The generic transfer thread

[Sanguine]

Continue to be 'perplexed' then. I'm not naive. I know what runs the game and I know how the game has changed in the last generation. It's just the football romantic in me.

Messi was very much part of what made his Barca sides great. They had won two titles in ten years when he debuted. They won six of the next ten, and ten of the next fifteen. Likewise United won one PL in six years before and during Ronaldo's emergence as a world-class player, and he ended his United career having driven the team to three successive titles.

Maybe Haaland will finally drag City a Champions League. Good on him. But this 'all routes lead to City/Real*/PSG' isn't for me.

*see the inevitable Mbappe transfer this summer.

[URZZZZ]

Think I’d agree with the comment more if he joined someone like PSG or Bayern where the league is consistently dominated by one team. Whilst City do seem to be winning the league at a fairly regular rate, the rivalry with Liverpool is enthralling at the moment and there’s obviously the target of winning the CL which they still haven’t managed

In saying that, don’t particularly like City or what they stand for, everything that’s wrong with the game

[Loafer]

exclusive.............

My sources directly INSIDE the club have said Haaland to city is DONE

[BROB0T]

exclusive.............

My sources directly INSIDE the club have said Haaland to city is DONE

confirmed this a while ago

from sources directly inside the lobby with the TV

[Loafer]

exclusive.............

My sources directly INSIDE the club have said Haaland to city is DONE

confirmed this a while ago

from sources directly inside the lobby with the TV

no it was not, nobody confirmed he had actually signed it

I am telling you , my sources who I know who work INSIDE the club and have DIRECT access to players AND information, have confirmed this, and I have the pictures and evidence

[BROB0T]

exclusive.............

My sources directly INSIDE the club have said Haaland to city is DONE

confirmed this a while ago

from sources directly inside the lobby with the TV

no it was not, nobody confirmed he had actually signed it

I am telling you , my sources who I know who work INSIDE the club and have DIRECT access to players AND information, have confirmed this, and I have the pictures and evidence

posted a while back it was a done deal

my m8 works at a gay sauna in dortmund

[South Coast Royal]

It will be interesting next season to see if Haaland makes that much difference to a City team that will probably win the title with around 95 points.

This idea that a striker was badly needed (after the non-signing of Kane) strikes me as questionable in that there will have to be quite a change to their style of play having existed without a target man for years-Aguero was hardly your normal big man up front.

City play neat interchange football with their strikers being more like midfielders so it is not a gimme that Haaland and City will be the perfect fit, just as free-scoring Lukaku was considered last year to be Chelsea's final piece of the jigsaw meaning that many pundits had them as title favourites.

However it pans out, it is good for English football to be able to see him playing here.

[paultheroyal]

It will be interesting next season to see if Haaland makes that much difference to a City team that will probably win the title with around 95 points.

This idea that a striker was badly needed (after the non-signing of Kane) strikes me as questionable in that there will have to be quite a change to their style of play having existed without a target man for years-Aguero was hardly your normal big man up front.

City play neat interchange football with their strikers being more like midfielders so it is not a gimme that Haaland and City will be the perfect fit, just as free-scoring Lukaku was considered last year to be Chelsea's final piece of the jigsaw meaning that many pundits had them as title favourites.

However it pans out, it is good for English football to be able to see him playing here.

Absolutely, but Pep has a skill of evolving, moving ahead of everyone else - maybe this is the next phase in that process.

[Franchise FC]

Continue to be 'perplexed' then. I'm not naive. I know what runs the game and I know how the game has changed in the last generation. It's just the football romantic in me.

Messi was very much part of what made his Barca sides great. They had won two titles in ten years when he debuted. They won six of the next ten, and ten of the next fifteen. Likewise United won one PL in six years before and during Ronaldo's emergence as a world-class player, and he ended his United career having driven the team to three successive titles.

Maybe Haaland will finally drag City a Champions League. Good on him. But this 'all routes lead to City/Real*/PSG' isn't for me.

*see the inevitable Mbappe transfer this summer.

Are you sure about that ?
He signed in 2003, after they'd won 7 of the previous 10, including a set of 3 in a row (99, 00 and 01

I'm sure you'll send me a whoosh if I've been hooked

[Sanguine]

Continue to be 'perplexed' then. I'm not naive. I know what runs the game and I know how the game has changed in the last generation. It's just the football romantic in me.

Messi was very much part of what made his Barca sides great. They had won two titles in ten years when he debuted. They won six of the next ten, and ten of the next fifteen. Likewise United won one PL in six years before and during Ronaldo's emergence as a world-class player, and he ended his United career having driven the team to three successive titles.

Maybe Haaland will finally drag City a Champions League. Good on him. But this 'all routes lead to City/Real*/PSG' isn't for me.

*see the inevitable Mbappe transfer this summer.

Are you sure about that ?
He signed in 2003, after they'd won 7 of the previous 10, including a set of 3 in a row (99, 00 and 01

I'm sure you'll send me a whoosh if I've been hooked

No whoosh, my point was that for United in that era they went through a (relative!) lean patch, winning it in 02-03 before he arrived, and then not again until 06-07, which was also the season in which the world class goalscorer Ronaldo really emerged. He scored 100 goals across three seasons from that year, and United won three titles in a row.

[Franchise FC]

Continue to be 'perplexed' then. I'm not naive. I know what runs the game and I know how the game has changed in the last generation. It's just the football romantic in me.

Messi was very much part of what made his Barca sides great. They had won two titles in ten years when he debuted. They won six of the next ten, and ten of the next fifteen. Likewise United won one PL in six years before and during Ronaldo's emergence as a world-class player, and he ended his United career having driven the team to three successive titles.

Maybe Haaland will finally drag City a Champions League. Good on him. But this 'all routes lead to City/Real*/PSG' isn't for me.

*see the inevitable Mbappe transfer this summer.

Are you sure about that ?
He signed in 2003, after they'd won 7 of the previous 10, including a set of 3 in a row (99, 00 and 01

I'm sure you'll send me a whoosh if I've been hooked

No whoosh, my point was that for United in that era they went through a (relative!) lean patch, winning it in 02-03 before he arrived, and then not again until 06-07, which was also the season in which the world class goalscorer Ronaldo really emerged. He scored 100 goals across three seasons from that year, and United won three titles in a row.

OK, but in terms of joining a club Ronaldo joined United at a very similar point to Haaland joining City. Indeed, it could be argued that United were more dominant then than City are now

[Sanguine]

Fair enough. I don't agree, but see your argument. We are in an era of 'super clubs' now more so than merely 'dominant' teams. As I've tried to say, I do understand why players join these clubs, I just think it is a shame for football. The longer it continues, the bigger our strides towards a super league.

[Franchise FC]

Fair enough. I don't agree, but see your argument. We are in an era of 'super clubs' now more so than merely 'dominant' teams. As I've tried to say, I do understand why players join these clubs, I just think it is a shame for football. The longer it continues, the bigger our strides towards a super league.

Can’t disagree with that

I’m torn on the FFP issue though.
In its current form it just reinforces the current status and pretty much prevents anyone else joining ‘the cartel’
I’m more inclined to allow a free hand for investing with a major BUT … any investment must be irrevocable (i.e. no loans/debt in excess of the current FFP rules) and must cover the period of any player contracts
So, for example, the Saudis would need to put non-returnable funds into City to cover the entire Haaland contract to the extend it exceeds their ability to fund without going into a loss.

Yes, it needs some considerable thinking through (I hate unintended consequences), but seems to be a ‘fairer’ way of setting up, particularly when you factor in the fact that the likes of Barca and Real Madrid have spent way beyond their means to get where they are now (and they are not alone, just possibly the highest spenders)

[Loafer]

and once again, my sources are correct and I am FIRST with the official news about Haaland

[paultheroyal]

and once again, my sources are correct and I am FIRST with the official news about Haaland

well done - you nailed that one.

Amazing signing for Man City and the Premier League.

[Winston Biscuit]

all manner of journalists insisting over and over for the past year that his buy out clause was €75M and now the deal is done it turns out it was actually €60M

I reckon 95% of football journalists are just copying each other and changing the odd word here or there to make it look like their own work

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Fair enough. I don't agree, but see your argument. We are in an era of 'super clubs' now more so than merely 'dominant' teams. As I've tried to say, I do understand why players join these clubs, I just think it is a shame for football. The longer it continues, the bigger our strides towards a super league.

Even UEFA themselves are geared towards this as well by potentially changing the Champions League so that the two "best coefficient" teams that finish outside their respective positions in their own league can qualify for the competition. Rightfully met with plenty of criticism, although it looks to be happening, but just not how they originally intended and it looks as if the criteria will change for that.

[AthleticoSpizz]

and once again, my sources are correct and I am FIRST with the official news about Haaland

well done - you nailed that one.

Amazing signing for Man City and the Premier League.

BBC Sports Football website full-on Haaland love

Just the six leading features

£51 million don’t ya know………

[Hendo]

Its a oxf*rd bargain, tbh.

[paultheroyal]

and once again, my sources are correct and I am FIRST with the official news about Haaland

well done - you nailed that one.

Amazing signing for Man City and the Premier League.

BBC Sports Football website full-on Haaland love

Just the six leading features

£51 million don’t ya know………

and so it should be - the greatest modern day striker joining the best football league in the world earning one of the highest weekly wage, its going to be massive news - more so because what a price they got him for.

City are onto a massive winner