Player Alex Scott

[Cel]

who were GLC and Ndombele second choices for. de Jong? I can’t remember.

i think sissoko was our choice after missing out on Grealish, no?

NDombele was the main name all that summer - I don't think this place has ever been as excited for a signing tbh.

GLC was rumoured to be instead of Bruno Fernandes.

Sissoko was just a panic deadline day buy.

 

[Inq]

Fernandes was one of them and was ready to come.

Right. Forgot about that january window. Classic

 

[bbunc]

GLC and Ndombele were both second choices. So was Soldado. Sanchez wasn’t our main target and if I’m remembering rightly he wasn’t even 2nd choice.

Reggy was a punt because of the favourable deal we were offered.

Romero and Porro are only instances where we went out and got our number 1 target.

I think N’dombele was 1st choice. We wanted De Jong the summer before, but in the window we got Ndombele he was the 1st and only name we went after. The fanbase was over the moon because we spent what it took to get our #1 choice.

the GLC / Bruno thing was interesting. GLC was in the media as a thing before Bruno popped up later. At first it seemed like GLC was the top choice and then pivot to Bruno before back to GLC.

as I recall Sanchez sort of came out of nowhere. I don’t really remember us being involved and failing with any other big CB names before then. We had two great string CBs in their prime. But we totally screwed up that scout regardless.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Fernandes was one of them and was ready to come.

Didn't Poch prefer LoCelso?
One of Levy's biggest mistakes was not insisting Poch had to have a DOF. I think a lot of a woes can be traced back to that decision.

 

[Whazam]

Ndombele and Lo Celso was reported as Poch's main targets for month. And I'm pretty sure most were of the understanding that we would go through with Bruno only if we couldn't land Lol Celso?

Who did we pass on instead of Soldado? He certainly wasn't cheap at the time.

We uncharacteristically overpaid for Sanchez. And it was reported that was because Poch really wanted him.

Stevie we were following for a long time and pounced on as soon as the door opened.

I'm not happy about our transfer business over the last couple of years, but almost all of our most expensive signings are the club actually paying up for our (seemingly) main targets.

 

[WorthATry]

Fernandes was one of them and was ready to come.

Lo Celso was said to be our number one option from very early on that window. As I recall, Fernandes only became an option because we were struggling to agree a deal with Betis

 

[jordibwoy]

Ndombele and Lo Celso was reported as Poch's main targets for month. And I'm pretty sure most were of the understanding that we would go through with Bruno only if we couldn't land Lol Celso?

Who did we pass on instead of Soldado? He certainly wasn't cheap at the time.

We uncharacteristically overpaid for Sanchez. And it was reported that was because Porch really wanted him.

Stevie we were following for a long time and pounced when as soon as the door opened.

I'm not happy about our transfer business over the last couple of years, but almost all of our most expensive signings are the club actually paying up for our (seemingly) main targets.

Yep, Dan Kilpatrick that summer had an article ahead of that transfer window and had our targets as:

Ndombele, Lo Celso, Sessegnon and Jack Clarke.

All of whom we signed that summer.

 

[ssamme]

NDombele was the main name all that summer - I don't think this place has ever been as excited for a signing tbh.

GLC was rumoured to be instead of Bruno Fernandes.

Sissoko was just a panic deadline day buy.

Wasn’t Sissoko a panic buy after we missed out on Mane

 

[George94]

Ndombele and Lo Celso was reported as Poch's main targets for month. And I'm pretty sure most were of the understanding that we would go through with Bruno only if we couldn't land Lol Celso?

We should have just paid the money for Jack Grealish the season before instead of fucking around. Funny though, ironically viewed as a 'opportunistic cheap signing' by Levy.

Could be the same situation with Scott where we regret it a few years later, although this time we have way too many midfielders on our books to warrant spending an already seemingly limited budget on another.

 

[Whazam]

We should have just paid the money for Jack Grealish the season before instead of fucking around. Funny though, ironically viewed as a 'opportunistic cheap signing' by Levy.

Could be the same situation with Scott where we regret it a few years later, although this time we have way too many midfielders on our books to warrant spending an already seemingly limited budget on another.

And we should have pulled the trigger on Bruno when we realised Eriksen was going to leave (maybe that's what Rob is thinking about?).

Either way, the list of out most expensive signings are proof that we have it in us to spend when we really want to. We've just been extremely poor doing it.

 

[Dazzazzad]

That list opens a whole new can of worms about our scouting and squad building ability as a club.
That, once again, comes down to Levy.

I don't completely disagree but you can also look at the big signings of other clubs and see a similar theme. You'd think the biggest buys would be a lot closer to guaranteeing success but for every VVD there are like 3 Pepe, Shevchenko, Havertz's.

 

[aussie spur]

Sissoko was just a panic deadline day buy.

He was but he was the Levy special after not paying for Wijnaldum?

I still remember that deadline day, hoping we sign no one instead of him... Newcastle fans laughing about mugging Levy off, they were dead right. Signing Sissoko set us back so far, cost so much Levy never got rid or really spent to strengthen the midfield... it was piss poor by the time poch got booted...

Ugh, that was back in the day when I half believed that we could do something despite Levy , stopped watching games after poch, can't stand mourinho, came back to the forum to see what conte would do to Levy and now can't leave yet cos... Ange.

 

[jordibwoy]

Wasn’t Sissoko a panic buy after we missed out on Mane

Not that summer. Remember this was the summer after the Champions League final in which Sissoko played. But yes Sissoko was definitely a panic buy.

 

[Derryank]

How much would you pay for him?

£15-20 and incentives

 

[McFlash]

I don't completely disagree but you can also look at the big signings of other clubs and see a similar theme. You'd think the biggest buys would be a lot closer to guaranteeing success but for every VVD there are like 3 Pepe, Shevchenko, Havertz's.

Yeah, you're probably right there.
Sanchez was a bit of an odd one, a high priced punt in a youngster which sadly didn't work out.

Porro, Ndombele and Lo Celso were bought as special requests for mangers we sacked soon after signing.

Sissoko was a bit of a panic buy but he'd just had a good couple of seasons and Levy saw the chance to nick him off Everton last minute. To be fair to the bloke, we probably got our money's worth from him.

I think Richy will come good this season and his value was probably about right.

Romero and Kulu were good value in my opinion.

And to this day, I don't really know why Soldado didn't work out.
He always tried and iirc, was good before and after his spell with us, he just didn't settle into the team, league or something.

I still think Stevie B was a good signing but not really needed, nor given a chance.

Serge was again, a bit of an opportunistic bargain.

As you say though, spending big doesn't guarantee success but if your scouting is decent, along with a little bit of luck, we shouldn't be scared of doing it for positions we badly need.

 

[rawhide]

But when we pay game changer prices we often don't get game changers. Of this lot who would you say was definitely good value? Romero. Maybe Kulu. Hopefully Maddison.

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I hear you. But the problem is that often we’ve started paying “game changer” prices for our second or third choices because we don’t pay it for our first choices. Didn’t we get Lo Celso instead of Fernandes by way of a recent example?

 

[luRRka]

Not that summer. Remember this was the summer after the Champions League final in which Sissoko played. But yes Sissoko was definitely a panic buy.

It was the same season as mane moved to Liverpool. Also it was the 2016 euros, sissoko deffo didn't play for newcastle in the champions league final

 

[TheChosenOne]

It was the same season as mane moved to Liverpool. Also it was the 2016 euros, sissoko deffo didn't play for newcastle in the champions league final

May 1916 - Sissoko scored for Newcastle in the 5-1 win They were already relegated

 

[bbunc]

I hear you. But the problem is that often we’ve started paying “game changer” prices for our second or third choices because we don’t pay it for our first choices. Didn’t we get Lo Celso instead of Fernandes by way of a recent example?

Lo Celso was a significantly cheaper and more favorable deal (loan/option in 30s) vs Fernandes (60M+) and arguably had a better resume with more experience in bigger leagues. Fernandes was a huge risk at that price. In hindsight, it worked out for United, but it was far from a no-brainer at 60M at the point we were choosing between the two.

 

[rawhide]

Lo Celso was a significantly cheaper and more favorable deal (loan/option in 30s) vs Fernandes (60M+) and arguably had a better resume with more experience in bigger leagues. Fernandes was a huge risk at that price. In hindsight, it worked out for United, but it was far from a no-brainer at 60M at the point we were choosing between the two.

But that’s the point - settling for the cheaper option. There are no guarantees, but we are being cautious instead of bold.