Transfer Rumours | Tactics | Who to buy/sell etc

cant wait till we go into the season with 3 CBs and crocked back up LB, just lovely. Affer all we have BBC and. IF they are fit they are unstoppable

We have a crocked back up CB too. And our starting back 4 are hardly reliable themselves. Cant wait to put Casemiro as the CB

We won't spend millions on a forth CB lol and the likes of Koulibaly and Stones will not come to get 10 matches a season. We should have kept Llorente imo. Now we'll probably go for Lemos.

Varane-Ramos with Pepe and Lemos as backups is a world class CB quartet

Barca are after Lemos too. We won't be spending less than €20mill on him. I can guarantee you that

Just when I thought things were looking up, we have some very odd transfer business ahead of a transfer ban.

We need to sure up the defense and midfield with about 3 signings.

Attack is solid if we hold on to Jese

you cant Lemos if he has a extracom passport, you need someone between Danilo, Casemiro or James to be sold

vanDEEZ wrote:Just when I thought things were looking up, we have some very odd transfer business ahead of a transfer ban.

We need to sure up the defense and midfield with about 3 signings.

Attack is solid if we hold on to Jese

Jese is moving as well, i will keep saying that we need a winger who is genuinely better than Vasquez. I am fond of the guy, but i dont rate him that highly

What happened to Javi Martinez since his ACL injury last year? he used to be a class player. Can play as CB and DM, is Spanish, highly experienced and we were once interested in him.

With Hummels coming in his future at Bayern doesn't seem too bright at CB as he ain't starting over Hummels or Boateng. Carlo might put him back in midfield but Bayern are stacked there with Vidal, Thiago and Alonso all competing for 2 spots plus the likes of Renato Sanches and Kimmich. If they switch to a 3 man midfield they'd have to drop one of Muller/Costa/Robben/Ribery which seems unlikely.

Could he be an option if he hasn't declined or become too injury prone?

if you dont know what happened to him, it's a pretty good sign signing him is a bad idea

I wouldn't know even if someone played well in Bundesliga since i don't keep track. So he hasn't been able recover from his injuries? shame.

Mr Nick09 wrote:

vanDEEZ wrote:Just when I thought things were looking up, we have some very odd transfer business ahead of a transfer ban.  

We need to sure up the defense and midfield with about 3 signings.

Attack is solid if we hold on to Jese

Jese is moving as well, i will keep saying that we need a winger who is genuinely better than Vasquez. I am fond of the guy, but i dont rate him that highly

@Nick, where are you hearing this Nacho move? I can't find a single article about this, only what was reported here, I think from an Italian paper. He is currently in Canada (Montreal) with team. Last I heard Zidane was going to talk with him (with the intention of having him stay).

And also there is a Zidane interview where he says
1. Morata is not a starter but is an important player for this team.
2. Says basically same thing about James, although it was mentioned earlier than he plans to have "The Talk" with him when he arrives in training camp next week.

So as to forwards besides BBC they have Morata, James and Lucas with Jese and Asensio also in training camp, but both likely to go out on loan to get the minutes they require. In other words you don't get your winger as long as James is still in the picture. His play may also limit Lucas' playing time.

For midfield it sure looks like Gomes is the only one they are tracking and if he comes, look for Kovacic to join Jese on loan somewhere. Sure doesn't look like they plan on another DM. I suspect given James and Isco still with club is that they will play Modric, Kroos at times with James or Isco.

On defense, I'm really surprised they haven't done something about Marcelo backup. Although Coentrao is mentioned, he supposedly isn't available until November and knowing him that is only the first injury / absense for this season! And especially when they have lost one, if not two of the backups from last year (Arbeloa and maybe Nacho).

And if Nacho really is going to Roma, can they recall one of the two (Llorente / Vallejo) that they have just lent out?

Just a guess on my part, but maybe Zidane has told Nacho that he will be the LB backup as well as the 4th CB???

@Deez, Perez is insistent that his appeals will hold and there will be no transfer ban!! Plus they add, that they now have significant talents signed, developing out on loan (with a couple more yet to go out) that they can recall under any ban that will fill whatever need that might arise!! ... I don't necessarily agree, but that is the official line..... I expect this all will change if Zidane doesn't have a better season than last season and Isco and James repeat last year's performances (and will it by then be too late!!!)

The transfer ban is unavoidable, I don't see how Perez can have any confidence.

We did the same exact thing that Barca were charged and convicted of.

The only thing we can rely on is that we will have this summer to reinforce for an entire year. With all the supposed departures and no news of anyone of real madrid quality coming in to fill those empty positions it will be a very difficult year for Zizu and for RM fans.

Especially considering the additional matches we will take on with CWC

Deez, not according to Perez! He has repeatedly had an explanation for every single one of the kids in question. He is planning two appeals. The second being to TAS if the first fails. His confidence seems to be unshakeable!!

But I agree with you, at least for the season after this.
The strategy for this season seems to have been they felt last year's team that won the CL is very good and only needed  a few backups. In other words they feel the first half disaster was all due to Benitez and if it weren't for him, we would have won more. I'm not buying it, but that seems to be the party line.

WHat surprises me is the retention of James and Isco, in a squad that plays without an AM role and further confusion with the possible inclusion of Asensio this season. Unless Zidane is somehow going to play with 2 different formations! The other surprises are not going after backups to Casemiro and Marcelo. I do feel that Zidane is sincere when he says he likes entire squad and unlike Carlo or Mourinho will use the entire squad to avoid late season problems with Benz and others.

The real issue I feel is the season following when transfer ban will be in effect. Unless the team excels at everything this season, they can only plug holes with the talent (hopefully more developed) out on loans.

Isco's best performances have been in that LCM/LM spot, at least for us. Agree about James though. He's too good a player to rot the bench. A footballer of his quality deserves to have a team built around him.

I do not fathom the interest in Andre Gomes, when Joao Mario was better for Portugal during the EURO 2016 tourney.

Zidane actually has a preseason to sort things out this time around. maybe we will see what he has in mind in the friendlies.

Gabriel Jesus, 19 year old Brazilian striker, is reportedly near to be signed by Real Madrid after Barcelona has dropped out of race. Apparently the plan is for him to play in Olympics and stay in SA this season, reporting to Madrid in 2017. signing this summer would enable him to join the club even if transfer ban is in effect.

So it seems like we will sign Andre Gomes to be our box to box. They really need to stop selling him as Modric back up thats awful PR job. He is the box to box that will not upset the starters i like him he is good.

Nacho still looks like he is out to Roma in a few days...

Still short a DM. Relying on both Asensio and Vasquez to be productive when Bale and Ronaldo get their month long injuries is still a bad idea as far as im concerned. And still missing a DM that can give some relief to Casemiro (at thw very least, if not compete) and we still have a crooked LB.

This level of team planning ahead of a ban for 2 window ban is very concerning. Its good to send the young players on loan and all but it would be good to stack the A team first

Nick, I still haven't seen anything in Spanish media that Nacho is going. I have read of the Roma interest, but all I've heard is club is talking to him trying to convince him to stay. Where are you reading otherwise?

I have seen same about Gomes and now they are talking about loaning out Kovavcic. There is interest from both EPL and Italy. And today I've read that they may consider retaining Marcos Llorente as a backup to Casemiro.

If all this pans out the three needed players would be Morata, Coentrao and Llorente. And to allow Jese, Kovavcic to go out on loan Gomes and Morata. James staying is what's preventing the new forward you keep talking about. Other possible addition is Asensio, although I suspect he goes out on another loan.

The one deal that they don't seem prepared for is letting Nacho leave?

60 mil for Andre Gomes... you have to be joking He's a mid-table level midfielder and nothing more ffs.

Gomes is better than a midtable midfielder, i dont like the price, but that's how the market is. If we dont want to spend what United are offering for Pogba, and we are after a box to box, Gomes is a solid choice

He didn't even start for Portugal Nick... and looked very very average when he did play here and there. I really don't see how he offers anything to us.

He's like Illaramendi to me. Same caliber of player.

Borja Mayoral flew today to Wolfsburg for his loan switch.


According to Cadene Ser, Real Madrid has rejected €75 million bid from Chelsea for Álvaro Morata. The latter completed his medical and flew to Canada to join up with the group.

According to Marca, Kova is set to be loaned out (with Liverpool being the most likely destination) to make way for Andre Gomes.

Z said that Jesé should look elsewhere for minutes. He also said that James will not be a starter at Real Madrid.

Great man management skills indeed.

Fabio Coentrao’s return may be pushed back until November due to a hamstring tear, reports AS.

whether Gomes does better than Illarra will have to be seen, but for now it's a cheap comparison. He is good, just as Illarra was good when we signed him. If he flops because Madrid is too big for him, that's something else that cant be predicted.

My only concern with Gomes is his injury history.

60 million's too much for gomez, 75 million for morata is insane, i don't want to believe there's someone out there willing to part with 75 million to sign....morata? morata's about a fifth of that price if you ask me. i won't mind selling for that price and investing that money elsewhere, i think the dilemma is where and for who?

i expected a vibrant market, but the market seems strange, guys who are top notch are not moving or are too expensive; the other talent available aren't all that. i can't believe we're really looking at coentrao for back up. an injury prone back up and an injury prone starter.

for anyone who followed juventus last season; did morata really have a good season to be associated with these transfer figures i'm hearing? cos (i hope i'm wrong on this) i don't see him doing anything magical here, and he could be sold for way less at the end of the season....you have to be desperate to consider paying that much for him. was he even a starter last season?

titosantill wrote:60 million's too much for gomez, 75 million for morata is insane, i don't want to believe there's someone out there willing to part with 75 million to sign....morata? morata's about a fifth of that price if you ask me. i won't mind selling for that price and investing that money elsewhere, i think the dilemma is where and for who?

i expected a vibrant market, but the market seems strange, guys who are top notch are not moving or are too expensive; the other talent available aren't all that. i can't believe we're really looking at coentrao for back up. an injury prone back up and an injury prone starter.

for anyone who followed juventus last season; did morata really have a good season to be associated with these transfer figures i'm hearing? cos (i hope i'm wrong on this) i don't see him doing anything magical here, and he could be sold for way less at the end of the season....you have to be desperate to consider paying that much for him. was he even a starter last season?

Some people are now saying that a player is only worth what the seller is asking and what the buyer is prepared to offer.

A statement that holds water within the banking system, but becomes nonsensical in reality. And as a result, you have strikers who aren't even good enough to start being highly touted for 75m, and a midfielder who's not even worth 60m being sold for twice that amount.

You said it perfectly, the top notch players are already in the big clubs and are unsellable, and the market is being inflated by unproven players.