He didn't quite say over the top. Just he had to spend a lot because he's British and a good player, he doesn't say the fee was over the top.

As for Alonso, I still think if we get a very good offer he will go, I think if Xabi states publicly, we'll see him go.

Correct

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I liked Caceres before he went to Barca, looked quick and tenacious, he was linked with a few big sides, but I thought he should have had a season at Villarreal before moving on to the very top.

Milito struggled in his year at Barca before his injury, if he ever comes back he should go on well, might have lost a lot of his pace, though.

If Roma get taken over, they could be a very good match for Robben. I know they're not in the Champions League, but he'd fit into their 4-6-0 system very well



I'm surprised AC Milan haven't been in for any big names, I'm interested to see what system they'll play under Leonardo, if they decide to use wingers, Robben would be a good signing.

Champions

£30m for Alonso? We'd be stupid not to take it.

Maybe then we can persuade Valencia to part with David Villa after all.

He won't leave Spain.

But wouldnt this year's budget have been set based on an assumption that you would receive the money due to you for Crouch?

Man City sign GK Stuart Taylor from Villa

I thought they already had a few good keepers!

Oh, I forgot you knew him so well. There's no harm in trying.

Gerrard and Torres not good enough or something?

I'm not sure. This is me just having a wild guess at how things are, but I would have thought Pompey would pay us over three years or whatever. So if they still owe us £7m and we've wrote that off, I can only imagine that we'll be paying the deal in installments, and that they won't be asking for any cash up front due to the £7m being wrote off.

Either way we're paying £17m for Johnson, regardless of how much they owe us because that's our money, but I just wonder if the structuring of the deal is a little easier on us and our purse this summer.

You would get some benefit from the improved cashflow, but apart from that its no different to paying £17m to any other club. It certainly shouldnt make a significant difference to Benitez's transfer budget.

Of course they are. The best two players in the Premier League.

But who wouldn't want the best two strikers in the world at the same club?

If it meant Alonso had to leave for it to happen, then I wouldn't lose any sleep.

Obviously, this is just wishful thinking but its all possible.

I don't really think we can afford him, and would you really want to break the Torres/Gerrard partnership, that has been the key to our best form, to add an unnecessary David Villa who has never really impressed with Torres?

I think with our current system we have fantastic balance, we're hard to beat yet at times we've scored freely, I wouldn't want to change this system for any player in the world at the moment. I just think we're lacking one or two quality players in the wider areas, and depth in one or two positions. I think right back we've lacked genuine quality and depth, hopefully Johnson solves this. I think right wing we've lacked quality in Kuyt, but adding Johnson should make up for this, but Benayoun has done well when given a run. I also feel left wing we've lacked depth, with Babel offering nothing to us. The other position we've lacked depth is striker, but that's all we've lacked, depth. We can't afford to have two world class players in a position where there's only one place up for grabs, we're not rich enough and I don't think either player would be happy playing second fiddle to the other.

I've said, I'd be extremely happy if we ended up with David Silva and Johnson, and only lost Dossena, Voronin, Leto and maybe Arbeloa. I'd be extremely happy if we could sign Silva, Johnson and somebody like Llorente of Spain, I think Llorente would be an excellent back up.

Very poor attempt at sarcasm petal. The player's agent said he'd prefer to stay in Spain.

Im sure I read somewhere that Villa and Torres dont get on

Only when it comes to flying

If this has already been posted then forgive me.

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The exact fee will be decided by a tribunal.

Doubt that. Just the other day Torres said bring him to Liverpool and spoke highly of him.

WTF is going on with him? Why isn't he staying at City? Is it wages? Position in the squad? Dislike of manager?

Why Chelsea?!

HT Serbia 1 Sweden 3; Belarus 1 Italy 1

wages was reported as part of it - alleged to want 60k per week, city do right to let him go.

Thought city were supposed to be keeping their best young players rather than 'buying success?'

Sturridge out.
Hart replaced by a 32(?) year old keeper on big money.
At least Ireland is still there though.

if he did want 60K+ per week, it would set a bit of a dangerous precedent, thats more than someone like vidic is supposedly on at united (i know there is talk of a new deal} . sturridge has played a handfull of games = 60k per week ffs, makes ronaldos new deal sound like a snip