11 Jun 2025 10:00:03
Hi Eds, just wondering if anyone has any idea who we will target to play upfront or is wirtz earmarked for the false9 role?
It appears that we have some interest in Ekitike but the price tag floating around seems incredibly inflated. Is there any chance we could go back in for Osimhen or any further news re Lautaro Martinez maybe? I really think a goal scoring no9 in addition to Frimpong Kerkez and Wirtz could see us dominating the league and potentially CL next season imo.
{Ed001's Note - I don't know who we will end up actually signing for the forward role, we are defo searching for one, but we are struggling to get a decent deal. That is why I am thinking we will probably end up with some one out of nowhere, a young prospect such as Stassin, that won't break the bank.}
11 Jun 2025 10:56:05
End up with another Nunez.
11 Jun 2025 11:11:49
I see it's that time of the month.
Prepare for plenty of nonsense 1 liners from Harry for the next few days before he crawls back under his rock.
11 Jun 2025 11:16:55
Wirtz is considered to be a world class 10 and Salah a world class right winger.
We would be silly in my opinion to play either at 9 as has been mentioned elsewhere.
Put players in their best positions.
11 Jun 2025 11:23:31
feels a bit gluttonous to also secure a #9 from our list of targets lol
In all seriousness, I really believe a player like Wirtz is a force multiplier. i. e., other players will be benefit from having a creative player like him in the team.
11 Jun 2025 11:26:02
Good old Harry, always able to pluck negativity from the jaws of positivity!
11 Jun 2025 11:27:16
JK, I take your thinking, but with Mama and Pecsi coming in, Jaros and Davies getting new contracts, why don't we play Alisson up front?
11 Jun 2025 11:33:10
Zed i was actually going to make that point in my initial post lol.
11 Jun 2025 12:26:46
Ed, you mentioned Stassin. Have we shown interest in him at all?
He's an interesting profile for sure. A ridiculous finisher, isn't he? Kind of reminds me of pre-injury Danny Ings (dont laugh) .
No idea if he's got the physical capacity for England, but usually the French have no problem in doing that.
{Ed001's Note - not that I am aware of, but he is the kind of player we should be looking at. I know everyone is high on Hughes right now, but he is doing what anyone could do. I could have signed Frimpong, who threw himself at the club. I could have identified and signed Wirtz, anyone with the slightest bit of knowledge of the game knows about him. Kerkez wasn't difficult either, he had Szobo pressing his case all season. This isn't what Hughes is meant to be about or Edwards. This is the easy stuff. They should be unearthing hidden gems to get plaudits. Right now, this is just them doing the basics. I mean, it is good and I am not criticising them for these signings, they are what is needed, but they are not showing any particular skill in making them. The ones that will decide how good a job they are doing are if that young keeper Joe Pesci comes good and if they can unearth a good unheralded signing for defence and up front, rather than getting in an Isak, for example, who we can all see is quality.}
11 Jun 2025 13:09:34
He's belgian, fpf. Last I heard west ham were very very interested in bringing him in.
11 Jun 2025 13:11:05
Joe pesci, now that's somebody who could organise a defence, ed001
(My cousin Vinny reference)
11 Jun 2025 13:25:03
I hear you on Hughes. The deals so far have been more obvious ones.
I suppose we shall see what gems he unearths.
I also wonder whether that mode of recruitment also has some dependency on the 2nd club too.
11 Jun 2025 14:10:35
Is that one of the reason why we are looking at the young CB from Rennes Ed? I can't remember his name. And are we still working for that deal to happen?
{Ed001's Note - I would expect that to be done later in the window.}
11 Jun 2025 14:26:13
Do you really think that you could have signed Frimpong, Kerkez and Wirtz, Ed001?
Have you any experience of doing anything like that before?
And I thought you preferred Baleba and Cunha anyway. Would you not have pressed for them?
{Ed001's Note - I preferred Cunha to most but not to Wirtz. And yes, anyone could have signed them. What does experience have to do with it? 3 players desperate to join, two clubs happy to do business with us, not a difficult job to sign them. What haggling? Of course I have experience of haggling and doing deals, don't see the relevance, it doesn't take experience to make a deal like this. Glad to see them being done but this is not how Edwards and Hughes should be judged.
What has Baleba to do with anything? Completely different position. Just more of your typical snideness. It is very tedious the way you twist things as you have no real argument against the actual point I was making. Hughes is not here to buy superstars, any old sporting director can do that job. He is here to unearth and recruit the next Wirtz and that is what he will be judged on. Like I said, I am not criticising him, just saying we should continue to hold off judgement on him and stop getting carried away by shiny new toys arriving.}
11 Jun 2025 16:03:12
Cmon Ed01 haggling to get a snide handbag from Turkey for the missus isn't the same haha. Thinking about it, it's probably harder. ?.
11 Jun 2025 16:51:07
Calm yourself down, Ed001; it was just a bit of banter on the banter page ?.
I agree that we should reserve judgement on Hughes; which is what I said last summer when critics at the time wanted him sacked.
I'm not sure about Hughes' job being about signing the next Wirtz though.
Where has that come from? I could understand that last season when most posters thought he was unattainable but not now.
I think Hughes is here to make us successful. He brought in Slot and we won the League last season. If we win it again I think most of us will be celebrating again and not being too concerned how Pecsi is doing at the club.
That's just my opinion though.
{Ed001's Note - it is not banter, banter is friendly and you have been anything but friendly, just full of snide digs since you started posting.}
11 Jun 2025 18:26:30
I apologise if I appear unfriendly, Ed001. I'll try harder to be more friendly.
Back on topic, yes, Hughes should be judged on how the signings do not how much they cost or how big of a name they are.
I'm keen to see Wirtz though. Big money but he's only 22 and his stats look good.
If he delivers, credit is due to Hughes, Edwards, FSG etc.
12 Jun 2025 02:47:35
Rigsby, you try and get one over on people.