Gert & TheBoy's Official VNA Soccer... err Football Thread

[TheBoy]

I have to admit I was pretty surprised by Chelsea's performance in the FA Cup final. Arsenal very much deserved the win, as annoying as that was for me as a Spurs fan! But Chelsea seemed to play as though they'd forgotten there was still one more important match to play after finishing the season and had not bothered training all week.

I'm not convinced Wenger will leave Arsenal... I can see him deciding to stay on for another season at least to get them back into the Champions League and then walk away. As much as people can say if he left now he'd be going just after winning a trophy, I think he would still see it as walking away with Arsenal at their lowest point in 20 years. And I'm not sure he could live with himself knowing he'd done that. The board don't seem in any great rush to replace him, especially not Kroenke who, if he isn't going to accept £1billion pounds to sell his majority share in the club, damn sure isn't going to sack one of the most frugal managers in the game.

I could be wrong of course and look entirely like a fool saying all that but that's my feeling anyway!

City have moved to make another huge money signing with a deal for Benfica's Ederson all but wrapped up for a world record fee for a goalkeeper at £34.9m. Considering they spent £14m just last season on the hapless Bravo, it's jaw dropping to think City are spending £50m on two goalkeepers within 12 months.

With the releasing of the players Gert listed above and the money bandied around so far, it's plain to see City plan to go huge this summer. With Kyle Walker likely to move and combined with Levy's negotiating reputation, a fee of £40m would seem likely. And there have even been rumours of them being willing to bid £130m for Monaco's wonderkid Kylian Mbappe. Whilst that's mighty unlikely, it's not looking unreasonable to presume City will spend well over £200m this summer.

Meanwhile, Manchester United look to be signing Ivan Perisic from Inter for around £39m. For them to be spending such a large amount on a player who is pushing 29 years of age seems a bit rash! But I do like Perisic and think he could be well suited to the Premier League. With United still heavily tipped to sign Griezmann, you have to wonder if maybe a player like Martial may be on his way out to make room?

It's the Championship play-off final today which has now become known as the richest game of football in the world due to the sheer number of riches that the winner will receive from playing the Premier League next season and the financial security it gives a club long term with parachute payments etc should they get relegated. Next season will see us with one of Huddersfield or Reading in the Premier League. Reading have been in 5 play off finals and never won one, although they have been in the Premier League previously. Meanwhile, Huddersfield have never set foot in the Premier League. I'm edging towards hoping Huddersfield make it up, purely because Reading have become the first ever play-off finalists to go in with a minus goal difference. If they can be so dour in the Championship, I dread to think what they would play like in the Premier League in order to try and survive!

[Gert-Jan]

The worst kept secret in football is that Ernesto Valverde will be appointed as the new Barcelona manager. Spanish reporters have been writing about the ins and outs of the deal for a while now and last week Valverde handed in his resignation at Bilbao which basically confirmed in some way that he is in fact going to be the new man in charge. The official announcement is imminent and could come as soon as tonight. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, will take a break and his asisstent coach Unzué has been named Celta Vigo head coach over the weekend.

Arsene Wenger's future will be decided during Tuesday's board meeting and insiders are confident that the Frenchman will sign a new 2-year deal at the Emirates. Their performance in the cup final really shocked me in a positive way with Per Mertesacker playing his best match since joining the Gunners in 2011. He obviously lacked match fitness and had never played in a back three before, but I thought he was outstanding! Sanchez brilliant again and Danny Wellbeck's work rate in particular really impressed me. I think the former United striker is the better option in 3-4-2-1 with Giroud perhaps more suited to the previous 4-2-3-1 formation. Holding did well again and looks more promising than John Stones in regards to the national team. Xhaka finally showed why Arsenal splashed the cash on him and Ozil even tackled Hazard at some point, lol. It was a fully deserved triumph and one that will have lifted the spirits of Arsenal fans.

Pep Guardiola wants transfer business to be dealt with before heading off to the beach, haha. Benfica's Ederson, who is very good with his feet and ideal for Pep's build-up play, could be equally expensive as Buffon who currently holds the world record fee for a goalkeeper after moving from Parma to Juventus in 2001. It's good to see Guardiola addressing the problems in his backline. I expect Monaco's raiding left-back Benjamin Mendy to follow soon with full-back Kyle Walker much later in the summer. Any idea if City are scrambling to meet the EPL's quotas?

Monaco demand a world record fee for Mbappé....

[PeterL22]

Now guys - Man City don't exactly have a great track record for goal keepers - Bravo and Hart, come on! Also Pep should remember playing as a sweep is not the main role for a goalkeeper - Best one around if they want to splash the cash is Tom Heaton at Burnley!(and less expensive).
Arsenal did play well in Cup Final - as someone who has a sneaky respect for the way they play (and hates Diego Costa), I was pleased they won the Cup - and they deserved it - should have been 3 up at half time! Having said that I switched channels by half time to watch Dortmund win German cup - now they are a really entertaining team to watch - if they had a defence (apart from Socrates) they would be great contenders for Champions League next year.
I think Arsene will stay at Emirates, but think that time has actually come for him to move on.
Man Utd are hilarious when it comes to transfer windows - watch and laugh at the vast sums of money they spend on players who couldn't fit together into a team - Oh and watch fat lad Rooney fly off to China to make his fortune!

[sugerdaddy]

I am so proud of Manchester United, Winning the Europer Cup. Well done United forever. They won because of they evil bastard killed they young girls and family members after a concert.

[TheBoy]

So one of the games most highly thought of head coaches, Thomas Tuchel is now seeking alternate employment after being 'sacked' by Dortmund this afternoon. From what I read, it seems the decision had been in the pipeline for a while now as Tuchel's relationship with the Dortmund board had become strained.

Could we see Tuchel in the Premier League next season? Arsenal would have course been instant favourites... but Wenger has today signed his two year contract extension which puts that theory straight to bed! With Jose, Pep, Wenger, Poch, Conte and Klopp all pretty much untouchable this season (how long has it been since we've said that about the top 6 teams in England!?), Tuchel's choices are looking pretty limited.

Huddersfield claimed the final spot in the Premier League yesterday with what lived up to it's expectations as a completely unmatchable bore draw that resulted in penalties. Huddersfield not only had the -2 goal difference but then went through the play-offs without winning any of their games and just one single own goal to show for their efforts!

[PeterL22]

I was amazed this morning to see a rumour on Saints fans app that Tuchel was very loosely linked with us. Wow - I'd buy into that. In all honesty can't see it happen, but one can dream!
Regarding Arsene, again rumours talk of him signing Mahrez from Leicester ( he has handed in transfer request) - so if that's true, guess who will be managing Arsenal (and again press seems to think its for 2 years).

[PeterL22]

So Man Utd are at it already - turning down 60 mill for De Ga - should take that for a keeper. They probably have at least 3 others on their books. And then (sorry about spelling) Griezmann - who they have backed off - they need a striker as Zlatan probably not fit enough to play all games next season!
As I said before - watch and laugh at them!

[rokkerr]

Is there any real doubt that Ronaldo is the best player ever? Possibly the most egotistical ever too but boy he's a machine....

Griezeman looks like a Manchester United move is out of the question... and Bale says he isn't moving...
... it sure is going to be an interesting off season for transfers...

[PeterL22]

Sorry rokker, I'm not a Ronaldo fan - and to compare him with greats like Pele and Cruyff is ludicrous.The whole Real Madrid team is geared to producing chances for him so no wonder he scores so many. Also Portugal won the Euros last year despite him going off injured in Final. To be honest although he is really talented he is an arrogant guy who doesn't know the word team-work!
And if you were wondering I wouldn't particularly want him in a team I supported - prefer to have Modric from Madrid's team.

[Gert-Jan]

Ronaldo and Messi are equally good in my opinion. They just take turns to shine the brightest. It was only two months ago that Messi single-handedly decided El Clasico in Barcelona's favour, which at that point put the title fight back on. The one thing that has been key to Ronaldo's extraordinary goal-scoring in the CL as of late is the fact Zidane has been able to convince the superstar to take more rest and not play every single league match anymore. Ronaldo used to be immune to rotation and start the vast majority of league games despite fixture congestion, but now he's actually missed 9 La Liga games. He was fitter than ever in the final part of the season as we've seen against Bayern, Atletico and Juventus.

Real Madrid have the best squad in the world. Barcelona rely on Messi even more than on Suarez and Neymar. I think Barca need to address their unbalanced midfield and woeful defence. Zidane has so many good options that he could even field two strong teams which, hypothetically, could both compete in the Champions League, haha. It's not just BBC up front, it's also Lucas Vazquez, Isco, James Rodriguez, Marco Asensio, Morata, etc. It's the first time in history that a club has won the CL two consecutive years wth Ronaldo finishing as topscorer for a 5th successive season. The Portuguese's ever-lasting hunger and desire after a decade at the highest level is phenomenal indeed and I think he can continue for at least five more years, but people will also be talking about Messi a lot as he's quite special too, lol.

It's expected that all 20 Premier League clubs combined will surpass the £1bn mark. Man City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak made it clear in an interview last week that City are aiming for the treble, perhaps even quadruple, with spending exceeding £200m during the summer. Mourinho has given Ed Woodward 4 targets, Wenger is looking at two specific players who can make an immediate impact, while Liverpool have reportedly agreed personal terms with AS Roma's Mohamed Salah and his transfer fee is likely to be in the region of €40m. Jurgen Klopp has made Virgil van Dijk his next top priority....

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40164572

[PeterL22]

So why does Ronaldo have to rest in Spanish League - Real Madrid and Barca only play about 6 tough games each season in the league! Its why the Premier League is the best - NO easy games - even playing Middlesborough or Sunderland (really poor teams) late in the season wasn't a guarantee of an easy ride. I do think Messi is better than Ronaldo - contributes more in all areas of game, but neither come close to the true greats of the past!

[TheBoy]

Forget Ronaldo, I'm still gutted for poor old Buffon losing out in yet another Champions League final meaning a winners medal still eludes the great man :(

Very interesting news about the Van Dijk move to Liverpool last night, with the transfer now looking out of the question after Liverpool essentially admitted to tapping him up. The fee would have set a pretty big standard for the rest of the summer. I'm specifically thinking about Kyle Walker's move to Man City, where the suggested £40m fee is starting to look cheap. When you consider Walker is English and widely considered to be amongst the best right backs in the world, not just the league, I'm sure Daniel Levy will be nearly passing out in excitement at negotiating his price.

It's starting to feel like picking names out of a hat now for which big name Man United will eventually sign! Griezmann, Morata, Belotti, Perisic, James Rodriguez, Lukaku... they've all had their moments in the spotlight. Griezmann has now declared he's staying at Atletico, Morata and Belotti seem to be attracting AC Milan and Lukaku seems destined for Chelsea. The latter being even more likely now that Conte has told Costa he's no longer required.

I feel like my head is already spinning with the amount of activity this summer and it's only just begun! But when you consider the fact that due to increased prize money and TV revenue, Sunderland were awarded more money this season for getting relegated than Leicester received last season for winning the league, it's no surprise clubs are looking to make it rain.

Rather annoying internationals being played. Even England v Scotland doesn't excite me!

[PeterL22]

No doubt Virgil is worth 60+ million when you look at what Man City paid for fairly average Stones. Virgil is the best centre back in Premier League and will continue to improve. I think Liverpool have got off lightly. It definitely was an illegal approach (not their first) and all the big clubs do it. They should have been used as an example - suitable punishment would have been to ban them from buying players until January!
Regarding Man Utd, as I say sit back and laugh at their transfer "policy"!

[Gert-Jan]

One more round of World Cup qualifiers prior to chilling on the beaches of Miami or Ibiza and perving on hot babes. The life of footballers isn't always easy.

Holland were ranked 4th in Group A with a legitimate fear of early elimination. Our 5-0 hammering of minnows Luxembourg on Friday and France's defeat in Sweden has turned the world upside down in that Holland are suddenly only 3 points behind the Swedes who jumped to first place. The appointment of head coach Dick Advocaat has changed the atmosphere surrounding the national team in a positive way after Danny Blind's one year reign had seen interest drop to an all-time low.

First-choice keeper Cillessen kept two consecutive clean sheets this week, which is actually something we hadn't experienced anymore for a long time, presumably due to the fact Blind changed personnel between the sticks almost every international game. The Lazio Roma centre-back pairing Hoedt and De Vrij looks fairly solid, although I expect Van Dijk to play if fit. Our middle of the park trio consists of Strootman, Wijnaldum and Sneijder dictating play, while Robben and Depay provide width on the flanks in a 4-3-3 formation. First-choice striker Vincent Janssen, believe it or not, scored his 7th goal in only his 13th match!

I'm genuinely excited about the remainder of the qualifying campaign and feel Advocaat is the right man for us. He has tons of managerial experience and he's not afraid to play a bit more defensively against top ranked countries, such as when we face France in August. I'm confident we will be present at the World Cup, either directly or via the play-offs.

A possibly interesting story is the vacant hot seat at Crystal Palace. Dutch media reported earlier in the week that Frank de Boer has been approached by Palace to take over from Allardyce. De Boer got sacked by Inter last October and was initially a candidate to take charge of the Netherlands team. However, he declined that offer, saying he wants to work for a club again and preferably one in the Premier League. That could be a problem as there aren't many PL jobs available at the moment. Plus, Frank De Boer's football philosophy and Crystal Palace's squad don't exactly make a good combo, so I'm curious whether he's genuinely an option for Steve Parish.

Man United announced on Saturday evening that they reached a €35m agreement with Benfica for defender Victor Lindelof. The Swedish centre-back's physical presence alongside Bailly will make it even harder for opponents to score against Man United. A shrewd signing as Lindelof looks tailor-made for what Mourinho expects of his defenders. Looking at the latest developments on the striker topic, I fancy Alvaro Morata to move to Manchester with Lukaku the likeliest option to replace Costa at Chelsea.

Liverpool's week ends in tears as Mo Salah is too expensive and the Virgil Van Dijk situation is indeed turning into a saga of its own. I know he wants to move to a bigger club and he picked Liverpool as next destination. You can't hold a player to his contract if he's unhappy... just look at Payet for example. I personally wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool come back for Van Dijk later in the summer. Pretty sure Klopp still wants him - he just can't say it outloud - and we all know he possesses the qualities to play at a higher level.

Where do you think Alexis Sanchez will play next season?

[PeterL22]

Palace is a poisoned chalice - they stayed up because there were 3 worse teams this season. They are very disjointed and rely on Townsend and Zaha to provide attacking flair - Townsend is very honest hard-working player, Zaha is not! He is talented but very inconsistent and if referees don't go for his dives half hie game is negated. Also rumours that Spurs are after him.
Virgil is coming out of the summer really badly in terms of his character and integrity. Not only was he having cosy chats with Klopp, but he apparently has been touched up (forgive the expression) by Chelski! As the man who was made club captain at Saints when Fonte left I would expect better - fair enough put a transfer request in and be open about it, but to do it all in secret - Hmmmmmmmm.
Holland are like Belgium - really bad underachievers! When you look at their squad and the quality of the players they have, they should be top two teams in Europe. Advocaat is a vastly under-rated manager and could bring them down to earth and achieve their potential. Having watched the Cruyf team with total football it would be great to see them playing as well as they should!
Sanchez will stay at Arsenal as will Ozil.

PS - please can we have Tuchel at Saints - I've been a very, very good boy!

[Gert-Jan]

Several topics on the menu with most notably the sacking of Claude Puel. The relationship between Southampton and Puel was fragile from the start and it has been discussed here in length quite regularly over the last year. Puel leaves despite reaching the League Cup final, but on the back of an alleged bust-up with several key players in the last part of the season. So, what does this mean for the future of Tadic, Clasie, Long, Pied, Boufal? The news broke late Wednesday night, but you don't have to be a genius to pinpoint Frank de Boer and Thomas Tuchel as possible candidates to take charge of the south coast club. Or will the club's famous 'Black Box' come up with an unexpected name?

Everton have agreed a deal with Sunderland for Jordan Pickford. The England U-21 goalkeeper will join the Toffees on a long-term deal with Everton paying around £25m, making him the third most expensive keeper in the world! Money sure ain't an issue for English teams, lol. I've been impressed by Pickford ever since Allardyce handed him a few starts in 2015/2016. He has a pretty decent distribution, covers long-range shots well, organizes his defense through clear communication and he is a machine for racking up saves. The rotation between Everton's current two keepers already suggested Koeman wanted to sign a newbie and I'd say this is a real statement of intent from the club in their attempt to try to get into that much desired top 6.

Craig Shakespeare can welcome a new defender to the Foxes as Hull's robust Harry Maguire joins the Leicester ranks. It's reported the Tigers receive a £12m fee with possible add-ons up to £17m. It could be a busy summer for Shakespeare in his search for a quality injection. Maguire to Leicester makes total sense with both Huth and Morgan lacking the required pace and/or suffering from injuries a lot lately. He's a prolific figure in aerial duels when defending set pieces, but at the same time he also offers goal threat in the opposition box and he always shows desire and determination. Money well spent, I would say. Thumbs up for Leicester.

The #PLFixtures for the new season have been released! A quick analysis shows that Man United and Huddersfield avoid all of last season’s top six in the opening six gameweeks with Newcastle, Brighton and Southampton also being given an easy run on paper. Everton, however, face four tough teams in the opening six with three of them away from home, while Tottenham start all the way up north where they lost 5-1 thirteen months ago. Heavy rotation can be expected during the festive period as no less than four full gameweeks will be played between Dec 23 and Jan 2. It's gonna be another cracking season, I can just feel it! But first many more transfers and the Confederations Cup...

[CGYMike]

I wish I knew more about English Football so I could follow along with you Gert, but since I have no friggin' idea what you just said, here's a picture of a koala

[PeterL22]

Puel going is the news Saints fans have been waiting for for weeks! Even before the end of the season, there were boos and chants about him leaving - the football was dire this season. Having said that (and being a big supporter of the "Puel Out" campaign), I feel the way the Saints' Board has done it was poor - to keep him hanging on when the decision was made after the last home game (at the latest) was harsh. Not sure getting to the EFL Cup Final was such an achievement to be honest - yes all the teams we played were in the Premier League, but Sunderland and Palace were poor (and didn't play first teams), Arsenal fielded a reserve team and Liverpool were awful at that time (and did I mention they couldn't score against Saints in four attempts!). It was our best chance to get to Wembley for a long time - shame a biased referee (you know who you are Mariner) spoilt it in the Finsal and the better team on the day lost! We are all now praying for a Tuchel miracle. Don't think the manager will have any major effect on transfers though, Tuchel may persuade some to stay but don't think Puel leaving will make any difference itself.
Everton buying a reasonable goalkeeper makes sense - they need one! Bet they won't finish 7th this season coming though.
Agree on fixtures, but remember an sexier start often means a more difficult run in at end - our last two games are Everton away and Man City home (hope we don't need too many points by then).
My big interest this season is what Spurs do at Wembley. They don't seem to do well there in Europe and will also be playing in Champions League so I can't see them finishing so high again next season.
Transfer merry-go-round will start in earnest in a couple of weeks - Man Utd wasting money again, Arsene picking his chosen ones and Chelsea, Man City looking for a major signing (to prove they have money too). Liverpool need a defender - and may still get Virgil - and probably a left back.

But we've sacked Puel!!!!!

[rokkerr]

Amazing text to Diego Costa from Conte.... reminds me how I got dumped by an ex girlfriend...

Crazy to think the new season is just 2 months away...
Peter and Mike from Calgary are joining the VNA League this year...

[CGYMike]

I probably should have put up a picture of an elephant...I knew that a koala was gunna be too damn cute. I guess I better start brushing up on my clubs, managers and divers...errrr I mean players