Polarboy

I'll try my best not to step into an A-ha video in the process. This Ashby kid off West Ham has just followed Anderson and Trippier on social media. Coincidental timing to say the least given the rumours. Dendonker I haven't seen much of, but I do recall him being praised as a class player. You don't get into the Belgian national team if you aren't at least half decent. Longstaff for example isn't getting into it anytime soon if he finds out he has a Flemish granny. If we could get Dendonker for a decent price he'd be a more than adequate stop gap until we can sign Alvarez for example. Ajax never hold onto their top players for long. It's just a case of them losing too many already for one window. Whoever we get, and hopefully we still do get, in the attacking area is probably going to come out of the blue like Isak, or we'll agree a last minute deal for Pedro.

According to Sky Sports Leicester are in talks to sign an attacking midfielder called Amine Harit off Schalke. A replacement for Maddison? Maybe, then again maybe not.

According to a telegraaf sports reporter, which I think is a fairly reliable Dutch source, Alvarez has already been told he isn't going to be sold this window, and he's happy enough to wait given it would be a big upheaval before the WC. So if they get Grillitsch maybe they were always after him regardless, or they are getting their ducks in a row for January and a new bid from us.

Ajax are rumoured to be after Florient Grillitsch who's a free agent at the minute. Some people are adding two and two and maybe getting five by assuming that means Alvarez is on his way given Grillitsch is also a defensive mid. I seem to recall that we were linked with Grillitsch back in January, so it seems odd if we're not all over that especially when he's a free agent, unless of course we're confident of signing someone else.

So West Ham away at the earliest before Bruno's back. That's real kick in the tits, but hopefully we'll get a couple of players in before Thursday, and they and Isak carry us through until Bruno, Wilson etc are fit in a week or two.

I think you'll find that the "oxygen tank" was Penfold blowing air in with a straw.

Think this is the Rugby player Johnny May, but as far as oxygen tents go there are ones with masks. I'd assume there are likely top of the line models where you're completely sealed off, like in those chambers used for the bends, as well.

I'm not trying to be a dick by asking this, but how much exactly do you know about the various injury therapies and accompanying equipment?

I'll go with number 1.

Don't players go into oxygen tents etc pretty rountinely. Can't tell if that's a private jet or the aforementioned tent, but it could be something and nothing.

For a slightly less exciting rumour, according to our friends in the Italian football press, AC Milan want to end their two year loan of Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko a year early, so they aren't obligated to buy him outright. He would fit a need certainly given he's a defensive mid, but I can't say I know much about him. I literally only vaguely knew that he was one of Chelsea's legion loan players. It all makes logical sense. AC Milan don't want him on a permanent, Chelsea would likely be happy for him to go on another years loan which would suit us of course, so maybe there's something to this. Newcastle United move into picture for midfielder signing – Magpies keen on 'experience' - Sport Witness

Paqueta likely took one look at Moyes' dour Scottish face over zoom or whatever, couldn't understand a word he said, and then proceeded to get on the phone with his agent and beg him to ring us again. One can only hope at least. This would be the best way possible of signing him. Let the 'ammers do all the leg work and steal him last minute, so again fingers crossed there's something to these rumours as it pertains to us.

Would you take Ross Barkley as a free agent? Chelsea have supposedly just released him. Of course he like Lingard will probably fuck any decent move by asking for ludicrous wages given his free agent status. He seems injury prone and wildly inconsistent, but perhaps that the former mostly explains the latter. If anybody could draw out his potential it's Howe of course, so he might be worth a massive punt if, again, he isn't playing silly beggars with his wage demands.

Possibilities, oh the possibilities.

Apparently Tielemans has sold his house in the Leicester area and is in rented accommodation waiting for his move to happen. Arsenal have reportedly always been the favourites, but he'd a be an incredible addition for us given our current needs, should Arsenal not complete the deal for whatever reason. He can play as a 6, an 8, even 10 at a push given he's that talented and versatile. And if I remember correctly he's in the last year of his contract, so he should cost considerably less than Maddison.

I'd like to criticise them, but the Chelsea model of signing the best young players and sending them on loan to foreign leagues is something we'll probably try to emulate eventually.

Looking like Chelsea don't want to loan out Gallagher, would be happy for him to stay, and would only listen to a big offer for him, with some speculating it would take north of 40m. That more or less seems to be the case for Pulisic as well. It's going to be a very interesting end to the window for us, hopefully. We've a real need of cover at right back now that we know Krafth will likely be out for at least the majority of this season, we have Shelvey's injury obviously, and we still ideally need another attacking player. Ashworth and Howe are going to have to box very clever, unless the owners pull another Isak surprise out of the hat.

The one thing I don't understand is that given Man U were desperate for a quality defensive mid, so much so that they overpaid on a 30 year old, albeit good, player, so why wouldn't Ten Hag given his connections to Ajax not be going after him as well as Anthony. You'd have a much younger player for less money. The only logical explanation I can come up with is that Ten Hag knows that Ajax will never sell Alvarez this window. Of course you'd assume Ashworth must be getting some sort of encouragement if these rumours of bids are true, otherwise why would he bother going in with an improved bid. I suppose there's one final option and that is that Ten Hag doesn't fancy him at the price he'd be, which would worrying given he coached him.

46m pound, fucking hell. That's a lot of money for a defensive mid, but we do really need a quality player in that position. You'd assume it would only be a loan for an attacking player after that, but then again I never thought we'd be bidding this much for Isak and then this Alvarez lad. The aforementioned of course is assuming that this twitter detective work is accurate. Ajax after getting 100m Euro off Man U have no need to sell though, and apparently Anthony was agitating hard for the move.

It all depends who's pie it is. Regrets, I've had a few, but I did it my way.

You would think that Joelinton could play in front of the back four given he's decent at keeping possession under pressure and can press and tackle, but it seems like Howe doesn't fancy him that role for whatever reason. For lack of the technical knowledge of Howe I would probably start with Joelinton in that role with Anderson and Willock in front of him. As much as I loved seeing us go for it against Citeh with our line up and attitude, Wednesday might be time to consider a back five given our injuries.

All these headlines saying we snatched a draw. We snatched fuck all, we more than deserved it.

Nah, I'll be exclusively eating whatever the exact opposite of humble pie is thanks 😂👍

Apparently when Boly, the centre half for Wolves, was told he'd be on the bench today he didn't both turning up at all. I can't say I remember off the top of my head a player not turning up for the matchday at all after falling out with the manager.

I'll eat my dead grans unwashed, birth control diaphragm if that swap story turns out to be true.