Timo Werner

[BringBack_leGin]

Sanchez is our record buy. Eriksen and Vertonghen well down the road to being established internationals. Son was already hugely well known. Il give you Rose and Dier but the other four weren’t exactly total punts.

You never said total punt, you said that we refuse to act early and sign potential. Are you saying that Eriksen, Vertonghen, Sanchez and Son were not investments in potential, that they were in fact established players who had proven themselves as being of the requisite quality? Because you’re next point is that we won’t spend when potential has proven itself.

Assuming you agree that they are all good players, we either signed them as potentially good players or we signed them as proven good players. There quite literally isn’t any other option, but those are the two things you said we just won’t do.

If you’re moving the goalposts and suggesting that all along you just mean total punts, then okay, how many total punts have our top 6 rivals successfully integrated into their first teams? Which previously unheard of quantity, cheaply acquired to the extent of Dele, is currently plying his trade in the first team of Arsenal, Chelsea, Man U, Man C or Liverpool? Because as I have displayed, we are regularly investing in potential quality (or, if you like, players already well down the road and well known).

 

[hellava_tough]

Alli was a one off.
So was Eriksen.
So was Sanchez.
So was Son.
So was Rose.
So was Vertonghen.
So was Dier.

That’s a lot of current first choice players of very high quality who were one off signings of potential.

Other one off signings of potential who have quite proven themselves as top class but have still proven to be very useful are:

Davies
Trippier
Aurier
Lamela
Foyth (could still be great).
Gazzaniga (could still be great).

We also never sign the finished article, except for when we signed:

Llorus
Alderweireld
Wanyama
Dembele
Sissoko
Lucas
Llorente

To be fair, we've done well in the transfer market over the last few seasons. Okay, we've had a few flops, but which team hasn't?

However, it makes last summer all the more frustrating and bewildering!

 

[nedley]

If we buy Wilson for 50m plus it will show Levy was scared by Soldado more than I thought

 

[BringBack_leGin]

To be fair, we've done well in the transfer market over the last few seasons. Okay, we've had a few flops, but which team hasn't?

However, it makes last summer all the more frustrating and bewildering!

Last summer was frustrating, but given the previous track record I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.

 

[hellava_tough]

Last summer was frustrating, but given the previous track record I am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.

I guess we'll see.

I think we've been a bit fortunate in previous seasons (and this one!) seeing as at least 2 of our rivals, in any given season, have had problems off the pitch; essentially, they've not being firing on all cylinders.

When 4 of our rivals finally get their act together, we're going to have to bring our 'A' game to the table to compete and this includes how we operate in the transfer market.

Slipping up in even one transfer window makes me very uncomfortable, because we're (usually) underdogs in the battle for the CL places as it is. We need all the help we can get!

PS Liverpool, City and Man Utd will be challenging next season. I don't rate Arsenal at the minute, so it may be that our fortunes are decided by how we fare against Chelsea over the next few years.

PPS Sorry, back to Timo Werner...

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I guess we'll see.

I think we've been a bit fortunate in previous seasons (and this one!) seeing as at least 2 of our rivals, in any given season, have had problems off the pitch; essentially, they've not being firing on all cylinders.

When 4 of our rivals finally get their act together, we're going to have to bring our 'A' game to the table to compete and this includes how we operate in the transfer market.

Slipping up in even one transfer window makes me very uncomfortable, because we're (usually) underdogs in the battle for the CL places as it is. We need all the help we can get!

PS Liverpool, City and Man Utd will be challenging next season. I don't rate Arsenal at the minute, so it may be that our fortunes are decided by how we fare against Chelsea over the next few years.

PPS Sorry, back to Timo Werner...

I think putting down our progress down to ‘our rivals slipping up’ is hugely erroneous, particularly when we’ve finished 3rd, 2nd 3rd and the distance between us and 5th has been 4, 11 and 7 points respectively in the past three seasons.

 

[double0]

I truly believe the clubs really excited by our development players so buying for the sake isn't going to help the transition ie of the Winks Skipp Walker-Peters Foyth-ok he was brought coming into the first team also I feel , we are at that stage like Liverpool where we need to buy exactly...that means we might have to wait.

 

[Hoopspur]

If we buy Wilson for 50m plus it will show Levy was scared by Soldado more than I thought

What on earth did he do - jump out from behind a hedge with a clown mask on?

 

[dirtydave]

Surely if we want affordable cover for Kane and then, once he's back, a player who can understudy plus play in a couple of other positions now and again, then we should seriously consider Jann-Fiete Arp? We were linked last year which inspired me to watch a few of his games (not easy to find let me tell you), he really looks like a baby Kane and definitely more advanced in his development than Kane was at his age. I'd love to know what our scouts made of him, if/when they looked at him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41977679
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...9701616F1CFF03DF75E99701616F1CFF&&FORM=VRDGAR

 

[JR1994]

Surely if we want affordable cover for Kane and then, once he's back, a player who can understudy plus play in a couple of other positions now and again, then we should seriously consider Jann-Fiete Arp? We were linked last year which inspired me to watch a few of his games (not easy to find let me tell you), he really looks like a baby Kane and definitely more advanced in his development than Kane was at his age. I'd love to know what our scouts made of him, if/when they looked at him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41977679
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...9701616F1CFF03DF75E99701616F1CFF&&FORM=VRDGAR

He’s been on the bench for Hamburg literally all season and don’t think he’s scored in bundesliga 2.. Went to Hamburg paderborn in December he played 5 mins the game was absolutely awful and he only came on because of an injury

 

[hellava_tough]

I think putting down our progress down to ‘our rivals slipping up’ is hugely erroneous, particularly when we’ve finished 3rd, 2nd 3rd and the distance between us and 5th has been 4, 11 and 7 points respectively in the past three seasons.

I never said that

It's part of our success; a part we've been fortunate with

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I never said that

It's part of our success; a part we've been fortunate with

Apologies. Still though, it’s not overly relevant that they’d have dipped, because their dip is in large down to us improving.

 

[The Mourneview Ace]

It’s fair to say that in the last couple of seasons there hasn’t been an occasion when all of the top 6 have been properly on it. Arsenal have generally been a joke, Uniteds league form has been patchy, Liverpool before last season were inconsistent and defensively woeful and Chelsea were either brilliant or disinterested. City have probably had the most consistent strength there. To allow us to compete we have to be at our best level and continuously improve. To be so competitive playing no matches at home and without spending (much) money is remarkable.

To expect that pattern to simply continue is arrogant and complacent though....

 

[Japhet]

It’s fair to say that in the last couple of seasons there hasn’t been an occasion when all of the top 6 have been properly on it. Arsenal have generally been a joke, Uniteds league form has been patchy, Liverpool before last season were inconsistent and defensively woeful and Chelsea were either brilliant or disinterested. City have probably had the most consistent strength there. To allow us to compete we have to be at our best level and continuously improve. To be so competitive playing no matches at home and without spending (much) money is remarkable.

To expect that pattern to simply continue is arrogant and complacent though....

I'd also say we've sailed very close to the wind with lack of transfers and injuries and have got away with it.

 

[wadewill]

I'd also say we've sailed very close to the wind with lack of transfers and injuries and have got away with it.

And now we arent

 

[carpediem991]

Surely if we want affordable cover for Kane and then, once he's back, a player who can understudy plus play in a couple of other positions now and again, then we should seriously consider Jann-Fiete Arp? We were linked last year which inspired me to watch a few of his games (not easy to find let me tell you), he really looks like a baby Kane and definitely more advanced in his development than Kane was at his age. I'd love to know what our scouts made of him, if/when they looked at him.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41977679
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...9701616F1CFF03DF75E99701616F1CFF&&FORM=VRDGAR

Don't feel a striker who cant get minutes and goals in Germanys 2nd division is what we should aiming for...

 

[hellava_tough]

Apologies. Still though, it’s not overly relevant that they’d have dipped, because their dip is in large down to us improving.

No worries.

I would have thought it's more to do with them not being able to bring the full weight of their resources to bear.

For instance, Chelsea imploding with Mourinho and Conte, Man Utd imploding with everyone since Sir Alex, City being off the pace a few years back, Liverpool being crappy until the last 2 seasons, Arsenal being all over the place, etc.

These factors weren't down to us improving, although us improving coupled with the above, resulted in our league finishes.

So as I said, in that regard we've been fortunate.

 

[Hakkz]

Apparently Everton, Southampton and Wolves are in a "transfer battle" over Jean-Kevin Augustin. I don't think RBL are selling 2 strikers at once, if any of them are even leaving.

 

[Luka Van der Bale]

I never said that

It's part of our success; a part we've been fortunate with

I think this is hugely harsh on us. Recent seasons have seen record points totals for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th getting blown out of the water. Getting into the top 4 is harder than it's ever been.

 

[dtxspurs]

I think this is hugely harsh on us. Recent seasons have seen record points totals for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th getting blown out of the water. Getting into the top 4 is harder than it's ever been.

Probably a bit of both to be fair.