Summer is coming-Transfers, Rumors, and Lies Thread

He won't come at a reasonable price though. Liverpool are going to squeeze every penny out of him because their position will be much weaker next season and they also have to take into account that QPR are due a portion of any sale.

Pretty sure Sterling's first choice is to move back to London anyway.

 

I don't know about this. It looks like our formation of choice is going to be 4-3-3. Kroos is the preferred player in the DM spot. When Kroos isn't available, I'd personally trust Illarra to play there over Modric, Isco, Pogba, Lucas or Casemiro because his style fits the role.

That being said, I guess Casemiro could play that position too (albeit in a different style) if we need to sell Illarra to gain a little profit. Definitely not Lucas though, he's not ready for that position and I think he's better suited to being a box-2-box CM.

Also, I wouldn't sell Illarra for cheap. He is a very good player that can be worth a good fee IMO... at the very least 20-25me if selling to an EPL club. They have money, we have an asset they want and need, so let them pay for it.

 

I don't think Sterling is a high quality winger but that's just my opinion

 

Prediction time for if Rafa comes:

- super-mediocre defensively hardworking backup winger to come in. James and Bale to be the starting wingers, someone like Riera to be the backup. The backup will get way more minutes than necessary.

- two extremely shitty defensive midfielders to look after Kroos in the midfield.

- one person (as yet unknown) to be sold for falling out with the manager in spectacular fashion. Expect a lot of bitching from this player once he leaves, with a tetchy Rafa giving press conferences with the attitude of a thirteen year old girl, dissing the player indirectly using "hypothetical" language.

He will win the league, semis of CL and lose to a completely shitty team in the CdR due to rotating three quarters of the team.

 

Not seeing a treble in your crystal ball? The club needs one, lol. It's the one accomplishment that is missing from the long list of completed ones.

 

Bale may have been rubbish this past season. But if we were to sell him and get Sterling instead...that would be a disaster. He wouldn't be an upgrade imho

 

That is...awesome. I am not so sure about 2 DMs, but one is definitely coming.

 

Think Rafa coming in arguably "raises" his value or at least gives us a little more leverage since it's not as clear now that he's utterly surplus to requirements.

 

So an improvement on this year?

Seems kind a pretty decent prediction, but I think we'll sign one solid CM/CDM and I doubt Rafa will have had time to completely fall our with one of our players. Maybe next summer

 

You definitely need two shitty DM's for Rafa, one to start and the other one just in case the first one turns out to be any good on the ball and has to be benched.

Joking aside the only concern from me regarding Rafa coming here is his personal relationships with the players. He is just as good as almost any coach out there on the footballing side, but there are too many players who talk of his poor personal management skills for me to treat it as just smoke.

The guy has an incredible work ethic which probably goes over and above his family and other relationships (I think he missed his father's funeral to prepare for a match with Liverpool), and I think he expects the same from everyone else. But for most players, their families come first and they have other interests besides football, and I don't think he accommodates their outside needs to the extent that he should.

 

Just being pessimistic when I say that I have not seen anything official from the club about not picking up option for Chicharito. There are tons of reports from media outlets but the all quote reports from other outlets. Am I reading to much into it?

 

It's early days. I think they'll start making/announcing moves soon after the next coach is presented. The club has been operating pretty quitely and swiftly for the not-so-mega transfers, like Danilo.

 

wouldnt be surprised i Flo do exactly that...

 

Pretty rare to officially reject buying rumors, I wonder why they did for this one?

Definitely a distinct lack of credible Pogba rumors, just like last year...

 

Raiola must have pissed our management off

 

Most irregular.

 

It seems Benitez wants the club to sign Sterling.

 

Well, if they had denied nothing, that would be ok and totally normal, but now that it is officially denied, I say we are definitely getting him.

 

I think so too. It's odd that the club is officially rejecting a rumour.

 

Also, De Gea is in Madrid right now, he has been spotted by several journalists. But maybe he is there because the national team is getting together ?

 

I like the statement. Feck off Raiola, use some other club to drive the price up.