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My ideal transfer targets summer of 2018
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 mattteo  20 Jul 18 7.06pm |
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Originally posted by Ginger Pubic Wig
I've no idea about any of the recommended players, or their prices...you did, though, explain how you came up with your valuations and johnb asked about one... It's a mixture of how much the player cost, how close it is until the end of his contract, how valued he is at his current club and transfer rumours from the latest period that specify a price. In Balanta's case, he was bought by Basel for 3 million, but has played only 1000 minutes of league football last year. Maybe a mixture on injuries, suspensions and tactical decisions, but not being an absolute starter decreases his price. His contract has 2 more years, so I may have evaluated him too low, but I stand by the fact that he would still be cheap. From all the players there I have underevaluated only 1 or 2. I am open to other names and I will explain why I am right.
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| mattteo 21 Jul 18 11.39am |
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Just continuing the original post: Players in Germany: Schalke has the most promising player in Germany's youth system on sale, Donis Avdijaj. Other than him, Ukraine's Konoplyanka is a good player and suitable for Engliah football and might be available for just around 10 million. Hoffenheim lost their best player, Gnabry, who is going to Bayern (what a loss for Arsenal!!)+Mark Uth, but they brought Vincenzo Grifo and Bettancourt relatively cheap. Bayer Leverkusen missed out on the Champions League so now would be a good time to "sack" them. Aranguiz would be a good buy, but he's like 28-29 and would cost more than 5 million, maybe even 10. They value winger Leon Bailey at about 100 million, so that's a no RB Leipzig have Massimo Bruno on sale, but he hasn't featured much for them, instead being on loan at Anderlecht. He is pretty hard working and a decent winger for his age and they'd probably sell for 1-2 million, as he will be a free agent this time next year. Couldn't touch the other starters at Leipzig. Frankfurt has a great squad and I talked about their players in the original post. I knew about Croatia's Rebic's potential since years ago and he could have been brought very cheap as a youngster from Fiorentina. Now, after a magical World Cup, he's wanted by allbig clubs. He's exactly like Perisic, well bulit, strong and fast, but much younger. Serbian Luka Jovic is great for a 20 year old centre forward, but they'll pay Benfica's release clause of about 10 million and they'll be looking to sell him for much more. Stendera will be allowed to leave, but I can't see him making it in the Premier League. Stuttgart had Carlos Mane from Sporting on loan. He was very good in their promotion but broke his leg last year. Now he's on pre-season training with Sporting, but nobody is going to pay them their 10 million evaluation of him. They will surely allow him to leave on loan again and at the end of next year you could try reducing his price to 5 million. But you'd have to be patient with him and help him come back easily. Didavi was a free transfer for Stuttgart, he could have been someone for Palace to look into. Moenchengladbach sold Italian Grifo for cheap. Hermann could also be around the 5 million mark, great player 3-4 years ago, but I'm not sure he can replicate that form. Raffael is too old, Thorgan Hazard is expensive, national team player Stindl as well, they got Frenchman Alassane Plea for 25 million. Hertha's Ibisevic and Kalou are too old, Leckie is not that good, Selke would cost a fortune. Werder Bremen's Kainz, Max Kruse are not for sale. And even if Kruse finishes his contract next year, he's going to be 31. Otherwise, I'd have him in an instant, his goal rate and work rate are great. Yuya Osako cost them 4 million at 28, a good sum for the energy and goals he will bring. Augsburg had 2 great forwards last year, Austrian Gregoritsch and Iceland's Finbogasson, but both have long contracts. Caiuby is too old. Stay away from Ji Dong Won. Andre Hahn and Frenchie Schmidt are decent, if not actually good, cheap options, but they're already 28. Hannover has a Brazilian centre forward, Jonathas, very strong, who is available to leave on loan, but they want too much money for a 29 year old on whom they spent 8 million. Fullkrug had a great last season, they want like 20 million for him, out of Palace's reach. Togolese Bebou is still improving, they paid a lot of money for a really bad player like Haraguchi, who seemed to me one of the worst wingers in the Bundesliga. Mainz has some interesting players in Muto, with his contract ending soon, Oztunali should be watcged from now on, a great German hope, even Muto. Unfortunitely, Maxim had quality, but could not adapt in English football. Even Ujah is interesting. De Blasis would have been great had he not been that old. I forgot about EMIL BERGGREEN in my original post, a good Danish centre forward, 1,94 cm, 25 years old, whom they'd sell for only 2-3 million, as he's not a definite starter and his contract runs out next summer. They got him for 3,5 million.Viktor Fischer, the Danish winger who is such a big hope, left Mainz for a small fee last season and is doing great at FC Copenhagen. Sure, lower level, but he did ok when he went on in top leagues too. Wolfsburg had a lot of good players last year, even though the team played bad. Osimhen and Dimata were too you g centre forwards though, Renato Steffen needs some time to integrate, Malli is good but nothing special, Didavi was wonderful but went to Stuttgart, Origi was just on loan. Freiburg's striker Nils Petersen is an old favourite of mine, but age does not forgive anyone and he wouldn't be as cheap now after the good season as he would have been when I suggested him 2 years ago. They have a great player in Ravet, but he needs to stay injury free. From the relegated teams, I've talked in the original post about the good, not very expensive now, players.
But Lazio could sell some players this summer (though not cheap). Immobile is worth 60 million, Luis Alberto is worth more than 20, Felipe Anderson left for West Ham for a massive 35 million. But Nani left for free back to Valencia, which didn't keep him and let him go back to Sporting Club of Portugal. He would have been a catch and Imthink he was dying for an English club to give him another shot in this league! Atalanta has Papu Gomez, but at 30 he's past it. And expensive, Lazio wants him to replace Felipe Anderson. The also have Ioicic, but he's a bit too slow. Petagna is not a bad striker, but with a low goal rate. They bought Duvan Zapata for like 20 million and let Petagna go to SPAL for playing time. Freuler is a great central attacking midfielder, but they want 15 million for him. Fiorentina has expensive players like Diego Simeone's son and youngster Chiesa. EYSSERIC might be a good shout as he was bought for 3 million and might he allowed to leave. Pretty good winger at Nice. Torino still has the 2 years ago goalscorer Bellotti, they don't want to let him go for less than 50 million. They did pay 12 million for Mbaye Niang, whom Milan fans now regret. Iago Falque and Adam Ljajic have been great as wingers for an offensive AC Torino, but they'd each be worth at least 10 million. But a good price at their age in my opinion for what they can do. Youngster Berenguer is also great for his age. Sampdoria had 35 year old beast Quagliarela as starter. Colombian Duvan Zapata has gone to Atalanta. Caprari is valued at a lot, same for Gaston Ramirez (who did not adapt to English football when he was here). Sasuuolo's big names Berardi and Politano are expensive. They bought Papace linked Khouma Babqcqr in the winter and now want to sell him, probably unhappy with his attitude and work rate. He's got goals and assists, he is still young, but the attitude is a problem... Other teams have Lasagna, de Paul, costing around 20 million, Bologna's Verdi is even more expensive, Stepinski from Chievo would have been a great option in my opinion. Diabate from Benevento is probably too old by now, but could be worth a look as he'd cost no more than 1 million.
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Bellarabai's value has dropped lately. I think they'd sell for 10 million, but I'm not sure if he's worth it.| Booted Eagle Bristol 21 Jul 18 12.09pm |
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Originally posted by mattteo
Just continuing the original post: Players in Germany: Schalke has the most promising player in Germany's youth system on sale, Donis Avdijaj. Other than him, Ukraine's Konoplyanka is a good player and suitable for Engliah football and might be available for just around 10 million. Hoffenheim lost their best player, Gnabry, who is going to Bayern (what a loss for Arsenal!!)+Mark Uth, but they brought Vincenzo Grifo and Bettancourt relatively cheap. Bayer Leverkusen missed out on the Champions League so now would be a good time to "sack" them. Aranguiz would be a good buy, but he's like 28-29 and would cost more than 5 million, maybe even 10. They value winger Leon Bailey at about 100 million, so that's a no RB Leipzig have Massimo Bruno on sale, but he hasn't featured much for them, instead being on loan at Anderlecht. He is pretty hard working and a decent winger for his age and they'd probably sell for 1-2 million, as he will be a free agent this time next year. Couldn't touch the other starters at Leipzig. Frankfurt has a great squad and I talked about their players in the original post. I knew about Croatia's Rebic's potential since years ago and he could have been brought very cheap as a youngster from Fiorentina. Now, after a magical World Cup, he's wanted by allbig clubs. He's exactly like Perisic, well bulit, strong and fast, but much younger. Serbian Luka Jovic is great for a 20 year old centre forward, but they'll pay Benfica's release clause of about 10 million and they'll be looking to sell him for much more. Stendera will be allowed to leave, but I can't see him making it in the Premier League. Stuttgart had Carlos Mane from Sporting on loan. He was very good in their promotion but broke his leg last year. Now he's on pre-season training with Sporting, but nobody is going to pay them their 10 million evaluation of him. They will surely allow him to leave on loan again and at the end of next year you could try reducing his price to 5 million. But you'd have to be patient with him and help him come back easily. Didavi was a free transfer for Stuttgart, he could have been someone for Palace to look into. Moenchengladbach sold Italian Grifo for cheap. Hermann could also be around the 5 million mark, great player 3-4 years ago, but I'm not sure he can replicate that form. Raffael is too old, Thorgan Hazard is expensive, national team player Stindl as well, they got Frenchman Alassane Plea for 25 million. Hertha's Ibisevic and Kalou are too old, Leckie is not that good, Selke would cost a fortune. Werder Bremen's Kainz, Max Kruse are not for sale. And even if Kruse finishes his contract next year, he's going to be 31. Otherwise, I'd have him in an instant, his goal rate and work rate are great. Yuya Osako cost them 4 million at 28, a good sum for the energy and goals he will bring. Augsburg had 2 great forwards last year, Austrian Gregoritsch and Iceland's Finbogasson, but both have long contracts. Caiuby is too old. Stay away from Ji Dong Won. Andre Hahn and Frenchie Schmidt are decent, if not actually good, cheap options, but they're already 28. Hannover has a Brazilian centre forward, Jonathas, very strong, who is available to leave on loan, but they want too much money for a 29 year old on whom they spent 8 million. Fullkrug had a great last season, they want like 20 million for him, out of Palace's reach. Togolese Bebou is still improving, they paid a lot of money for a really bad player like Haraguchi, who seemed to me one of the worst wingers in the Bundesliga. Mainz has some interesting players in Muto, with his contract ending soon, Oztunali should be watcged from now on, a great German hope, even Muto. Unfortunitely, Maxim had quality, but could not adapt in English football. Even Ujah is interesting. De Blasis would have been great had he not been that old. I forgot about EMIL BERGGREEN in my original post, a good Danish centre forward, 1,94 cm, 25 years old, whom they'd sell for only 2-3 million, as he's not a definite starter and his contract runs out next summer. They got him for 3,5 million.Viktor Fischer, the Danish winger who is such a big hope, left Mainz for a small fee last season and is doing great at FC Copenhagen. Sure, lower level, but he did ok when he went on in top leagues too. Wolfsburg had a lot of good players last year, even though the team played bad. Osimhen and Dimata were too you g centre forwards though, Renato Steffen needs some time to integrate, Malli is good but nothing special, Didavi was wonderful but went to Stuttgart, Origi was just on loan. Freiburg's striker Nils Petersen is an old favourite of mine, but age does not forgive anyone and he wouldn't be as cheap now after the good season as he would have been when I suggested him 2 years ago. They have a great player in Ravet, but he needs to stay injury free. From the relegated teams, I've talked in the original post about the good, not very expensive now, players.
But Lazio could sell some players this summer (though not cheap). Immobile is worth 60 million, Luis Alberto is worth more than 20, Felipe Anderson left for West Ham for a massive 35 million. But Nani left for free back to Valencia, which didn't keep him and let him go back to Sporting Club of Portugal. He would have been a catch and Imthink he was dying for an English club to give him another shot in this league! Atalanta has Papu Gomez, but at 30 he's past it. And expensive, Lazio wants him to replace Felipe Anderson. The also have Ioicic, but he's a bit too slow. Petagna is not a bad striker, but with a low goal rate. They bought Duvan Zapata for like 20 million and let Petagna go to SPAL for playing time. Freuler is a great central attacking midfielder, but they want 15 million for him. Fiorentina has expensive players like Diego Simeone's son and youngster Chiesa. EYSSERIC might be a good shout as he was bought for 3 million and might he allowed to leave. Pretty good winger at Nice. Torino still has the 2 years ago goalscorer Bellotti, they don't want to let him go for less than 50 million. They did pay 12 million for Mbaye Niang, whom Milan fans now regret. Iago Falque and Adam Ljajic have been great as wingers for an offensive AC Torino, but they'd each be worth at least 10 million. But a good price at their age in my opinion for what they can do. Youngster Berenguer is also great for his age. Sampdoria had 35 year old beast Quagliarela as starter. Colombian Duvan Zapata has gone to Atalanta. Caprari is valued at a lot, same for Gaston Ramirez (who did not adapt to English football when he was here). Sasuuolo's big names Berardi and Politano are expensive. They bought Papace linked Khouma Babqcqr in the winter and now want to sell him, probably unhappy with his attitude and work rate. He's got goals and assists, he is still young, but the attitude is a problem... Other teams have Lasagna, de Paul, costing around 20 million, Bologna's Verdi is even more expensive, Stepinski from Chievo would have been a great option in my opinion. Diabate from Benevento is probably too old by now, but could be worth a look as he'd cost no more than 1 million. Good round up. Think we need 3 signings, Meat and Two Veg for the rigours of the PL, although a meaty international deal might go down well.
“ [T]here are known knowns; there are things we know that we know.There are known unknowns; that is to say there are things that, we now know we don't know.But there are also unknown unknowns – there are things we do not know we don't know. ” |
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chateauferret  21 Jul 18 12.23pm |
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Originally posted by Booted Eagle
Good round up. Think we need 3 signings, Meat and Two Veg for the rigours of the PL, although a meaty international deal might go down well. Verdi would be great, if we play poorly we can stop the game and put on La Traviata instead.
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| mattteo 22 Jul 18 8.26am |
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Originally posted by Booted Eagle
Good round up. Think we need 3 signings, Meat and Two Veg for the rigours of the PL, although a meaty international deal might go down well.
Edited by mattteo (22 Jul 2018 8.26am)
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| Spiderman Horsham 22 Jul 18 10.16am |
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Originally posted by chateauferret
Verdi would be great, if we play poorly we can stop the game and put on La Traviata instead. As long as we don't go for someone who is pasta his best.
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| Spiderman Horsham 22 Jul 18 10.17am |
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Originally posted by chateauferret
Verdi would be great, if we play poorly we can stop the game and put on La Traviata instead. Given our lack of money I wonder if anyone is available for 3 Tenors?
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phillanth  London 22 Jul 18 10.31am |
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If all these players are as good and easily available as you say Matteo, it does make you wonder what Freedman and co do with their time. Douggie found some real bargains when he was manager but seems to have lost his golden touch.
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| DeanMiles Telford 22 Jul 18 10.47am |
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Originally posted by mattteo
Took me like a week to write this! Yeah, I know, Fantasy Manager you’ll say. But not really, I’ve actually watched all these players and have been positively impressed by them. Sure, the choice should be 100% sure and this would demand additional, recent information about their health state, but I’ve actually come up with some really cheap, good for a top 10 PL finish, options. Only players who have proven themselves in top 5 leagues (PL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1) or have been exceptional in lower ones. For me, the best options on the market this summer would be these (cheap and players below the age of 30): Right back: …..............................................................Centre back:
A centre half has been sought by the club considering Delaney leaving, Dann out probably until second half of the season and Sakho’s fitness still a concern. But what about cheaper options than the multi-million players? Just as an example, Besiktas got Croatian Vida from Dynamo Kiev on a free transfer in the winter. They offered him a nice salary and a contract until 2022 and now, after just 6 months, Liverpool are offering for him 18 million after his exploits at the World Cup. Now that’s some business for Besiktas!! But the truth is Domagoj Vida is a really fast and hard working centre back. Maybe not worth that amount at his age, but certainly proves that you can find talent even though nobody else saw it just 6 months ago. I've tried putting the players above in an order of cost efficiency, at least how I view it. You really can't get players from the Premier League on normal amounts of money. Maybe only some which the teams don't properly appreciate and want to be rid of. But you definitely can't buy a PL starter from another team with less than 15 million. Analysing the ones above 1 by 1: THE RIGHT BACKS: Danny da Costa is the right back from Eintracht Frankfurt. He played more like a winger in the last season in a 3-4-3 system, but he has also proven his worth as a right back in 4-4-2. He is one of the strongest players in activity and still extremely young. Eintracht will ask for money as he's a starter, but they also have Timothy Chandler who has been a starter and pretty much moved da Costa to left wingback position, so they might sell. Definitely worth 5 million, he's a beast! Toljan was the best fullback for the German U21 team and I think he'll be their national team starter in the next years. But Dortmund want to go with some other fullback after a modest season. They're having a summer sale (!) and many good players are bargains because they've unjustly been found guilty for their 4th place finish. If not Toljan, Passlack would have been just as good and maybe even a better prospect with time. The best right back in their youth leagues the past 5 years, very strong, just 19-20 years of age. Even cheaper than Toljan, but Norwich has already gotten him on loan. Toljan has somehow been disoriented by playing left back a lot, but Passlack has been playing right back and right wing all throughout the youth German leagues. He has been spectacular! Very strong too. Similar to Wan Bissaka, but a lot more accomplished at just 20 years. Santiago Arias is Colombia's starting right back from the World Cup. His contract with PSV Eindhoven is up next summer so they'll also be looking to cash in instead of loosing him for free. He wasn't that good the previous years, but he's had an amazing 2017-18 season, so he's on the rise, which is good for whichever team will take him. Daryl Janmaat is not very young anymore at 28 and not cheap because he would be coming from another PL team and players from the PL are always worth more than they should be. But his advantage is that he is already settled in the PL and you know what you're buying, Janmaat is also very tall and good at defensive duties because of his height (though I can't really see height as a must for fullbacks). Watford are probably going to have Kiko Femenia as starter this season, so Janmaat is looking to leave. Feyenoord want him back, but probably only on loan, because I doubt they'll pay Watford 4-5 million for him. Rafael from Lyon was one of the best right backs in France these last seasons, behind Sidibe and Dani Alves. Lyon was asking for at least 5 million, but his contract is up next summer, so they'll cash in for only 2 million. A real bargain, I remember him from his Premier League days and he was very determined, vet good at going forward, very fast. I suspect he could even be starter in the Brazil national team with Dani Alves retired and Fagner in his 30s. He'll fight it out with Danilo from Man City and Bruno Peres. Tavernier is an English right back playing in Scotland for Rangers. Like the ones below him, they're at the end of the list because they haven't yet been proven in one of the Top 5 leagues. Not that young anymore at 27, but he plays in a league very similar to the English system, he is very good going forward, one of the best if not the best right back from the lower European leagues. Johan Larsson from Brondby is also amazing as right in a lower Europan league. Playing for Brondby in Denmark, he will end his contract in this winter and could be signed as he's in his final 6 months of his contract. 28, a year older than Tavernier, has the disadvantage that he doesn't come from a Brittish system. But the Danish league is not that different. Very strong. Same could be said for Basel's Lang. He was very good in their Swiss league and in the Champions League. National team starter after Liechsteiner's retirement. But was already taken to the Bundesliga for just 2 million this summer. Norwegian fullback Linnes also had amazing numbers for a fullback while playing in his country's league before transferring to Galatasaray. He had a bit of an average season in Turkey. He still did play a lot of matches, but they've confused him using him on multiple positions. They could be willing to sell as they're going with Mariano and Nagatomo as starters this next season. I think he can be brought back to his previous form, even in one of the best leagues in the world.
Papadopoulous went down with Hamburg. But is for me one of the great fighters in football. Never gives up. Sure, Hamburg has been weak for the last 5 years and always close to relegation. Papdopoulous actually saved them last year. He is still respected there, but they'd have to sell if someone made the an offer around 4 million. Luyindima is a Congolese centre back who has developed nicely in Belgium, playing for Standard Liege. Tall and strong, he did very well in that league, Many good players have come from there. I talked about taking Kabasele last year at this time, when Watford wanted to be rid of him. Kabasele became a starter and is now highly valued by them. Luyindima is very similar to Kabasele, both coming from Belgium. Standard Liege doesn't charge a lot of money and they got him for just 0,5 million directly from DR Congo, so the price should be cheap(er than for others). Zambrano is a South-American centre back who was one of the best in the Bundesliga a few years back. One of the most appreciated ones. But he took a big salary offer from Dynamo Kiev and he has been forgotten. But he's still the same player. Dynamo gave him a big salary but didn't pay much money for him (actually, I think they got him for free), so whatever you'd be giving them, they'd have a profit. They probably won't get Champions League money this year either (they're in the preliminaries) so they should sell. Yanga Mbiwa is a French centre half with experience at the highest level, having played for both AS Roma and Olympique Lyon. Was a starter for Lyon last season, but got very few minutes the season that has just ended. They want to sell, Montpellier has already made an offer of around 3,5 million (pounds that is). Strong and fast defender, similar to Sakho. Nkoulou has been playing for Torino on loan from Olympique Lyon and they have paid Lyon 2,5 million for him. But they will probably sell if someone offers them 5-6. A Cameroon international with a lot of matches, would have been worth a lot more had his national team qualified for the World Cup. African Cup champion 2 years ago. Diego Reyes is free after finishing his contract with CF Porto. A Mexican centre back with a lot of experience for the national team at just 25. Tall, decent player in any team. Getting him for free should really make any club think. Mbemba is a good, solid and fast defender, but rather small for the PL at just 1,80 in height. Newcastle are asking for a lot of money too. They have reportedly been offered by FC Porto at least 5 million, if not even 6. Lamine Kone has went down with Sunderland again, This time in League One. But it hasn't really been his fault. He's still a decent defender. They are asking for a lot of money though for a player Everton to pay 18 million just 2 years ago, but have only gotten low offers and will have to sell for 4 million and not more because his value would just continue to drop in League One. Balanta is a fast Colombian defender who has pretty much lost his starting position at FC Basel. I know, you'll say “how can he be good enough for the PL if he's not good enough for Basel?”. But this is the right time to get him very cheap. He's at a good age and would be a good addition to the squad, but probably not good enough to challenge Tomkins and Sakho for a PL starter position. He is pretty short, just like Mbemba, but makes up with speed. Same for Jonathan Mensah. He'd be almost free. He's plying his trade in the MLS, but is not old. He has Ligue 1 experience and over 50 matches for the Ghana national team. He was their starting defender at the last World Cup they've been at and I remember him as being good. No, he's not the old John Mensah (though I think he did partner him in the national team a while in central defence).
Jackson Irvine from the Championship is still young, plays in the English system, is tall and fit. Has just participated with Australia at the World Cup. Linked with several Premier League clubs, but I think a moderate bid of around 4 million should do it. Pasalic is a Croatian still under contract with Chelsea. Young. Hasn't made their squad though and has been sent on loan to AC Milan and Spartak Moscow. His performances have been great there. Chelsea's evaluation of him I've read is 5,2 million and they are willing to sell him so that he plays every week and further develops. Lewis Baker is another central midfielder belonging to Chelsea at about the same value. He is also very young and should be given faith. He is fast, hard-working, also good with the ball. Developed very nice in the Eredivisie for Vitesse, where he was probably the best midfielder in the league. Didn't get playing time in Middlesborough, but it was just lack of faith in him, he honestly deserved more. Maybe a more central midfielder than a defensive one, but he is capable of running and defending well too cause he's just 23 years old. Sankhare is a Senegalese defensive midfielder from Bordeaux. He has played pretty much last season and has a contract up until 2021, so a figure less than 5 million wouldn't do it and probably not even that. But it's worth a try. In the winter he was very angry that that time's Bordeaux manager was fired and said he wanted to leave the club, even missed a couple of matches. He seems to have returned to better feelings though, but, like I said, it's worth a question. Onazi from Trabzonspor is a forgotten great defensive midfielder. He has been in Turkey the last 2 years and people have forgotten he was one of the best ones in Europe at Lazio while extremely young. He isn't old now either, just 25. Trabzonspor is a Turkish club which tried to invest a lot these past years, bringing in players like Paraguayan goalscorer Oscar Cardozo from Benfica, Jose Sosa from Milan, Hugo Rodallega, Dame N'doye or Marko Marin, but they never really got good place finishes in the Super Lig. They are kind of in a tight spot now and have to reshape the squad, sell some players with high salaries. Onazi would be cheap. Ozan Tufan had an argument with the Fenerbahce bosses, that's the only reason why he's not playing there anymore. Palace has been linked, as have a number of clubs. Was a national team player from an early age, tall midfielder with an eye for goal, box-to-box player. There have been fitness concerns lately and Fener fans who have labelled him as fat (and in the Premier League being fast and able to move rapidly matters more than anything), but Tufan is just 23. He's at an age when muscles are still formed and he might actually shape them up in a body mass that would make him look very fit if he had regular exercise. Michael Ngadeu from Slavia Prague is a beast. Extremely tall, he was champion of the African Nations Cup 2 years ago with Cameroon. I know him from the Romanian league, as he played here, but has been playing for the last years in the Czech Republic for Slavia Prague. High interest has been recorded every transfer window from the Premier League, with his asking price quoted between 2 and 3 million That's not a lot for a PL team. Would waltz right into any team as a starter and would be a massive aerial improvement. Can also play as centre back, but even scores a lot from headers at the opposing end. Great to have, would have him higher on my list, probably first, if he wasn't already 27-28. M'Vila is another former great hope, this time of France. Palace have been linked with him. He has 1 more year on his contract, so a fee could be agreed with his club if they don't want to lose him for free next summer. Hiljemark is a Swedish midfielder who was with his national team at the World Cup. If the other Swedish midfielders are old (S. Larsson, Toivonen, Durmaz) or out of reach for a club like Palace (Forsberg), Hiljemark appears to be the future for his country. Had good seasons in Italy for Palermo and Genoa. Johannes Geis from Schalke would have been a lot higher on the list, but he's coming after a real downfall period. He was probably the best box-to-box midfielder in Germany 3 years ago when he was bought by Schalke. But he has played very little this past year, on loan at Sevilla. They had a 7 million buy option, but didn't take it. With his contract running up, a 2-3 million bid should do it because Schalke doesn't count on him at all. But remember, these teams (Sevilla and Schalke) are really powerful teams, so if they have other options in central midfield, it doesn't mean that this player is bad. Henriksen from Hull is on my list because his contract with Hull will end next summer so he'll be a cheaper than usually option. He has just been named captain to that squad I think so he's very appreciated there. Good age, strength, accustomed to English football. Andrea Poli is a very fast midfielder playing in the Serie A. After a few years in AC Milan he's now with Bologna. He is 28, so not very young. Not a real box-to-box, but you would get a hard working defensive midfielder. There is interest from the MLS from him. Ruben Pardo would also be higher on the list had it not been for the recent years in which he has hardly played. He's still at a good age though and was 3-4 years ago the best young central midfielder in Spain. Has a powerful shot which has materialized in goals often. But he needs playing time to get back into playing well. Sociedad would sell him for cheap though so that makes him a viable option. Jack Rodwell is only 27, he's a free agent. Hasn't really played extraordinary and I think got relegated with Sunderland, but he is a pretty fast midfielder and he is hard working. For a free agent, he's worth it. He's on trial with Watford. Vincent Koziello surprised everyone when he went from Nice to FC Koln in the winter for just 2 million, though it was pretty well known that Koln will be relegated. He's a young defensive midfielder and had a great season for Nice 2 years ago. Didn't really repeat it, but at his age he would be worth an offer of 3M. Koln could make a profit and he would get first division football. Alex Song is a free agent. He was an absolute perfect box-to-box midfielder at Arsenal, I remember every club in the world wanting to have him. Not so good at Barcelona and then went to Russia for a big salary. He's 30 so not very young, but at 0 cost he should be considered. Instead of paying a 15 million fee on a defensive midfielder, Alex Song could be a similarly good option at 0 cost. Of course, no resale value at his age, but he could still do the job for 2-3 years. Jack Colback should also be available at 0 cost, as Newcastle are willing to let him go only if someone takes over his salary. Similar in age to Alex Song (he'll be 29 in October), he too was once a very mobile and fast box-to-box in the Premier League. Maybe he still is, someone should really take a look at the way he's training. Had a falling out with Rafa Benitez and hasn't played for Newcastle since, but we shouldn't judge a player just based on Benitez's evaluation. He was great for Sunderland a few years back, made the national team, went to Newcastle, got relegated with them, promoted with them, then stopped playing and went on loan to Notthingham Forest last year (I admit I haven't seen him there).
Joel Obi from Torino has been linked to Palace. Has had a great 17/18 season at Torino, but played more in a 4-3-3 that a 4-2-3-1. But he can play in a 2 central midfielders midfield too. Was raised at Inter. Torino seems to have gotten another 4-5 million offer for him. Jevtic from Lech Poznan is relatively unknown player. Yes, very few players from the Polish league could come and play in the Premier League. But he is the best from that league. And relatively young at 24-25. He is very fast, a left footed central midfielder, attacking midfielder or even winger. Has had great seasons in Switzerland and Poland. Not a Swiss national team player and that's baffling for me but he's not on their immediate radar because he doesn't play in a top league or in the Swiss one. This has kept his price down. Jovic from FC Koln is a good central or attacking midfielder. Was brought to Germany by Borussia Dortmund a few years back when he was really young but didn't find the necessary playing room in Dortmund. As Koln got relegated, they are forced to sell. I think he already got snapped up for just 2 million. In my opinion, even though the team got relegated, he was very good and I consider him already accomplished in a top 5 league. Conor Hourihane from Aston Villa is already in the English system. He is probably the best central midfielder in the Championship. At 27 not that very young so that's the only reason why he's not higher on my list. I've watched Yotun at the World Cup and the Peruvian dominated Denmark and had a tone of opportunities (though they unjustly lost 0-1) and played as equals with France. Their possession was amazing and the best passing midfielder was Yotun, a central midfielder/ playmaker playing in the MLS. He is at a good age. I don't think other Peruvian players are available for Palace. Some are old (like Farfan or Advincula) while players like Renato Tapia and Cueva don't really deserve the 7-8 million which Tapia's Feyenoord or Cueva's Brazilian club are asking. Carrillo is also very expensive, evaluated at 20 million by Benfica. But Yotun is available for cheap. Mustapha Saymak is really young and has been one of the best central midfielders in the Eredivisie. Free agent this summer, should have gone for him much faster. A real option for the future. Another player from the Eredivisie who can play as central midfielder is Adam Maher. Believed an immense hope just a few years back, Maher didn't really live up to the expectation. But he's still young and he would come free. With the right management, he could be a big gain, with a great resale value. I think Saymak is a little better than him, being younger too. But Maher is more famous, having played for the national team too. Junuzovic is one of the best assisters and free kick takers I've seen . Every year in top 10 and even top 3 assisters in Germany while playing for Werder Bremen. Has gone back to Austria at Red Bull Salzburg pretty early at just the age of 30. Should have played at top level a lot longer. Werder let him go on a free transfer as a gesture of gratitude. Speaking of accomplished central midfielders, one cannot forget Gonzalo Castro from Borussia Dortmund. Maybe the player most wronged by Jurgen Low. For years people have been saying he should have been in the Germany squad. Great in Leverkusen, very good at first for Borussia Dortmund. Had a tougher last season and Borussia is selling everything. Stuttgart did a great business getting him for just 4 million. And if Junuzovic and Gonzalo Castro are not enough, another experienced central midfielder available at a rather cheap price is Jonathan de Guzman, He has played a lot in his career as a central midfielder, even though he has pretty much played all positions in midfield. He is very strong. Pretty important for Eintracht Frankfurt, but not an utmost starter. They could sell an almost 31 year-old player for as little as 2 million. And to finish the list of accomplished central midfielder at the highest level is Celso Borges, a Brazilian-Costa-Rican playmaker with good matches in La Liga and for the national team. Deportivo went down and they would sell if given an offer, which shouldn't be that big for a 30 year old. Luca Zuffi has also been great as a central midfielder but at a lower level, for Basel in Switzerland. However, I think he could replicate that form in the PL too, but he's not very young anymore, so he's just an option further down the list. He's a little younger than Junuzovic, Gonzalo Castro, de Guzman or Celso Borges. Luca Zuffi is 28, a good age for a central midfielder-playmaker, the brains of the team. Massimo Luongo and Oliver Norwood are options from the Championship. The Australian is pretty good with the ball, but I am not a real fan of the way he runs, he seems rather chubby sometimes. However, he would occupy the deep lying playmaker position and most of the defending would be done by the other central midfielder, the defensive one. Norwood has promoted with Fulham after being on loan from Brighton. He was pretty important for them. They want him back, so a fee below 4 million shouldn't be enough to land him (English teams always charge a lot even if they don't use the player, as in Norwood's case). Felix Kroos is Toni's brother who also plays as a central midfielder, but in the second German division, for Union Berlin, He take free kicks just like Toni and has a powerful shot. Has quite a few assists and goals to his name. Should be available for as little as 2 million as his contract is running up. His last name alone would mean a resale value if he gets playing time in the Premier League. It could be like a Eden Hazard-Thorgan Hazard situation, in which the brother is not as good the top footballer, but still good enough to play at high level . RIGHT FOOTED WINGERS: Jonathan Bamba is one of the best young midfielders in the world at his age. The wonderful thing about him was that he was finishing his contract with his club and was a free agent this summer. This would have made him a bargain. From what I know, Palace was interested. But I guess it was about which club offered him a higher salary. He finally chose St Etienne. Perhaps he wanted to remain in France. Leonardo Bittencourt is a German-Brazilian young winger who played really well for FC Koln in Germany. Last year he linked up very well with Anthony Modeste and Koln had a great season, finishing in the top 7. This year he played ok, but not extraordinary (understandable for a player his age) and didn't really have much help from Koln's forwards either. The team went down and they are willing to sell even their best hope. Hoffenheim made the move fast though and got him for like 5-6 million. Boetius is a Dutch winger who might even turn into one of the most expensive ones if given a chance to shine in a league like the Premier League. Still pretty young, he only cost Feyenoord very little money to be brought back to the Eredivisie from Basel. He is not a starter 100%, but every time he went in he scored or delivered assists. They missed on the Champions League so I wouldn't be surprised if they accepted a 2 million offer. He has a lot in common with Memphis Depay or Quincy Promes, players who are worth in excess of 25 million. His colleague from Feyenoord, Sam Larsson could also be a good option, but he'd be a little more expensive, as they paid kind of like 3 million for him and want to make a profit. Leonardo is a Brazilian player who is a free agent after finishing his contract with a Qatarese team. I won't talk about his great performances there because that league is really amateurish, but I will talk about his performances as a winger in the Serbian league, where he was the best player. I know, not the best league in Europe, but Partizan Belgrade and Red Star have offered fine players. And Leonardo was the best player there. Not very old at 26, if you take him to the Premier League, I think he'd be very similar to Richarlison and we know almost everyone wants him. Sure, he wouldn't have the same price as the 21 year old Richalison, but there would still be a resale value for a Brazilian. Vicenzo Grifo is a player I really liked, a self made man as I like to say. He was one of the best in the second German division, then one of the best side midfielders in the Bundesliga while playing for lowly Freiburg, getting a transfer to Borussia Moenchengladbach, at that time a regular participant in the Champions League. They had a little downfall and finished mid-table this year, so it's a good time to buy from them. He moved to Hoffenheim (also qualified to the Champions League) for a fee of just 5 million. Robert Mak is a Slovak football player who is very underrated. Extremely well built and fast, he was great for the national team as well as in Greece for PAOK. Was bought by Zenit but wasn't really given a chance at the Russian giants. I've watched him a lot and I appreciate him. For what you buy, he's really worth the money. Visca is a Bosnian winger who plays as starter in the Bosnian national team (which is a very good team even though they didn't qualify to this year's World Cup). They have Dzeko and Pjanic and a number of other great players. Visca has also been probably the best winger in the Turkish league (well, maybe behind Galatasaray's Garry Rodriguez, but that guy is worth 20 million). He's not very young though at 28 or he would have been higher on the list. Sonny Kittel is a very young German player who plays in the 2. Bundesliga, For me, he is the best player there. His goals and assists to minutes played ratio is great. It's time he made the step to a top league. Mainz is interested. Ibai Gomez had had great seasons in La Liga for both Athletic Bilbao and Deportivo Alaves. But Alaves is not such a big team and would sell for the right price. An accomplished player in a top league. Ivi is younger than Ibai Gomez, but not that accomplished at top level. However, his potential is there and at just 24 would be a great addition. Is a starter for Levante, but they're a small club and a right offer would convince them. Narsingh is the forgotten winger from Swansea. He was a starter for Netherlands a while back (in a time when they used to qualify for final tournaments). Really good for PSV in the Eredivisie and the Champions League, I can't understand why he hasn't played more for Swansea. They really should have used him, they would have probably avoided relegation. Moi Gomez is another Spanish player. He was great in La Liga from an early age, but went to the second division to get more playing time. He got promoted with Huesca this year. They even got him on loan for one more year (cause he belongs to Sporting Gijon) and avoided paying money for a transfer until next summer. He wouldn't have cost that much anyway. Darwin Machis is a Venezuelan winger who is probably the best winger in the Spanish second division at just 25 years. It's time that he made the step to a better team. It's talk that he'll end up in Udinese, as both Granada and Udinese are owned by the Pozo family. Umar is a Nigerian winger playing in Turkey. He's still very young at 23 and will still develop. Wouldn't make a great impact immediately, but you'd be buying a player for the future. The Turkish team he played in, Osmanlispor, got relegated this season after they had a previous great season. Umar tried his best, but couldn't save them. It's a good time to buy him for a low price. Choupo Moting is a very tall, strong, capable of playing on the wing or as centre forward. He would be a good addition, only issue I'd be having is that he's already 29. Was good in Germany, was decent for Stoke, is in NO WAY responsible for the disaster of that team. They got him for free, an offer up to 4 million should do the trick. There are other PL clubs interested. Benezet is an obscure winger from France. He has been constantly good at a high level for a medium team, just like Palace is. He'd be very cheap for what he offers. But I think he's already 26-27. Knowledge Musona is an African player from Belgium who has done pretty remarkable things in the Belgian league for modest Oostende and for his national team as a winger. Anderlecht moved fast and bought him for 4,5 million. He's not that young at 28 so that's why he's not higher on the list. Jairo Samperio was very good 2 years ago in the Bundesliga, The Spanish winger was Mainz's best player. He had a falling out with the management there and they stopped using him as a starter. This further enraged him, he quit the club and went back to Spain to play for Las Palmas. He didn't do the same as in Germany, the team was relegated at the end of last season and now he's a free agent again. Will he find his form again? If I were sure, he'd have been higher in this list. But his loss of form in the past year worries me. Ola John's lack of playing time the last year also worries me. A wonderful winger a few years ago and if I'm not mistaking he's still only 25 or 26. Benfica doesn't use him at all and he is relegated to their second team. He has a few months left of his contract so they'll give him away for free only if someone takes over his salary. He was ok on loan to Deportivo la Coruna and in the Championship for Reading in the last years, but hasn't really shone like he did in the Netherlands. There would still be time to get back into top level football, but someone needs to be patient with him. LEFT FOOTED WINGERS: Hernani of Porto would be my first choice. He's not getting the playing time he deserves there although he has proven himself for Olympiakos and Victoria Setubal (one of the best assisters in the Greek and Portuguese leagues in the last years). He's just 25. He is a champion with Porto, but he's not happy about his substitute situation. If you could get Porto to let him go for 5 million it would be gold. It's worth an offer. Harry Wilson would be my first option if he hadn't extended his contract days ago with Liverpool until 2023. Was amazing for a 20 year old last season on loan in the Championship. Liverpool received offers from 13 Championship clubs for him!! The problem is that they don't want to sell, they only want a club to take him and develop him cause he might actually turn out good enough for Liverpool to use him. And I'm not a fan of taking players on loan when you have no chance to buying them (see RLC). It just makes the first 11 suffer changes year after year. Best case scenario: he doesn't play amazingly in this year, but moderately well, Liverpool don't think he's good enough for them and you can buy him for something lower than 10 million. The other 2 scenarios aren't very good: either he plays great and Liverpool won't want to sell or he doesn't fit into Palace's system ad he's not worth buying. So that's why he's not first on my list. But I think there's really no chance of going wrong with this guy, he's just that good! And if not him, then at least go for his teammate Ben Woodburn. Very similar player, also left footed, Welsh, even younger, needs playing time to develop (but Liverpool are reluctant to sell as he's announced a superstar). I think they'd rather sell Harry Wilson as he's relatively unknown. Bongonda is a case of an unacknowledged player. He was very good playing for Celta Vigo. But he wasn't a starter cause Pione Sisto and Iago Aspas were just that good on the wings. And Celta invested a lot of money into Emre Mor from Borussia Dortmund. So Bongonda went on loan to Trabzonspor of Turkey who wanted to be a great club and challenge for the Turkish title. Things got muddled there and many good players were disregarded because Turkish owners have their own saying and it's not a very professional environment. Bongonda didn't like it and decided to change countries and go on loan for the second part of the season to Zulte Waregem in Belgium. Here he found the playing time he needed and provided many goals and assists for the minutes he played in(1 goal or assist every 100 minutes or less). They made his move permanent from Celta for just 1 million! That's an absolute bargain for a player like Bongonda!! Sinan Gumus of Galatasaray is also a self-made man. He pushed everyone aside to get himself into the team. He just did great every time he came on!! Even though nobody had much faith in him, he showed what a good footballer he is. Benfica wanted to take him for free last summer, but he has since had another great season with Galatasaray. The player no one knew existed has became one of their best. Still not used 90 minutes, Sinan Gumus would like more playing time. And Galatasaray would just ask around 5 million for him. He's on the rise so would totally be worth the money. Still young. Lestienne is even free of contract. He was an amazing winger a few years back for PSV Eindhoven. He even stormed the Champions League. I don't know why he chose the big money of Russia and went to rich Rubin Kazan. He should have just stayed put or gone to a bigger club. He was badly treated in Russia and Rubin had lousy seasons lately. He finally went on loan last season, but didn't help Malaga as much as he wanted to, they got relegated (to be honest, they were in that position before he got there). But at his age and coupled with the fact that he wouldn't cost a thing, he would be a great signing. Plays both on the right and on the left, he should be easily recovered and taken back to his original form. Cartabia is a tenacious winger who did great for Sporting Braga, was a big hope at Valencia and was still good for Deportivo even though they went down (Deportivo was a good team offensively, the reason they went down was because of the defenders). He can play both on the right and on the left, has a powerful strike, is rather small in size, but can run fast and destabilize defences. I was actually in love with his playing style. He'd be cheap for his value, but you'd still need to be patient for him to grow. His resale value might be amazing, over 30-40 million. Alessandrini and Soudani would be the first on the list if they weren't 29 and respectively 30. Amazing players who are still very cheap. Alessandrini after so many years in France at the highest level has gone to the MLS for just 2 million and he is the best assister there in the lasts 2 years. Soudani has probably been the best player in a low or middle league in Europe, playing for Dinamo Zagreb. He is valued low because Algeria hasn't managed to qualify for the World Cup, but he has scored a ton of goals and provided a tone of assists for them, being an absolute starter alongside Mahrez and Brahimi, both valued at over 30 million. Nottingham Forrest grabbed Soudani for just 2,5 million, which I think is a great price for what he offers, Nottingham have just become one of the favourites for promotion this year. Having already placed 31 year old Nani at the top of my wishlist, I placed Alessandrini and Soudani a little downwards because too many “experienced” (let's not say old) players is not what is desired. Similar to Cartabia, a left footed young player from Spain is Halilovic. But speaking of being patient for him to grow because he might not make an immediate impact...AC Milan decided to do that and got him for free this summer. A previously big hope of Croatian football when bought by Barcelona, he is still young at 23. Was decent at Hamburg and Las Palmas, but more is expected of him. Tannane is a winger from Saint Etienne, but who is not in their immediate plans. They have tried loaning him away and are probably willing to sell at a cheap price for what he can do. I like him, he's tall and at an young age, the fact that he wasn't in Morrocco's squad for the World Cup has kept his price low. Gonzalo Bueno is not a player who has accomplished anything in Europe. But his numbers for Nacional Montevideo in Uruguay are very good. He is actually on loan to them and I'm not even sure they're going to buy him from the Bolivian club he belongs to. An offer of just 1 million should do the trick and he deserves European football at his age. He can play as centre forward (but isn't very tall) and as winger, has played well in both positions. There aren't many players from South America I'd dare recommend, but he is probably the best of them (though there are also some interesting 20-21 year old players in the MLS whose contracts expire in this winter, but they would have to be properly developed and raised first). Ruben Rochina is a left footed Spanish winger who had pretty good seasons in Spain. He is mostly used to playing on the right as inverted winger. He is now back in Spain after a spell with Rubin Kazan, club which I think paid about 10 million for him. Levante got him in the summer for a maximum of 2 million (it wasn't made public). He has played but not really a lot for them. An offer of 3-4 should take him away. He has good numbers, but is not very young at 27. Yannis Salibur is a French winger from Guingamp who was very close to a Premier League switch last year. He is fast a decent in the French league. Not that young, but not old either at 27. Guingamp is a small club, so they should sell for cheap. Renato Steffen is also at a similar age to Salibur's, but he is shorter, came from Basel to Wolfsburg. Hasn't really settled in and cost them only 2 million, so a higher offer should have the German club willing to sell. He is nowhere near that quality, but is somewhat similar to Mohamed Salah, who also left from Basel. Same stature, same dribbling from right wing, same type of goals scored in the Champions League. Just less than Salah, perhaps could do a goal or assist every 300 minutes in the Premier League. Bradley Kuwas is a Dutch player from Heracles. He is very similar to Andros Townsend but a lot cheaper. Check out his goals on youtube, you'll fall in love with his shots!! [Link] He did great things for a small team as Heracles. If I didn't know Dutch football had these big spaces and high goalscoring percentage, he'd be a lot higher on the list! Jony and Kakuta are cheap left footed wingers. Jony was really neglected in Malaga, they could have gotten more points if he had played more. He had wonderful seasons at the highest level in Spain for Sporting Gijon. He moved to Deportivo Alaves this season, but only on loan, his buying clause being somewhere around 1 million. Kakuta has just signed for Rayo Vallecano, also in the top tier of Spain as of next year, for a fee of around 2 million, after a good half season in Ligue 1 and another half season in China. But he's not old at 27. The problem of these 2 players is that they're kind of linear. They are left footed and are only used to playing left wing or left midfielders. Never or almost never on the right as inverted midfielders (as opposed to all the players before them on the list). I'd imagine they could play there to if given time to settle , because Spanish football from which Jony comes from is very technical and Kakuta is also a technical player. But they don't have experience as inverted wingers as of YET. Rafael Kurzawa I admit would be kind of a patching up, but he would be available for free, so he;s worth considering. He was the best assister in the Polish league. Somehow he is out of contract at just 25 years old. He is kind of similar to Bale, in regards to having been a left back before being moved up the pitch and providing better efficiency as a left midfielder. He was in Poland's squad for the World Cup. You can't get midfielder Zielinski or striker Milik from Napoli , you can't get Lewandowski from Bayern, Hull are asking a big price for 30 year old Grosicki and Blaszikowszky is too old. Kurzawa is the next best thing Poland has. And the guy would probably be happy with 10.000 a week. Balazs Dzsudzsak would have been a lot higher on the list had he not already been 31. But he's a free agent so he needs to be taken into consideration. The best Hungarian player of his generation, has played the last 2 years in the EAU to make money, but he was great for PSV Eindhoven and the in the Russian league. He went past the group stage with the Hungarian national team 2 year ago at the European Championship. He played very well in that tournament against top opposition. He can still go 2 years easily and with great results at the highest level. Strong and fast, well built for English football. SECOND STRIKERS/ ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS: Cristian Tello- Spanish player who mostly plays as a winger, but who is very fast and I could see him being good behind the centre forward, pressing and running into spaces. He is a lot like Wilf Zaha, very fit. He was raised by Barca, got a few matches for them, then went on loan at FC Porto and Fiorentina. He played extremely well in both, but they didn't keep him, mainly because they lacked the money. He was bought by Betis Sevilla, but he doesn't get as much playing time as he'd want. Even though I really liked him every time I've seen him come on. They might just sell if an offer around 5 million comes in. He'd totally be worth it! Bernard, as I said in the thread I created for him, has finished his contract with Shakhtar Donesk, a really good team which plays great football and has beaten Napoli and Feyenoord last Champions League season, stood firm against Man City and was equal to Rome. Bernard had a very big saying in this and in them winning the Ukrainian league so many seasons. The fact that he's available for free, only wants 7 million up front for him and his agents (which is a small price to pay for a player like him) and a 40k salary per week (Benfica's offer) should be enough to get him. Arsenal and Liverpool were interested but have backed down (Arsenal changed managers, Liverpool has gone for other players). He played mostly as a winger like Tello, but I can really see him using his speed to play behind the centre forward. Ahmed Musa has been great at the World Cup. Perhaps the best player in the Russian league, he was brought to England by Leicester, but was hardly given playing time and especially not in the central position he likes. I don't know why they don't rate him at Leicester, but it only makes is better for other clubs who want him. He wouldn't be cheap though. Surely the news that an Arab club is willing to pay 40 million for him after his World Cup exploits is not true (Arab clubs have never paid that much), but still he'd cost probably more than 10 million, cause Leicester wants to recoup much of what they paid. A 10 million offer should still be made though, see if they let him go! He's also a fast player who would complement a centre forward. Don't go above 10 million, but at that sum he'd be worth it, considering there would be resale value too! Bakkali is a very young Belgian player. He came onto the big stage while at PSV at just 17 or 18. He transferred to Valencia but his playing time was limited, then went on loan at Deportivo. I've seen him live and thought he was great, lots of running into spaces, recoveries, fighting for the ball, you wouldn't think he'd have this much strength at his stature! But Deportivo did get relegated, so he moved to Anderlecht for just 1 million this summer. A great player at this price, could be bought rather easily! Similar to Bakkali and at a similar age is Podence from Sporting. Also fast and hard working, he too moved this summer because of the scandal at Sporting, with the club accused of not having ensured enough protection for the players' training. But he moved to a lesser team than Sporting, Olympiakos Piraeus!! All teams which have gotten players from Sporting have tried to settle with them because they know that a Court will probably not rule in favour of the players as Sporting had guards on duty and could not have known crazy fans were going to appear and beat up players. So every club has offered Sporting money! Else, they are taking a big risk in getting players from Sporting who may be in the wrong having terminated their contracts on their own. Usually, we're talking about really big clubs who want to take players like Gelson Martins or William Carvalho, clubs which could eventually be able to pay massive fees to Sporting if the Courts decide so (Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan). But Olympiakos? They're taking a massive gamble bringing in a big hope like Podence, who I believe had a multi-million release clause. Did they manage to come to an agreement with Sporting? Maybe Palace should have tried that too. Surely there would be no chance for Gelson Martins. But Podence would have been one for the future. If they'd be willing to part for something below 5 million it would be good business. Diaby from Brugge is a young forward who has done great in Belgium by just 23. His contract is up now and he is free to sign for whomever he wants. I'm not fully convinced about his capacity to press and run the full 90 minutes, but at his age and at 0 cost he'd be a great signing, I'd say just as good as Iheanacho. Donis Avdijaj is a player who has grown in the German youth championships. And he has set new records there. He has the greatest number of goals and the greatest number of assists from all players who have played in the German youth system between ages of 15 and 19. He belongs to Schalke, but they don't use him. He was sent on loan and did very well anywhere: in the 2.Bundesliga, in the Austrian first league and in the Dutch Eredivisie lately. He is now back with Schalke, but they already have their Champions League squad established and he's not in it. They want to cash in and are looking for about 2 million. This boy just needs to be given faith, it's unreal that not more high profile German clubs want him. Of course, he could go to a Mainz or Hannover, but I consider those to be low clubs for such a talent. Fortounis from Olympiakos is a great player behind the striker. He has been constantly good, with one season 2 years ago actually bringing him very close to the best football players in Europe's top leagues. They allow him to leave for just 5-6 million for all he's done for them. Besiktas is interested, but I would like him to get a chance in a top league. I had to chose between him and Shatov from Zenit for this position on my wishlist and I settled for Fortounis. Taller and therefore easier to settle in the PL, a little more goals and assists in the last years and a lesser price than what Zenit would ask for Shatov. Sandro Ramirez is Everton's player, though wasn't given a chance there. He was raised by Barcelona, went to Malaga where he had a wonderful 2016-17 La Liga season and was bought by Everton for just 5 million. Last year he was behind Rooney andCenk Tosun so he went on loan to Sevilla (cause they still appreciate him in Spain). He played some good matches in the league and the Champions League, both as striker and as winger, but Sevilla didn't reach its objectives, missed out on the Champions League and didn't want to invest money into buying him. Everton will probably not demand more than what they paid for a player who seems to have stagnated, but I think he'd be very good for that price and just needs to be given playing time. He's lethal from a central position. The worrying factor is that I hear he's on 100k a week in Everton so that would make his salary very big, not such a good investment. Mimoun Mahi is a Dutch-Morroccan player, very feisty, from the Eredivisie. Normally, the Eredivisie players must be very good for me to take into consideration, as they score too many goals there, but Mimoun Mahi scores and also assists big time. Can play centre forward, second striker, winger, is tall and fast. If Jahanbaksh is top scorer of the Dutch league and therefore sought by a lot of teams, Mahi has gone relatively unnoticed , but is just as good! Jose Naranjo is a Spanish winger-striker, still young at 23, relatively obscure. Was maybe the best winger in the Spanish second division 2 years ago, with a lot of assists. He went to Genk in Belgium (4th place there) for about 1,5 million (pretty low price). He was great there every time he came on, but the manager didn't want him, so he went on loan to Leganes of La Liga. They managed to stay up and he played for them a number of matches at the highest level, but now has gone back to Genk. They want to sell, Leganes doesn't have money, so anyone offering around 2 million should get him. He can play as centre forward (at about 1,82 cm if I remember correctly), winger or second striker, but is at an age when he can run a lot and cover a lot of ground, so I think the position behind the main striker suits him. His goals have come both from central and wing position, but more from the central area. Cristian Palacios is a relatively unknown player from South America with amazing goals to minutes played ration. He isn't tall enough to play as centre forward in the PL, but would be great as another option behind the big centre forward (new one or Sorloth). The great thing about him is that he's finishing his contract there and he would come free!! Sure, I can't say if he could replicate his form in a tougher league such as the PL league, but he should do all right, he'd at least be a better back-up option than Frazier Campbell was. Japanese Kiyotake is also finishing his contact this December. He was a very good player in the Bundesliga. He then moved to Sevilla at the start of last year for around 2,5 million. He ended up in home Japan to get more playing time and he does. But he's on a short contract and will be free soon. A player with experience at the highest level of a top 5 league who I can guarantee would be good in this position. If he wasn't over 30 he'd be higher on the list.
Oumar Niasse has been heavily linked in winter. Not just with Palace, but with other clubs. I think there was an agreement between clubs of around 8-9 million, but there wasn't an agreement with the player's representatives. Can you hold that against a player indefinite Awesome. That was a great read.
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| Spiderman Horsham 22 Jul 18 3.06pm |
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Originally posted by phillanth
If all these players are as good and easily available as you say Matteo, it does make you wonder what Freedman and co do with their time. Douggie found some real bargains when he was manager but seems to have lost his golden touch. Perhaps Matteo is Dougie and he spends most of his time compiling these posts.
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| mattteo 22 Jul 18 3.15pm |
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Originally posted by Spiderman
Perhaps Matteo is Dougie and he spends most of his time compiling these posts. You again....
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| steeleye20 Croydon 22 Jul 18 3.36pm |
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For his effort alone Matteo should replace Dougie.
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