Transfer: Winter 2015-2016 Transfer Window Rumours and discussion

[YNWA14]

Don't PSG have the financial muscle to keep whoever they want?

 

[cgf]

I wouldn't mind seeing Liverpool grab Neves or Tielemans. However, I think it would be more appropriate to look at a team that isn't in the CL/EL so they don't end up with a player that is cup tied this winter and then they can go for one of those two and more in the summer. I think that Klopp will take the EL seriously enough for that to matter (although obviously there are still league games so it's not going to be a make or break issue).

Yunus Malli is interesting but he's another player that looks to be more of a 10. I still like Dennis Praet but haven't heard much about him lately. He was fantastic in the CL last year -- especially against Arsenal.

One other kind of outside of the box name would be Lewis Holtby. He's been moved deeper into midfield at Hamburg and is actually playing quite well there. Not sure if it's worth taking a chance on him or not but he is not that old, and pretty talented.

Can Boufal play in midfield? That's another interesting option. Again though I would just rather see Coutinho moved back into midfield where he belongs and have Liverpool buy some real wide players since they have an overabundance of central attacking midfielders.

Malli's a 10 or a forward; and I agree with DM that Klopp is unlikely to pilfer Mainz for him since he promised not to pilfer BVB, and his relationship with Mainz was longer and stronger.

Holtby lacks the class to be an upgrade on Hendo/Can for him to make sense. Especially now that he's finally stopped sucking after returning from England. HSV is more his level.

 

[Evilo]

Don't PSG have the financial muscle to keep whoever they want?

Sure, but I don't think the problem is financial.
If PSG can't win or at least reach the final of the CL, their best players will leave when Real, Bayern or Barca knock at the door.
For now, PSG have resisted the different attempts at Verratti, usually by giving him a new contract, but how long will it last?

 

[Ceremony]

Good luck getting a british player to play outside of england. There are maybe 3 brits actually relevant to their national teams currently playing abroad, and I think one of them was born in Spain. But I can definitely see why big clubs would be interested in Alli.

Good point, I can only think of Gerrard, Cole, Morrison, and Lampard but maybe my brain is fried.

Gerrard and Lampard play in an irrelevant league and are both retired from international football, and it took me a minute or two to figure out you meant Ravel Morrison who... well, that doesn't really matter. English players don't play abroad, because why challenge yourself when you can earn a very good living and not be too far from family and home comforts?

 

[Power Man]

Sure, but I don't think the problem is financial.
If PSG can't win or at least reach the final of the CL, their best players will leave when Real, Bayern or Barca knock at the door.
For now, PSG have resisted the different attempts at Verratti, usually by giving him a new contract, but how long will it last?

What is Verratti'S next destination in your opinion?

 

[cgf]

Sure, but I don't think the problem is financial.
If PSG can't win or at least reach the final of the CL, their best players will leave when Real, Bayern or Barca knock at the door.
For now, PSG have resisted the different attempts at Verratti, usually by giving him a new contract, but how long will it last?

Yep. If Real...or maybe Citeh if Pep takes over...can woo Pogba away from Barca, then Verratti leaving for either of the FCBs by the next WC would seem to be a safe bet; especially if Thiago either gets hurt again or follows Pep to Citeh should that happen. Verratti, Marquinhos, and Matuidi, would be the 3 that I think are most likely to attract interest from the three real giants if PSG can't take that next step soon or falls back. While others (I'm look primarily at Lucas, Pastore, Cavani, and Rabiot) may start yearning for more significant roles with clubs of similar stature to what PSG would solidify themselves as if they can't make it to a final in the next two-three seasons.

 

[Evilo]

Verratti's agent just came out and said his price was 100m€. Compared to De Bruyne, he's worth it.

Anyway, Barca and Real will fight for him IMO. If Barca gets Pogba, then Real, if they don't then Barca.
That's, as I said, if PSG can't reach a CL final in the next two years.

 

[cgf]

That was a crazy sum, but if you let your team flow through KdB and keep him at the 10 he's extraordinary enough to validate it. Verratti's more versatile and I'm more confident in him adapting; but if he's used right and settled, KdB can be such a remarkable and dominant player.

 

[Power Man]

Verratti's agent just came out and said his price was 100m€. Compared to De Bruyne, he's worth it.

Anyway, Barca and Real will fight for him IMO. If Barca gets Pogba, then Real, if they don't then Barca.
That's, as I said, if PSG can't reach a CL final in the next two years.

Madrid'S midfield is quite congestioned


But Modric is often injured and Isco is too inconsistent.
Who knows? Let's wait and see


Verratti would be a perfect fit in Barca

 

[YNWA14]

Yeah I don't get the 'compared to de Bruyne' thing. I would imagine you'd say that Hazard is worth more than de Bruyne also but I prefer KdB.

 

[Evilo]

There's no doubt Hazard would cost more than 80M€ if the situation was comparable. Same with Verratti.

 

[Savant]

Malli's a 10 or a forward; and I agree with DM that Klopp is unlikely to pilfer Mainz for him since he promised not to pilfer BVB, and his relationship with Mainz was longer and stronger.

Holtby lacks the class to be an upgrade on Hendo/Can for him to make sense. Especially now that he's finally stopped sucking after returning from England. HSV is more his level.

I have no interest in Liverpool adding another #10.

They need wingers that are actually effective as wingers.

 

[Edo]

Verratti's agent just came out and said his price was 100m€. Compared to De Bruyne, he's worth it.

Anyway, Barca and Real will fight for him IMO. If Barca gets Pogba, then Real, if they don't then Barca.
That's, as I said, if PSG can't reach a CL final in the next two years.

Zero chance of Verratti ever going for 100 million. Isn't marketable enough, and doesn't play in a sexy position.

 

[Power Man]

I like Verratti, but I wouldn't pay 100 m for him


Well I dont have 100 millions, so that might be why

 

[Evilo]

According to Rennes' captain, PSG are interested in Ntep.
Well, duh, who isn't? And why didn't they make cheap moves like signing Ntep, Lemar and co instead of spending 60+ M€ on Di Maria?
PSG's policy of big names is going to bite them in the ass if they can't win a CL.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Zero chance of Verratti ever going for 100 million. Isn't marketable enough, and doesn't play in a sexy position.

Wait. Verratti isn't marketable enough? Strongly disagree.

 

[Edo]

Wait. Verratti isn't marketable enough? Strongly disagree.

What makes a guy marketable?

Good lucks, flashy play, goals, etc.

I'm in the boat that thinks he needs to be everything to everybody to be worth that mark. I still think that only Bale, Ronaldo, Messi, James Rodriguez, and Neymar can get that total.

Globally, nobody really gives a **** about Verratti. Even in Italy, is he their biggest name? Not discrediting how good he is, but I'd almost wager that a guy like Rooney could be worth the same amount as Verratti. It just kinda is what it is.

When Adidas/Nike roll out their commercials for Euro 2016 as an example, I can guarantee you that Verratti won't even be featured. Crap like that matters.

 

[MrFunnyWobbl]

Verratti and KdB are different type of player, no? KdB plays attacking central, verratti more deeper like an alonso or Pirlo....?

 

[Cassano]

What makes a guy marketable?

Good lucks, flashy play, goals, etc.

I'm in the boat that thinks he needs to be everything to everybody to be worth that mark. I still think that only Bale, Ronaldo, Messi, James Rodriguez, and Neymar can get that total.

Globally, nobody really gives a **** about Verratti. Even in Italy, is he their biggest name? Not discrediting how good he is, but I'd almost wager that a guy like Rooney could be worth the same amount as Verratti. It just kinda is what it is.

When Adidas/Nike roll out their commercials for Euro 2016 as an example, I can guarantee you that Verratti won't even be featured. Crap like that matters.

No one really gave a **** about James before the World Cup. If Verrati continues his good form in the Euros and UCL, he will definitely be a marketable player.

 

[YNWA14]

James and Verratti are very different.

That's not to say that Verratti can't become marketable, but the best attacking players will always be more marketable because at the end of the day people watch soccer to see goals and beautiful offensive plays (and obviously their team win, etc.). The average fan doesn't appreciate the subtleties of a player like Verratti (though he doesn't often go about it in a subtle way aha).

 

[Cassano]

James and Verratti are very different.

That's not to say that Verratti can't become marketable, but the best attacking players will always be more marketable because at the end of the day people watch soccer to see goals and beautiful offensive plays (and obviously their team win, etc.). The average fan doesn't appreciate the subtleties of a player like Verratti (though he doesn't often go about it in a subtle way aha).

Hmm not so sure I agree. The Pirlo hype became unreal after the 2012 Euros when he bossed around the England midfield and had that panenka penalty. He was regarded as a top 5 midfielder at the world and was one of the most popular players in Europe after that tournament.

Funny enough, Verrati models his game after Pirlo apparently.

 

[YNWA14]

I think Pirlo is obviously the exception not the rule, and Verratti is a lot more defence minded (but again, he had a lot of things going for him...his passing is beautiful, he can cut open the other team, his free kicks are wonderful, and his off-field persona is really likeable plus he's obviously very handsome). Think of all the most popular players over the last decade or two (or more). Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Rooney, Beckham, Zidane, Maradona, etc. etc. They're all either flashy, attack minded or both. Although I'd argue Rooney and Beckham (plus guys like Gerrard, Lampard, et. al.) owe a lot of their popularity due to being British and the insane media around English soccer.

Anyway, that's not to say that midfielders or Verratti's ilk can't be popular or marketable either. They're just less marketable than players like say Bale or Hazard or de Bruyne because while they play important roles (easy to argue that they are even more important to team success in a lot of cases) they just don't bring the same kind of excitement to most fans.

Personally I love hard working, intelligent midfielders that are kind of the glue that hold teams together. In terms of value to a team Verratti probably brings more than almost any other player his age, or in and around it. Very few attackers influence the game as a whole the way he does. He still won't be as marketable though, and he won't go for the same kind of fee a player like James, Bale, Hazard or even Pogba would though he's probably as good or better than all of them.

 

[Cassano]

I think Pirlo is obviously the exception not the rule, and Verratti is a lot more defence minded (but again, he had a lot of things going for him...his passing is beautiful, he can cut open the other team, his free kicks are wonderful, and his off-field persona is really likeable plus he's obviously very handsome). Think of all the most popular players over the last decade or two (or more). Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Rooney, Beckham, Zidane, Maradona, etc. etc. They're all either flashy, attack minded or both. Although I'd argue Rooney and Beckham (plus guys like Gerrard, Lampard, et. al.) owe a lot of their popularity due to being British and the insane media around English soccer.

Anyway, that's not to say that midfielders or Verratti's ilk can't be popular or marketable either. They're just less marketable than players like say Bale or Hazard or de Bruyne because while they play important roles (easy to argue that they are even more important to team success in a lot of cases) they just don't bring the same kind of excitement to most fans.

Personally I love hard working, intelligent midfielders that are kind of the glue that hold teams together. In terms of value to a team Verratti probably brings more than almost any other player his age, or in and around it. Very few attackers influence the game as a whole the way he does. He still won't be as marketable though, and he won't go for the same kind of fee a player like James, Bale, Hazard or even Pogba would though he's probably as good or better than all of them.

I think for the most part you're right, but I think Verrati can also be an exception to that rule. He was applauded at Camp Nou for his performances last year in the UCL and I think he is beginning to be recognized as a mega-talent.

 

[Cassano]

 

[Plato]

As pointed out on Reddit, that original source is the same that claimed that Real Madrid is going to make a bid in Januray for Jamie Vardy.