As Dunc said - it's like a n Advent Calendar and the good news just keeps coming!! Edit - I've just got home from the Fat Cat and they had Jaipur on, so apologies if my post doesn't make sense.
Sebastian Haller: West Ham in talks for £40m Eintracht Frankfurt striker https://www.skysports.com/football/...-in-talks-for-40m-eintracht-frankfurt-striker NCFC were heavily linked with Haller when AN was in charge...for £6.5m
Yeah, I've been watching his transfer window this season, because of that. He's been linked with a lot of big clubs. Including Liverpool and Man United. He had a great season.
Wow. Is Phillips is worth £30m imagine what Emi is worth!! https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footba...nham-make-gbp30m-bid-for-phillips_364798.html Spose you could say, add 10m coz he's English. But still, Max and Godfrey must be worth +50m! The market is mental...
Any market where Tyrone Mings is deemed to be worth £26.5 million is beyond mental. Try FUBAR instead
I can remember thinking that City had arrived in the big time when we signed RvW for £8.5m. I hadn't felt like that since we signed Ted McDougall way back. Instead RvW launched a period of high spending with low results. Fortunately we dodged the bullet that was Ross McCormack (Villa caught that one), but all the same we ended up too close to administration for comfort. How things have changed since Stuart Webber arrived. Probably the best bit of recruitment we've ever done. It amazed me how quickly most people accepted Stuart's vision, a German Head Coach, and an influx of German and other 'foreign players'. Out went overpaid British players and in came austerity and a new emphasis on young players. Things wobbled in the first year, but the second year was magnificent as we left other teams in our wake to end as Champions. This summer we've recruited a new striker/attacking midfielder on a free and two players on loan, albeit with a hefty loan fee in Fährmann's case. These have gone under the radar in the national media because no big fees are involved while Villa are the media darlings for the money they have spent (or misspent). Time will tell. In fact they've spent extravagantly on players they had on loan last year when they finished 18 points back. Others they've brought in may make a difference (or not), as Fulham found out. What a difference it makes to have Webber who can find gems like Pukki and Buendia (and all the others) on a free or next to nothing, as was the case with our new signings. True Fährmann did cost us €3m, but that's a tenth of what Villa are paying out. There's also the young players SW is bringing in under the radar for DF to develop. This is sustainable development.
It is important that we don't get carried away with our expectations though. I think we still need to keep in our mind that we would be happy with 17th place and if we do better than that all well and good. Having said that the recruitment since May seems to have been excellent. I am pretty confident that we can finish above the other two promoted clubs plus one other.
Survival is the primary target, but I feel this squad want more than that. Teemu, Emi and Aarons stood out last season but it was also about the depth of quality in the whole squad. Whenever one player was injured, another took his place seemlessly and consistent team performance was achieved throughout the season. Of course the PL will be much tougher but the team spirit, competition for places and fitness will keep us in games even when things are going against us. Even if the worst happens, the season will be a success because it will have got us back on track financially. I'm confident that we'll survive though. Darren Eadie highlights another factor on City's side: "It could be a bit of a blessing that not many of them have played in the Premier League, so they can go into it with no fear and I think that will be a good thing, particularly at the start of the season. They will soon realise what it is all about in terms of the step up in quality, which is massive, but they deserve that opportunity and the club have been rewarding the players who got them there with new contracts. They will surprise a few - other players won't know much about Norwich either because they are all so new to the Premier League and won't understand them, which sometimes can help. Especially in the first half of the season, teams will not have worked them out yet. They won't know too much about your players, whereas I could look at any other Premier League team and tell you how they are going to play, what their strengths are. Norwich, though, will be a bit of an unknown quantity." https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/being-an-unknown-quantity-could-help-canaries-survive-1-6154838
Sorry RER Got to disagree maintaining the team ethos, playing our type of football and using the extra money to make the club financially stable for the future is our primary target. For me staying in the PL would be great, but not essential.
Ontiveros is apparently close to joining Villarreal. Personal terms agreed, just haggling over a fee.
Perhaps I didn't put it very well Canario, but I feel that "the team ethos, playing our type of football and using the extra money to make the club financially stable for the future" have been and continue to be achieved by all concerned and that's what we take into the PL and beyond. In the 38 games during the season, however, the players will also want to succeed in terms of points, and that success will be measured by survival or above. The bigger factors you name will carry on even if we don't survive, but the players are competitors and they will also want to succeed in the PL.
Not surprised, DH. That rumour was only picked up by one or two sources. With 5 players who play in his positions already (including Roberts and Drmic), it isn't one of the primary areas we are trying to strengthen now.
Don't get me wrong I want us to be in the PL and I think we'll stay up, but if we don't the club will be in a much better position this time than it was under Houghton.
Without doubt we will be better off even if we don't survive, but this is a very special team of players which has been further refined by the three new players who will all have a full pre-season to gel. The new contracts will also boost morale and commitment by players who are already more than willing to battle for each other. Another RB will fill the final gap and anything after that is a bonus.
Ontiveros close to Villarreal deal. https://readnorwich.com/2019/07/13/norwich-target-ontiveros-closing-in-on-villarreal-switch/
"Daniel Farke is in the market for 'one or two' new signings ahead of the Premier League kick off." Sadly, no 'meat on the bones', in terms of positions, etc. https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city...-premier-league-new-signings-latest-1-6158758