Scotch

More likely that the leak was from Gala's end and now they are out of the equation and it's left for us to finalise, they aren't getting as much information.

I also don't think he's "horrendous" but he offers nothing as an attacking threat and he doesn't seem to want to play as a defensive FB so for the second year in a row, we have no use for him other than as a backup.

A couple of issues with that. One, I don't like the idea of having 3 right footed players at the back. The LCB at least should be left footed for balance. Two, on the side that has the wingback, the winger tucks into the 10 position to make room, I don't think that's as suited to Fatawu as it is Mavididi. It's good to have the option to do that and I think we have that with JJ being the defensive option at RB and Ricardo the attacking but we don't have that balance on the other side. I think we need an attacking LB however we look at it.

I mean, he averages 15 minutes every other game. It's almost impossible to achieve consistent performances over inconsistent playing time.

Maybe...

For me it would depend on the opposition. In a match that we expect to have some decent possession, Hlozek playing that role makes sense but in a game against the top 6 where we will look to counter, Zaha makes more sense with Mavididi and Fatawu in a front three and an extra CM. (Not accounting for Vardy ofcourse)

Which is why I'm more than happy with Zaha. Him running beyond Hlozek could be very good. He's more composed infront of goal than Mavididi and Fatawu currently.

Not according to any Brighton fan that I've seen talk about him...

I don't think Cooper wants an out and out striker. I think, like Enzo, he wants someone who can come deep and contribute. Plus, if we need to through on a goalscorer, having Vardy in a reduced capacity will help everyone involved.

Surely being brought in as our main striker....

Realistically, we are looking at this fella and Zaha aren't we? I'm good with that. I think between the pair it gives us depth at RW/LW/CAM and FW. With both going straight into our starting 11 SOMEWHERE. Just have to wait and see how everyone fits in.

I'm not sure he'd get a game for Chelsea...

That's just ridiculous!

This HAS to be it. Doesn't help that the guy who claims this appears to have fvcking evaporated!

This reminds me of me playing FM when I whack in a bid for every player I want, negotiate a contract then pick what ones I want once they need to be finalised.

Nah, that was Dwight McNeil.

From what I've seen, we are paying £8m and Gala are covering his wages... I've not read we are paying both.

Because it's not usually public knowledge how much a loan will cost in total. If anything, the fee might be released but when was the last loan we had were you could tell me off the top of your head how much it cost us in total once wages were considered?

The £9m this is a bit of a misdirect... Like someone else said, if it was £3m and we were covering his wages, it would be viewed very different yet, it's no different. As for his temperament, you have to cenceed something. Experienced players who improve our starting 11, are cheap and are model pro's aren't available for loan all that often.

Yes, not 3 days ago, you said... "If we need shorter term loans then we should aim for underutilised players that have proven their worth at this level"

I done the exact same thing and it's no clearer! Lol. I know for sure we can only have two loans registered at one time, 4 over the season but the bit that's in question is that GIVEMESPORT seems to think that u21's and homegrown players don't count towards that but I'm not able to find anything by the PL that confirms this. If it's true the Buonanotte and Zaha wouldn't count towards the loan restrictions.

100% agree with this. I think a LB is crucial. If the system that Cooper has played in preseason is the one we will go with then the LB pushing right up as the RB tucks in beside the CB's is a key feature and we don't have anyone that suits that. Sessegnon would have been ideal but we need someone like him for that position as VK isn't creative enough.

I hope you're right but I suspect it will more likely be Hlozek and Zaha if anything which is probably not as ideal in the sense of having players in their most natural position but is certainly more flexible.

When you look at that position Mavididi has been playing pre season, lining up at LW but drifting into the 10 position or moving up top when the LB pushes forward... It's absolutely handcrafted for this guy. I suspect, however that he's probably being brought in as a striker and I can't argue too much with that.

I agree. The only thing I would say is that Cooper himself has highlighted that he's been playing players out of position and we need players in those positions who fit them. This is at least suggests that he won't, given the chance.