2019/20 Soccer Thread

I had no idea about any of that. Thanks Sorbicol.

Today's news:

Gareth Bale is still slowly making his way out of Madrid.

I don't know what surprises me more, that 's 30, or that he's got 4 CL titles and his tenure there could be described as "underwhelming".

Lukaku to Inter is still dragging on.

And Harry Kane may have already scored the goal of the season.

Prederick wrote:

I don't know what surprises me more, that 's 30, or that he's got 4 CL titles and his tenure there could be described as "underwhelming".
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They're not mutually exclusive.

Just over two weeks left in the window.

Shifted
* Williams - ✅ out of contract
* Jagielka - ✅ out of contract, hope he gets to play somewhere though
* Jonjoe Kenny - ✅ (Schalke 04) Loan
* Vlašić - ✅ (CSKA Moscow) Undisclosed
* Sandro Ramírez - ✅ (Real Valladolid) Loan
* Brendan Galloway - ✅ (Luton Town) Free transfer
* João Virginia - ✅ (Reading) Loan
* Keiran Dowell - ✅ (Derby County) Loan
* Luke Garbutt - ✅ (Ipswich Town) Loan
* Shani Tarashaj - ✅ (Grasshoppers) Loan
* Antonee Robinson - ✅ (Wigan) Undisclosed

Inbounds
* Jonas Lössl - ✅ (Huddersfield) free transfer
* André Gomes - ✅ (Barcelona) £22 million
* Fabian Delph - ✅ (Manchester City) £8.5m million

Still a lot of work to be done in my view.

It's a little concerning that we haven't filled the obvious gaps in our squad, especially given that at the end of the season Silva had said we already had a list of players to target this summer and fallbacks - but this point last year, we had not signed anyone.

I'd really like us to find someone to take Tosun & Niasse, though that's predicated on us bringing in a new striker (I rate DCL and think we look better with him in the side, but if he picks up an injury we are in trouble).

We also need another central defender, and someone to give Coleman competition at right-back (perhaps we have cloned a right-footed version of Digne).

Could someone who's following the transfer window for Arsenal help me out with what's left, if anything?

It seems like we've done some shrewd business with:
1. An off-set purchase and re-loan for Saliba that will not impact our small budget this summer and gives Saliba more time to develop at his former club.
2. Signed a Real Madrid up and coming star on loan for the year

Seems like we still have what, 40m?, to spend this market? Any ideas where?

If they aren't going to start a rebuild and go younger I think Arsenal should try to sign Alderweireld at his £25m release clause while it's still active.

He's older than would ideal, but you should get 2-3 good seasons from him.

Newcastle have signed Joelinton from Hoffenhiem for £40 million. I didn’t know they had £40 million to spend!

Sorbicol wrote:

Newcastle have signed Joelinton from Hoffenhiem for £40 million. I didn’t know they had £40 million to spend!

People smarter than me like the signing, I worry that his shot rate looks a little low to me.

But that was just a glance at Whoscored and trying to remember what a good shot rate is, the smarter-than-me people have access to more data and have actually worked with it.

Feels like a bit of a waste to sign a potentially good striker and give it to Steve Bruce. Like giving Steve McClaren Wijnaldum et al.

bigred wrote:

Could someone who's following the transfer window for Arsenal help me out with what's left, if anything?

It seems like we've done some shrewd business with:
1. An off-set purchase and re-loan for Saliba that will not impact our small budget this summer and gives Saliba more time to develop at his former club.
2. Signed a Real Madrid up and coming star on loan for the year

Seems like we still have what, 40m?, to spend this market? Any ideas where?

The rumors are Tierney or Everton. Can't see anything else unless we sell.

Roke wrote:

If they aren't going to start a rebuild and go younger I think Arsenal should try to sign Alderweireld at his £25m release clause while it's still active.

He's older than would ideal, but you should get 2-3 good seasons from him.

I'd be fine with this if it's the defender that put them over the top for 4th but I doubt he is. So then suddenly its 2020 he's a year older we're still not in the CL and carrying his wages.

Roke wrote:

If they aren't going to start a rebuild and go younger I think Arsenal should try to sign Alderweireld at his £25m release clause while it's still active.

He's older than would ideal, but you should get 2-3 good seasons from him.

Hopefully Toby doesn't want to replace the song Spurs fans currently sing about him with the kinds of songs we sing about Sol Campbell. NFSW:

EPL culture is just fantastic.

Coming to Prime, everyone can experience what it's like to be a Leeds United fan, spoiler it's an awful roller coaster of emotions that ends in failure.

On the other side of the Leeds coin, As Good as it Gets? is about Leeds Rhinos been awesome, I loved those days, now we're fighting relegation.

One of the stranger transfer seasons in recent memory.

It's as if all the silly money especially related to wages has finally caught up with some clubs. Also the disparity between super rich and I use to be relevant.

Pogba Lukaku and Neymar all want out.

But Bale + Coutinho/Malcom have to make way to get things moving.

Lukaku has been rumored with Inter. They fall into the not rich anymore. Inter/AC have fallen back so much they can't really operate in the top end of the market to help facilitate moves. If Lukaku went to Inter for a decent price maybe that's the first domino that sets the chain reaction of everyone else moving.

Arsenal are a victim of this also. If they could unload Ozil for any amount you figure it would create 2 signings. 350k in wages? If they buy younger and smart the 2 people coming in would be on max 100k around. So wages alone that would save around 7.5m over the course of this season.

Deadline Day for the EPL is August 8th btw. So still time to wheel and deal but I'm not sure much else will really happen outside United.

In the last day or so Spurs have been linked to Dybala. I would absolutely love this, and it would tempt me to getting a kit other than Son (like, if I bought two, there's no question I'm getting a Son kit).

I find it hard to understand why there's not a tonne of interest in Pogba and Lukaku, but I guess that's what huge wages and the big clubs being more or less set does. Plug Pogba into the midfield any side that doesn't use a #10 so he can be a bit more free and he should be dynamite. Neymar and Ozil I get, Neymar seems to be a bit of a problem in the dressing room and Ozil's old and #10's seem less in vogue these days (read an interesting piece a while back about the decline of the #10 and how a counter-press is a better creator than the best #10).

Spurs turning spendthrift thanks to either the new stadium or Poch-ing their way to the Champions League Final with Moussa Sissoko in central midfield is fun, would love to see Dybala. Can't help but think Dybala's a smokescreen to get some negotiating leverage for a less expensive signing though. Or an Eriksen replacement of some sort.

Pogba and Lukaku are fairly confusing. Lukaku has shown that, away from ManU he's still a very good striker and I feel fairly sure that, if he gets shifted to a better environment he'll end up having one of those "Oh yeah, he is quite good!" seasons.

Ceballos (assuming there's an option to buy) and Saliba sound like the kind of smart signings Arsenal need to be making. Better than my Alderweireld idea (though that would have been fun).

Roke wrote:

Ceballos (assuming there's an option to buy) and Saliba sound like the kind of smart signings Arsenal need to be making. Better than my Alderweireld idea (though that would have been fun).

Pretty sure there's no option on Ceballos.

Saliba makes sense if it doesn't kill current funds but.... I have a sneaking situation it does. Also prospects especially defensive at 18 vs say 22-23. I'm optimistic he will be good but it could be 3-4 years until he's first team. Earlier because Arsenal is Arsenal but I mean actually ready vs them forcing him to.

There's no option to buy with Ceballos. Spurs were rumored to be interested earlier this summer, but only with an option.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

There's no option to buy with Ceballos. Spurs were rumored to be interested earlier this summer, but only with an option.

Well then, I don't get it. I guess Arsenal are doing some Spurs-style penny pinching just when Spurs have started spending?

Roke wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

There's no option to buy with Ceballos. Spurs were rumored to be interested earlier this summer, but only with an option.

Well then, I don't get it. I guess Arsenal are doing some Spurs-style penny pinching just when Spurs have started spending?

I'll wait for Spurs to buy some more players to actually consider them buyers. Sure 55m was a splash but that's still 1 player in 2 years.

Oh Everton, what are you doing?

I guess at least the riverside stadium renders look cool.

I'd take Zaha well before Welbeck, though for the prices being bandied around I'd much rather have Moise Kean and Malcolm.

I did see some rumors we might be sending players the other way as part of the deal - and if we could get out from under Schneiderlin & Bolasie's wages as part of the deal, I'm less aggrieved about us overpaying for Zaha. (40m plus those players would be a good deal in the current market I think).

I was also happy to see Divock Origi has signed a new contract at Liverpool, because I actually had a nightmare this past week that he was a deadline-day signing for us.

Two weeks out - any interest in doing a GWJ fantasy league this season?

Did one. code is ba9dby.

I mean, I know it was the preseason, but if a perfect hat trick is left/right/head, what do we call Diego Costa's "four goals and he got himself sent off"?

A Diego Costa.

Mr Bismarck wrote:

A Diego Costa.

A cosplay?

Dimmerswitch wrote:

Two weeks out - any interest in doing a GWJ fantasy league this season?

I'd do this, for sure.

Godzilla Blitz wrote:
Dimmerswitch wrote:

Two weeks out - any interest in doing a GWJ fantasy league this season?

I'd do this, for sure.

Alright, created a league on the Premier League's website since Dave wants to pass the reins on:

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Code to join this league: 2xgyed