Alex

Was he better than Robert though?

It seems unlikely to me that you pay the full remain value of someone’s contract when, by leaving, they aren’t fulfilling their contract. We’d have heard about this before more generally too as it would have such huge financial implications, especially in the era of PSR, but even before then.

Aye. Just the point that it’s particularly ridiculous here as he’s just acting as a Liverpool spokesperson. And didn’t he say Isak was worth £150n last season (or words to that effect)?

I wouldn’t pay any attention to Carragher on a subject where he didn’t have a vested interest, let alone this.

I was not expecting the rest of your post after the way it began

Until it’s €30m

That kid probably adored him a few weeks back. And he is a fucking rat.

Nailed on they like to tell it like it is.

If we get Larsen I think that will be that for this window. Even if Isak is rehabilitated he’s gone next summer at the latest. I’d have a go at Wissa again in January because he can sign a pre contract agreement then so the choice will be a small fee then or nothing in the summer for Brentford. Wissa is versatile and we’d still be able to look at an Isak replacement next summer but with two canny strikers in our books so we’re not over a barrel

I hope they do because the Greek police do not fuck about with arseholes. And it’s always nicer, sadly, when there aren’t loads of Brits staying in your hotel/resort. A sizeable minority are absolutely embarrassing

That first half season. We’d have been in a much worse position without him. There’s no way we’ve had got a comfortable mid table position

I think the main difference is we’ve targeted Wissa as he’s viewed as someone who can play in our system. With Wood he was a reliable option who didn’t suit how Howe wanted to play but he had a release clause and we were desperate. I largely agree about too much emphasis being placed on PL experience though. It reduces the risk but it doesn’t negate it altogether

He’s 28

It can be true that the early (necessary) transfer dealings post-takeover had PSR repercussions that ultimately led to Anderson and Minteh leaving and it can also be true that an extra £15-20m over the course of a four year contract is relatively minimal in the scheme of things. Especially with the club in a much better position from a revenue perspective

Shame on you if you’ve just realised

We’ve qualified for the CL twice, won a trophy and have also lost another cup final. And the last two seasons are the only time we’ve finished above Man Utd since before the premier league started. I’m not really disagreeing with you, I’m just underlying the reasons why it’s happening but also pointing out we’re getting a lot of things right. I do acknowledge Howe is a fucking huge factor in what we’ve achieved though.

The problem you’ll always have with this pointless quest is 1) you were sussed out immediately 2) you’re about as subtle as brick through a window 3) you’re thicker than whale spunk 👍🏻

We’re going to have to overpay because spurs will 100% be after him now Eze is going to Arsenal. £60m would be a hell of a lot but on balance I would pay it at this juncture.

I’m no fucking expert. But we need some of the deals Brighton (for example) have done to help us bridge the gap I think. Although if you think about it (makes you think) if we got Wissa and Isak hadn’t gone into meltdown we’d have been happy. Considering the obvious plotting against us and the players we’ve still managed to sign, against the backdrop of the boardroom vacuum, maybe we aren’t too far away?

Maybe worth a punt then. Like you said earlier he’s not going to get the wages he’s on now at his next club after things haven’t worked out at Juve. And Juve have been a bit of a mess by their standards of late. His record is still decent there too

Re: off the pitch though, if we’d try to sign Ekitike instead of Frankfurt, do you think we’d have gotten him? It’s all conjecture but it’s pretty likely imo. That’s the sort of player I’m talking about. Sesko was very highly rated and Man Utd outbid us and offered higher wages. If PSR means that’s the case in the short term you need to start building a really good international scouting system. You can’t tell me there aren’t South American young players that Howe could mould into really good PL players. We haven’t been very smart this window in hindsight but we’ve tried getting ready made players and the likes of Man Utd have scuppered that. But it’s not sustainable if Man Utd aren’t back in the CL soon.

If Juve are desperate to get his wages off their books is a loan not worth pursuing? Although it’s all moot because the agent would have let all the Twitter twats know about it before we’d put the phone down.

It’s been a frustrating window but we need a different approach and a much better setup off the pitch. If we’re fishing in the top young European striker market or the proven Premiership experience one then we’re still likely to be outbid, especially in wages by the ‘big boys’. It’s been a bit of a chastening lesson but it’s not one the club can’t learn from.

That’s the trouble with nostalgia. It’s just the good bits.

She’s as insightful as she is beautiful