liverpool were short at the back with plenty of money they were asked why they didnt go for a plan B since there were plenty of CBs out there. Klopp basically said that he wanted a specific player and would not give up until he signed him.

We all love transfer stories but the Window is an artificial tool created by an already greedy sport to whip supporters into a frenzy and it causes fans to never be happy wherever they are. Ironically the only twindow where we bought a load of players was when Pellegrini was here and that turned into a disaster as there was no team spirit, ethic and arguably only one player was a success (Fornals).

Raphinha and Phillips where never going to move this window but those bids were designed to start a process and I suspect we are really planning to bid for them in the summer. It might come off and it might not. You are correct, people ridiculed them but they also ridiculed the signing of Dawson, complained that we got Vlasic and moaned when we signed Zouma because of his wages (If I remember the story was that Declan (again) was not happy with Zooms wage demands) so nothing will ever please the fans.

The team still needs our support, we all want a transfer in or two to talk about but often that is all that it is about for the newer generation. I dont buy the 'team is knackered' argument though. Spurs will play Kane in every game if the get a chance, Arsenal only have Lacazette and Nketiah so they will all be playing. Ok we have a couple of cup competitions but that may be 3 games it may be more, Spurs have a load of fixtures to catch up. They are professional players, played a lot of football last year and can play 16 more league games and a few cup games between now and the end of the season.

As for where we will finish. We may finish 4th-8th whether we get new players in or not. Moyes rarely gets the signings wrong but they all take time to bed in anyway so even with a couple of new players, nothing is there to suggest they would hit the ground running. Fornals, Bowen, Vlasic, Benrahma all took time. Lingard would have been perfect but Man Utd would never have sold to us even for the 1m a game they tried to rip Newcastle off for.

We have what we have but the team we have got us into Europe and they can get us further in that tournament. Its fine for people to not like Moyes strategy but given we are 5th and in the knockout stages of the EL, I am happy to support what he is doing rather than cunt him off. As for the owners, I have no reason to suspect that they withheld money but we no longer buy the Ajeti, Hugill, Perez, Fletchers of this world and that is fine by me.

Your post does actually give me food for thought,but I am not changing my mind.

Not my intention.....we all have our opinions and none of us really knows what goes on behind the scenes. This is my opinion that is all.

There are bigger issues in the world to worry about than no new players in Jan.

[palerider]

It's over. Done. No use crying over spilt milk my Dad used to say.

That was before he got the sack at the dairy though.


Just have to hope we have a second half of a season of Leicester proportions the year they won the league when no cunt got injured.


But we'll need a summer window of astronomical proprtions or the Jock is toast.

[h69]

It's over. Done. No use crying over spilt milk my Dad used to say.

That was before he got the sack at the dairy though.


Just have to hope we have a second half of a season of Leicester proportions the year they won the league when no cunt got injured.


But we'll need a summer window of astronomical proprtions or the Jock is toast.

Does not have to be astronomic but it should be decent players that visibly improve the team that you can actually get in the summer and not players in Jan that either have fallen out with their clubs for being problematic are out of form or are being hawked around all the clubs for a payday like Caleta-Car was.

Like I mentioned, we are in much the same situation as the other top 4 competitors though they all seem to be dumping players and we have not.

[andyginbrasil]

It's over. Done. No use crying over spilt milk my Dad used to say.

That was before he got the sack at the dairy though.


Just have to hope we have a second half of a season of Leicester proportions the year they won the league when no cunt got injured.


But we'll need a summer window of astronomical proprtions or the Jock is toast.

Does not have to be astronomic but it should be decent players that visibly improve the team that you can actually get in the summer and not players in Jan that either have fallen out with their clubs for being problematic are out of form or are being hawked around all the clubs for a payday like Caleta-Car was.

Like I mentioned, we are in much the same situation as the other top 4 competitors though they all seem to be dumping players and we have not.

Although I agree there is mostly some real crap hawked around in January as you've mentioned, but, there is always a bargain to be had with the odd good player who will be out of contract come the summer and their club would rather get a fee for him rather than let him go for free

[palerider]

Does not have to be astronomic but it should be decent players that visibly improve the team that you can actually get in the summer and not players in Jan that either have fallen out with their clubs for being problematic are out of form or are being hawked around all the clubs for a payday like Caleta-Car was.

Like I mentioned, we are in much the same situation as the other top 4 competitors though they all seem to be dumping players and we have not.

Although I agree there is mostly some real crap hawked around in January as you've mentioned, but, there is always a bargain to be had with the odd good player who will be out of contract come the summer and their club would rather get a fee for him rather than let him go for free

I agree.

Unless his name is Lingard, who was the only attacking option Moyes was interested in imo.

[h69]

Does not have to be astronomic but it should be decent players that visibly improve the team that you can actually get in the summer and not players in Jan that either have fallen out with their clubs for being problematic are out of form or are being hawked around all the clubs for a payday like Caleta-Car was.

Like I mentioned, we are in much the same situation as the other top 4 competitors though they all seem to be dumping players and we have not.

Although I agree there is mostly some real crap hawked around in January as you've mentioned, but, there is always a bargain to be had with the odd good player who will be out of contract come the summer and their club would rather get a fee for him rather than let him go for free

I think if a player is running down his contract for the summer by now, the chances are that he wants a huge payday and signing on fee as a free player and will not move. You can blame Mr Bosman for that(and I dont blame them by the way). Case in point regarding Christensen and Rudiger at the Chavs.

Lingard was an exception because he was desperate to play now (if the reports are correct of course) but Man United would not deal with us and wanted to rip off Newcastle.

There is the odd bargain but they normally are players being dumped like Digne, Coutinho or Aubameyang but that is not an easy market either, I think all the clubs around the top and bottom with something to play for were looking for those but I think most of the deals done were loans which apparently are not good enough for our fans....

Summer will be a lot better and will indicate whether we are really interested spending record fees. To be fair, Zouma cost a fortune if you take into account all the addons and wages so a few more like him and I would be happy.

[Whiskyman]

Although I agree there is mostly some real crap hawked around in January as you've mentioned, but, there is always a bargain to be had with the odd good player who will be out of contract come the summer and their club would rather get a fee for him rather than let him go for free

I think if a player is running down his contract for the summer by now, the chances are that he wants a huge payday and signing on fee as a free player and will not move. You can blame Mr Bosman for that(and I dont blame them by the way). Case in point regarding Christensen and Rudiger at the Chavs.

Lingard was an exception because he was desperate to play now (if the reports are correct of course) but Man United would not deal with us and wanted to rip off Newcastle.

There is the odd bargain but they normally are players being dumped like Digne, Coutinho or Aubameyang but that is not an easy market either, I think all the clubs around the top and bottom with something to play for were looking for those but I think most of the deals done were loans which apparently are not good enough for our fans....

Summer will be a lot better and will indicate whether we are really interested spending record fees. To be fair, Zouma cost a fortune if you take into account all the addons and wages so a few more like him and I would be happy.

The problem with a large number of our fans, or so it appears, is that if bids are made for players of quality they are "offers with no chance of succeeding". But if loan players or cheap option are brought in they aren't good enough.

Probably being unfair to say "our fans". I've had a laugh listening to some of the Mr Angrys from West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal & Everton, to name 4 and I think it's fair to say that attitude is pretty common throughout the football world.

[h69]

I think if a player is running down his contract for the summer by now, the chances are that he wants a huge payday and signing on fee as a free player and will not move. You can blame Mr Bosman for that(and I dont blame them by the way). Case in point regarding Christensen and Rudiger at the Chavs.

Lingard was an exception because he was desperate to play now (if the reports are correct of course) but Man United would not deal with us and wanted to rip off Newcastle.

There is the odd bargain but they normally are players being dumped like Digne, Coutinho or Aubameyang but that is not an easy market either, I think all the clubs around the top and bottom with something to play for were looking for those but I think most of the deals done were loans which apparently are not good enough for our fans....

Summer will be a lot better and will indicate whether we are really interested spending record fees. To be fair, Zouma cost a fortune if you take into account all the addons and wages so a few more like him and I would be happy.

The problem with a large number of our fans, or so it appears, is that if bids are made for players of quality they are "offers with no chance of succeeding". But if loan players or cheap option are brought in they aren't good enough.

Probably being unfair to say "our fans". I've had a laugh listening to some of the Mr Angrys from West Ham, Spurs, Arsenal & Everton, to name 4 and I think it's fair to say that attitude is pretty common throughout the football world.

Yes it is. Remember the derision when Dawson was signed, Bowen is just a championship player, Lingard was a Man Utd reject and would do nothing, we don't need Vlasic, Zoumas wages are too high and will upset the team. Kral had a bad Euros.

But the fans were so excited over Anderson and Haller.

What separates us amateurs from decent managers is that they don't just judge a player by his price tag.....Pellegrini aside.

The transfer windows are designed to get people whipped up and talking about it and it works

Good for the brand innit !