January Transfer Window

yoyo

If true ,then Villa seem to know their weaknesses and go for someone early, rather than hanging around. Seems sensible

claretandbluesky

I wonder if that will work out, Gerrard seems a strong personality and Digne has just fallen out with Benitez already.

Bazshuayi

steve said:

All the money in the world and they want wood

I can see Wood carving defences apart. Actually I can just see a wood carving, dont mind me

Bazshuayi

claretandbluesky said:

I wonder if that will work out, Gerrard seems a strong personality and Digne has just fallen out with Benitez already.

claretandbluesky said:

I wonder if that will work out, Gerrard seems a strong personality and Digne has just fallen out with Benitez already.

I believe Dignes problem is that his main strengths (attacking, crossing and free kicks) have been taken away/inhibited by Benitez tactics, hence the desire to move after words. I'd say that Gerrard knows his strengths and will incorporate them. Not sure what happens with Targett (rotation or just sub)

Slacker

Lukerz said:

Chris Wood off to Newcastle according to Telegraph.

Their deluded fans must be right chuffed to hear that , ‘specially as thought they were getting Mbappe.

ASLEFshrugged

Liverpool Echo claiming that Benitez wants a centre back and a winger. Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly is mentioned.

OldCastleSwift

C&H reporting that Zouma has fully recovered from his injury but has tested positive for Covid. Back in training from Thursday and possibly available for Leeds, and almost certainly for Man U.

I wonder if that means a new CB is less likely this month. Arguably we still need one to cover Ogbonna, but what odds on the club making do for the rest of the season?

OldCastleSwift

MK Dons supposedly after Conor Coventry on loan for the rest of the season.

Good for Conor to get some more first team games (assuming he plays), but can't see what six months in League One is going to tell us about his ability to cut it at PL level.

If he does well, I can only imagine another Championship team may take a punt on him next season, at best.

OldCastleSwift

Randolph to Villa on loan being mooted. Back-up to Martinez, apparently.

So a move from 3rd choice to 2nd choice, which I guess is a good career move.

ASLEFshrugged

Jacob Steinberg in the Guardian reckons...

1) Zouma could be back for Man Utd "although the trip to Kidderminster in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the start of February could be a more realistic target."

2) We're still looking at another defender, mentions Lloyd Kelly and Nat Phillips but "a move for Burnley’s James Tarkowski...is increasingly unlikely this month".

3) "Lucas Digne...is too expensive."

4) "Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Díaz is on their radar, although an asking price of £25m for the Chile forward could prove prohibitive."

Can't say I've ever heard of Diaz. Anybody watched him?

eskimoking

One of my best mates is a Blackburn fan so I have watched him a couple of times and hear a lot about him. Sounds well worth pursuing tbh.

Yeoldhammer

Don't understand baulking at the 25m asking price. We baulked at all the prices in the summer for 35m+ for other strikers. If Moyes is keen on a striker the board should be putting the funds up considering the longstanding striker situation.

OutcastLondoner

I was really convinced Antonio's hamstrings had gone at the end of the second half yesterday

OldCastleSwift

Yeoldhammer said:

Don't understand baulking at the 25m asking price. We baulked at all the prices in the summer for 35m+ for other strikers. If Moyes is keen on a striker the board should be putting the funds up considering the longstanding striker situation.

Yeah, you'd think at some point Moyes and the board will have to bite the bullet and accept that the perfect deal may not exist.

Sometimes you have pay over the odds. Sometimes you have to pay extortionate agent's fees. Sometimes you have to pay a player more than you want. I'm all for a bargain, but getting the right player is more important than getting a bargain, IMO.

I haven't seen much of Diaz, and I'm not sure if he's the right man for us, but if Moyes thinks he is, then we should go for him.

ASLEFshrugged

A bit of a Google suggests Ben Brereton Diaz plays left winger/right winger/centre forward

IronHerb

He's scored 20 goals this season since changing his name by adding the 'Diaz' element over the summer
Alan Armstrong scored a hatful of goals for Blackburn last season but has two I think this season for Southampton.
It's not so easy to just go out and buy form players,

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Hes only 22 but still this is his first season being prolific

7 goals in 30 starts + 10 subs isn't that great

For instance Bowen got 14 in 37 and 22 in 45 before we got him, he had history of being at that level

Even Watkins got 10 in 35 and 10 in 39 the season before he had his player of the year season

£25mil seems a lot for someone in their first year of showing consistent goalscoring

Armstrong cost £15mil and he was the better of the two when he was there last year (granted Brereton would've played on the left with Armstrong centre)

steve

I think Moyes must also be looking for someone who will fit in with the team spirit and be part of a close nit group .Clearly Lingard did last season .This is the best team spirit theres been for a number of years so dont want anyone who might upset that

claretandbluesky

I am wondering if we can maintain it when Noble retires and Rice is sold, for me its essential Noble continues at the club straight away to continue to uphold behavioural expectations and team spirit. The hole left with both he and Rice leaving may be too big to cope with.

ASLEFshrugged

Has Rice said he's leaving?

Last I heard we were going to offer him a huge contract with Kretinsky's cash

alderz

I don’t think there’s any guarantee he’ll be leaving in the near future, personally.

I also think it does the other players and the coaching staff a disservice if we assume that the high standards and the good atmosphere are only there because of Noble and Rice.

ASLEFshrugged

We had Rice and Noble in the team under Pellegrini and Bilic.

OutcastLondoner

I'm over thinking about Rice leaving or whether we're doing things to keep Rice. I feel like there's a little bit of an atmosphere of "we need to get top 4 to keep Rice". It ruins the fun for me and the chance to appreciate what the team are doing. I'm resigned to whatever happens and feel like we've all projected a lot of this onto him anyway.

OldCastleSwift

OutcastLondoner said:

I'm over thinking about Rice leaving or whether we're doing things to keep Rice. I feel like there's a little bit of an atmosphere of "we need to get top 4 to keep Rice". It ruins the fun for me and the chance to appreciate what the team are doing. I'm resigned to whatever happens and feel like we've all projected a lot of this onto him anyway.

I know what you mean. I feel like there's pressure to get top four for that reason alone. I think that's the only way we can keep Rice at the club beyond the summer.

But 5th or 6th would still represent another brilliant season. It's just that for the first time in a long time a few of our players are attractive to big clubs and it's taken us so long to get that it would be a shame to see it all undone because we didn't finish top four.

I'm actually resigned to Rice going in the summer. If he doesn't, it's a huge bonus, but if he does, I hope the club are busy scouting a replacement (I know you've mentioned Kamara a few times and I agree he'd be a good option).

I'm just going to enjoy watching Rice in claret and blue for now.

claretandbluesky

I take the point he may not leave this summer but his failure to sign a contract, which we have been told has been offered already, is a big indicator that he intends allow his contract to run down until we recognise if we don't sell we will miss a very large sum as well as lose the player.

We could in theory capitalise most this summer as he has three years left with his extension, when that number is two years clubs can say we will wait another year and get a real bargain, so this summer is really our last chance to dictate the fee to a large extent. As for the Kretinsky money I don't think that is even a factor with Rice, I can't imagine that a buying club wouldn't match or exceed wages we could offer even with Kretinsky. I think he is very ambitious and has seen his best mate pick up a Champions league medal and wants to be fighting for trophies each season.

So I hope you are right and he may sign, but I don't think he will.

Slacker

My take is that traditionally we’ve sold our best players ( with a few obvious exceptions) in the past even when the money was never anywhere near the insane amounts that are offered now.It always breaks my heart when they go but they are professionals and their allegiances are probably not as strong as mine.
Who knows what’s in Declan’s mind?
It would be wonderful if stayed and we built a team around him.
Only time will tell I s’pose.

ASLEFshrugged

We have Rice on a contract until 2024 with the option of a one year extension and a lot can happen in three seasons.

Moyes has transformed this team, every signing improves the squad and under his management it can improve even further.

At the moment the only clubs that offer better options are City, Liverpool and maybe Chelsea (Tuchel has been in charge for less than a year).

Man U, Spurs and Arsenal are still uncertain (and that's despite Arteta being there for more than two years).

Where exactly is Rice going to go?

yoyo

Moyes: Hammers in the market for signings
David Moyes says the return of Kurt Zouma will ease the pressure on his West Ham defence – but the Hammers boss still has his eyes focused on bringing reinforcements to the London Stadium, both in defence as well as other areas.

“Kurt is going well. I couldn’t give you an idea of exactly when he’s going to come back, but he’s doing very well, and I am looking forward to having him back shortly," he said.

"Hopefully he’s not too far away. His return eases the pressure in central defensive areas, but with Angelo Ogbonna out for the season, we are always looking to strengthen.”

Moyes added: “It would be ideal if we could bring some [a couple of players] in but it’s never exactly the way you want it in football. It’s very hard to get the players you want, when you want.

“I’m trying to pick the right players and find ways of adding more goals to the team, players who can help us stop conceding more goals, players who might help up be more creative. All those things I’m looking at it we can get them.”

Hamstew

Are we ever going to sign a striker

Barney

When we find the right match