jeffschlupp

Well for starters we would want to get rid of his wages if there isn't room for him in the squad - currently he is unlikely to get a look in for the Europa League and KDH/Soumaré have already come into games ahead of him. 'Sell and take the loss' is just stupid business sense. If he has a good season in Italy and reminds everyone how good he is, then we can command significantly more next summer for a permanent deal than this summer, while in the meantime taking a loan fee and having his wages paid. Never mind the fact that with COVID, teams especially abroad will likely have a bit more cash to spare next summer compared with this one

Original source is Bart Veenstra of Ajax Showtime - Ajax forums seems to have them down as 'reasonably reliable'

Rudkin you tease

A fair point, but my two statements weren't necessarily related, the Belgian press have said he's just waiting for his work permit

Not in training this morning - this is all done pending a visa

Another update to look at the state of play in the final five-and-a-half days of the window. I'll skip the rules out this time, along with all mention of U23s who are highly unlikely to be involved. The UEFA Europa League squad, capped to 23 players: GK 1. Schmeichel (AT) GK 2. Ward (AT) GK 3. Jakupović CB 4. Evans (AT) CB 5. Söyüncü CB 6. Vestergaard CB 7. Amartey FB 8. Ricardo FB 9. Castagne FB 10. Justin (AT) FB 11. Bertrand (AT) MF 12. Ndidi MF 13. Mendy MF 14. Soumaré MF 15. Tielemans MF 16. Dewsbury-Hall (CT) MF 17. Maddison (AT) WI 18. Pérez WI 19. Barnes (CT) WI 20. Albrighton (AT) FW 21. Vardy (AT) FW 22. Iheanacho (AT) FW 23. Daka B List: FB 1. Thomas Unregistered: DF 1. Fofana AT = association-trained - 9 CT = club-trained - 2 In the Premier League, everyone above can be registered. Fofana can be registered on the limitless B List in the Premier League, in the highly unlikely case he makes a stunning early return. We therefore currently have two spare slots in the Premier League squad assuming Choudhury, Benković and Praet depart. Which first team players miss out on the squad, and therefore leave? The following players are over-21 and not club-trained, so will likely leave: - Filip Benković - Dennis Praet In addition, the club has the following club-trained O21 players who could (unlikely) be kept around to fill either of the two 'free' EL spots: - Hamza Choudhury What does this mean for our transfer activity? - I think Benković and Praet are near guarantees to leave, both probably on loan. - If the club want to sign anyone else and register them for the UEL, they would have to let one of the 23 listed in bold go, or not register them instead - Justin's targeted return in October makes it seem like he'll be involved. - That means that my big question mark is Mendy - who Rodgers has hardly mentioned of late, although pictured in full training last week. He is off to AFCON in January with Senegal, so keeping Choudhury and letting Mendy go makes sense on a number of levels. - Benković, Praet and Mendy out, Choudhury stays, a winger in?

He's literally just green lighted Albrighton being given a new three-year contract? WTF are you on about? 'Wide player', 'winger', 'inside forward' - whatever you call it and whatever role they play, football teams are usually shite unless there is a player in front of the full-back - look at our lack of passing options playing a narrow 3-4-1-2 last season. There are narrow options available on the market if he wants someone that does Perez's job but better. The simple fact is that Perez is not good enough to do even the job that Rodgers wants him to do on a consistent basis, whatever that is.

Keep it tight and keep the ball, that's got to be the message. Early Cags reducer on Antonio. Maddison and Perez have got to be sharp, win cheap free-kicks, kill their momentum early.

David Neres still makes the most sense for me in the circumstances. Loan with obligation at €30m would do

Agree with the shouts for Soumaré rather than Maddison tonight just for some height and physicality. How can we have 6 players out and another only just returning and not match fit after two games of the season?

Shame it's on the same night as the first team, I'd pay £3 happily

I'm in the right winger thread you clown! I know we want a right winger FFS Hence why I said what else...

'Some more players' sounds like they want two in. What else do we need? A younger CB? No. 10 backup for Maddison? Left winger?

Rodgers on more incomings: “You would like to, but it’s going to be on the availability and whether they are affordable. We signed good players early in the window, but we would like to add.” “We’ll see what’s available and what we can afford. If you want to compete, the depth of your squad is important. The quality in depth is vital, especially if you are trying to be competitive in every competition. We want to keep developing the squad. We’re not in the same league in terms of being able to buy players at certain prices." “We’ve also other players who have developed. By the end of the window, we will have what we have, I’m not going to moan about what we don’t have. We’ve got lots of talent and lots of motivated players. Chelsea and Manchester City have 22 high-level players in outfield players, so it’s difficult for us to have that. We’ll look to our young players. If we don’t get anybody, we’ll develop what we have here.”

Rodgers just now: “The squad will be about what we had last weekend. Ryan Bertrand won’t be available. It’s mostly the same, but Timothy Castagne will be available.”

We've just bought a squad defender?

Anyone know if you can go and watch the U23s games this season, either at the KP or Seagrave?

Said in May he'd sign a four-year deal and don't think anything's changed. It's up to us to prove to him we are an elite level club this season, and if not then he goes next summer with our best wishes.

Where were you when we were shit?

No it isn't, you're quite right. But we'd proved in the first half we were better than them in the flesh too.

Don't know why you're being laughed at and criticised because I couldn't agree more. If you're 1-0 up and on paper the better side, put them to the sword and look to get a second goal. If he thinks we are a top class side then he really does not need to be changing shape to be dealing with a bang average mid-table side who we dominated in the first half. The subs were bizarre. To change from a 4 to a 3atb mid-game is inexplicable, to take off two attacking players and put your best winger up front in the process is even more mind numbing. Vestergaard was alright in the circumstances but he did not need to be thrown in like that, and we didn't need to invite the pressure we did. His positioning for some crosses was shaky but that is only because he'd been thrown in alongside two players he'd never played with before, and Söyüncü/Amartey suddenly had new tasks in terms of who they were picking up. We will drop points this season if we continue with this attitude. Perhaps the idea was that we couldn't stick to the first half intensity because they're not fit enough, I don't know. We have got the technical quality to be putting these crap teams to bed, I do wish Rodgers would back them to show it.

God that was infuriating. Can't create our own atmosphere because we're drowned out by that shit, and couldn't hear half the names being read out for the lineups either I'm not a big fan of Hey Jude and Club Foot is meh, but they at least get some fans going a bit. Today was appalling I like the tune they use for the goal music but I would rather they only played it at full time once we've won. We don't need goal music.

His agents are the same company that look after Simpson, De Laet, Lawrence, Hamer and Darnell Johnson among other ex-players of ours - the club have previous and good relationships with that agency, which in this day and age can make all the difference. We won't get movement on this until after 26 August as I said earlier - so it will be interesting if there is movement from us or Dortmund in the meantime for someone else. If PSV beat Benfica I expect he'll stay - a year of starts in Holland and some exposure in the CL proper will help him and they'll command £40-50m next summer for him to a big six side. If they lose they might need the cash now - every team gets £12.8m just for qualifying plus all the TV monies and prize for winning games. It's then down to whether we can put up £30m + a few add-ons. At that point we also become a much better proposition for him.

Oh our centre-half is Jannik Leicester's no. 23 Yes, he's absolutely massive But he keeps clean sheets so that's alright with me Two three four

Is that official? Haven't seen it anywhere Edit: Never mind just seen they've updated the squad numbers they announced earlier