birchfest

Watching the clip from Sky where they talk about Villa formalising interest for Cantwell and a fee estimated being the 40-50 million region. I mean, stand back for a second and just appreciate what an extraordinary amount of money that is for a Norwich player. I think anything 40+ will see it done, I’m not sure if we will be playing the long game as time will be against us. I think I could live with 40 million and a sell on fee.

Yeah but that’s going to be for a fraction of the price we will be offered now, it’s a big gamble made more complicated by him potentially having a year left with us and wanting to leave if we are down.

Well, we know they are keen to get a loan in likely for the RB/LB as we’ve seen reported, so that’s one sorted. We seem to have cooled on the idea that we want another CB so that’s another off the list, so really that leaves us with needing a transfer fee for a Striker, a winger and an attacking midfielder. It would be do-able to get those done for up to 15 million. Of course depending on if Todd gets sold, also if Maddison also goes and we get the extra 4 million of that it will help.

I think it would be likely we see us going in for players with more of a £12-16 million scale of approach. We still need too many people in to be able to do multiple buys of 18-20 million players, and that’s without getting into the sort of wages a player like that would want or if they would even come here at all. I could see Billing getting done, Tzolis wrapped up and perhaps even us seeing if we could get a structured deal for Armstrong, something like £15 with another 5 in add ons and sell on fee.

Before last night I was open to the idea of Todd going if it was for megabucks, I have to say I’d changed my mind by the final whistle, largely as it’s a scary thought to think of how we replace a player who was so central to a lot of our play. Its a tough one, and I think it’s extremely likely he will be off there now. What that truly means we will only be able to say once the transfer window slams shut. Much has been made of the contract situation and I think that is going to be the deciding factor, likely resulting in us agreeing a move but for £35-40 million. The club aren’t naive, and I’d expect us to go back into the market fast and hard to get reinforcements. The uproar this will likely cause would only be stopped by us getting in some players we can see will have an impact for us. If they do that then I could see it coming off for us. If they don’t and we then get thumped by Liverpool and Man City, which is completely reasonable to expect regardless of todd or Emi, then I think they are going to be under huge pressure.

Personally I want to hear ‘Super Billy Gilmour…. He never gives the ball away’ seeing as we now have a vacancy for that particular midfielder song

I’ve just never seen us play in a way that has looked to make the most of Placheta’s strengths, and more often then not he himself looks to get involved in the short quick passing game, which isn’t his strength. He needs the service and freedom to get the best out of him, but I can’t help but feel we’ve progressed as a club faster than he has. I think it’s a gamble signing that hasn’t quite taken off, I think the next 12 months will decide his fate one way or another.

I guess the trouble is for them is that they are considered the main local news ‘official’ source for information, they have to walk a fine line between keeping the club happy with what they release (so as to keep being fed bits and bobs) and not getting sucked into reporting the full grind of the rumour mill, which would damage their rep as being a reliable source. No doubt the pinkun lads see the same as we do, often as early as we do, but won’t act on it unless they can get some form of confirmation of interest or not.

A lot of people putting a lot of thought, time and energy into the idea that Cahill would be someone we would be after. No chance.

That would be true if we were still in the championship, but it will be a different experience as it’s a new league. And more importantly it’s the league Spurs play their football in and will require Skipp to take the step up into. Cant see them wanting to send him abroad, though I could see him have a small chance of going to a different Prem. I’d still say we’ve got an 80% to get him if he was to be made available for a loan,

Skipp would be a hell of a signing and would likely give everyone a boast, fans and club alike, that would probably undo a lot of the pain of loosing Emi. Certainly better news than we’ve heard in previous weeks. I have to disagree with those saying the SD will decide where Skipp goes, I think the player actually has a lot of power in that, in fact it’s documented from the horses mouth that Skipp went through and researched his options before choosing us. On Cantwell, personally I want to keep him, however if it meant we went back into the market and were able to get an Armstrong or Chair from QPR then I’d be less disappointed. Todd on his day can be our best player, hopefully he can stay and have a blinder!

Funnily enough I believe Roberts was the example given of going to the bottom of the list too quickly…

I think a lot is being pinned on the Billing transfer which appears to be off the cards at the moment. But curious that we are onto our C list players when Webber said we were looking to not rush to the bottom of the barrel due to lack of patience, seems a bit of a conflicting statement that the market is slow but we are already way down the list.

Seen on the BBC rumours page that Watford have had 15 million for Armstrong rejected. I would imagine we can count ourselves firmly out of the race for him, late bid or not. Someone might get him for less than the 25 that Blackburn want, but it’s going to be between 15 and 25 which is going to be out of our reach.

Whilst I’d be thrilled to sign him as he’s a cracking player, I’m not sure how we get the finances over the line when we are still trying to hardball Bournemouth for billing who would be considerably cheaper. Danjuma is going to be for 25 million or more, it ain’t happening bub!

Urm what? That’s not what happened at all, we made one bid at what we felt was his value back in May, they rejected it and we appeared not interested to offer any more. Now to say we couldn't afford the extra that Brentford then eventually put up, 3 months after our only bid, is a tad naive, especially when we put 10 million on the table then and have since gone on to spend 3 million on LML and are still in for Billing which is going to be somewhere around the 10 mark. It’s simple, we think he’s worth 10 million but not a penny more. We moved on. Why should we bend over and let clubs take us for a ride just because we have the money? To be honest I think it’s Brentford who have taken the slightly more reckless gamble here.

Cor this thread hasn’t half brought that select minority of our fan base out yet again, all the normal suspects with all the same old lines, digging their heels in when confronted with reason. Personally, so far I’d give this window a 6 out of 10, but we know for sure we’re are by no means finished, Webber himself has said that it’s going to be a late leaning one. A decent midfielder and striker, keep Todd and Max and we are then looking much stronger. Who knows, Spurs might even sale Kane and go on a spending spree that allows Skipp back.. my point is, it isn’t over until it’s over, and when a transfer window can change dramatically in mere hours, it’s a little early to be throwing the toys out of the pram with 3 weeks left. Not that some will see reason. It’s like they are delighted and desperate to be proven right, which is pretty pathetic really.

Brilliant news, and a sign he obviously believes in what we are trying to do. I thought when they said a new deal it would be another 2 years on top of his current one, so I’m blown away he’s committed himself to us for effectively another 5 years from this point.

That’s been pretty much my situation all of last season being in Madrid, I’ve happily supported the club with my money and then frustratingly had to watch some games on a stream as the sky ones weren’t available on ifollow internationally. It’s mad really, I’m sat there ready to give them my money and it does nothing to stop me watching it for free.

Shame there isn’t a video stream for this one. Wonder if it will be a back 3 again, also don’t expect them to feature but is it this week the Pukki and Krul will be back about the place? With Pukki I hope he gets extra rest really.

I think this window and it’s pace is certainly playing with a lot of peoples heads. It’s been the Webber approach to get deals done early, but it seems this time around it could be the last two weeks of the window where the dam breaks and we see the big clubs throwing their money around and that tricking into other deals. It’s a symptom of a window post empty stadiums, new brexit regulations and the Euros slap bang in the middle of it. I think we are probably towards the top for numbers of incomings at the moment with 4 (not counting the youth recruits). I think Aarons, hypothetically, is the perfect example of a big club finally coming in and then that causing the domino effect of green lighting 2 or 3 moves that were on the threshold of what we could afford then being possible.

For those of us without the Athletic, could you give us in a sentence or two the jist of it?

I thought Mumba looked good in the wingback position on Friday night, just so hard to judge what would happen if he was made to give it a go next season If we wanted a solid replacement maybe Roberts from Swansea, the trouble with that is you’d be looking a decent lump of money and then where does that leave Mumba for the future?

Got to admit it’s a little frustrating coming into this thread to read rumours and just more back and forth about buendia and who’s upset who. Any chance we can just bring this back to its original purspose? Should be a fun and exciting time…

It’s all gone a bit quiet at the moment… which going off how things have played out means something is probably going on. Most cursorily Webber wasn’t present at the game last night. Suggests to me something is going on, as I can’t think of many things that would keep the sporting director away from the very first preseason that’s 30 minutes up the road.