As usual there has been a knee-jerk reaction by the FA. This time it is to complaints from some Premier League clubs that the transfer window stayed open for too long.
The fact that the window was still open after the season started meant that squads couldn’t be finalised and players were still on the move, sometimes after having played a game for their previous club as in the case of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who played against Liverpool in one game and then for them in the next. (more…)
Alexandre Lacazette – Arsenal
A £52.7 million signing from Lyon, Lacazette scored with his first attempt at goal in his Arsenal debut. Shortly afterwards he was, totally inexplicably, dropped for the game against Liverpool where Wenger, in a moment brought on by ever-increasing bouts of insanity, preferred Danny Welbeck up front.
Arsenal, unsurprisingly, lost the game heavily and question marks have been raised again, and very early, about the role of the manager in this loss.
Why spend all that money on a player then drop him to the bench for the first “big” test? (more…)
Mourinho, Guardiola, Conte and Klopp all have it, Pochettino is not far behind and Wenger never had it.
What are we talking about? Well, there probably isn’t one word for it. We are talking about charisma, je ne sais quoi, magnetism, talent, personality, winning mentality and other attributes we can’t even think of at this moment! If there is ONE word which encompasses all of these then please let us know.
Remember, we are not judging the most successful manager here, or the one with the best results on the pitch. This is just a bit of fun to see which one of them is the most complete. (more…)
We have always said that the “London” thing is overrated and used as an excuse far too often, usually by the press when they haven’t got the true answer as to why a player, such as Eden Hazard for example, chooses Chelsea over United or City.
The fact is that he didn’t.
At the time Hazard moved to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were competing on all levels and were in the process of rebuilding having just won the Champions League. Manchester City had been favourites to sign him but grew frustrated at the protracted negotiations and ended up walking away. (more…)
Having initially chosen to stay with Atlético Madrid through a warped sense of loyalty, many people are of the opinion that Antoine Griezmann will move to Manchester United in the January transfer window.
Those opinions will have been strengthened by the recent news that his buy-out clause has been halved to €100 million. This is because, in January, Atlético Madrid will be able to buy players again and will also be in a position to be able to replace Griezmann.
There is no guarantee, however that the player will sign for Manchester United because, by then, Mourinho or his underworked and overpaid scouts, may have identified an alternative. (more…)
One of two things can happen to United’s form between now and January. It can remain consistent whereby they stay at the top of the table, or it can tail off from the blistering start they have made and see them in one of the lower top four places.
If the former happens, then don’t expect a player to be signed in January unless Mourinho can get exactly who he wants. If it is the latter, then rigorous attempts will probably be made to fill the position he feels he has missed out on this time.
If Dithering Ed Woodward had gone the extra mile and signed Ivan Perisić, as he did with every other player he has bought to date, then there would, we assume, be no need to bring in a player in January. As he didn’t go the extra mile will this see José turn back to one of the original favourites in Antoine Griezmann? (more…)
(The players may wear the shirts but the owners and chairmen are proving, for the moment at least, that THEY wear the trousers!)
Riyad Mahrez, Alexis Sánchez, Virgil van Dijk and Philippe Coutinho. All players who, in order to try and force a move away from their clubs, handed in a transfer request.
Also all world class players who would be welcome in most teams so why is it that, as the transfer window slid shut on Thursday night, they all remained at their clubs.
There are a few reasons but the overriding feeling is one that player power has been defeated, on this occasion at least. (more…)
(All targets for top clubs who failed to sign any of them!)
In general the top six did some pretty reasonable transfer business. Manchester United and City both spent fortunes and got the majority of their signings in early. Liverpool also managed to bring in most of the players they wanted.
Tottenham Hotspur had a good final day and only Arsenal and Chelsea could be said to have failed abysmally at getting their targets through the door.
There were, however, some very good players who stayed exactly where they were, sometimes through good management from their clubs and sometimes through rank bad management from the club trying to buy them. Here’s some of the big names that the top six missed out on: (more…)
(Bald man looks at big screen, aided by big writing and big pictures as well as a tablet, for instructions on what to do next and still doesn’t know!)
So that’s it then! It’s over for another year. Football’s version of Christmas Day came and went with/without a bang depending upon which is your team of choice.
There is, of course, another minor present-giving period in January at which time delusional club owners and chairmen will get another opportunity to buy lavish gifts for their spoiled brat managers, but that is more akin to a birthday rather than the main event.
Sky Sports News had excited reporters at every Premier League ground from 6.00 am just in case anything happened. They were not looking quite so excited when the clock struck 11.00 pm. You do, however, have to admire their optimism if not the ridiculous amounts of taxpayers subscription fees that this exercise must have wasted! (more…)
José Mourinho has said all along that he wanted four players during this transfer window. He also said, all along, that he would be happy with three. Now we would never accuse Mourinho of anything so crass as lying but we do think he has been economical with the truth.
The, “three is OK” statement even sounds a little forced, as if designed to make Dithering Ed Woodward realise that he still hasn’t delivered on all of his manager’s requested signings. If Mourinho is genuinely happy with three then why does he keep reminding anyone who will listen that he originally asked for four. (more…)
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 