Howay

Can’t be too careful with all these ITK’s about these days.

Yeah I guess that’s what I mean, there’s plenty out there in that price range and as I’ve said I don’t rate DCL highly. He could improve, and he might be less of a risk than some, but £50m on him is a risk in and of itself imo. There are players like Scamacca, Jonathan David, Moussa Dembele (Lyon), Simeone, etc who are all younger or similar age to DCL and would perhaps be attainable, cheaper, and seem to be canny players.

Yeah I agree on DCL, personal preference would be to get another player but he could definitely improve especially given, as you say, the likely step up in talent around him. I think my primary issue with him is I think for what he’d cost we could likely get better - but if we did sign him I’d be more than happy as I trust our lot.

I personally don’t rate Calvert-Lewin, he’s scored around the same as Wilson in certain seasons, which is decent but I think he’s a very streaky striker rather than consistent. On Ekitike I read somewhere that Erling Haaland picks up a lot of these soft tissue injuries as well, which causes him to miss quite a lot of games - the piece seemed to say it’s possibly down to him still growing and his body adjusting, perhaps Ekitike is similar as he’s clearly still growing into his frame. I also think soft tissue injuries are treatable/avoidable, Milan lab consistently enabled players seen as injury prone with these type of injuries to suddenly become consistent starters. I think it would be more of a worry if this was ligament damage. I’m not in any way shape or form a medical expert so all this could be wrong, I’m just going off things I’ve read in the past.

Good research Paul.

It’s entirely possible he thought they were in the Championship last season.

Aye, that team of the year reeks of bias towards Liverpool. They have 6 Liverpool players in there, and 3 Man City ones. Besides the omission of Son, they also put Thiago in there over Rodri I’m sorry like but there’s no fucking argument for that either, Thiago played about half a season and Rodri was fucking incredible this season.

Yeah think Fab is taking a leap there, I doubt that’s coming from anyone at Newcastle probably more his assumption.

Seen it reported elsewhere too but this was the first one on my feed.

Hey marra

I honestly am starting to wonder if Milan even have the money to buy him. It’s starting to seem like they are using the media to try and strong arm him into wanting to join them, hoping he rejects us, and then they can discuss a lower fee with Lille. With us in the picture Lille won’t reduce the fee. Have Milan even ever bid for Botman despite us being told about 200 times by Italian Journalists that he’s basically signed for them? If we gazump ya fucker AC Milan this early in the ‘project’ that’s insane . I even saw a mackem on twitter say “Milan are going to beat yas to a player” as if that’s a fucking slight , the fact we are actually in the picture and it seems to be tipping our way in a deal against the Italian champions who are also AC fucking Meeeelan is bonkers - a year ago we wouldn’t pay £850k for Hamza Choudrey on loan.

I mean is there much point in this?

Used the mackems as a stepping stone?

One more year before we get some serious, and I mean SERIOUS, strongly worded articles from journalists who definitely won’t have been in Qatar.

The blokes making out like he has the inside track to such a point that he knows what contracts players are being offered, yet wants to pretend this was a move completely out the blue .

Yeah, I think there was a year - maybe two left on the deal. I think there’s a ban coming on betting sponsors anyway. Another big win for the ITK crew.

Good signing, canny player who did well last season - the focus for spending looks to be elsewhere. Surprised as I thought since it was so delayed they were looking elsewhere, maybe they were and didn’t fancy any of the deals over this one or were waiting for Ashworth coming in.

It doesn’t sound that great Isaac.

I’ve not seen it but I saw somewhere that it was deemed a German player intentionally played the ball backwards which Kane ended up getting. Weird that this basically never is discussed but we’ve had it in the CL final and again today.

The Italian media seem a bit odd, it feels like whenever the Botman to Milan deal looks close (and others start to report it as such) after days of Italian sources saying it, they then seem to put out that Milan is backing away for whatever reason. Not sure why but they seem to have done it with Botman a few times already.

If you’re reading it that way, I’d say players like Krafth, Shelvey, Murphy, Fraser, and others were “alright” but yeah Wood was shit. I think if a forwards best contribution for a season was to be a lump that basically brought the ball down on long punts forward and did it as effectively as the forward for the worst side in the league, then nah I don’t think he’s alright.

Esteemed company with that stat. Personally I think he’s a heap of shite. He helped keep us up, but his finishing is fucking criminal - I hope I don’t have to see him play much in future unless it’s against us.

Maybe this is all a clever set up by ZZ Top so that in comparison to fraudulent Crypto LLC his initial investment of 50p and a bag of space invaders will have the mackems buzzing.