January Transfer Window

Lukerz

I am surprised though, after two years of constant improvement & several astute, well thought out & brilliant signings under Moyes, there is any doubt about his decision making during the transfer market.

buffybegood

Lukerz said:

The club is not afraid to spend big money on a player a manager wants. Moyes spent £30m on Zouma, £25m on Vlasic, £20m on Bowen, £20m on Soucek. If he wants Digne & says to the board ‘get him’, then I’m sure the owners, backed by the new owner, will do it.

Indeed, but personally I can't see it happening for a FB, and especially when we desperately need a CB and a CF, both positions in the "spine" of the team.

IronHerb

Lukerz said:

I am surprised though, after two years of constant improvement & several astute, well thought out & brilliant signings under Moyes, there is any doubt about his decision making during the transfer market.

Who's doubting Moyes then? 🤔

buffybegood

Lukerz said:

I am surprised though, after two years of constant improvement & several astute, well thought out & brilliant signings under Moyes, there is any doubt about his decision making during the transfer market.

No decisions has been made yet for us to doubt, we're all, as usual, speculating on what may or may not happen.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

But my point is more we have one of the best LBs in the PL for the past 18 months. It’s like spending £30m on a new CM. Yes, he is 4 years older than Digne, but I don’t see Digne improving us on Cresswell over the next 6 months. Over the next 5 years, yes, but not the next few months.

So if he improves us over the next five years, and improves us right now, given Cresswell's injury, then all the more reason to bring him in now.

But I don't think it's even about improving on Cresswell as such; it's more about improving on the left back position, which undoubtedly he'll do, both in the long and short-term.

Anyway, it's likely a moot point as the talk seems to be that Chelsea are interested.

steve

So still not signed anyone yet

steve

So still not got rid of anyone yet

alderz

Lukerz said:

But my point is more we have one of the best LBs in the PL for the past 18 months. It’s like spending £30m on a new CM. Yes, he is 4 years older than Digne, but I don’t see Digne improving us on Cresswell over the next 6 months. Over the next 5 years, yes, but not the next few months.

But this is where we have to decide how much of a priority each position actually is for us, because he massively improves the squad over Masuaku / Johnson at LB. Maybe he doesn't immediately take Cresswell's spot, but there's a good chance he pushes him harder for his spot and improves his form. He also enables us to switch to a back 3 more effectively, as a big upgrade on Arthur. For me, he'd be an outstanding signing for us. If he comes at the expense of a striker, then that's not enough.

PrestonHammer

Why not use Longelo, he can't be worse than Masuako.

IronHerb

eskimoking said:

Lukerz said:

Chelsea, West Ham & Newcastle are all interested in Everton LB Lucas Digne. Everton want £30m for the player (Sky Sports).

Everton don’t have a single player worth £30m and they want that for a guy that can’t even get an appearance off the bench! Madness. Would love it if we could get him on loan for the season though.
Good for us with Cresswell out.
Good for him as he can see if Benitez goes by the time he gets back.
Good for Everton as can keep him if Benitez doesn’t work out.

I'll take Calvert-Lewin for £25m then.

BubblesNeverDies

Herb
We've already got someone who can miss a penalty.

ScotHammer

Just a thought - could we play Cresswell as an emergency LCB, therefore freeing up the place for someone like Digne who may be available? Cresswell seemed to do ok in a back five last year.

IronHerb

Cresswell is not a CB so I would think not.

OutcastLondoner

Cresswell did well in a back five but only because it was a back five. I don't think he could play as one of only two CBs.

And I'm not sure about moving permanently to a back five. It has its uses in some games but it means sacrificing one of our attacking midfielders, who are quite key to us getting goals against teams that no longer give us the space to counter attack as they did early last season.

Lukerz

Liverpool reject £7m bid from unnamed PL club for Nat Phillips. 🤔

OutcastLondoner

He's not even worth £7m

MrsGrey

Cresswell too short for a CB.

yoyo

Sky sports:
Hammers increasingly unlikely to pursue Gabigol
West Ham are increasingly unlikely to pursue a deal for Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa.

An 18-month loan deal plus a €30m option to buy was proposed, but a final decision would have come down to manager David Moyes.

Sky Sports News has been told two Premier League clubs and Zenit Saint Petersburg are expected to make permanent offers.

Flamengo do not want to let him go, but Gabigol is determined to make the move to England.

Fortuneseeker

Look forward to Gabigol arriving on Tyneside any time soon, scoring against us later in the season & then I can ask "Why didn't we buy him when we had the chance" as it appears we have actually been in for him!

PrestonHammer

He'll throw his toys out of his pram as soon as he's not picked plus he's so left footed, he'll get marked out of games.

PrestonHammer

We're not going to sign a striker are we.😪

claretandbluesky

I would be happy to be proved wrong but he would not be my first choice, he has been with Inter and Benfica (?) and didn't set the world alight so returned to Brazil. I also think he would quite understandably take more time to bed in coming to the UK. I would like a striker who could be ready to go, which for me is from the UK or a main European League.

Fortuneseeker

candsky, Does the Swiss league qualify as a main European league?

claretandbluesky

Probably not, in my view, as a player wouldn't be playing opposition anywhere near Premiership standard each week. I am sure you would get one or two exceptional players who just make clear they are above that standard, but if you have a player fresh from Germany, Italy or Spain you know they are being tested most weeks against reasonable opposition. This said I do feel the Premiership is pretty unique in its pace and physicality.

If I am honest I was disappointed with the standard we met in the Europa so far, all were teams we knew and are regulars to European football but in my view if you put those three in the Premiership next season I think Genk and Rapid would be certs for relegation and Zagreb would probably stay up at around 15-16, where as if you put us in the Italian, German or Spanish leagues I think we would probably do no better than we would placing wise than the Premiership, I think the standard is similar, so recruiting from these leagues a lot less risky.

ASLEFshrugged

MrsGrey said:

Cresswell too short for a CB.

He's the same height as Steve Potts

Regardless I don't think Cresswell would make a good CB, his instinct is to get forward which he continued to do when playing in a back three. Maybe not such a good idea when he's just one of two CBs.

Also we still don't know if Cresswell is going to be back before Zouma

As for Digne we paid £20m for Bowen in January when he was a Championship player with just 7 appearances in the Premier League and no caps. £30m for a player with 43 caps and 113 PL appearances (111 starts) doesn't seem outrageous,

I'm not so sure Everton will sell Digne as with the new bloke they've only got two out-and-out LBs so for the last four matches they've been playing CBs and RBs out of position.

New bloke Vitaliy Mykolenko is just 22yo so might take a while to settle in. Interesting, he got his first full cap for Ukraine 39 days after he got his first U-21 cap.

OldCastleSwift

ASLEFshrugged said:

I'm not so sure Everton will sell Digne as with the new bloke they've only got two out-and-out LBs so for the last four matches they've been playing CBs and RBs out of position.

From what I've read Digne has fallen out with Benitez, and the fact that players have been played out of position ahead of Digne makes me think Rafa is prepared to let him go this month.

ASLEFshrugged said:

As for Digne we paid £20m for Bowen in January when he was a Championship player with just 7 appearances in the Premier League and no caps. £30m for a player with 43 caps and 113 PL appearances (111 starts) doesn't seem outrageous

Agree with this though. £30m for an experienced PL player, in his prime, a current France international and in a position we're desperate for is not excessive, IMO.

buffybegood

OldCastleSwift said:

Agree with this though. £30m for an experienced PL player, in his prime, a current France international and in a position we're desperate for is not excessive, IMO.

I'm not saying that's not his value, just that I can't see us paying that sort of money for a FB, especially not when we need players in the spine of the team (at CB and CF) as well.

Fortuneseeker

buffy, But we are "massive" & if Liverpool can consider paying £60 million for Diaz just to cover for Mane and Salah being at the ANC surely we can pay out 30 million pounds for a LB. It's not as if we are pushing the boat out so far for a CF + CB if the loan plan for Barbosa is anything to go by?

yoyo

BBC says Digne is on £100k a week and may be a stumbling block

buffybegood

Fortuneseeker said:

buffy, But we are "massive" & if Liverpool can consider paying £60 million for Diaz just to cover for Mane and Salah being at the ANC surely we can pay out 30 million pounds for a LB. It's not as if we are pushing the boat out so far for a CF + CB if the loan plan for Barbosa is anything to go by?

We might be massive, but unfortunately G&S are anything but; FB seems to be the position where they have always been more reluctant to spend money than anywhere else on the pitch.