[Albion] Carlos Baleba SINGS a 5-year deal

[Gabbiano]

Think we will almost certainly get someone in, even if it’s the last day of the window and an overpay. Too much at stake not to.

I hope Alzate doesn’t get stranded here like last year’s almost move to West Brom. Kid has been a great servant to us and deserves his chance to play regular football.

 

[HCxUK]

Thought it was an absolute given that we'd sign a defensive midfielder.

RDZ has spoken so openly about needing a Caicedo replacement and one more player. I'm still confident that we have a couple more coming in, but if we don't we are looking incredibly light in midfield with a lot of games to play before Christmas... Could be a big f*** up.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

succession planning is one thing but execucting the plan needs some work. We have known that Moises leaving was on the cards for a while, having that target or targets sown up would have been ideal. Not an ideal world though.

This leaves a massive gap in my view and Alzate is simply not up to standard.

I just don't agree with this. Alzate is totally up to standard. I accept there's an argument that he's not a specialist defensive midfielder which is what we need.

Remember, the fellas we were looking at signing were 19 and 20. They likely weren't going to come in and improve us straight away. Alzate is 24, he will be ready when called upon.

 

[El Turi]

So it sounds like the chances of signing a defensive midfielder are diminishing by the day. The club usually do things so well so it’s bizarre a Caicedo replacement wasn’t sorted before he left as it was obvious he was going. Now clubs know we have over £100 million in the bank and are going to take the mick with transfer fees.

 

[Hiheidi]

This last minute scramble seems so unlike the club. I wonder if our top target didn't come good (maybe it actually was the Lesley Ugochukwu kid that Chelsea signed) and it's stalled us.

 

[Gabbiano]

So it sounds like the chances of signing a defensive midfielder are diminishing by the day. The club usually do things so well so it’s bizarre a Caicedo replacement wasn’t sorted before he left as it was obvious he was going. Now clubs know we have over £100 million in the bank and are going to take the mick with transfer fees.

I suspect that’s been true all window to be fair. Everyone has been expecting us to sell Caicedo, so the prices would have been preemptively high the moment we called up and said “so about your promising defensive midfielder…” even before the sale was final.

 

[The Fits]

RDZ is going to be pissed off if we don't pull something out here.

 

[S'hampton Seagull]

There is a week left of the transfer window, yet some seem to be certain we now will not sign a CDM. Bizarre.

 

[The Fits]

I'm going to go with Diaz is happening, we think he's a worldie and we are trying to minimise the noise until he's signed.

 

[Peteinblack]

This last minute scramble seems so unlike the club. I wonder if our top target didn't come good (maybe it actually was the Lesley Ugochukwu kid that Chelsea signed) and it's stalled us.

It sadly reminds me of the club until just a few years ago, when we'd be desperately hoping for a transfer or two on deadline day, only to receive a Tweet from Andy Naylor mid-evening that no signings were expected, and that he was signing-off.

We'd then be told, the next day, that the club/manager is "happy with the squad we have."

 

[Zeus]

Suprised at the bed wetting on here. The club know what they are doing. We can see we have a few targets in the mix but we’re not going to let ourselves get rinsed by anyone. Keep the faith.

 

[Hiheidi]

Another response from Naylor...

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

What is Hammond up to these days?

 

[el punal]

So it sounds like the chances of signing a defensive midfielder are diminishing by the day. The club usually do things so well so it’s bizarre a Caicedo replacement wasn’t sorted before he left as it was obvious he was going. Now clubs know we have over £100 million in the bank and are going to take the mick with transfer fees.

You think the club have not got this sorted? We don’t know is the answer. They’re hardly likely to broadcast every five minutes updates on transfer dealings. Just let them get on with it, they are the experts and we definitely are not.

 

[Zeus]

We say publicly and often that we pride ourselves on being ready to move when we lose a player/manager. Caicedo leaving has been a known certainty since January so I find it very difficult to understand how we didn’t have a bunch of targets ready to go.

We need a defensive midfielder, we don’t have one in the squad at all.

We can all see that we’ve got several targets lined up. But the deal still has to get done at an acceptable price! Also I’m pretty sure Billy Gilmour would be described as a defensive midfielder by most.

 

[Djmiles]

What is Hammond up to these days?

I think she’s presenting Bake Off now. Not entirely convinced she’ll cope well with 90 minutes in the Premier League.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This last minute scramble seems so unlike the club. I wonder if our top target didn't come good (maybe it actually was the Lesley Ugochukwu kid that Chelsea signed) and it's stalled us.

But that's taking everything – whether it's info Naylor gets from the club or agent-botherers' reports on their stalked 'targets' – at face value. I don't believe any of it 100%, especially when Barber said that 99% of the stories are not true!

Negotiations will be going on – arguably made harder because of the Caicedo funds now in the club – and I've no doubt there will be at least one more midfielder coming in. Who that is, or when they arrive, I'll leave up to the club and not stress myself out from all the noise that is generated by people who appear desperate for attention on social media.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Another response from Naylor...

Yup.

We don’t need a genuine DM against sides like Luton or even West ‘low block’ Ham but Wolves have got some top players and we weren’t able to prevent their 16 shots. With Caicedo in the team, they’d have been lucky to get half of those.

I think we could do quite a lot of business on the 1st Sept as clubs realise they are not going to get a huge amount of ‘Caicedo tax’ but our targets push through the deals.

What is clear to me is that Alzate is no defensive midfielder. We already have 3/4 players who can do the job he does equally well (or maybe a little better).

The Newcastle game is the big one for me. Groß & Gilmour vs Guimarães & Tonali looks very tough for us indeed.

 

[ConfusedGloryHunter]

I think she’s presenting Bake Off now. Not entirely convinced she’ll cope well with 90 minutes in the Premier League.

Thanks. How about Stephens then?

 

[Uh_huh_him]

it might piss RDZ off, but if we can't get the deal done at our valuation we won't do the deal.

Although we are all concerned with RDZ's happiness with the club's recruitment, surely he acknowledges that the system works and he should trust the process?