Michael Hudson

Delap makes five. If they’re going to include players we might have asked an agent about, we could chuck David and a dozen other players in, but then almost every other club would be the same.

Not sure of the source for this, but doesn’t sound like Howe - if anything, he’s picked players despite the criticism and not in fear of it. Also, we all saw how unfit and rusty Wilson was

He’s desperate to get out of NUFC for the same reason Suarez was pushing to join Arsenal. It doesn’t have to be any more or less complicated than that. I don’t think a journalist writing a critical piece 12 months after he first went in a huff has any real bearing, does it?

He hasn’t threatened to take us to CAS yet, has he?

Ally Fraser and Kenny Ames in Marbella (Auf Wiedersehen Pet Series 2)

Hasn’t gone unnoticed that two of our other summer signings came from Nottingham and Malaga, of course…

Oz in a Düsseldorf hospital bed about to find out Kevin Keegan has signed for Newcastle.

Don’t know how good Malick Thiaw will turn out to be, but I very much approve of us signing a player born in Düsseldorf. “You know what this means, don’t you? I’m half bloody German now, man!”

Only a matter of time before we see the first player presentation where Romano is on the pitch like Salt Bae at that World Cup final.

It’s so he can be that bit closer to your sparkling wit, isn’t it? I doubt a pre-season friendly defeat is the clincher for most players, though you never know…

With some, definitely. Think we also fell into a couple of traps laid by agents to flush out interest elsewhere. But that’s why nowadays you need a savvy DoF, not recruitment people pushed forward at the last minute. Mind, we’re all only speculating…

Might suggest some argument behind the scenes he lost about who to sell and buy (just guesswork, of course). Wasn’t the year to go into a window with a skeleton staff, was it? Not the fault of those who had to step up but it’s a tough market unless you’re very sure footed.

Yeah, you do think if we wanted to be dynamic and get business done quickly then this was a deal we could have made in June or early July. Usually I’d applaud ambition but we’ve all seen how the summer has played out. Still can’t believe Mitchell was allowed to just walk like that…

Or maybe people are underestimating PIF’s willingness to listen to those - like Howe perhaps - who do have football logic. I’m not sure he leaves this window but if a deal made financial sense I’m not sure they’d be quite so implacable.

I’m sure they didn’t but there does come a point when you’d sell a player acting like he has if you can find replacements and a buying club is willing to offer what you want. We’ve got neither…yet.

Just glad it looks like we’ve got a RCB at last - Scalvini would have been an amazing buy but couldn’t have done a full season trusting Fab’s legs or Lascelles’ recovery.

Some truth in this (other targets) but not 100% sure we’d ever have got him for the same price as Como agreed. Think they’d have tried to squeeze an extra €10 mill or so out of any rich PL club.

More twists to come, I’m sure. Looking back, seems he threw his toys out in March and they were expecting the club to simply sign a replacement and let him go. Top players have a lot of power but not even they can always expect to dictate things so easily. Contracts there to protect both sides.

If right, the latest Luke Edwards article’s a very high-risk approach. “Stop acting like a child and do your job” is a message more players need to hear - there’s still a way out where he quits sulking and leaves next summer (the Suarez way) but not sure there’ll be any bridges left intact on Sep 1.

My wife’s currently experiencing the joys of UK immigration policy as - with a Spanish residency permit, a ticket to the Maldives and a 90-min gate-to-gate transfer at Heathrow T5 - various officials try to work out whether she does or doesn’t need a visa (she doesn’t, but…). Go for growth, eh?

I’d have had him in exactly that role…2-3 years ago. It must be a wind-up but it would give the Ian Rush flourish to this window.

Just googled that and this came up. Bet his grandad didn’t wear one down the pit either!

Haha! We’re all blind - I guess in a few months we’ll get an ‘inside story’ of what happened with Isak that will reveal a bit more. Only thing for sure is he seems determined to push it all the way to September 1st (and beyond?) if we don’t sell.

Inside Liverpool's Ekitike deal: Months of groundwork, fending off rivals and a chat with Slot

This is the source for the first part. Don’t think he was ever coming here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/650...

After he signed, I read Liverpool had been in touch with Ekitike for a couple of months so it wasn’t the sudden move it was first reported as (sell us Isak or we’ll take him). Also, very likely influenced by Jota and also Diaz pushing for a move - is Ekitike his replacement if they sign Isak?

Shame to see him shred his reputation so thoroughly. I’m sure he has his version of events but there’s no excuse for doing so much to wreck the club’s summer after, in retrospect, clearly acting like an arse for at least one third of last season.

Isak way past Kane and on to Luis Suarez 2013 (the summer of the £40,000,001 bid) levels of strop. Don’t really care at this point what he thinks he deserved or where he ends up - just use the money to get 2 or 3 forwards with the right attitude who can learn and be bothered to run a bit up top.

I don’t think he’d be on that much - he came from Villarreal for £30 mill and hasn’t signed a new deal since then. 100k a week absolute max, I’d imagine (though it’s Chelsea, so…)

It is a strange editorial choice to use the words “literally left at the airport” in the intro tweet, then spend two paragraphs at the start talking about the story, and only then at the end say “It’s not true but it could have been”. Then complain that some people have misunderstood you.

Think you’ll find, if you go back to your Targett source, that Longstaff was only sold for pennies because he nicked off on holiday for a month with his brother during the season.

Baggio or prime Weah, though Basile Boli always sticks in my mind too.

Only because there might be a bit less of this constant transfer chatter from the likes of Romano.