Boredom is the beginning of all destruction and everything that is negative**
Well, last week I had my fill of boredom, rumour, speculation and what might [and, more importantly, might not] happen during the current but yet to open transfer window. Every fansite, from Arsenal’s Daily Cannon to 100% Villa aka Vital Villa, were banging on about Emi Buendia and exactly why he would benefit their respective clubs.
Then it emerged that Getafe will benefit to the tune of 20% in a sell-on clause when our five feet seven of football heaven departs. Is that true? Quite possibly but that’s one for Stuart Webber to deal with, isn’t it?
We’ve all surely seen that magnificent pic of Emi training alongside Lionel Messi since his call-up to the Argentina squad and a couple of Norfolk wags captioned it with *Messi looks on in awe* and *spot the starstruck Messi*. Great fun and I must admit that enjoyed it too.
Plus there were a few who reckoned they could outguess Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni in proclaiming Emi will remain with the national squad after matches against Colombia and Chile to take part in the Copa America. I hope he does stay on with Argentina as I’m sure he’ll want to prove himself. If he hasn’t already.
Running in the background have been the constant pushings and shovings surrounding Max Aarons. We know this excellent baller will leave us this summer, but there seems to be a media-driven frenzy over his destination.
As I write – and this could change by the time this piece is posted – Everton have pulled out because they don’t value Max at £30million as a successor to Seamus Coleman, but Tottenham still want him for around Webber’s price, as do Man United and very probably Bayern as well. Roma are off the bid-list because Jose thought he was too short in stature for Spurs so surely won’t change his mind now. It’s his loss IMO.
And as Max is fond of his Luton homebase I reckon it’ll be Spurs for him, unless West Ham come in with an equal offer, in which case young Max will have a choice to make. I know which of the two I’d pick, but of course I’m not Max Aarons.
As for incomings, the rumours abound but I do not take a single one of them seriously. Not right now, anyway. Perhaps there’s a sliver of truth in Alex Mowatt from Barnsley if we’re already thinking of a trapdoor drop. I hope we’re more forward-thinking than that so as good a player as he is I think we should pass for now. Not required at this moment IMO.
Anybody who thinks we are likely to pay north of €15milion for anybody during this window will be disappointed I’m afraid and during the Euros business will be very difficult in any case.
If I were Stuart Webber right now I’d be concentrating on who we can permanently get out of the door. As in Josip Drmic, Timm Klose, Tom Trybull and particularly the reclusive Moritz Leitner, last seen jogging through the Black Forest sans football.
This juncture in football is boring for MFW readers and writers alike – no active matches, pure speculation and an absolute dearth of hard facts to get our collective teeth into.
I’m fed up with it and I’m sure all of you are as well, but we’ll have plenty to talk about soon.
Especially if we see an electronic scoreboard declaring *England 1, Scotland 2*. You never know.
**So was my opening quote from a modernist philosopher the work of:
A: Albert Camus, the goalkeeper/thinker
B: Arthur Rimbaud, who scared even his own friends with his deep, dark musings
C: Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant who freaked during the recording of LZ IV when the sound engineer wasn’t available to play back the completed tracks for a couple of days?
No prizes cos you’ll all get the answer right anyway, but this is one of the eight things he wanted to hear:
***
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Gary
Hi mate, thanks for the article.
I’m amazed about the Alex Mowatt comment because we only have our own THIRD choice central midfielder presently available, Rupp.
I’d pay £ for £ Aaron’s for Skipp on a permanent transfer, but it doesn’t look likely. McLean could be out for months and was questionable in the Prem anyway. Mowatt is on a free, a great “trapdoor” option…. but he’s free. We’re talking about him being a squad player that scores more than Cantwell did but from a role where we are short, and as a captain of a club that did immensely well.
When it comes to quality, I’d say Stefan Johansen at QPR/Fulham but if we don’t act I’d bet he’ll go to Brentford and stay in London, as would Danjuma to Watford or Brentford, but he’s a £25-30m player.
Watford and Brentford are going to be more attractive as a lifestyle to most young players so I think we need to act reasonably quickly.
Hi Mike
The lack of current CM options is a cause for concern, of course it is. I’m just wondering whether there might better options available than Mowatt – although I do like him or I wouldn’t have mentioned him🙂
Agree about the lure of Londoners for many young footballers – and there ain’t much we can do about that!
Thanks – good post
Marty, we are most definitely a selling club, not by choice, for need. So as you say Max and Emi to go with our best wishes and a general clear out of three or four keen but not quiet Prem ‘others’. As to incoming players, possibly a couple of loans and the rest hidden gems, no big names, too expensive. And we must not forget some of our rising young hopefuls. So nothing too drastic which will disappoint those baying for the moon, but maybe enough for us to enjoy some decent wins and a less painful season than our last time in the Prem.
Hi Cutty
Nobody sensible will be barking at the moon. I haven’t turned into Ozzy yet although I did see a couple of bats last night fleeing from Wilby’s western link.
Seriously you are spot on and as you say there won’t be anything too drastic.
Cheers old pard
Yes Martin – the ‘silly season’ is already upon us and as PD said the other day, not too much will happen until after the Euros. Naturally, our ‘Crown Jewels’ will be highly sought after by all and sundry, but will any club be willing to match (or even get close to) SW’s valuations. We’ve got another 3 months of it to go as well!! 🙁
I see that Argentina will no longer host the Copa America due to the rising Coronovirus numbers, so Emi may miss out on playing for his home country. 🙁
VERY impressed with the painting on the wall at the Fat Cat and Canary and great way to welcome fans to the city.
Hi Ed
I’m no art snob but that was a brilliant piece of work from ACN and particularly Gnasher and his team who created it.
I’m no fan of mindless graffiti but this was something else.
Yes we’ve got a long time living in rumour no city and I too feel for Emi not being able to play in his home country.
Cheers
Hi Martin
As we have spoken recently Wednesday kicks off the first 5 day test with the second a week later can England beat the current World No1 test side New Zealand 2-0 for the first of a double test season as India No2 test side is up next.
Football well so far the playoffs have been great with Brentford in the top division for the first time in 68 years and Blackpool going into the Championship.
Simon Sadler the Blackpool owner has promise funds to keep them up and progress towards a return to the Premiership big promises but 4 of the current squad are loans and another few are out of contract and are they good enough for the championship only time will tell.
City I full agree that city will not spend vast sums as predicted buy the pundits for Dike £18m or players from all over Europe.
Dike on loan from Orlando got in prior to the Brexit rules so not sure now if he would qualify for a workpermit, then there is the midfielders from Italy and the Balkan states that we are being interested in, as usual there are the possibility of players swapping numerous areas of Germany for the Norfolk Broads, SW mentioned a while back that more bargains could be available from South America and city are SUPPOSE to be in a tussle with half of the premiership for a Columbian winger as Emi replacement but only time and pundits will tell us what to expect.
It looks like we have lost the never seen LB Hiese signing permanently for his loan club, as have be aluded to we have Trybull, Klose, Drmic and Leitner all who have received promotion bonuses, maybe a deal could be done with Drmic and his loan club for their holding midfielder, but these players just really need their contracts paying up, yes that money taken from transfer funds but it clears the decks.
The first good news would be Daniel and his team sign extended contracts, secondly if Aarons leave it is to Spurs with Skipp back for a second season and Carter Vickers to sweeten the deal.
We can all live in a dream world
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and Stay Healthy
Hi Alex
There’s nothing wrong with your Spurs related football dreams – I reckon Carter-Vickers would be good here too.
Apparently Newcastle have snapped up the Norwegian lad at Celtic for £6m which I hope we don’t come to regret.
Clearing the decks is of the utmost importance as you say
Cheers mate.
Not sure about Mowatt, although remember thinking he looked a good prospect at Leeds. I hope you’re right about the electronic scoreboard at Wembley!
I guess you might have some Scots heritage in their Malcolm!
Cheers
I’ve said it before, I’ve stopped reading all the ins and outs and transfer speculation, from all the ITK web sites out there. I’ll believe it when I see it on the club web site, or in the EDP as confirmed by the club. There’s an awful lot of agent’s talk and pi$$ing in the wind at the moment, and it’ll go on for a while yet.
I think Max will go, probably to Spuds, and I guess Emi might, though if he does, as I’ve also said before, I hope it’s to Athletico, so we don’t find him opposing us later in the year. Not sure where Todd sits in the scheme of things at the moment, but his head did seem to be turned last summer.
As for the incomings, I guess we have to hope the back-room boys are continuing to do an excellent job in un-earthing gems they have done before, and that Daniel can develop them into top quality players (I almost put assets, given our self-sustaining model!)
Hi Jim
For good or ill assets is indeed the right word.
I can really see Emi at the Athletic Club and surely he would have the time of his life if he joined them
Beats Villa or the Gooners for me anyway!
Cheers
Hello Martin, a good read on a hot Bank Holiday. I’m happy enough to rest on my laurels and bask in the reflected glory which comes from being a newly annointed champion.
The tiresome links to this player or that and the accompanying drivel from ill informed berks that follow the likes of arsenal or villa are unwelcome in the extreme. Cast your mind back to last summer and the gobsh1te Liverpool follower berating us from behind his keyboard for supporting a club that dared to turn down a low bid for one of its players.
I feel very sorry for Stuart webber currently, because there is a minefield of conflicting and converging interests to be negotiated from June through to August. If the money is right and only if the money is right the sales are inevitable. In fairness to the players there has to be a tipping point.
The 64000$ question as ever, is what happens to the momey? A serious amount simply must be ploughed back into the team in the shape of some expensive players of good pedigree. Links to Belgian internationals and proven young Premier league performers are welcome – less so rumours of Adam reach replacing buendia.
Best of luck Stuart.
Hi Chris
Yes the noise and the nonsense gets on yer threepennies to be sure.
Adam Reach had to be some kind of bad joke but I doubt we’ve reached the nadir yet.
As for the money the only thing I know is that our lack of spending is likely to only rival that of Burnley.
But at least under Webber we’re honest about it and I kind of admire that.
Cheers
Personally I think Emi’s going to have a word with his new bestie Leo and convince him to come to the Carra on a free for five hundred quid a week 🙂
Hi Geoff
I’m more worried about that pic of our Emi playing pool with Villa keeper Martinez in Argentina myself😏
I’ve ‘switched off’ to the speculation it’s all so tedious, whatever squad we have it will be a fight, we had Emi, Todd & Max last time and finished bottom by a country mile. I’m leaving it to SW & DF.
Meanwhile, one of my golfing favourites Ian Poulter, Poults to me, came very close in the last PGA event in the US., I love the bloke and at 45 still one of England’s finest, We’ve Test Match Cricket at Lords and Sir Jimmy Anderson doing what he does better than anyone ever has, Oh Jimmy, Jimmy ……. Plus the Euros with an exciting sprinkle of Yellow & Green interest.
So have a break, enjoy what’s in front of us and Capt. Hanley and his merry crew will be back at The Carra before we know it. We should have Brentford to keep us company in the lower reaches next season together with Southampton,, Palace, Wolves, Burnley and Watford so whoever we have playing for us they will be good DF & SW will ensure that.
Hi Colin
Yes we’ve got to leave things with Stuart and Daniel. Even if only cos they are the experts and we are not!
What annoys me is the constant hype from certain websites that will say anything for a click.
Jimmy A is incredible and I reckon. a bit of cricket will do us all some good. NZ and India will be pretty good opposition so it should be entertaining.
I wonder how India in particular will like our wickets!
Your list of the bottom feeders for the PL is spot on.
Hopefully we can surprise a few doubters along the way.
Chill is the word.
Thanks as always.
Martin.About a week to go before the late great ,insert name of any famous footballer from yesteryear, reaches over and opens the window.
Movement in , movement out , do the transfer shuffle and shake it all about.
Only then will we have a Scooby,
Then ,lights down , tension rising and the Farke Webber band break into a chorus of ‘we did it our way’.
Hi Bernie
That’s a good and dare I say original way of looking at it!