DakotaVilla

It’s now been delayed by a full three months…..

8 minutes ago, DJBOB said:

I wouldn't sell Ollie for anything this summer and we have no incentive to do so for a few reasons.

• 5 year contract signed in 2023 - unless he makes a stink, have no reason to move - and doesn't seem to be the type to do so unless player and club found a way
• A scarcity in the CF position - very few true CF positions out there that can do it all back to goal, linking play, getting in behind, and scoring. These are the only players at that level with Ollie for me
  • Kane
  • Haaland - weaker link up play and back to goal
  • Benzema - older
  • Lewandowski - older
  • Osimhein
  • Then a giant cliff to the next set of players
• Unreal fitness

This set of combinations has always made him hard to replace but now that he's being played as an out and out striker instead of a quasi left forward for most of his career, you're really seeing the counting stats pile up.

And that’s without pens. If he had pens he’d be well clear ahead as the best forward player in the league this year. 

It would be a shock if Leverkeusen don’t get through. It’s fine if they progress if Bayern and Dortmund get knocked out. 

As a minimum we need Liverpool, Villa and Man City to progress. If Arsenal knock out Bayern as well it’s pretty much done bar the shouting. 

2 hours ago, omariqy said:

Not confident at all tbh

I’m confident. We have the most experienced manager possible for a European tie. Should be a great game at VP with a great atmosphere and that tends to bring out the best in our players and they’ll feel that they have something to prove after Brentford.

Watkins won’t be sold unless someone offers a truly staggering amount. He’s up there with Haaland, Salah and De Bruyne as the best attacking players in the league in terms of goal contributions (without pens), is always fit and is continually applying himself and improving. If anything, he’s demonstrating captain credentials. 

I don’t buy that at all. These are the games that players want to play in. Full first team now for the next few games. Hopefully we get the extra coefficient spot and can then put everything into beating Bournemouth and Chelsea and can then put our feet up in the league. 

The general consensus appears to be that if we qualify for champions league we won’t have huge room to spend but won’t have to sell anyone significant either.

If we don’t qualify for champions league then it’s very likely we will have to sell a first teamer to avoid PSR issues and to create some spending room. 

Some of the posters have done some quite detailed analysis so hopefully can provide additional detail. 

4 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

Wow they really are through the roof. 62kg and only 5'7" I don't think @TRO will approve though

1st in Championship for tackles per game with 3.7 That is impressive

5.7 is not going to fly at all in such an important part of the pitch. Especially when we are obviously recruiting taller players in our profiles, both the young left back and right back we signed are just over 6ft and Rogers is well over 6ft.

Fantastic comments from Ollie after a fantastic point saving performance. Exactly what you want to hear a senior player say after a game like that. Taking full accountability but making it clear that letting a 2-0 lead slip is no longer acceptable.
 

Emery must be looking at him like a proud dad. 

Impressed with how much he has developed in such a short period of time but key is consistency. Let’s see if he maintains this level to the end of the season and then hopefully he can duke it out with Ramsey and Buendia for that role next season.

We probably only need one win to secure fifth. A win and a draw and it’s done.

Because he wasn’t dumb enough to do it in front of the spurs bench 

About as blatant a pen you’ll ever see.

That’s understandable mate  

Blatant pen. 

Hey, hey, hey, Calm down lads calm down. 

Just now, holteend1982 said:

Dunno how you can write man utd off so easily especially as the past 30 years they've always got the better of us. We should finish above them with the advantage we have but to completely write them off is so naive. 

It’s not naive at all based on their performances this season. Look at how many shots they’ve given up in this game. Liverpool had enough chances to win three games.

6 minutes ago, Genie said:

It was a funny deal because when he bought them he had also committed to spend a certain amount on players. 
No way he was picking the players hence why I said Poch can’t be getting too much sympathy for the mess when he’s going to be more responsible than anyone for it.

The players signed = Poch

The players not released causing a massive squad = Poch

The fees paid, I’m sure Poch could have cancelled any deals ones bidding got to a point.

Pochettino is on the record saying even Palmer wasn’t his signing and that he was bought by the owner and sporting directors.

After tuchel told him to do one apparently after he tried to bring his mates into the dressing room during a half time break

4 minutes ago, Genie said:

He has no history in football as far as I am aware so I’d find it very surprising if he was scouting and buying players that nobody else had asked for.

I doubt he’d have any involvement aside from putting his trust in people at the club and signing the cheques.

It’s fairly well known he was buying players that managers didn’t ask for….

We’re just not in a position to countenance refusing the minimum 50m that the champions league will give us in tv revenue, match day revenue, additional sponsorship revenue let alone the additional global exposure we will get. Especially in the PSR age. If anything a season in the champions league will stick 20m on the transfer fee of our key players and make it easier to attract the high potential younger players we will replace the eventual sales from the first team with. 
 

Yes we’re not ready for it but we will have a full summer to do that and will be stronger for some of these experiences such as brentford. 

But, but, what about man united ?

Two key priorities are obvious. A defensive midfielder to challenge Kamara and a right back.

Give the Serbian kid a chance in preseason at RB and let’s see how he does as he is very highly rated. 

29 minutes ago, omariqy said:

Only if we beat Bournemouth imo and United lose against Liverpool.

To a certain degree it’s irrelevant what united do as long as they don’t win 6 or 7 on the bounce, (which they won’t) which is what they will need to do as a minimum to catch us. And we are extremely likely to win at least 2 of our remaining 6 games. 

As long as the English teams do what’s needed in Europe we’ll be taking at least that fifth spot.