Ric Flair

You don't know if they're ready or not (neither do I), the truth is injuries cost them 18 months. They'd both have played last season under Enzo, Alves especially. They're far too good for U21 football that is quite clear, whether they're able to be a squad option in the PL without a loan remains to be seen but it wouldn't be unusual. If we go and sign Skipp and Saelemaekers then we'd be £20-30m in for 2 players that wouldn't really improve our starting XI and if Alves and Braybrooke were to get a chance in future then it would likely be because the above flopped. I'd rather give them a chance first. We saw what's happened with Soumare who got dropped for KDH and he'll be another who we carry until his contract expires.

Great shout

It's time some of the local media took the club to task on this. I presumed some of the cut back in coverage and comms was because we got relegated but we're a PL team again now.

If we sold Mads for £45m then I'd have a look at Patterson from Sunderland or Albert Lafont at Nantes.

I don't think that's the only way to develop players at all. If they aren't going to play here this season then I want them to get a loan move but I question why we shouldn't use them. I'm not interested in us spending £10-20m on players to use in their place. If we got 1-2 in on loan ourselves and sent them on loan so that in 12 months they come back PL or if we go down then top end Championship ready then so be it but we shouldn't kill ourselves financially trying to stay up either. We already have a good amount of experience in the squad. I'd rather focus funds on key 1st team starters and then use Alves and Braybrooke as rotation for Mavididi and Winks. I want a long term plan that our academy is at the core of. We need it to survive financially anyway IMO.

It depends. If we're considering Skipp as rotation / back up to Winks but opted to use Braybrooke instead then he'd get game time.

Couldn't disagree more with this if I tried. Our squad has plenty of experience already and our financial problems should prioritise developing academy players as much as possible, not to mention our facilities and strategy as a club.

Yes he has, the sort of signing I think we wouldn't have looked at if we were in the PL but now has every chance of being a success at that level for us. Love him.

Lovely goal

Zambrano would be a class signing and would suit Cooper's system of two deep lying midfielders.

Don't rule it out mate, it's possible.

Di Marzio kept claiming Casadei wanted Lazio last summer and wasn't coming here. Percy said for weeks it was done. This will have many more twists and turns I expect. Whether he joins us remains to be seen but I think we'll go to £25m + add ons and Roma will be up against that.

Cooper and the GK coach may well have a soft spot for Danny Ward. If Stolarczyk has a bad injury and Hermansen is sold then we face the very real possibility of Ward being our number one again. Absolutely astonishing.

Put a richard rios on the card

We've lost 25+ goals from KDH last season and our manager, could it be that we're the more likely to finish bottom as it stands?

Muhammed Cham from Clermont. Despite being relegated, he had a very good season in Ligue 1 and his stats are promising. @kingfox @Tommy Fresh Also under CAA Stellar agency....

I wonder if we could get Fabio Vieira on loan from Arsenal? Pretty sure we wanted him before he ended up there.

We need better, don't think people realise the lack of goals that's in this squad. Need attacking midfielders and goalscorers.

That's what Cordova-Reid is coming in to do, don't need another. Especially as Fatawu and Mavididi are both proficient defensively too.

You'd need Shane Warne levels of spin to get Saelemaekers holding his worth when it comes to goals and assists. You only have to look at the lack of them in a muck league like Juliper Pro at Anderlecht where he made Dennis Praet look prolific.

What would you surmise then? We certainly don't need 5 wingers, 6 if you count McAteer.

I wasn't happy with us targeting players like Winks and Coady straight off the bat of relegation with a bloated squad of experience and high wages. There's absolutely no logic to going from a creator and goalscorer in Soule to Saelemaekers. We've replaced Albrighton with Cordova-Reid which is sensible. We need an attacking midfielder / winger who scores and creates to compliment Fatawu and Mavididi and plug the gap of losing KDH. I don't see the point to Saelemaekers, certainly not on a permanent deal. It's a squad signing and unnecessary.

If they aren't going to play then of course I'd rather they went out on loan but given our documented financial problems, I'd rather we didn't stretch ourselves on squad players and instead focus our funds on improvements to the starting XI and then use the likes of Alves and Braybrooke. Plenty of examples of not requiring a loan, there's an argument playing at the highest level with better players at better facilities with better coaches will be more beneficial than a loan move to the lower leagues. But plenty of examples to the contrary too. It's all about playing time.

We deserve relegation if so. You don't target someone who specialises in not scoring or assisting if you miss out on one of the most promising creative players in Europe. This will be me done if so, fcuk this.

Italian journalists / outlets are a nightmare for conflicting reports. Casadei last summer was a classic example, Percy was insistent we'd got him for weeks before it was confirmed whilst the Italian press claimed he was going to Lazio even up to the day we signed him. Not a chance Juventus sell to a rival for significantly less than we'll pay. It's possible Soule refuses to join us but it's already been said we'll pay more in wages and he's tempted.