Txiki Begiristain

[NQCitizen]

Been told to pay? These are the guys making those kind of decisions. That’s what we pay them for and they consistently deliver.

Yeah obviously. But my point is the people who oversee those decisions will oversee their successors decisions so this idea no Berrada creates a different strategy is wide of the mark.

 

[blueparrot]

Yep you look at the player we have it’s unbelievable how many top class players we have foden Kdb gundogan Sterling Mahrez Grealish Dias stones Laporte Silva Walker! Miss anyone out? Top notch world class squad which will compete for everything again..

Ederson

 

[simon23]

it was the full back Charles.

that was it

 

[itisrising]

Am I dreaming this?

Our board have put us where we are. Take a step back. We’ve signed one of England’s best midfielders in a record transfer fee, and all that he brings off the pitch. Huge transfer.

We haven’t been taken to town by a couple of 36 year olds. I wanted Ronaldo, it would have been great, but if everything that is being said is true, we once again have stopped from being taken for a mug.

Our board is the best in football. Our owner is too.

Shake off the disappointment, which I get, and look at the other owners and boards. We are extremely fortunate.

Championship winning season incoming. Again.

Our board, or those responsible for transfers, have the most resources to work with. Of course they'll strengthen us. The issue is this summer has been a total disappointment. Grealish was a great signing but a signing that had a release clause and we had no competition for.

When it came down to it, when it came to going for a player with competition or negotiating with Levy, we have bottled it. We look amateurish for letting the Kane deal drag on with no actual negotiations, for not having any alternatives lined up and for failing to ultimately bring anyone in in what could be Pep's penultimate season.

 

[LangleyBlue1970]

Our board, or those responsible for transfers, have the most resources to work with. Of course they'll strengthen us. The issue is this summer has been a total disappointment. Grealish was a great signing but a signing that had a release clause and we had no competition for.

When it came down to it, when it came to going for a player with competition or negotiating with Levy, we have bottled it. We look amateurish for letting the Kane deal drag on with no actual negotiations, for not having any alternatives lined up and for failing to ultimately bring anyone in in what could be Pep's penultimate season.

What went on during those negotiations? Word for word. You sound privy to it all?

 

[Whether or not]

You say we stood firm, I say we have an inability to close any transfer that isn't a release clause.

Anybody can close deals paying way over the odds. We did it for a while, the rags do it continually, but it does not work long term.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Our board, or those responsible for transfers, have the most resources to work with. Of course they'll strengthen us. The issue is this summer has been a total disappointment. Grealish was a great signing but a signing that had a release clause and we had no competition for.

When it came down to it, when it came to going for a player with competition or negotiating with Levy, we have bottled it. We look amateurish for letting the Kane deal drag on with no actual negotiations, for not having any alternatives lined up and for failing to ultimately bring anyone in in what could be Pep's penultimate season.

I think you are over-complicating things. We walked away from the Kane deal because we wouldn't pay the absurd demands of Levy. That was the right decision. The reality is there are no strikers out there at present who are available and are good enough to replace Sergio. Haaland is not available this summer. What alternatives would you suggest for our new number 9?

 

[skillman]

The main question is - would any fan feel confident going into a race to get Haaland next Summer with Txiki/Omar still in charge of transfers (which they will be)?

Personally, not. Despite it being a release clause, it may as well not be given how many clubs will activate it.

It's the same with any non-clause players IMO, I don't feel confident that it'll get done. Whether that's because we are indecisive or whether we need to shift players before doing it, I don't know, but it's frustrating nonetheless.

The way we work has proved to be successful which is the main thing but it's still frustrating going into transfer windows knowing we'll walk away from what feels like 99% of deals because they're not on our audacious terms.

Since Txiki joined in October 2012, we've signed 4 strikers - 4 strikers in 9 years:

Jovetic
Negredo
Bony
Jesus

Of those 4, 1 had a storming 6 months, 1 had a couple of good games, 1 was a nightmare signing and the other has now been rightly converted into a winger. In that time, we've lost and not replaced Dzeko, Tevez, Balotelli and now Aguero.

The struggle we have when recruiting strikers is, again IMO, a worry. Not only the seemingly obvious struggle we have in getting one but when we do, it doesn't work out.

Levy was asking for a lot with Kane, and rightly so, but we should have known that going in and if we weren't prepared to pay it then we should have moved onto somebody else.

 

[BlueTG]

We have the same squad as last year plus Grealish but the challenge this year from other clubs it will be harder

Addressed none of our deficiencies that were evident last season.

 

[MichaelFrontzeck'sBathroom]

Mans allergic to signing a striker it would seem, but hey let’s spend 100 m on a midfielder we didn’t really need