2013 Summer Transfer Window Thread is continued...again

[Crimey]

First topic message reminder :

Four days left of the transfer window and still Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle still aren't moving quickly. The Bale deal still hasn't gone through, there is still speculation that Real Madrid may go back in for Suarez and Arsenal could break the transfer record. Tottenham have also decided to sign everybody.

Available at the moment seems to be a list of the players who were the best in the world five years ago:

Kaka 
Fernando Torres
Samuel Eto'o (until yesterday)

[TopHat24/7]

United made an "Indirect" bid for Wesley according to DM.

How do you make an "Indirect" bid?

Do you send the bid to another club or something

  

[GSC]

United should hire those 3 spaniards. They showed more ingenuity and initiative than United did all summer

[Guest]

The BBC Gossip column this morning reads like United's worst nightmare. Looks like they tried to buy half of Europe and still only ended up with Fellaini

[Hero]

It's like being an 8 year old and knocking on all the kids houses you want to play with for them to say they don't want to come out so you end up with the lad with learning difficulties from next door who sticks your toys up his nose.

[Soldier_Of_Fortune]

It's like being an 8 year old and knocking on all the kids houses you want to play with for them to say they don't want to come out so you end up with the lad with learning difficulties from next door who sticks your toys up his nose.

Fond memories Hero?

[Afro]

It's like being an 8 year old and knocking on all the kids houses you want to play with for them to say they don't want to come out so you end up with the lad with learning difficulties from next door who sticks your toys up his nose.

Fond memories Hero?

Don't be harsh on Hero. He used to sit patiently, toys up nose, waiting for that 8 year old to finally get to him.

[Hero]

Never mind used to, was waiting last night.

[Marky]

Never mind used to, was waiting last night.

You were waiting for an 8 year old boy last night?

I'm sorry, this is what Operation Yewtree has done to us!

[The Special Juan]

Best signing?

Worst signing?

Bargain signing?

[Marky]

Best signing? - Erik Lamela to Spurs

Worst signing? - Lee Camp to WBA

Bargain signing? - Romelu Lukaku to Everton on loan

[Guest]

Best signing? Mesut Ozil to Arsenal

Worst signing? Victor Anichebe to West Brom

Bargain signing? Christian Eriksen to Spurs

[The Terror of Tylorstown]

Best signing; Soldado to Tottenham

Worst signing; Anichebe

Bargain signing; Lukaku

[Guest]

Best Signing : Clearly Mesut Ozil for the impact it will do long term for the club in attracting other players.

Worst Signing : Anichebe for the price OR Aspas....from what I've seen so far.

Bargain Signing : Lukaku on loan

[TopHat24/7]

Agree, again, with John 100%.

Cannot believe Chelsea let Lukaku go, is Ba still around?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Best Signing : Ozil - because hes great or Fellaini - I honestly think he is exactly what United have needed.

Worst Signing : Anichebe seems an unnecessary. Dont much rate Aspas either. 

Bargain Signing : Lukaku on loan/Sessegnon to WBA

[Afro]

Best signing? Ozil

Worst signing? For value, Soldado.

Bargain signing? Eriksen to Spurs or Fer to Norwich

[NickisBHAFC]

Best Signing? Well best signing's should always be judged on money spent, so in that token Lamala and Ozil shouldn't be considered. Last few seasons the best signings have gone to Michu and Demba Ba due to the money spent. Michu costing 2 million and Ba on a free (when he joined Newcastle) So i won't call the best signing until Christmas time, but ill go for Southampton getting Waynayma.

Worst Signing - Anichebe for 6 million is just money thrown down the drain IMO.

Bargain Signing - Too early to tell, but Fer to Norwich could be a good shout.

[GSC]

Surely bargain takes into account money spent :duh:

Best Signing: has to be Ozil. Only genuine world class player arriving in the PL

Worst Signing: Joe Kinnear. Oh dear

Bargain Signing: Flamini on a free by definition

[LastDamnation]

Best Signing: Özil
Worst Signing: Fernandinho may prove me wrong, but no way is he worth that money imo.
Bargain Signing: Kolo toure has looked decent so far

[Hero]

Article in the Guardian regarding the Herrera debacle:

Manchester United's failed attempt to sign Ander Herrera is not the only time the Premier League champions have experienced bizarre tactics at the top end of the market during a difficult, complicated transfer window that has brought fierce criticism on the club.
United's information is that earlier this summer a forged email, purporting to originate from Old Trafford and reputedly confirming their interest in a player, was sent to another club in an apparent attempt to trigger a rival bid and ramp up the price. That player has subsequently moved, for significant money, with the buying club under the false impression they were beating United to him.
The revelation is an insight into some of the tricks employed by clubs, agents and other middle men when such vast sums of money are swilling around before the transfer deadline. However, it is the Herrera deal that has caused the most consternation behind the scenes at Old Trafford and, specifically, the role of the three lawyers who turned up at the offices of the Spanish league (the LFP) on Monday apparently purporting to have United's authorisation to sign off the €36m (£30.4m) buyout clause.
The club are aware that journalists have been briefed by sources at the Spanish league that the three men – identified as Rodrigo García Lucas, Alvaro Reig Gurrea and Guillermo Gutiérrez, from the Spanish law firm Laffer – were, in fact, operating officially on United's behalf.
United's position is that surely the only confirmation of this should come from Old Trafford and they have reiterated, categorically, that they did not know of these men, recognise them or commission them.
United employ their own legal firm in Spain but did not mobilise it for one simple reason: no agreement was reached with Athletic Bilbao and they never had any intention of paying the full price when they valued Herrera £10m lower.
Instead, the arrival of Laffer's lawyers – credited with helping to arrange Javi Martínez's transfer from Bilbao to Bayern Munich a year ago – created the impression the deal was imminent and led to a frenzy of speculation; the Bilbao newspaper El Correo compared the pursuit of Herrera to a Benny Hill sketch.
United's version is rather more straightforward. Having followed Herrera for two years, they had concluded he was worth around £20m, their feeling being it would be another 18 months or so before he was a guaranteed first-team pick. Bilbao insisted they wanted the full amount, no compromise was reached and that would have been it finished, in United's opinion, until the television pictures of Laffer's representatives led to the inaccurate impression that an agreement was close – building up hopes for a deal that had already failed. The Guardian on Tuesday night contacted the law firm Laffer who, for reasons of professional confidentiality, declined to comment or to reveal the identity of their client.
Two days on, there is still confusion at Old Trafford about the involvement of the three lawyers described on deadline night as "impostors" and United feel so strongly about it they have been willing to put their position on the record. Herrera has also, to a point, backed their story. "I do not feel used by United. How can I feel used? They made a formal offer. Athletic did not want to negotiate, I value that. They [United] had to pay the €36m clause. I reached no agreement with United. I am proud they made an offer for me, and that Athletic wanted me [to stay]."
Herrera's agent has been in touch with United to ascertain if they knew who the lawyers were. United's response was emphatically no. Herrera added: "The lawyers that were at the LFP did not represent me. I didn't even know who they were."
It is a confusing, complex and embarrassing issue for United, even if it is true it was not a farce of their own making. What is beyond dispute is that they have found the transfer window frustrating and unsatisfactory. They are, however, a lot more relaxed about it than might be anticipated and bemused, too, about some of the mistruths that have accompanied the genuine disappointments.
United are taken aback, for example, by the latest suggestion they challenged Arsenal for Mesut Ozil. The truth is that United and Manchester City were both offered the player three weeks ago. United turned it down because they had already made up their mind that Wayne Rooney would not be leaving and they did not want to break their transfer record, paying upwards of £40m, for someone who plays in the same position.
Their thinking also took into account they have Shinji Kagawa, among others, for the No10 role. Kagawa still features prominently in the thinking of David Moyes despite not even being on the bench against Liverpool on Sunday. His problem is two-fold: one, that he has had an exhausting summer with his national team and is being brought back slowly; two, that Moyes has not really seen him play or got to know him very well. He is not, however, being marginalised.
United rebuffed an approach from Atlético Madrid for the Japan international and would have done the same if Borussia Dortmund had been in touch. As it was, there has not been a single telephone call from the Bundesliga club, despite talking up a possible return.
Juan Mata is a player United like but linking the Chelsea midfielder with a move to Old Trafford was, like Ozil, a red herring. Mata, as Chelsea have repeatedly stated, was not for sale; it is just that some people did not believe them. United did not try to get him and he was never mooted in a cash-plus-player exchange with Rooney because, as the Guardian revealed last month, Rooney was never going to be allowed to join Chelsea, no matter what the offer. Behind the scenes at Old Trafford, there is frustration that this has largely been overlooked when it has taken up so much time and effort and, in their opinion, could be the difference between United winning the title or not.
Rooney's determination to force a transfer, with a proactive agent in Paul Stretford, and Chelsea doing everything they could to push it has been such a major issue at Old Trafford it is estimated to have taken up more than half the time that United's top-level officials have devoted to working on player arrivals and departures. United were determined to make a show of force and efforts are continuing behind the scenes to convince Rooney that he can, once again, be happy at Old Trafford. It is an ongoing process and there is an acceptance it will not be easy. However, it is being seen as a victory of sorts that they refused to cave in, as a point of principle, when the alternative was potentially to see him scoring 20 goals a season at Chelsea for the next few years.
That still leaves a lot of unanswered questions such as why United paid £27.5m for Marouane Fellaini when his buyout clause could have been activated earlier in the summer for £4m less. The long pursuit of Cesc Fábregas was fundamentally flawed because they were encouraged to believe he was open to the offer; United, in short, were told Fábregas was increasingly agitated about his potential lack of games for Barcelona in a World Cup year – but ultimately they could not get the man they regarded as their top target and they recognise that amounts to a long, drawn-out failure.
The issue of Thiago Alcântara also needs clearing up. In his case, it has been portrayed as him snubbing United for Bayern Munich when the truth is actually that Moyes decided he was not entirely comfortable going for the Barcelona player. United had been monitoring him for three years and effectively lined up the transfer but Moyes, as everyone at Everton can testify, likes to have a huge amount of background information on new signings and, having initially gone along with it, decided in the end he did not want to take someone else's word about a player he had seen infrequently. Again, it boils down to a new manager shopping in a new market, with a limited amount of time.
United had not wanted to overrule Moyes and promised they would keep their squad together, with the exception of Bébé. They have kept true to that and, as well as rejecting the approach for Kagawa, they turned down a Tottenham offer for Javier Hernández and at least five approaches from different clubs for Nani.
That, nonetheless, does not change the fact Moyes had wanted two central midfielders as well as a rival left-back to Patrice Evra, missing out on Leighton Baines and then Fábio Coentrão. On that basis, there is a frank admission at Old Trafford that they have come up short by bringing in only Fellaini.
United, however, are angry about the suggestion, emanating from the Herrera farce, that a club of their stature and transfer experience somehow failed to understand the Spanish tax system – and bewildered, more than anything, that they are supposed to have employed three lawyers they say they had never heard of.

[GSC]

WBA say Hull dropped their offer for Long at the last minute though every player has his price.

Gotta be worth a cheeky loan bid

[GSC]

To be honest Hero, I was wondering when the damage control report would emerge. Some facts there no doubt, but also some spinning of the truth I imagine.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Best Signing? - For me it has to be Ozil to Arsenal, but I also like Villa's signing of Okore.

Worst Signing? - Anichebe/Sessegnon to WBA. Anichebe is a #headsgone. Don't see Sessegnon working out at WBA

Bargain signing? - Has to be Fer to Norwich. We'll at least triple what we paid for him next summer, at least.

[Mat]

WBA say Hull dropped their offer for Long at the last minute though every player has his price.

Gotta be worth a cheeky loan bid

Also in talks over a new deal for him.

[The Terror of Tylorstown]

To be honest Hero, I was wondering when the damage control report would emerge. Some facts there no doubt, but also some spinning of the truth I imagine.

I'm not too sure how much spinning of the truth there was in all of that.

Thiago- was always a no go as far as I could see, lots of speculation linking us to him but there was never anything concrete.

Ozil- Makes sense that with Rooney and Kagawa, one of the two would have been marginalised and it stands to reason that Moyes doesn't know Kagawa well enough to make such a judgement.

Herrera- That one is anyones guess, if we were willing to meet his buy out fee we would have got him so I tend to think that's Balague being an idiot as usual.

Fellani- We were always after him and I think the major delay was trying to negotiate a double for him and Baines, not a panic buy as far as i'm concerned.

Fabregas- The Barca president was sending out very mixed messages, changing his mind publicly almost daily.

I think Moyes is the kind of manager willing to give every player a chance hence why we've not sold anyone. The problem is the media involvement, it's hard to believe what exactly is true and what's fiction.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Bargain signing? - Has to be Fer to Norwich. We'll at least triple what we paid for him next summer, at least.

Id wager that you dont. Good player but I dont think any club big enough to spend the money will throw big money towards Norfolk.

[Marky]

What are the chances Norwich stuck a £5m buyout clause in case Fer gets injured?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Bargain signing? - Has to be Fer to Norwich. We'll at least triple what we paid for him next summer, at least.

Id wager that you dont. Good player but I dont think any club big enough to spend the money will throw big money towards Norfolk.

Chelsea were fairly happy to throw money at Ruddy this summer which we knocked back, I can deffo see someone coming in for Fer if he can keep his form from the openers up

[Soldier_Of_Fortune]

Bargain signing? - Has to be Fer to Norwich. We'll at least triple what we paid for him next summer, at least.

Id wager that you dont. Good player but I dont think any club big enough to spend the money will throw big money towards Norfolk.

Chelsea were fairly happy to throw money at Ruddy this summer which we knocked back, I can deffo see someone coming in for Fer if he can keep his form from the openers up

Marathon not a sprint Oliver! Thats what I keep on telling myself!  

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Bargain signing? - Has to be Fer to Norwich. We'll at least triple what we paid for him next summer, at least.

Id wager that you dont. Good player but I dont think any club big enough to spend the money will throw big money towards Norfolk.

Chelsea were fairly happy to throw money at Ruddy this summer which we knocked back, I can deffo see someone coming in for Fer if he can keep his form from the openers up

Marathon not a sprint Oliver! Thats what I keep on telling myself!  

Tell me about it, I'm just enjoying us winning a game in August for the first time since we've been back in the Prem

[Guest]

Was that a joke about Norfolk & clubs won't go looking at the talent that plays there because its remote & not an attractive location to buy from? Fer looks a real talent, picked up so cheap, just like Cabaye. Norwich be commanding at least £10m on him, just like we were asking for like a 300% increase in fee for Yohan. Scouting systems pay off, hence why scouts have a job. If effective, the financial rewards can be huge.

Does everybody think that Lambert buying that Libor Kozak, is basically an admission of defeat in keeping Benteke next summer and the direct replacement? Benteke clearly only signed for the wage increase n a release clause.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Was that a joke about Norfolk & clubs won't go looking at the talent that plays there because its remote & not an attractive location to buy from? Fer looks a real talent, picked up so cheap, just like Cabaye. Norwich be commanding at least £10m on him, just like we were asking for like a 300% increase in fee for Yohan. Scouting systems pay off, hence why scouts have a job. If effective, the financial rewards can be huge.

Does everybody think that Lambert buying that Libor Kozak, is basically an admission of defeat in keeping Benteke next summer and the direct replacement? Benteke clearly only signed for the wage increase n a release clause.

It wasnt really the location of the club, more the stature. Even though Chelsea came in for Ruddy, they offered a pittance. I would imagine any club would have to be absolutely bowled over by him, and still they would go low in the bids because of what Norwich paid, old injury concerns and the fact that Fer would have no loyalty so likely demand to leave.

Granted, I thought he was a £6m signing not £4m, makes it a little more likely, but I doubt very much it will happen. No club has taken Diame from us yet and his release clause is only around £3.5m.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Is £9m + a loan player a pittance for Ruddy?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Its not a great amount. Its money they could throw away. Hes certainly more proven and valuable in our market than Fer. They started at £5m too. 

I do think, now I know it was a £4m signing, that it is more likely, but I dont think a club that can afford £12m will spend it on a player who has one good season at Norwich.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Its not a great amount. Its money they could throw away. Hes certainly more proven and valuable in our market than Fer. They started at £5m too. 

I do think, now I know it was a £4m signing, that it is more likely, but I dont think a club that can afford £12m will spend it on a player who has one good season at Norwich.

But after he's bossed it at the World Cup they'll be wishing they did  

[The Terror of Tylorstown]

Everton made a £8.6mil back in january didn't they but pulled out because of medical concerns, that reason alone he's never going to command a fee much higher than that but doubling the £4mil wouldn't be too shabby.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Everton made a £8.6mil back in january didn't they but pulled out because of medical concerns, that reason alone he's never going to command a fee much higher than that but doubling the £4mil wouldn't be too shabby.

Yes apparantly this "knee" problem he has despite playing over 200 games in 6 seasons

[Guest]

Its not a great amount. Its money they could throw away. Hes certainly more proven and valuable in our market than Fer. They started at £5m too. 

I do think, now I know it was a £4m signing, that it is more likely, but I dont think a club that can afford £12m will spend it on a player who has one good season at Norwich.

But after he's bossed it at the World Cup they'll be wishing they did  

That knee injury was a farsical excuse in my opinion. As Olly said, he played the whole campaign for his club, more like Everton having financial second thoughts.

Netherlands @ Euro 2012  

Fer, Wijnaldum & Van Ginkel should improve things.

[Afro]

We were still willing to pay the £8.6m, we were just asking to change the terms to cover us if his knee did break down. We are not financially in a position to just throw away £8.6m,

The only health warning I would put on Fer is that he was a bit hot and cold in Holland. He looked could look top class for a month or so, then he would completely drop off and look terrible. It is one of the main reasons that he has never been able to establish himself as a definate, regular starter for Holland.

[Afro]

Yes apparantly this "knee" problem he has despite playing over 200 games in 6 seasons

Despite it being labelled long term, the main injury they refer too was only in September last year, so looking at the games played in 6 seasons is a bit misleading. He did however show no signs of it flaring up again after January and his move to us fell through

[The Terror of Tylorstown]

I'm going to have to take the side of Everton FC here, they will have known the situation far better than any of us speculating on here.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11709/8911803/transfer-news-ola-toivonen-has-no-regrets-about-snubbing-move-to-norwich

Can't say I'm surprised he snubbed us, and I can't say I'm surprised we didn't offer what he wanted

[NickisBHAFC]

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