"We've got bucketfuls of agents throwing players at us. We'll trawl through it." - The PL/CL/EL/world off-season transfer thread '17-'18

“As I spoke to Ronald and saw it in his eyes that he wanted me to be part of his team, it was a no-brainer for me and the only place I was going to go.”

*_*

call the polis Dunc, this burglar is stealing all the wages!

I think I may be more concerned that our new shirt sponsor appears to be a bloody betting firm. It's a bad look.

I'm not too bothered about bookies, it isn't exactly classy but definitely preferable to payday loan sharks. Although I would accept that when people have serious gambling problems, sometimes they will go to the latter to feed the monkey. Nobody has even heard of 90% of the new betting companies with shit names these days. Our new kit sponsor is (abandon all) OPE!

Buried in one of the many articles on Lukaku on the beeb, this was news to me:

Chelsea tried to re-sign the Belgium international but were not willing to match the fees Lukaku's agent, Mino Raiola, would earn if the forward moved to Old Trafford.

that seems like spin from the Chelsea side tbh. Although Mino is essentially a salaried employee at Utd now

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DEXc-FBXUAAHCXg.jpg
lol! Ireland's Evening Herald have got Lukaku mixed up with Stormzy.

In fairness tho

his next album title and cover is sorted: Ready For Work.

At what stage do we start wondering whether lamela is just a crack addict or w/e

Bayern are getting James Rodriguez on loan, for two seasons, with an option to buy him after that.

That seems like a pretty good deal

Bit of an understatement actually

The @jamesdrodriguez Deal. Loan: 5 Million Euros per year. @FCBayern can buy him 2019 for 35,2 Million Euros @SPORTBILD @real

— Christian Falk (@cfbayern) July 11, 2017

Ffs

So if he's shit they'll send him back, if he's great he's only 35,5 million. Real Umadrid.

It's a weird one, seeing as the price being thrown around for a permanent deal was 70m-ish. Bayern always seem to get good deals but I can't imagine there was any other teams in for him based on this outcome

Douglas Costa also leaving on a similar deal to Juve apparently

he must be on some fucking ludicrous wages or something...

I don't get why they wouldn't just sell him otherwise? I mean surely Mourinho could have been persuaded to lob £50m or so in their direction?

well obviously he couldn't

I said when the rumours first surfaced linking him to Utd that it made no sense

he's on 120k a week apparently

less than half a Rooney, seems fair

Dani Alves to #PSG, not #MCFC. Unexpected blow for Guardiola, who had big plans for him. Also increases City desperation to get Kyle Walker

— Oliver Kay (@OliverKayTimes) July 11, 2017

Rumours of Iheanacho going the other way as part of any deal, which would be pretty good business all round I guess.

my brother tells me there's a rumour we're after loaning Negredo for the season. This shit is bananas tbh

thought Iheanacho had more or less signed for Leicester?

although it does seem to be the season of the snub

City should try and buy PSG's right back now, Thomas Meunier. Great player and only 25.

my brother tells me there's a rumour we're after loaning Negredo for the season. This shit is bananas tbh

― ramen play on 10 (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, July 11, 2017 6:20 PM (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Negredo is one of Jorge Mendes' players as well, isn't he? That could make sense.

Scratch that, he's not

No I already checked, not directly a Mendes client anyhow

Have you seen this Independent article about the Neves deal "sitting uncomfortable" with the author? I get the reservations but it's very poorly argued tbh

I saw the headline but I'm bored of this Mendes = Blofeld shit already. Yeah agents are bad and work in their own interests, no this isn't unique to Mendes or Wolves but it obviously really boils some Brit journos' piss. Tough shit guys, we're in the Great Game now and it's hilarious, go fuck yourselves

Otm x 1000. Somewhat related, I had to laugh reading Benitez is frustrated with the transfer market. Poor Rafa. If you can't stand the heat etc.

We are being linked with Chelsea's expensive flop Abdul Baba Rahman. We already have two quality leftbacks, so I'd assume Wagner would fancy utilising him in a more advanced role.

Januzaj put out of his misery with a transfer to Real Sociedad. Hope he fares better there than Moyes did.

:(

his post-2013 career has been a major bummer. Still think he can be a quality player but he clearly needs a major attitude adjustment

Don't read f365 for the insight but their piece today on why Dier is worth 50m to spurs but not to united is entirely correct

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YNSUTqEssg

Noodle Vague & Calzino | Welcome to the Big Time | Goals Skills Assists | HD 2017

ha ha! now we have become the very shameless parvenu vulgarians, chucking wheelbarrows of money in all directions, that I used to jealously diss all the time. I think it is fucking great fun as well tbh. I'm corrupt 4 life now and will probably start smouldering into a pile of ashes if I ever enter into Park Avenue's ground again! And will forever be underwhelmed by sub 10 mill signings!

it is kind of amazing that an agent is allowed to get involved with a club to such an extent. it's essentially printing money, even moreso than just being an agent is in general.

not claiming the rest of the game is any better, just saying.

i think the extent to which this becomes sinister depends on how the Wolves get on over the next couple of seasons. top 6 finish this season is still a big ask i think, and god knows there's enough of our own fans praying that we fail so they can be right about the uselessness of players and managers who "don't know the Championship" and try to play "fancy Dan football" - which i think means trying to keep possession and play with a shape or something. if we can get up in the next couple of years and establish ourselves even as a mid-table Prem team i think a lot of the attention on Mendes and Fosun drifts away, or becomes acceptable because that's the Prem and everybody expects you to be corrupt, cash-splurging dicks in the Prem. i think the negative journalism now is largely about us as mid-Champo chancers having the temerity to behave like this.

"i think" getting a bit of overuse there i think

i feel like it's more because he's the world's most famous/successful agent and the relationship almost seems formal.

and it was then mendes says "sign that guy" when he pockets millions each time that happens. i mean to an extent this goes on everywhere, mino raiola has a close relationship with diff clubs obv... i suppose as long as it's not a formal relationship there's nothing against the rules. i think people have been trying to establish the extent to which mendes is actually running things.

like eg mino raiola doesn't have a coach installed anywhere, afaik

haha v good

well maybe he does, but i've not heard about it. it doesn't take much investigation to say "a mendes client is the manager", ergo an easy story.

the club's official position is that Mendes doesn't dictate transfer policy, he's an advisor. well, we would say that, but it feels reasonably true. we still have a (imo pretty useless) recruiting team run by Kevin Thelwell and John Marshall. one reason i'm not that fussed about Mendes at the moment is that even the failures he's suggested/negotiated have been more exciting than the low-budget dross that the official team have brought in over the last few years - illustrated by us having almost nobody that we've been able to move on even at break even prices.

i'm pretty sure that Lambert wasn't a Mendes appointment, and he was shit enough to confirm all my prejudices about the Champo manager merry-go-round. we'll see whether Mendes/Fosun is a shocking breach of the rules, a taste of football clubs to come or something that will diminish if the project succeeds or fails badly. right now there's just no incentive for me to pine for the 1950s hoofball we've been stuck with for decades or to listen to media that regularly fawn all over the Scarface-esque shenanigans of the Prem deciding to go on a "this is taking things too far" steez because they think Mendes is a wrong'un. it's just fun and hilarious and i'll take whatever consequences ensue.

yeah not trying to neg you or wolves - as i say i'm sure it's all rotten, just felt like i can see why it's a sort of juicy story.

Wasn't Allardyce at this same carry on, getting players to sign for his agent