Fuck Off Back To The Little Leagues: EPL 21/22

wasn't aware it was possible to wrap deals like that up so quickly, tbh, can we get a VAR check? we've been trying to offload our squad waste for years

Luis Diaz is the first really exciting player linked with Spurs this window but, inevitably, they’re reported to be offering £40m when Porto want £67m.

This is a shame as he’s excellent.

Bruno Guimaraes’ move to Newcastle is agreed. I can’t stress enough what a fantastic player he is and what a great coup this is for Newcastle. He will increase the team so much!

— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) January 26, 2022

A far better player / prospect than Amrabat, from what I have seen.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/26/tottenham-want-sofyan-amrabat-on-loan-from-fiorentina-with-buy-option

This seems really odd, given that the club has supposedly identified right-back, creative midfielder, centre back and striker as the key priorities for recruitment and Amrabat is none of those. It makes sense to have cover for Hojbjerg but, idk. He’s not a replacement for either Alli or Ndombele.

🚨 Barcelona working to sign Adama Traore from Wolves on loan with ~€35m buy option. #FCBarcelona speaking to #WWFC & 26yo. Not done yet. Spurs deal all-but over. Club-to-club talks were going positively but he wasn’t keen to play RWB @TheAthleticUK #THFC https://t.co/MDI2PVTDvy

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) January 27, 2022

Seems like the kind of thing they might have checked before making it the focus of their transfer window.

seems like if Levy was serious he might have pitched his starting bid higher than 10 bob and Matt Doherty

looks like Adama goes on Friday, tho not clear whether the buy option will be compulsory or not. I've criticised him sometimes, nobody would ever call him a complete player, but when he's on it he's been so much fun to have, I'm gonna miss him

Tottenham are confident on the outgoings: Ndombele’s expected to leave on loan, same for Dele Alli. Ajax won’t give up to sign Bergwijn on a permanent deal. ⚪️ #THFC

Loan plus buy-option bid for Sofyan Amrabat ready since Sunday, and Luís Diaz deal still discussed with Porto.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 27, 2022

I know it's a 1bn stadium but has he insured for that full amount against oh let's say riots

Ecuador vs Brazil sounds fun. Emerson Royal and Allison have both been sent off in the opening 25 minutes, along with an Ecuadorean player.

VAR reprieve for Allison.

Aren’t Barcelona close to bankruptcy? Fascinating that they still can try and spend £35m on a player, after already buying Torres for £50m

Wish I was so rich that I just didn’t give a shit about being a billion in debt with no way to pay it off.

Forget it Jake, it's footballtown

as you're here, a hoy hoy - Calum Chambers: waste or not waste? in my head i have him pegged as "basically Phil Jones, but possibly a bit worse than that". a guy who i must've watched play at least 30 times and i still have no idea what his level is. i assuming that as a free signing all-purpose RB / CB / DM backup he will do. but i've got very little to base that on.

didn't mean this v boring question to be exclusive btw, other ilx Gooners please chip in

Aren’t Barcelona close to bankruptcy? Fascinating that they still can try and spend £35m on a player, after already buying Torres for £50m

Wish I was so rich that I just didn’t give a shit about being a billion in debt with no way to pay it off.

the thing about the debt is that so long as Barca can keep making their interest payments they can just refinance in a year or two, or whenever it is their loans fall due. they can just take out a new loan for the same amount, on terms that are more favourable wrt interest and fees (or less favourable, depending on what their commercial outlook is at that point), pay off the old loan with the new and continue stumbling along as before.

in on sense this is really just kicking that can down the road but also that's how p much all businesses of that size and with that level of turnover operate. the only number that really matters from a financial perspective for a company that turns over whatever ridiculous sum it is that Barca generates each year is "can they afford to keep up the interest payments on the debt, no matter how large the overall figure?" and so long as the answer is yes, they'll keep getting lenders to dole out huge amounts of money which they can put towards transfers, because the lenders understand that in 3 years or 5 years or whenever their particular loan falls due, Barca will refinance again, again on more or less favourable terms, and then it's someone else's problem

all of this is presumably why Barca were one of the teams to tell CVC to go fuck themselves with their attempted buy in to La Liga, cause they've done the maths and worked out that whatever percentage of broadcasting rights, ad revenues, sponsorship and all of that which CVC would have been sucking out of the league is gonna be a long-term loss for Barcelona. so long as they can keep showing lenders that all of that money is gonna continue pouring into the club, they can keep mortgaging the future income against any loans they wanna take out for further investment

this is all obviously besides the purely football-related financial limits and sanctions imposed upon them by La Liga, which I gather have been eased by the shipping out of Aguero and Coutinho this winter.

but yeah essentially there will always be someone who is willing to lend large sums of money today to a massive global business with huge turnover so long as Barca are able to put up all of that guaranteed future income as collateral

as you're here, a hoy hoy - Calum Chambers: waste or not waste? in my head i have him pegged as "basically Phil Jones, but possibly a bit worse than that". a guy who i must've watched play at least 30 times and i still have no idea what his level is. i assuming that as a free signing all-purpose RB / CB / DM backup he will do. but i've got very little to base that on.

didn't mean this v boring question to be exclusive btw, other ilx Gooners please chip in

― Windsor Davies, Thursday, 27 January 2022 23:34 (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

I think your description is pretty accurate. He reminds me of other previous United defenders, the John O’Shea, Wes Brown types, who were alright mid table players but shouldn’t be anywhere near a club who wants to take getting into Europe seriously. Actually I guess that really sums up Phil Jones too.

Maguire and all

USA semi-starter gk Matt Turner is apparently going to Arsenal, curious if he will actually play?

Arsenal tend to only play second choice goal keepers in the cups

Barca are apparently looking to sell half of their media studio to finance a deal for Haaland.

The Portuguese press is suggesting that Porto have agreed a deal with Liverpool for Diaz. I think that makes Amrabat the only player currently credibly linked to Spurs of the ‘five to six’ they were meant to be looking at bringing in.

Amrabat who will presumably still be in Cameroon when the window closes.

well, we looked

is this the first window where loans, frees and salaries have dominated over actual fees to this extent

There is a lot of very weird stuff going on.

News #Gosens: Crazy goal-clause revealed! It’s a 18-months-loan, not 6. But as soon as @Inter scores the first goal in a competitive match 2022/23, they have got an obligation to buy. #Inter will pay the €25m transfer fee (+add-ons) by the end of the contract 2026. @SkySportNews

— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) January 29, 2022

I'm not sure at what point dodgy accounting tricks start becoming ritual magic at this point

Kulusevski to Spurs on loan-to-buy seems fairly solid. Purchase becomes mandatory if Spurs qualify for the Champions’ League, so no firm long term commitment.

He’s a good player and the sort of creative midfielder they need, though not in great form at the moment.

Bid for Bentancur too, who’s also good and also in questionable form.

not that I can raise much enthusiasm but certainly anyone that can compete with what we have would be welcome even as a squad option because consistency is such a huge issue

Alli ndombele lo celso not even any use as a threat to eg winks because he knew the past year that trying even a little while still being rubbish was good enough

They would both arguably improve the first eleven from the off, which would be a pretty successful window, with the clearance of some dead wood. The only qualm with Kulusevski is Spurs’ habit of taking productive, goal scoring, attacking midfielders and doing whatever Lamela / Lo Celso / Bergwijn were / are doing with them.

So Mason Greenwood is an abuser whose career should hopefully be over very soon

i would be sad because i always liked the kid but given the story fuck him and yes, game over

This is like when I play Football Manager. https://t.co/HWOu3r9FIu

— Unlimited Capacity to Steve (@invisibleste) January 30, 2022

lol truth

fans put him off after his gooner troll childhood came up

So Mason Greenwood is an abuser whose career should hopefully be over very soon

Absolutely sickening. What a piece of shit.

repellant and depressing, fucking hell

ronaldo has apparently unfollowed him on social media, he can fuck off too

Arsenal rumoured to be looking at triggering the release clauses of Alexander Isaak, who is a very Arsenal-style player but not worth remotely near €75m, or Raul de Tomas, who is a big lump of a centre forward but could work out quite well imo.

i used to have de Tomas in one of my Football Manager teams, he performed as described

lot of question marks over Raul de tuomas imo

Dele has gone to Everton on loan.

Impressed with Burnley finding a 6’6” centre forward to replace their 6’3” one.

Not on loan! Dele signing is permanent.

free transfer with clause of guaranteed payment after 20 games

weghorst was p great last season but hasn't been at it this one, although wolfsburg lost their manager during the summer and are currently on their 2nd one this season who himself is on about a 10 game without a win streak so not the best of circumstances.

donny vdb and delli both being great would be funny.

I mean I'm in such a healthy place re Dele I literally do not care what he does anywhere else

lot of question marks over Raul de tuomas imo

― Ár an broc a mhic (darraghmac), Monday, 31 January 2022 14:50 (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Sounds like a perfect Arsenal signing

sigh

Newcastle are supposedly trying to hijack the Dele deal.

Ben Brereton to Barca if the Aubameyang deal falls through would be delightful.

ramsey to rangers is a belter

can't believe they can afford his wages