HERE ARE THE good, the bad, and the unlikely football moves being talked about today.
There are voids to be filled in our Transfer Gossip hearts today, for we are on the rebound from not one, but two long-running relationsh… eh, sagas that finally ended since we last had a natter.
Yes, not only did Paul Pogba finally make the move nobody ever thought was in doubt, but Uefa then went and let a big ball-playing John Stones-sized cat out of the bag.
First to Eastlands then, where the arrival of ‘the new Pique’ looks to be a catalyst for the exit of not only Eliaquim Mangala, but also further up the field as TalkSport say Samir Nasri and Wilfried Bony have been placed on the transfer list.
Everton meanwhile, need a new centre half and have £47.5 million to splash around. The Daily Mail say the Toffees are keen on Sunderland’s Lamine Kone for a fee of £18 million. The Daily Mirror say Euro 2016 hero Ashley Williams is still top of their wish-list with a new bid of £12 million delivered across the Severn to Swansea. They can afford both of them now though.
Let’s stay with the Mirror, because they say that Jonny Evans could be back with a top four club in no time as Arsenal desperately need to fill a gap left by the injured Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista. Valencia’s Skodran Mustafi is another name linked with the Gunners though, and that feels like a much more Wenger-esque signing to us.
Up front, Arsenal have a fresh shoulder rubbing against them in the pursuit of Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi. Gazetta yesterday reported Wenger was willing to send Olivier Giroud over with £35 million if Icardi agreed to join his club, but The Star say Chelsea have joined Napoli and their beloved neighbours in the hunt.
Some setbacks for Liverpool, according to Jurgen Klopp’s new least-favourite newspaper The Sun, who say that Martin Odegaard could opt to join West Ham over the Reds. The same publication is pretty adamant that Brazilian midfielder Anderson Talisca will be taken to Wolves – yes, the club from Wolverhampton – for a club record £20 million thanks to a little help from Jorge Mendes.
While others eye up their rearguard, Swansea are bolstering their attack. Sky’s omnipotent sources say Atletico Madrid striker Borja Baston – who has played for Zaragoza and Eibar in recent seasons – will join on a £15 million fee.
Retro Deal of the Day
Cast your mind back 22 years, a simpler time when Aston Villa were still a decent mid-table top-tier club. On 4 August 1994, a 31-year-old John Fashanu made the move to Ron Atkinson’s Aston Villa.
Before being tainted by match-fixing scandals and the disowning of his brother Justin before his tragic death, Fashanu joined a club with Paul McGrath, Andy Townsend, Steve Staunton, Dwight Yorke, Mark Bosnich and Ray Houghton on the books. But just as Atkinson was replaced by Brian Little and Houghton was offloaded to Crystal Palace during the season, it was to be the Gladiators presenter’s final season as a footballer.
Fashanu played 13 times for Villa before suffering an ACL injury in a tackle with Ryan Giggs in February before Villa narrowly avoided the drop.
Awooga!
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
Breaking news / Pep Guardiola is having a medical at Manchester City today after paying £50 million for John Stones
Pot . . . . . Kettle . . . . . Black . . . . Im done!
If Pep is having one then when is Jose’s?
Breaking news, Man Utd Accountants having medicals, Crazy money for an player in his twilight, again, crazy money for a player who had one year left on contract, and world record fee for a player let go for next to month a few years ago….. You see, when you point a finger, three pointing back….
Keep up the good work Man Utd, I like seeing the non Utd fans taking the bait ;)
Breaking news ….. Wolves is a bigger club then Liverpool
Oh, so, you believe it, but not when you see every player linked to Man Utd???? With your logic, Liverpool are a bigger club than Man Utd, seeing as Sadio Mane said no fcking way when that lot came in for him…. Typical of some of you Man U fans, move the goalposts non stop……
Was there an offer for Sadio ? Did the clubs talk no ! So do one
U should not drank much coffee hoff
Oooh Jose, mmm, that’s right, ooooh yeah, Pogba, hrmmph, Mkhitaryan, yeah yeah oooooooh!!
Ah Johnny cried…. seriously man, cannot take it?
I see so presumably you have seen me carrying out this apparent act which would make your a ‘peeper’ …. sick or what !
Are you guys related?
We were kind of this morning till I drop him down a big white bowl
A big white bowl with WiFi
How do you know their wasn’t, have you inside info. Supposedly there was an offer last season
Williams and kone in with 18m left over is some business for Everton
Why was Johnny Evans and Arsenal in the same sentence.
Why did they not announce the signing of Stones immediately, what had they to gain by not announcing it? Seems like a lot of embarrassment could’ve been avoided.
City get pants pulled down again in signing another English player
If stones is valued at £47.5m then Pogba for £100m+ doesn’t look too bad after all
The whole transfer market circus makes for some very repetitive commenting.
See United fans are saying stones is too expensive, this is a club who bought eric bailly and Unknown defender for £30 million and martial for even more who at the time was unknown. Not saying if they are right or wrong just its a bit funny the situation
Eric Bailly was known to many in La Liga in a team that came 4th last season so that’s good enough for me. He’s just not English or played in the premier league to be well “known”.
From what I’ve been reading is that he is good but massively overrated and relies to much on his physicality. And still. £30 million for a relatively unknown player is a lot. United can’t take the piss out of anyone else’s signings financially wise
Have a look a cost of transfers v the money earned (not handed over by sugar daddy owner) and Uniteds books are in far better shape than most if not all the Premier League clubs!
Trying to justify the prices is hilarious. It’s being the league who cares
“Good but overrated”…whatever that means. Probably best to give him a chance, no?
Good but overrated, example martial good player but the way people were getting on last season you would think it was ronaldo or Henry in their prime.
I never said he wouldn’t be good, just saying United fans in particular can take the piss out of other teams transfers especially stones when their own manager wanted him
Actually they probably can. They’ll make all the money back in Pogba shirt sales, merchandize etc before the end of the year. As much as I hate to say it, their corporate and marketing partnerships could ensure they boss the financial side of things for years to come. As for Stones, €50m they can have him. We’ll use that money to strengthen the squad with decent players. Koeman seems to have an eye for promising talent.
They will never make the pogba money back on shirt sales clubs get like Max 10 to 15% of revenue on shirt sales sure Real Madrid didn’t even make the beckham money back in shirts
Do you honestly believe that any club that’s spends money on players whether it be 500,000 or 100,000,000 do so without having a plan in place to try and recoup as much of the money as possible . He will be Mr Manchester Utd by the time the season is over if not before , nothing will happen without his picture or name being involved in some shape if form
Oh they will recoup some money back but no where near the amount of the transfer this happens with all the big clubs they never regain the money unless they sell, that’s why all the big clubs except Munich I think are in debt
And liverpool fans talking about Utd and other clubs transfers cause they have nothing to talk about regarding their own club
Think United fans had a lot to say about Liverpool transfers so what does that mean then?
Lads it’s embarrassing, give it a rest. It used to be good banter on here but that’s starting to fade. Ye are starting to sound like school kids.
Spot on Nollaig. You’re right, it’s not banter, it’s the same repetitive comments about the fee for Pogba and now Stones today. It’s not going to drastically effect the lives of anybody on the 42 so get over yourselves for Christ sake.
Meanwhile Flopp demands to know what’s happening with players at Southampton
Booya Carino! you won marketing! That’ll make the pain go away for winning nothing.
He’s not even back a day and the promotion wheels are turning already
https://www.facebook.com/adidasfootball/videos/10153739567103531/
http://bit.ly/2b40fca
That’s exactly what I’m talking about Mark .. PogBoom !
Mark, all that is fine, good business, but at end of the day, you will take the medals over that.