Transfer Window: As it happened, and discussion

[davew]

Mince I think all your threads should be locked just like your shed and my wine/spirits cabinet!

[Ara's bacon crisps]

Babel flying in for a medical on Tuesday according to some papers. Call me ungrateful, but is an ageing, never-quite-made-it, lightweight forward of dubious quality really our main priority right now?

If I was Sess, I think I might be on the phone to my agent pronto, as Schurrle appears undroppable and someone will have to make way.

[Spirit of 2000]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

[YankeeJim]

I have it from a solid source that a certain striker/CB who has won the WC and Real Madrid was in for last summer has ask for a move to FFC. He is currently averaging a goal a game plus ten tackles and twelve blocks and has a 94.8 passing success ratio. He is valued at 20 million but his club wants 30. We'll pay 35 and he'll come in with a bad knee. If you don't believe me, you can go to hell.

Did I cover everything?

[RP24]

Odds have stayed the same on paddy power for Moses, Drinkwater and Cahil, make of that what you willl.
I'd be very happy with those three. Put a clause in their contract to say if we go down we'll sell them at the same price to keep them happy, that and guaranteed playing time and hopefully it's not unreasonable.

[DevonFFC]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

I think sess should be LWB, has an engine in him and provides width and stays wide aswell as a decent cross. Not clinical enough infront of how to be in a front 3

[Bassey the warrior]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

I think sess should be LWB, has an engine in him and provides width and stays wide aswell as a decent cross. Not clinical enough infront of how to be in a front 3

Question is can he tackle?

[hovewhite]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

I think sess should be LWB, has an engine in him and provides width and stays wide aswell as a decent cross. Not clinical enough infront of how to be in a front 3

Question is can he tackle?

I think that's his best position.

[DevonFFC]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

I think sess should be LWB, has an engine in him and provides width and stays wide aswell as a decent cross. Not clinical enough infront of how to be in a front 3

Question is can he tackle?

He is not the Best But he does read the game better than most, positionally he is spot on as. Have speed and stamina.

It would mean we don't need to spend on this position this window as it is a a weakness of ours and can concentrate on other areas.

St, CB, RWB, DM

[Nero]

Sell Sessegnon for 30 million and replace him with Babbel for 50 quid and a complimentary pair of Dutch wooden clogs ... and so it begins.

I think sess should be LWB, has an engine in him and provides width and stays wide aswell as a decent cross. Not clinical enough infront of how to be in a front 3

Question is can he tackle?

Does it matter, none of the others do they stand 5 yards off and let the crosses come in

[spikey norman]

Everton are willing to listen to offers for  Morgan Schneiderlin in this window.
Experienced defensive midfielder.
Is he worth going for?

[SP]

I like the look of the lad at Huddersfield, Sam Billings (I think) who'd slot nicely in but doubt they'd sell.

[filham]

Odds have stayed the same on paddy power for Moses, Drinkwater and Cahil, make of that what you willl.
I'd be very happy with those three. Put a clause in their contract to say if we go down we'll sell them at the same price to keep them happy, that and guaranteed playing time and hopefully it's not unreasonable.

I think it has become clear that we cannot afford their wages and are turning to the third world for affordable options that may prove worthwhile in one case out of five after about three seasons with us.

[Ara's bacon crisps]

Odds have stayed the same on paddy power for Moses, Drinkwater and Cahil, make of that what you willl.
I'd be very happy with those three. Put a clause in their contract to say if we go down we'll sell them at the same price to keep them happy, that and guaranteed playing time and hopefully it's not unreasonable.

I think it has become clear that we cannot afford their wages and are turning to the third world for affordable options that may prove worthwhile in one case out of five after about three seasons with us.

It might also be that all three are just considering their options. They're all decent Premier League players, officially free to leave their current club apparently so they're probably just taking the time to weigh up their best options and, as we know, some of those don't always appear until late on in January.

I think we've done the right thing by declaring our interest early, but if I was Cahill and Arsenal had come calling, I'd want to check it out. At his age I imagine it's no longer about money and he just wants to play as much as possible, but if Arsenal just want him for cover and will only guarantee him 1 or 2 games a month, whereas we guarantee him every remaining minute of the season if he's fit, then that might influence him.

Similarly, Drinkwater may fancy linking up with CR again, but might be thinking that Puel is teetering on the brink and a new Leicester manager might take him back there for 6 months. There are so many moving parts to these deals, it's difficult to know what is going on and I have a lot of sympathy for our recruitment department trying to navigate this January game of dominoes. Just look at Colin and the Clyne fiasco. No wonder they occasionally give up and just offer more than enough money to prise someone straight out of Ligue 1.

Fwiw, I'd try to be creative to tempt them - something like a big bonus for Cahill if he keeps us up and maybe a player/manager role (no idea why these have gone completely out of fashion) with an experienced DoF of his choosing if he does well, but we still go down?

[DevonFFC]

Fulham set to sign Babel
Besiktas official Safak Mahmutyazicioglu has confirmed that Ryan Babel will join Fulham on loan.

We've loaned Babel out to Fulham for 6 months. We're going to earn €2m from this deal.

So looks like that is as good as done

[Nero]

Fulham set to sign Babel
Besiktas official Safak Mahmutyazicioglu has confirmed that Ryan Babel will join Fulham on loan.

We've loaned Babel out to Fulham for 6 months. We're going to earn €2m from this deal.

So looks like that is as good as done

That should sort the defence out!!!!

[TXWhite]

I  know we need defensive reinforcements, but we haven't scored more than one goal in a game since Southampton at home. I'm choosing to look at this as a potential upgrade on Kamara, who is pretty inexpensive and not a long term financial risk (ie, we won't get stuck with a huge contract if we go down).

Hoping we get a CB, RB and CDM in too. And pronto. Just because we're signing Babel doesn't mean we aren't trying to bring defenders in - we don't always have full control over when, how, and in what order transfers take place.

[Andyb]

Babel not a good signing

[Facts Not Fiction]

I  know we need defensive reinforcements, but we haven't scored more than one goal in a game since Southampton at home. I'm choosing to look at this as a potential upgrade on Kamara, who is pretty inexpensive and not a long term financial risk (ie, we won't get stuck with a huge contract if we go down).

Hoping we get a CB, RB and CDM in too. And pronto. Just because we're signing Babel doesn't mean we aren't trying to bring defenders in - we don't always have full control over when, how, and in what order transfers take place.

Totally agree.

[Barrett487]

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/exclusive-fulham-huddersfield-and-leeds-among-sides-in-for-usa-star

EXCLUSIVE: Fulham, Huddersfield and Leeds among sides in for USA star

American star Gyasi Zardes could be heading for England this summer, with a number of clubs looking to land the international striker, we can exclusively reveal.

The 6ft 2in striker joined Columbus Crew last year from LA Galaxy and he had an outstanding campaign in MLS – which has attracted interest from across the Atlantic.

27-year-old Zardes, who has 40 caps to his name, can play anywhere across the front-line and has Premier League and Championship interest with Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Fulham, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Norwich all keen.