uncy_chris

Des O'Connor > McLeish

So has anyone heard any offers to get this cheaper?

Did I just read '7 - Ashley Young' coming on for 'Bent'?

It's the length left on the contract that makes all the difference though. If we keep Downing, will we expect the £20m next summer? No, of course we won't. So it stands to reason the N'Zog should be cheaper

Whelan hasn't said N'Zog is for sale for £20m. He said that players he reckons aren't as good are being sold for £20-30m. But if you take into consideration his contract situation, I doubt he's expecting more than £10-12m. He's just using the press to inflate the fee.

He's going to go isn't he? At least now Arsenal are lodging bids we can try and play them off against each other to get the best price possible.

Worse case scenario: Arsenal buy Downing Liverpool buy N'Zogbia We buy Shaun Wright Phillips Given the summer we've had so far, I can almost see it happening

Fan-****-tastic! Blues and Blackpool down, we beat the Scousers, results go our way and we finish 9th for an extra 3m quid.

He's an excellent 'striker' but I'd put Van Persie, Tevez, Rooney, Drogba, Suarez above him in terms of all round forward play. But he's given us exactly what we've needed for years! All hail Dazza Bent

Moyes will only leave Everton if he thinks he's taken Everton as far as he can. Villa is a sideways step, and to be honest I can't see how we can offer him any more than what he has at the moment.

An ITK on the Newcastle forum says he's out for the rest of the season with ligament damage! FFS we'll never get rid of him if thats true.

Some other names not considered on that list: Bert van Marwijk Cesare Prandelli Owen Coyle Gus Poyet Joachim Low Laurent Blanc Fatih Terim Roberto Donadoni

Odds on SkyBet:

How about Lippi!? Pipe dream!

This is a good point and one of the reasons I'd really like to see us try for Deschamps. We need someone that can actually take us on to the next level, not just to where we were under MON. Deschamps took a Marseille team that other managers couldn't take past "serious challenger" and turned them into champions, and he looks like doing it again this year so it's not a one off. As much as I'd like it, I don't see how Deschamps is a realistic target though - he's now managing a club thats regularly in the Champs League, so he's unlikely to want to test himself at a club like Villa who are still battling for a place in the CL. His stock has risen, and if he were to leave Marseille, it would be for one of the major European clubs (quite possibly Arsenal if Wenger leaves).