Michael Keshani

I can dial back the rum but I’ll never dial back the gestures

Delighted to be instinctively almost completely aligned the Italians without even putting on affectations (cheese on seafood is a guilty-ish pleasure and pizza with a knife and fork is entirely dependent on the pizza construction)

A lot of similarly tactically inclined people didn’t take to him, which I sort of get, but also find sad. He exploded when I was about 14, and he really opened up a different way of seeing the game to me. Even though he’s Bayern incarnate I can’t help but love him.

Müller is probably my favourite non-Arsenal player in the last decade or so (not inc Messi, ofc). Not the kind of technical player I usually love but I loved seeing him show you can’t stop the smartest guy on the pitch from outwitting you.

Mülling On a Scrappy Genius As Thomas Müller's time in European football ends, a little tribute to a truly unique player, and one of my absolute favourites.

NEW:

Mülling On a Scrappy Genius

ballisstrife.substack.com/p/mulling-on...

Anyone else got an issue with BSky where it keeps claiming your password is wrong? Not changed it but can’t login on laptop now lol

There is also that, but it feels like a more baffling move for United considering their midfield than anything else. Maybe they’ll do really well selling off Antony, Sancho, Hojlund and Garnacho. Tens of pounds on offer

I liked Šeško a lot for us cos there’s a tonne of potential there but I also believe/d we had a setup and main CF strong enough that he could get bedding in time, which I reckon he’d need. I don’t quite see that for United. And a real question of priorities with that midfield and limited funds.

Expect you’re right, but think there is room for a fluidity with it if the wingfielder can make a big impression there. And more than anything I need to come out of this summer with a feeling we’ve really upgraded at LW, for my mental

though he’s obv excellent. Either work very nicely though, maybe I’m not giving Eze enough credit as a guy who can still learn and adapt more but so few players in their peak years change their games massively

Interesting, you’ve admittedly prob seen more of Simons recently than me cos I really didn’t last year, but my thinking based a lot on Simons doing that more of the winger stuff from wide. Fear with Eze is that we become that unicorn team, some configurations perfect and some clashing, etc, even…

Unfortunately I was radicalised by Ramsdale fans and later Zinsberger fans, Eze’s at least actually good but I’m now anti-vibes. I want every bitter and miserable all the time, marching to victory without even breaking a smile for a year

I lean Simons over Eze for age, ceiling and versatility. Also for the fact Simons played on the left in some form more last season than Eze has in the last two (though won’t pretend to have seen much 24/25 RBL, cos they were terrible).

🤔🤔🤔

Yeah, they’re worrying me. But they also have really little defensive depth atm, no idea what happens next

Although looks like he’s not happening anyway, just hope he doesn’t go somewhere else

Leao absolutely can’t tbf, which is the main reason I have so much aversion. I’m still v taken with Rodrygo, no idea if he could do the bastard games but his record of turning up in big CL moments is crazy

Idle thinking based on a report I saw a few weeks ago saying Leao could be going for £60m-ish. Been staunchly anti cos I think Arteta would hate him and I’ve seen him do nothing way too often, but at that price he wouldn’t necessarily be Star Signing status, as it were, and much easier to rotate…

If it makes you feel any better, my mate who lives in Berlin realised relatively late doors that his wife and kid were away that weekend so he had it free, and came in for it with a 7am in on Sat and 7am out on Sun. All for that. We did tell him not to admittedly, but it was lovely to see him

Poss, I guess the best thing to be is a team that’s incredibly hard to upgrade on in that way. Next signing this window if there is any will be massive in that way

Largely agree but situations do change, Liverpool would presumably have had the same discussions as us around then but still attempted an approach this week

As mad as he sometimes gets me now, he’s still not used up all the goodwill from those first few months. Though Everton last year almost did it

I see both sides on this one - the squad needs numbers and quality but there’s also nothing quite like a super quality player and just making do around it if you have to. Nothing elevates like the best, although obv much higher floor with proper depth

Lmao, that’s one of those where I flip the other way and back the club. Was pro at the time but the effect Jesus had 🕊️ 🕊️ 🕊️

Sorry everyone, I was rattled at the prospect of Isak going for a fee we could’ve justified. Now it seems that’s not happening, I can step back and say I still have qs about the resource allocation pending the next buy, but I’m back to understanding the rationale in full 👍

And I don’t know what’s actually true or if he’ll even go for £120m, but it’s a potential market op we almost certainly can’t even muscle our way into having a chat about. May even be they just want more than one great but injury prone player as well, but it’s worrisome for next year and it stings.

Idk if Isak isn’t interested in us, was never an option, payment style would’ve meant X, Y or Z, but this is what I meant with resource allocation and having questions. £48m up front on a non-urgent area in July (can’t join up for 3 weeks anyway) may be a factor in us not being in the conv for Isak.

Saw a fair bit with Liverpool, think above all else it's a consequence of tight owners and rivals who can spend like God owes them money. City considering getting rid of the bloke they bought for £60m in Jan while our lot are in heated debate about whether £45m on a backup winger is gonna kill us

Tbf with PSR you do, clubs clearly approach their business with it in mind

I have my worries with Gyökeres but reading this did settle me somewhat. Comprehensive and really gets into how he fits and how we'll have to change around him (for the better, at least in places).