25 Aug 2026 12:36:12
My take on things.
Barcola is signing. PSG are dictating when it’s announced; expect last day of the window.
Mineth will also sign before the weekend.
Gapko will be allowed to leave with the money offered, the club see it too much to turn down.
That’s the end of our transfer business, it’s far too late to get anyone else in at this stage, we wasted too much time early on focusing on a target that just played us.
One more note: I expect Jacquet and Araujo to be first choice pairing by Xmas, this will go along way to sorting things out defensively
25 Aug 2026 12:56:48
Araujo was going to be the right back, allowing Kerkez to be the Duracell headless chicken.
imo there will
be an unexpected signing. As Endo, Elliott and Chiesa will leave.
Rio, Koumas and Nyoni have a season to show that they can replace cheap
imports.
25 Aug 2026 13:01:02
There's no way barring injury Virgil is anything other than first choice. People are forgetting he had only one pre season game before Newcastle and is 35. Give the bloke a chance.
25 Aug 2026 13:06:02
One in and 1 loan player in 7 weeks, and you expect a flurry of transfers in & out, sorry it's not happening and I'm more than happy to be proved wrong.
25 Aug 2026 13:08:25
My take on things
This mess of a transfer window only has 7 more days!
How can we let Mo leave, and now Gakpo, and also have Ekitka injured long term? Then replace with Munoz and Minteh, who is out until Christmas.
Then we've got Ngumoha, who is nowhere near ready, but the club think he's going to somehow save the transfer window.
Can we please just sack Hughes and get on with what's going to be a painful season with no squad.
25 Aug 2026 13:14:54
Endo, Koumas, McConnell, Nyoni and Rio all being in the match day squad vs Newcastle was telling. I don't think any of them will be leaving. It makes total sense to keep them. Endo is one of only 3 over 30s in the squad, and the other 4 either don't need to be registered in the A-List or count as home grown.
Chiesa and Elliott being left out of the match day squad was equally telling though. If you're being ignored in favour of 20 year old Koumas, that's a pretty clear message being sent from Iraola that you won't be playing this season. We'll probably sign at least 1 more attacking player in the next 7 days on top of Ekitike returning in December, so they'll fall even further down the pecking order too.
I predict it'll be Chiesa, Gakpo and Elliott who leave. Barcola and Minteh are the ones I'd tip to sign. Maybe a surprise signing in the midfield if we are lucky, but McConnell and Nyoni seem to be well liked by Iraola. He was very clear after the Newcastle game that personnel isn't the problem in his opinion, it was decision making in key moments. He wanted Gravenberch to shoot in the play that led to their first goal and he wanted any of the 4 players around Wissa to put a tackle in for their second goal.
25 Aug 2026 13:18:23
Virgil had plenty of "chances" last season and showed time and time again he wants to coast through games and do the bare minimum. I hope the current manager demands more from him, I imagine there'll be fewer days off for starters.
25 Aug 2026 13:19:13
Longthing, allow me to twist the knife a bit further. Salah scored a hat trick this past weekend.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Lower league, slower pace, 400k per week and all the rest of it. But it's still a hat trick. ??
25 Aug 2026 13:19:44
Iraola is not going to say he needs a more defensively minded midfielder in public.
He will, of course, work with the resources he has and try his best to coach the two racehorses to be sheepdogs.
25 Aug 2026 13:27:31
I thought he scored two goals, Aray. But he did have another two chalked off. :)
25 Aug 2026 13:29:14
I second your opinion, CR.
Though VVD needs more match fitness and fine-tuning to Iraola-Ball, I'd rather have Jacquet as the calm & composed CB and Araujo as the aggressive and experienced partner. At least for this coming match at home.
VVD can come in for Jacquet with 20-odd minutes left on the clock.
Munoz needs to start at RW and put Rio or Koumas at the LW.
Others will remain the same. Macca & Nyoni to come in with VVD.
Barcola on the bench and maybe get some minutes too.
25 Aug 2026 13:53:56
You could be right, Dracred. I was just going by headlines. And clips of the goals.
25 Aug 2026 14:36:59
Rio is not good enough to be starting on any wing. Can we please stop this nonsense.
25 Aug 2026 15:43:10
You're smoking crack if you think that both clubs have agreed a fee and player is signed, but Liverpool have agreed to not have their new 120m signing for the first two games of the season just because PSG said they don't want to announce the signing lol.
25 Aug 2026 15:45:15
I personally think it barcola and at least 2 ideally 3 others come in, we won't make top 4. Midfield is shocking, Grav goes forward way too much leaving a massive space. We are pretty slow and clueless at times. Buy Wharton and 2 others
25 Aug 2026 17:28:25
Doesn't take much for calls for an absolute club legend to be replaced does it.
25 Aug 2026 16:57:32
Mcgoveb, I've been saying this for ages but he's been given 1st team football to get him to sign,
Ed1 is that right?
{Ed001's Note - it was part of the agreement to get him to leave Chelsea.}
25 Aug 2026 20:58:52
Cheers ed1 thought it was you who had said this!should never have been agreed
{Ed001's Note - I agree.}