Transfer: 2016 Summer transfer discussion

[Power Man]

Aissa Mandi (Reims) linked to Wolfsburg, St-Etienne, Boro and Malaga.

Slimani (Sporting) and Brahimi (Porto) are linked to EPL clubs

 

[cgf]

If Fekir leaves Lyon, I expect PSG to be his destination. Both seem to like one another very much.

Of course, Aulas will ask for 80M€ for a player who almost didn't play all year.

Oh I know, just letting my fantasize run wild in light of the rumors that BMG may be able to afford both Tielemans & Embolo on top of their other spending.

As Fekir's one of the few young players I've watched that I don't struggle to picture being able to fill Raffael's shoes when that time comes. I know that there's no chance they get either him or Correa, and that even Embolo is highly unlikely; with Avdijaj or Eggestein being the "more realistic" pipedreams.

Just fun to fantasize about Raffael & Fekir/Correa going to work together. With Stindl / Hazard / Dahoud / Tielemans / Grillitsch & Dominguez / Christensen / Jantschke / Elvedi / Strobl / Vestegaard / Doucoure getting the ball forward to them, they could produce some of the most beautiful attacking play we'll see from any club next season.

 

[les Habs]

Yeah I doubt PSG sells any CB right now, they need a 4th option rather than sell one of their first 3.
Luiz or Silva will leave in a year. I doubt it's Silva, but who knows? In any case, it's going to be expensive.

I assume you mean even for Luiz, which I would suspect. The issue with that though would mean finding someone to pick up that tab.

 

[Evilo]

I assume you mean even for Luiz, which I would suspect. The issue with that though would mean finding someone to pick up that tab.

Yes, Luiz will be expensive. He's extremely underrated by EPL fans here, but he's among the best CBs in the business right now. PSG has 3 very strong CBs. Kurzawa starting next year will improve the D even more.
If PSG sells one, even for 50+M, it'll be very tough to find a decent replacement. Umiti could be that guy, but he'll cost 35-40M knowing Aulas.
So what's the point of selling Luiz to get a young guy like Umtiti who's not for sure a guy with international level?

 

[Savi]

I hate seeing either of Mascherano or Dani go, but both is a huge blow. Both have been excellent all these years and both will difficult to replace. Dani in particular will pretty much be impossible to replace. Absolutely love the player too.

"Impossible to replace" seems like a huge exaggeration to me

Then again, I've been pretty meh on Dani for about 3/4 years now

He was a lot of fun the first few season at Barça when he and Messi were a dynamic duo on the right flank. But in the years after that I have gotten annoyed with his game more often than not

I hate his flopping, his wild crosses, his idiotic long distance kicks which always end up in the third row, oh and what drives me nuts is how he always makes stupid and unnecessary fouls late in (blowout) games. I swear nobody in football gets that many avoidable yellow cards as Alves does.

/rant

Having said that, he's still one of the better RB's in the world but I'm not sad seeing him leave. Now get Aurier or Bellerin and we're good to go.

 

[les Habs]

Yes, Luiz will be expensive. He's extremely underrated by EPL fans here, but he's among the best CBs in the business right now. PSG has 3 very strong CBs. Kurzawa starting next year will improve the D even more.
If PSG sells one, even for 50+M, it'll be very tough to find a decent replacement. Umiti could be that guy, but he'll cost 35-40M knowing Aulas.
So what's the point of selling Luiz to get a young guy like Umtiti who's not for sure a guy with international level?

I agree, but it's not just PL fans who would underrate him. I think it's in both the media and to a lesser extent in the game. On top of that he'll be 30 and have only one year left on his contract.

Umtiti was linked with Barça at one point. Maybe another option. Really worried about CB with the concentration of top CBs at the top clubs.

What's the word on Aurier? I assume PSG have dropped principle for footballing prowess.

 

[les Habs]

"Impossible to replace" seems like a huge exaggeration to me

Then again, I've been pretty meh on Dani for about 3/4 years now

He was a lot of fun the first few season at Barça when he and Messi were a dynamic duo on the right flank. But in the years after that I have gotten annoyed with his game more often than not

I hate his flopping, his wild crosses, his idiotic long distance kicks which always end up in the third row, oh and what drives me nuts is how he always makes stupid and unnecessary fouls late in (blowout) games. I swear nobody in football gets that many avoidable yellow cards as Alves does.

/rant

Having said that, he's still one of the better RB's in the world but I'm not sad seeing him leave. Now get Aurier or Bellerin and we're good to go.

Find another RB with his game. His positioning and the way he fits into the attack will be nearly impossible to find. On top of that he's coming off a good season while 2014/15 was an excellent season.

I think your characterization of him is a huge exaggeration. Everything you're saying is infrequent and the bit about "wild crosses" is what I would call inaccurate. While some of those things frustrate me, they rarely do as they're so infrequent. Trust me, you're going to miss him some day.

I think PSG hold on to Aurier and even if they do sell he'd cost a lot. Bellerin also won't be on the block and would cost a fortune.

 

[Dabest]

I might be leaving Tottenham

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Players swaps don't happen in real life.
Papers have those every week, but I can't think of any other than the Ibra/Eto'o swap in recent memory.

Spurs and Swansea swapped Sigurdsson for Vorm/Davies a few years back ... of course I can't exactly remember if this was a formal swap or just coincidental signings from each other's teams.

 

[Evilo]

What's the word on Aurier? I assume PSG have dropped principle for footballing prowess.

I'm not sure. Rumors in the media was that Blanc wanted him gone and the price would be low (15M€).

But I doubt it. He's one of the best (if not the best) RB option in today's football and would be hard to replace.
PSG are after Corchia, but I think he's seen as VdW's replacement.

 

[Plato]

Di Marzio reporting United have met with Roma to discuss transfer of Manolas.
40M Euro fee floating around.

 

[les Habs]

I'm not sure. Rumors in the media was that Blanc wanted him gone and the price would be low (15M€).

But I doubt it. He's one of the best (if not the best) RB option in today's football and would be hard to replace.
PSG are after Corchia, but I think he's seen as VdW's replacement.

I'm worried we might go after VdW.

Di Marzio reporting United have met with Roma to discuss transfer of Manolas.
40M Euro fee floating around.

Hopefully Roma invest that sort of money better this Summer.

 

[les Habs]

Cadena Ser reporting that Ronaldo will extend his contract with Madrid until 2021.

 

[chasespace]

As the resident Stoke fan I'll give you guys an update:

Chasing Witsel(Zenit St Pete, Belgian), Saido(West Brom, English), and Redmond(Norwich, English).

Looking very seriously like Arnautovic is leaving this summer. If he is, ideally it will be before he leaves for Euros.

Supposedly put in an offer for Murillo(Inter, Colombia) and he rejected Stoke as he is holding out hope for a club similar in stature to Inter.

Also, looking for a more solid backup keeper as losing Butland to injury at the end pretty much guaranteed them no European competition.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Di Marzio reporting United have met with Roma to discuss transfer of Manolas.
40M Euro fee floating around.

Jeez that's a lot...

Spurs and Swansea swapped Sigurdsson for Vorm/Davies a few years back ... of course I can't exactly remember if this was a formal swap or just coincidental signings from each other's teams.

Coincidental I think. "Swaps" like that occur often, similar to how Sterling went to City this summer and Milner went the other way.

As the resident Stoke fan I'll give you guys an update:

Chasing Witsel(Zenit St Pete, Belgian), Saido(West Brom, English), and Redmond(Norwich, English)

If Axel Witsel goes to Stoke this summer it is proof that EPL money is really making an impact on where top players go. Mid-table English clubs have a degree of financial leverage that can lure top guys. Payet and Ayew were enough of a crazy indication of the impact this is had, but Witsel to Stoke would be nuts.

 

[Deficient Mode]

If Axel Witsel goes to Stoke this summer it is proof that EPL money is really making an impact on where top players go. Mid-table English clubs have a degree of financial leverage that can lure top guys. Payet and Ayew were enough of a crazy indication of the impact this is had, but Witsel to Stoke would be nuts.

Using money to lure a player who already strayed once from the path to maximizing his talent for money isn't proof of the financial EPocaLypse at all.

Fischer to Middlesborough was a similar story: a player whose career had stalled trying to salvage a chance to cash in on his talent.

 

[YNWA14]

Fischer's development was massively stunted by injury.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

The latter item, not the former.

 

[Deficient Mode]

Yeah, I hope the rumor isn't true. Not for Pulisic's sake like you I presume, but because he just doesn't have the quality. Maybe if the price and his wages are super low, but that doesn't seem likely with what Wolfsburg paid for him, unless he has some contractual clause in the event that they don't qualify for European competition. I will trust Tuchel, but even great managers push for dumb transfers.

Meanwhile Dortmund has been linked with like 10 attackers and 10 center backs but not a single central midfielder to take Gündogan's place. Hmmm.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yeah, I hope the rumor isn't true. Not for Pulisic's sake like you I presume, but because he just doesn't have the quality. Maybe if the price and his wages are super low, but that doesn't seem likely with what Wolfsburg paid for him, unless he has some contractual clause in the event that they don't qualify for European competition. I will trust Tuchel, but even great managers push for dumb transfers.

Meanwhile Dortmund has been linked with like 10 attackers and 10 center backs but not a single central midfielder to take Gündogan's place. Hmmm.

I also saw Tuchel wants to clear out the squad of some of the fringe players. Park, Leitner, Ramos, Subotic and Ginter. I'd personally add Kuba to that.

I don't see the need for Park. Too much LB depth, even if he can get over his injuries. Let him go. Subotic needs to go. He's really struggled. Leitner and Ginter I would keep as squad depth, but that would probably be selfish. Both players are still young, and should want to play every match, instead of being squad players at Dortmund. They could very well be Dortmund starting quality some day, although right now they are not close to it. I'm really low on Ginter though, so that might be harsh. I thought he would be a lot better than he's turned out the last few seasons. Ramos is the one I'm unsure about. He's not the most flashy player, but he's efficient. I'd try to keep him if he doesn't mind the same role as this season. If he wants to go, the Werner rumor might not be the worst idea.

You are right about the central mid rumors. I really don't understand what's up there. Could Tuchel be happy playing some variation of a 4-1-4-1 in the Bundesliga against bunkering teams with Weigl sitting in front of four attackers and then when Dortmund plays a real team, whether thats against one of the better Bundesliga teams or in the UCL he'll go defensive in CM with Bender as a second CM? Can he really go a season without a starting caliber CM, and just relying on some combination of a formation change, Castro and Bender for that role? I don't think so. I'd like to see a box to box midfielder brought in. I also like what I've seen of Burnic from the U-19 team. He seems like the third best player from that team after the two already in the first team squad. He could get a few minutes because of a lack of depth at box to box mid, although he certainly can't be relied on as a 1st, 2nd or even third option. I wouldn't mind if he essentially replaces Leitner's role for the upcoming season.

 

[les Habs]

If Axel Witsel goes to Stoke this summer it is proof that EPL money is really making an impact on where top players go. Mid-table English clubs have a degree of financial leverage that can lure top guys. Payet and Ayew were enough of a crazy indication of the impact this is had, but Witsel to Stoke would be nuts.

I guess that depends on your definition of "top player". There are any number of bigger clubs out there who could have landed any of the players you mentioned were they interested.

The money that these "mid table" PL clubs are getting though is helping to attract players they probably wouldn't have in the past. Thus far it's only a certain level of player though and it has yet to make a difference in continental competitions.

 

[Deficient Mode]

I also saw Tuchel wants to clear out the squad of some of the fringe players. Park, Leitner, Ramos, Subotic and Ginter. I'd personally add Kuba to that.

I don't see the need for Park. Too much LB depth, even if he can get over his injuries. Let him go. Subotic needs to go. He's really struggled. Leitner and Ginter I would keep as squad depth, but that would probably be selfish. Both players are still young, and should want to play every match, instead of being squad players at Dortmund. They could very well be Dortmund starting quality some day, although right now they are not close to it. I'm really low on Ginter though, so that might be harsh. I thought he would be a lot better than he's turned out the last few seasons. Ramos is the one I'm unsure about. He's not the most flashy player, but he's efficient. I'd try to keep him if he doesn't mind the same role as this season. If he wants to go, the Werner rumor might not be the worst idea.

You are right about the central mid rumors. I really don't understand what's up there. Could Tuchel be happy playing some variation of a 4-1-4-1 in the Bundesliga against bunkering teams with Weigl sitting in front of four attackers and then when Dortmund plays a real team, whether thats against one of the better Bundesliga teams or in the UCL he'll go defensive in CM with Bender as a second CM? Can he really go a season without a starting caliber CM, and just relying on some combination of a formation change, Castro and Bender for that role? I don't think so. I'd like to see a box to box midfielder brought in. I also like what I've seen of Burnic from the U-19 team. He seems like the third best player from that team after the two already in the first team squad. He could get a few minutes because of a lack of depth at box to box mid, although he certainly can't be relied on as a 1st, 2nd or even third option. I wouldn't mind if he essentially replaces Leitner's role for the upcoming season.

I mostly agree with your assessment of the fringe players. I liked Park at Mainz but he completely disappeared in the second half of the season... I mean, he was never in the squad, and I had no idea where he was. Leitner I would like to stay.

I really don't know about midfield though. Burnic is an extremely talented player but yeah, I don't think he can be relied upon yet in planning the roster. As I've speculated before, I basically agree with your suspicion that Tuchel might rely more on 4-1-4-1 or other formations that don't demand an 8. The club typically carries out their transfer business very early in the summer, and the lack of rumors for midfielders is very suspicious. Maybe I'm overthinking this.

 

[Chimaera]

Bayern telling Gotze to consider his playing time.

He must be after a chunk of the transfer.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Like I said before there's a lot of money on the table for Bayern. After next year Götze can go for free IIRC.
So it's no surprise Bayern wants to get rid of him NOW. He won't be playing anyway next year.

As a neutral it's pretty funny to see how Bayern is getting nervous. It's a bad thing being handcuffed, right?

 

[YNWA14]

If the reports are to believed does that mean Liverpool are in pole position on Gotze despite missing Europe?