2016 Premier League Offseason Thread

[TheRef]

So it's finally time for the offseason from the craziness that was the 2015/16 Premier League season where you saw your Fox Overlords claim their first ever top flight title. So it only makes sense to ask my fellow football fans, will the Foxes be able to maintain their staff and possibly maintain the high level of play we had this past season? I think we keep Vardy just because he's 30, most will be scared away by his age. I'm worried about losing Mahrez (who has been with the club for at least 3 seasons) and Danny Drinkwater. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will stay with the squad. N'Golo Kante is worrisome for me. He's such an amazing talent, and I'm worried that a bigger club will try and snag him. But if we are able to keep our group of guys, and maybe even add in a few good guys in there, then I would call the offseason a success. Oh, and Ranieri better stay his ass on Filbert.

[Liverpooldawg]

There are MASSIVE changes coming at Anfield, and I don't just mean the new main stand. In Klopp's 1st summer at Dortmund they had 35 transfers. I don't think we will quite have that many but it wouldn't be a shock if we did. There is going to be a LOT of deadwood sent packing, including a few big names. The incomings are a but more mysterious but it should be an interesting summer for sure. As for Norwich, I imagine the wage bill will have to be trimmed a bit, but hopefully not too much. Hopefully they will bounce back at the first chance, but I ain't holding my breath.

[War Machine Dawg]

Hull advanced in the Championship Promotion tournament. They defeated Derby County 3-2 on aggregate. They face Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday morning at 11 AM CST. I'll see what viewing options are for those who may be interested in seeing who gains the final promotion spot. You all know who I'm rooting for!

Arsenal look like they'll sign 2-3 players, including a striker, according to Wenger. The hot name for striker right now is Morata at Juve. But there's also a kid in the Eredvisie whose name keeps popping up. Another hot name that looks like it has a chance of happening is N'Golo Kante. He's got a 20M pound release clause and Arsenal looks set to trigger it. Word is he'd like a move to the Gunners.

And it appears the Granit Xhaka deal is done. Pics leaked on Twitter this morning of Xhaka at an announcement photo shoot wearing the yet to be unveiled 2016-17 home kit:
https://twitter.com/DieFohlen/status/733982181866020864

Needless to say, I'm THRILLED with this move. Xhaka is a mutha-effin BEAST.

[BulldogDX55]

Hull advanced in the Championship Promotion tournament. They defeated Derby County 3-2 on aggregate. They face Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday morning at 11 AM CST. I'll see what viewing options are for those who may be interested in seeing who gains the final promotion spot. You all know who I'm rooting for!

Arsenal look like they'll sign 2-3 players, including a striker, according to Wenger. The hot name for striker right now is Morata at Juve. But there's also a kid in the Eredvisie whose name keeps popping up. Another hot name that looks like it has a chance of happening is N'Golo Kante. He's got a 20M pound release clause and Arsenal looks set to trigger it. Word is he'd like a move to the Gunners.

And it appears the Granit Xhaka deal is done. Pics leaked on Twitter this morning of Xhaka at an announcement photo shoot wearing the yet to be unveiled 2016-17 home kit:
https://twitter.com/DieFohlen/status/733982181866020864

Needless to say, I'm THRILLED with this move. Xhaka is a mutha-effin BEAST.

So Hull is back in the premiere league? I'm swapping back to them. I preferred to be a fan of the scrappy underdog as opposed to a perennial power. Being a life long State fan and graduate, I don't know any other kind of fandom.

[TheRef]

So Hull is back in the premiere league? I'm swapping back to them. I preferred to be a fan of the scrappy underdog as opposed to a perennial power. Being a life long State fan and graduate, I don't know any other kind of fandom.

Which made the Leicester win just THAT much more fun for me.

[Liverpooldawg]

So Hull is back in the premiere league? I'm swapping back to them. I preferred to be a fan of the scrappy underdog as opposed to a perennial power. Being a life long State fan and graduate, I don't know any other kind of fandom.

Hull has to beat The Wednesday to get back.

[War Machine Dawg]

So Hull is back in the premiere league? I'm swapping back to them. I preferred to be a fan of the scrappy underdog as opposed to a perennial power. Being a life long State fan and graduate, I don't know any other kind of fandom.


Hull has to beat The Wednesday to get back.

What Liverpool said. They have to beat Wednesday on Saturday morning to get the last promotion spot. The good news is it looks like Hull should be the favorite in that match. Early head-to-head stat look at ESPNFC shows Hull have scored more league goals and conceded fewer league goals than Wednesday. But it's soccer, so anything can happen.

[War Machine Dawg]

And it's official. Granit Xhaka is a Gunner (http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/arsenal-transfer-rumors-and-news/2016/5/25/11742696/arsenal-transfer-news-granit-xhaka-sign-gladbach)!!!

[DawgHouseUnited]

Big work for the Saints this offseason- work on the manager's contract. Koeman's current one ends at the end of next season, so they're in negotiations now. Sounds like things are progressing well though. So far, player-wise, we've re-upped a couple of good names in James Ward-Prowse and Fraser Forster. I'm not sure of any targets to get right now, but I'm kinda behind on things.

[DudyDawg]

There are MASSIVE changes coming at Anfield, and I don't just mean the new main stand. In Klopp's 1st summer at Dortmund they had 35 transfers. I don't think we will quite have that many but it wouldn't be a shock if we did. There is going to be a LOT of deadwood sent packing, including a few big names. The incomings are a but more mysterious but it should be an interesting summer for sure. As for Norwich, I imagine the wage bill will have to be trimmed a bit, but hopefully not too much. Hopefully they will bounce back at the first chance, but I ain't holding my breath.

Really excited to see this offseason. My best friend is also a Liverpool fan, so I keep a close eye on them mostly to talk shit. Losing to Sevilla was huge. Being in the Champions League would have made your summer 10x easier. Now, Klopp will have to works some magic to recruit top talent that wants to play in the CL. Should be a better team even still.

[DudyDawg]

will the Foxes be able to maintain their staff and possibly maintain the high level of play we had this past season? I think we keep Vardy just because he's 30, most will be scared away by his age. I'm worried about losing Mahrez (who has been with the club for at least 3 seasons) and Danny Drinkwater. Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will stay with the squad. N'Golo Kante is worrisome for me.
I'd say top 6 would be expected. You'll add some talent with the money you won, which will help with depth, but you'll be in the EPL, CL, FA and League cups at least. Thats a lot of games to succeed in for a smaller club. So I'd say top 6 and decent showings in the other tournaments would be considered a great year for Leicester. I agree you'll keep vardy, Huth, Morgan, Smeichel (spelling is off), and I think Drinkwater. Someone may buy him for more than he's worth, but I think he would be a flop. He's a system guy (luckily for you it was your system he fits perfectly) so I think he'd best served to stay. I'd be amazed if you don't lose Mahrez, Schlupp, and Konte at the least. Maybe a few others, but I think you'll keep enough of the core to have another good year. The question is, do the Premier League giants (City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal) the past few years all completely flop like last year? My guess is no for 1 or 2, so that makes your job much harder.

[DudyDawg]

Hull advanced in the Championship Promotion tournament. They defeated Derby County 3-2 on aggregate. They face Sheffield Wednesday next Saturday morning at 11 AM CST. I'll see what viewing options are for those who may be interested in seeing who gains the final promotion spot. You all know who I'm rooting for!

Arsenal look like they'll sign 2-3 players, including a striker, according to Wenger. The hot name for striker right now is Morata at Juve. But there's also a kid in the Eredvisie whose name keeps popping up. Another hot name that looks like it has a chance of happening is N'Golo Kante. He's got a 20M pound release clause and Arsenal looks set to trigger it. Word is he'd like a move to the Gunners.

And it appears the Granit Xhaka deal is done. Pics leaked on Twitter this morning of Xhaka at an announcement photo shoot wearing the yet to be unveiled 2016-17 home kit:
https://twitter.com/DieFohlen/status/733982181866020864

Needless to say, I'm THRILLED with this move. Xhaka is a mutha-effin BEAST.

Xhaka is a very good player. Good buy there. As for Morata, he keeps scoring goals, and my Real Madrid keep smiling. We likely will use our buy back clause with Juve and take him back on the cheap. Sadly, it looks like we will then turn around and flip him for about 4x profit (maybe to you) and buy Abumeyang from Dortmund or make a full court press for Sergio Aguero. I'd like to keep Morata, being from our system and Spanish and young, but Flo Perez loves those flashy signings. We will see.

A lot going on this summer with the Euros. You'll see some guys show out and get bought right after for some massive fees. Zlatan to United looks like the biggest rumor right now going. Also rumors of Isco being sold to Dortmund, Mascherano being wanted by Juventus, James Rodriguez not being apart of the Real Madrid plans, and of course you've already got Hummels moving to Bayern from arch rival Dortmund. If you can't beat em.......

If you'd like, I'll try to post a lot this summer on the rumors and signings going on.

[War Machine Dawg]

Xhaka is a very good player. Good buy there. As for Morata, he keeps scoring goals, and my Real Madrid keep smiling. We likely will use our buy back clause with Juve and take him back on the cheap. Sadly, it looks like we will then turn around and flip him for about 4x profit (maybe to you) and buy Abumeyang from Dortmund or make a full court press for Sergio Aguero. I'd like to keep Morata, being from our system and Spanish and young, but Flo Perez loves those flashy signings. We will see.

A lot going on this summer with the Euros. You'll see some guys show out and get bought right after for some massive fees. Zlatan to United looks like the biggest rumor right now going. Also rumors of Isco being sold to Dortmund, Mascherano being wanted by Juventus, James Rodriguez not being apart of the Real Madrid plans, and of course you've already got Hummels moving to Bayern from arch rival Dortmund. If you can't beat em.......

If you'd like, I'll try to post a lot this summer on the rumors and signings going on.

That would be awesome, Dudy. I love the rumors and stuff. Speaking of, the Morata to Arsenal rumors appear to be gaining steam. As you point out, Real plan to use their buyback clause and flip him to Arsenal. Supposedly Wenger is willing to pay up to 50M pounds to get him. That's a hell of a lot of money for a guy who didn't play regularly with Juve and didn't score a whole bunch when he did. Do you see him as an upgrade over Giroud? We have GOT to find someone to finish the chances that Ozil creates. It's ridiculous he didn't shatter the assist record this year.

[DudyDawg]

That would be awesome, Dudy. I love the rumors and stuff. Speaking of, the Morata to Arsenal rumors appear to be gaining steam. As you point out, Real plan to use their buyback clause and flip him to Arsenal. Supposedly Wenger is willing to pay up to 50M pounds to get him. That's a hell of a lot of money for a guy who didn't play regularly with Juve and didn't score a whole bunch when he did. Do you see him as an upgrade over Giroud? We have GOT to find someone to finish the chances that Ozil creates. It's ridiculous he didn't shatter the assist record this year.

Massive upgrade over Giroud. Massive. He's 24, and scoring at top competitions with Real and Juve. He was a key cog in getting them into the CL final last year.

Another interesting rumor: Joe Hart to Everton. Apparently Pep doesn't want him at City, and if he can get Marc-Andre terStegen from Barca then he would sell Hart.

[War Machine Dawg]

Massive upgrade over Giroud. Massive. He's 24, and scoring at top competitions with Real and Juve. He was a key cog in getting them into the CL final last year.

Another interesting rumor: Joe Hart to Everton. Apparently Pep doesn't want him at City, and if he can get Marc-Andre terStegen from Barca then he would sell Hart.

Good to know. Hope we can snag him.

Saw the Hart rumor. I find it a little odd that Pep wouldn't want to keep him. He's one of the elite keepers in the world. It'd be a huge upgrade for Everton, though.

[DudyDawg]

Good to know. Hope we can snag him.

Saw the Hart rumor. I find it a little odd that Pep wouldn't want to keep him. He's one of the elite keepers in the world. It'd be a huge upgrade for Everton, though.

I don't think he's quite elite. One step below IMO. But pep doesn't want him bc of distribution. His goalies have to be as good at moving the ball as anyone. Ter Stegen is very good in that aspect (although a little risky sometimes)

[War Machine Dawg]

Gotcha, Dudy.

Liverpool, looks like your guys stand a real shot of landing Mario Gotze. Bayern's CEO has encouraged Gotze to move on. The money quote: "We made everything clear to Mario...He knows what the club thinks and he knows what the future coach thinks." He'd be an idiot to stay, but who knows?

[War Machine Dawg]

Hull City Update: You can watch the promotion match versus Wednesday on BeIn at 11 AM Saturday. Steve Bruce can become the first manager to win promotion four times.

[DudyDawg]

Yup, gotze is gone from bayern. All signs pointed to anfield, but since they lost the Europa League final and get no champions League play he is apparently skeptical. It would be huge if they got him anyways though

[DanglyGiant]

Big work for the Saints this offseason- work on the manager's contract. Koeman's current one ends at the end of next season, so they're in negotiations now. Sounds like things are progressing well though. So far, player-wise, we've re-upped a couple of good names in James Ward-Prowse and Fraser Forster. I'm not sure of any targets to get right now, but I'm kinda behind on things.

Don't forget Virgil van Dijk (my favorite player this season) as well.

[War Machine Dawg]

Yup, gotze is gone from bayern. All signs pointed to anfield, but since they lost the Europa League final and get no champions League play he is apparently skeptical. It would be huge if they got him anyways though

Gotta wonder who else might come sniffing. Doesn't Pep have a clause to prevent him from poaching current Bayern players? Not a ton of clubs will be able to afford him, even if his price will be a little down due to it being obvious Bayern wants to move him. Maybe an Italian or Spanish club? Return to Dortmund? Spurs and Arsenal won't go after him. He may have to miss CL for a year regardless.

[War Machine Dawg]

Anyone else watching the Championship promotion? Hull and Wednesday are tied at nil at the half. Hull dominated the last 20 minutes or so, but just couldn't get one to go. Had a couple of damn good chances, though. If it keeps up, it's just a matter of time. Let's go Hull!!!

[War Machine Dawg]

And your Championship Promotion Winners: Hull City!!!!!! City 1 - 0 Sheffield Wednesday is your score at full time. Mo Diame hit a thunderbolt from long range into the upper corner in the 73rd minute to put Hull ahead. It was going to take a fantastic strike to beat Wednesday's keeper, who was brilliant all day, and Diame delivered. Steve Bruce becomes the first manager to win promotion to the Premier League 4 times. Unbelievable match and game. And now I finally get to say:

HULL CITY IS BACK!!!!!!!!

[TheRef]

Welcome back Hull City after a short hiatus. Just hope you're ready for your Fox overlords when you decide to come back to the King Power.

[DudyDawg]

****ing champions of Europe again, best club in the world. 11 European titles for Real Madrid, and it couldn't have been anymore nervy. On to the Euros!!

[War Machine Dawg]

****ing champions of Europe again, best club in the world. 11 European titles for Real Madrid, and it couldn't have been anymore nervy. On to the Euros!!

It was a great game from what I saw, Dudy. Fell asleep for most of the middle, but woke up in time to see the last 5 minutes of extra time and the penalties.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

So Hull is back in the premiere league? I'm swapping back to them. I preferred to be a fan of the scrappy underdog as opposed to a perennial power. Being a life long State fan and graduate, I don't know any other kind of fandom.
I feel ya, that's why I'm toiling on as a Newcastle fan. The good news is that Rafa is staying. So the future looks somewhat bright for us.


I'd say top 6 would be expected. You'll add some talent with the money you won, which will help with depth, but you'll be in the EPL, CL, FA and League cups at least. Thats a lot of games to succeed in for a smaller club. So I'd say top 6 and decent showings in the other tournaments would be considered a great year for Leicester. I agree you'll keep vardy, Huth, Morgan, Smeichel (spelling is off), and I think Drinkwater. Someone may buy him for more than he's worth, but I think he would be a flop. He's a system guy (luckily for you it was your system he fits perfectly) so I think he'd best served to stay. I'd be amazed if you don't lose Mahrez, Schlupp, and Konte at the least. Maybe a few others, but I think you'll keep enough of the core to have another good year. The question is, do the Premier League giants (City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal) the past few years all completely flop like last year? My guess is no for 1 or 2, so that makes your job much harder.
I heard in a Men in Blazers podcast that Leicester become something like the 12th wealthiest club in Europe by winning the Premier League. It will be interesting to see what they're able to do going into next season since they actually have a fair amount of money to throw around.

[TheRef]

I heard in a Men in Blazers podcast that Leicester become something like the 12th wealthiest club in Europe by winning the Premier League. It will be interesting to see what they're able to do going into next season since they actually have a fair amount of money to throw around.

I'm just waiting to see how the Transfer window goes in the offseason.

[DudyDawg]

Ilkay gundogan has officially signed for Manchester city from Dortmund on a 4 year deal.

[DawgHouseUnited]

Well after saying that negotiations with Ronald Koeman are going well, I read that the Southampton boss is close to inking a deal with Everton. Koeman has 1 more year on his current contract with the Saints, and they were/are in negotiations, but he may head out.

It's also looking like we may wind up losing Victor Wanyama. Contract work is not going well and he may wind up being sold off.

[Liverpooldawg]

I feel ya, that's why I'm toiling on as a Newcastle fan. The good news is that Rafa is staying. So the future looks somewhat bright for us.


I heard in a Men in Blazers podcast that Leicester become something like the 12th wealthiest club in Europe by winning the Premier League. It will be interesting to see what they're able to do going into next season since they actually have a fair amount of money to throw around.


Two words: Blackburn Rovers

[War Machine Dawg]

Arsenal triggers Jamie Vardy's release clause. We gonna poach him from our Fox Overlords!!!!

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

For some off season discussion: Does anyone here have a 2nd team/lower tier team they pull for? I know one of the Liverpool guys pulls for Norwich as a 2nd team, are there any others out there?

Personally, I started a career mode in FIFA with Burton Albion two years ago and figured it would be fun to follow them in real life as my lower tier team. Only now they aren't my lower tier team, as they've been promoted in each of the past two seasons and will be playing in the Championship along with Newcastle next season. Which is incredible when considering that Newcastle plays in front of 52,000 people at St. James' Park while Burton Albion's home capacity is just below 7,000.

[Liverpooldawg]

That would be me. Norwich became my second team last May. We were in Norwich for a few days between the first and second legs of their playoff tie with their great East Anglian rivals Ipswich. We actually had to leave town the morning of the second leg at Carrow Road. We drove by the ground as the early bird fans were arriving and met the Ipswich supporter's club coaches on the road between Ipswich and Norwich on our way down to our cruise ship at Harwich. They were down 2-0 and the ones we could see through the bus windows were a grim faced lot. The pub next door to the hotel kept us awake with the Norwich fans singing thier songs the night before the game. It was hard not to get caught up in it. I loved the town too.

I have a few others I have picked up for various reasons over the years: Nottingham Forrest, Derby County, Altrincham, Salisbury City, and Portsmouth, along with current EPL side Crystal Palace are the main ones. There are some others that I have a passing interest in.

[War Machine Dawg]

For some off season discussion: Does anyone here have a 2nd team/lower tier team they pull for? I know one of the Liverpool guys pulls for Norwich as a 2nd team, are there any others out there?

Personally, I started a career mode in FIFA with Burton Albion two years ago and figured it would be fun to follow them in real life as my lower tier team. Only now they aren't my lower tier team, as they've been promoted in each of the past two seasons and will be playing in the Championship along with Newcastle next season. Which is incredible when considering that Newcastle plays in front of 52,000 people at St. James' Park while Burton Albion's home capacity is just below 7,000.

Yeah, I'm all in with Hull City. Damn glad they'll be back in the EPL next season. Side note, their promotion is going to be worth nearly 120M, I think I read. Talk about a much needed cash infusion for a small club. Holy shit! And best of all, Hull can afford to keep some of it's up-and-coming young talent now like Josh Tymon. Going to be interesting to see what they do in the transfer window. Gotta figure out if Steve Bruce is staying first, though. For those who have been following longer than I have, what's your opinion of Brucey? Personally, I think he's a damn good manager. He's earned EPL promotion 4 times, which is two more than anyone else ever. That's crazy.

I've been doing a FIFA career mode with Fleetwood Town. Just started another with Hartlepool. May start keeping an eye on Fleetwood. Also worth noting, Fleetwood is the club Leicester signed Vardy from a couple of years ago.

[War Machine Dawg]

I thought it might be a smokescreen at first, but it looks Vardy to Arsenal is actually happening. (http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2016/6/4/11858632/arsenal-transfer-news-jamie-vardy-claudio-ranieri-leicester-city) Claudio Ranieri confirmed it this morning and said a medical could happen as early as tomorrow. We could have an announcement as early as Monday. Holy shit!

[Liverpooldawg]

I thought it might be a smokescreen at first, but it looks Vardy to Arsenal is actually happening. (http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2016/6/4/11858632/arsenal-transfer-news-jamie-vardy-claudio-ranieri-leicester-city) Claudio Ranieri confirmed it this morning and said a medical could happen as early as tomorrow. We could have an announcement as early as Monday. Holy shit!

The Foxes' story was fantastic, for my money it's the best one I have ever seen in sports in my 50+ years. That being said they are still a small club. They will always have trouble holding on to really good players. I thought Vardy's age might see him stay unless the Plastics or possibly City came in for him. I'm surprised at Arsenal if it happens. Buying older dudes for inflated prices is more the Plastics or City. It certainly doesn't keep the plot for Arsenal under Wenger. If this actually happens Wenger must REALLY be feeling the heat.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

I thought it might be a smokescreen at first, but it looks Vardy to Arsenal is actually happening. (http://theshortfuse.sbnation.com/2016/6/4/11858632/arsenal-transfer-news-jamie-vardy-claudio-ranieri-leicester-city) Claudio Ranieri confirmed it this morning and said a medical could happen as early as tomorrow. We could have an announcement as early as Monday. Holy shit!
The real winner if this goes through is Fleetwood Town. They will supposedly get $6.8 mil of Vardy's transfer fee due to clauses in their agreement to sell him to Leicester a few years back. $6.8 million dollars for a League 1 team is absurd. I think that Arsenal can do better than a 30 year old striker though, and I think Leicester could have found someone desperate enough for a proven striker that would have paid a lot more than $20 million for him. That being said, if I was Leicester I would rather lose him than Mahrez or Kante.

[War Machine Dawg]

The real winner if this goes through is Fleetwood Town. They will supposedly get $6.8 mil of Vardy's transfer fee due to clauses in their agreement to sell him to Leicester a few years back. $6.8 million dollars for a League 1 team is absurd. I think that Arsenal can do better than a 30 year old striker though, and I think Leicester could have found someone desperate enough for a proven striker that would have paid a lot more than $20 million for him. That being said, if I was Leicester I would rather lose him than Mahrez or Kante.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised this seems legit. Personally, I'd rather cough up the cash for Morata. He's younger and less likely to be a one hit wonder. But if this happens, I'd be a big fan of the move. Hell, Vardy can't be worse than Giroud. Still lots of talk about Mahrez to Arsenal, too. Liverpool hit the nail on the head: Leicester is going to get some offers they basically can't refuse for these guys.

From everything I've read, this definitely seems like a very unusual move for Wenger. But someone made a point that made sense: Wenger doesn't splash the cash unless there's a deal that's basically too good to pass on. And 20M for the EPL goals runner up is an absurd deal. Plus Wenger is also widely known as having an eye for talent, so he obviously thinks Vardy can play and won't be a one-off. And a point that seems to be in his favor is that Vardy isn't your typical 29 year old striker nearing the washed up stage. He's still got plenty of life in his legs compared to most players his age.

Where the hell is Ref? I'm guessing he's crawled in a hole and died. Definitely going to have to keep an eye on Fleetwood now. It'll be interesting to see what they do with all their cash if this deal does indeed go through. You gotta think they'd upgrade the squad a little and try to push into the Championship.

[DudyDawg]

Marc Bartra moving from barca to borussia Dortmund

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Yeah, I'm a little surprised this seems legit. Personally, I'd rather cough up the cash for Morata. He's younger and less likely to be a one hit wonder. But if this happens, I'd be a big fan of the move. Hell, Vardy can't be worse than Giroud. Still lots of talk about Mahrez to Arsenal, too. Liverpool hit the nail on the head: Leicester is going to get some offers they basically can't refuse for these guys.

From everything I've read, this definitely seems like a very unusual move for Wenger. But someone made a point that made sense: Wenger doesn't splash the cash unless there's a deal that's basically too good to pass on. And 20M for the EPL goals runner up is an absurd deal. Plus Wenger is also widely known as having an eye for talent, so he obviously thinks Vardy can play and won't be a one-off. And a point that seems to be in his favor is that Vardy isn't your typical 29 year old striker nearing the washed up stage. He's still got plenty of life in his legs compared to most players his age.

Where the hell is Ref? I'm guessing he's crawled in a hole and died. Definitely going to have to keep an eye on Fleetwood now. It'll be interesting to see what they do with all their cash if this deal does indeed go through. You gotta think they'd upgrade the squad a little and try to push into the Championship.

I'm pretty sure Real Madrid has a buy-back clause on Morata where they essentially get 1st dibs on him if Juve sells him, although I could be thinking of a different player. But Fleetwood Town seemingly used the $1 million they got for Vardy in the original deal to jump from the 5th tier to League 1, another 6.8 to pump into a League 1 team would just be ridiculous. They've basically hit the lottery because of him for sure.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'm pretty sure Real Madrid has a buy-back clause on Morata where they essentially get 1st dibs on him if Juve sells him, although I could be thinking of a different player. But Fleetwood Town seemingly used the $1 million they got for Vardy in the original deal to jump from the 5th tier to League 1, another 6.8 to pump into a League 1 team would just be ridiculous. They've basically hit the lottery because of him for sure.

Yes, Madrid already announced they're exercising their buy-back clause with Morata. But they're expected to flip him for a quick profit. He was being heavily linked with Arsenal for about the last 6 weeks or more, then the Vardy news broke on Friday. Rumor I'm seeing today is that Chelsea is preparing to bid for Morata since it's being expected Vardy is coming to Arsenal.

[DudyDawg]

Dortmund and bayern with a little more business. BVB signed young holding midfielder sebastian Rode from the German Champs. Busy offseason already

[War Machine Dawg]

Dortmund and bayern with a little more business. BVB signed young holding midfielder sebastian Rode from the German Champs. Busy offseason already

Yep. And did we mention Ilkay Gundogan to City? Also worth noting, I'm seeing Walcott likely on the move if the Vardy deal goes through. Interesting story that's come out today is Vardy hasn't accepted yet because he fears leaving will trigger a mass exodus and he'll be blamed. Still lots of chatter about Arsenal and Mahrez, too.

A very reliable German news outlet is also reporting Dortmund could move Mkhitaryan this summer if he doesn't agree to a new deal. He's been linked with Arsenal for several weeks, too. I'm also seeing chatter of Chelsea being interested if Dortmund tries to sell him.

Wolfsburg have confirmed Ricardo Rodriguez wants out. He's been heavily linked with Arsenal for about 10 days or so and has gone so far as to say a move to Arsenal would be "exciting." He's an international teammate of Granit Xhaka, so there's little worry about him settling.

Looks like a really busy and fun summer is ahead.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

Watching Argentina vs Chile, Argentina has the most absurd striker depth chart I've ever seen. Messi, Higuain, Aguro are 3 of the top strikers in the world and their 4th striker is Lavezzi. I wish we could borrow Carlos Tevez since they aren't using him, he'd be by far the best striker we have even at 32 years old.

[DudyDawg]

Christoph Kramer signed with Borussia Monchengladbach from Leverkusen. Busy so far in Germany.

As for Morata, apparently real madrid told juventus they will not accept any counters for them to keep Morata and will buy him back and sell. Apparently it has soured relations a bit. Maybe things will change if Paul Pogba gets involved. That will be an interesting story to follow until the Morata story is finished

[War Machine Dawg]

So Jamie Vardy has decided to wait until after the Euros to decide whether or not to move to Arsenal. New talk today is that now he's concerned about how he fits Arsenal's style of play and is "seriously considering" signing Leicester's counter offer.

WMD hopes we move on and sign Morata. I'm guessing that's still in play. Lots of chatter that Chelsea is trying to poach Aubameyang from Dortmund, which I'm assuming means they would no longer be in the Morata sweepstakes. Who knows what the hell to believe in the striker market right now? The only things that seem solid are: A) Arsenal have indeed triggered Vardy's release clause and are waiting on his fickle arse to decide and 2) Madrid is indeed going to buy back and flip Morata. After that, it's all speculation.

[Liverpooldawg]

I don't get too wrapped up in transfer business till it's done. It's as bad as college football recruiting when it comes to disinformation and rumors.

[War Machine Dawg]

Looks like I had my wires crossed. It's City that's trying to land Aubameyang. Supposedly they're in "advanced talks" with Dortmund. Don't know why they'd splash the cash for him when they have Aguero, unless Pep is looking to change formations and play something like a 4-3-3.

So in short:
1. Arsenal is having to wait on Vardy to stop being a drama queen.
2. Chelsea is preparing to beat Arsenal to Morata if the Vardy deal happens.
3. City want Aubameyang.
4. If Vardy stays and Morata winds up at Chelsea, Wenger better go splash cash for Lukaku. Otherwise, I'll be pissed if we have to live with the Giroud-Walcott shit show aGAIN next season.

[TheRef]

DON'T YOU TAKE VARDY FROM ME YOU GUNNERS.

[War Machine Dawg]

Ref, looks like you've got nothing to worry about. Latest reports are now saying that Vardy is 80% sure he's taking Leicester's latest deal. Honestly, I'm not that heartbroken over this. I'd rather have Morata.

In other Gunners news, we've got a deal in place for Bolton CB Rob Holding. We might have just found our new starter next to Koscielny. Still lots of chatter around us and Ricardo Rodriguez and Henrik Mkhitaryan. Looks like we're going to have some competition from United for Mkhitaryan, though. Still lots of chatter about us and Kante, too. But I don't really see that happening. Now that we've got Xhaka, we're pretty loaded at CDM. Adding Kante would be overkill and an embarrassment of riches at that position.

[DudyDawg]

Pep wants a striker bc the small rumbling rumor is real is going to splash out HUGEEEEEEE for Aguero. It's been a rumor for about 3 years, but I've never seen anything but the tabloids say it until these past few weeks

[War Machine Dawg]

Pep wants a striker bc the small rumbling rumor is real is going to splash out HUGEEEEEEE for Aguero. It's been a rumor for about 3 years, but I've never seen anything but the tabloids say it until these past few weeks

Who gets sold in that scenario? BBC + Aguero is one too many. CR7 isn't getting younger, but he's not falling off yet, either.

[DudyDawg]

Who gets sold in that scenario? BBC + Aguero is one too many. CR7 isn't getting younger, but he's not falling off yet, either.

Benzema. Cristiano will stay until they either have some falling out and he leaves angry, or pretty much to retirement. Florentino Perez will avoid selling his golden boy at all costs, but as long as he keeps scoring that's fine with me

[DudyDawg]

HUGE HUGE HUGE and I'm a happy man. Real madrid have offered 90 million euros for Paul pogba, and he wants to come. It's looking like we are getting him. Whether Morata, or possible Kovacic or Kross switches are made, will be interesting to see

[War Machine Dawg]

If Real gets Pogba.....DAMN. Just DAMN. Supposedly Ronaldo wants to play MLS at some point, maybe with the new Miami club that's coming. Don't see that happening any time soon, though. He's not giving up Euro money as long as he's scoring.

New rumor today is that Arsenal would target Cavani if (when) Vardy turns them down. Don't know how I feel about that. He'd be an upgrade on everyone we have, without question. But he's also gotten a rep for being anti-clutch. And it would probably cost a small fortune to land him. He's set to become PSG's top striker with Ibrahimovic leaving. Still think Morata and Lukaku would be my top 2 choices. Lukaku might actually be my top choice. He's the perfect fit for Wenger's system.

[DudyDawg]

Cavanni is the worst good striker on earth. Literally every time you see him play, you see how talented he is. But 90% of the time when the final whistle blows he has disappointed

[DudyDawg]

Mateo Kovacic loaned from real madrid to Roma. Guess he won't be a part of any pogba deal

[DudyDawg]

New news regarding a couple big moves for my guys. Real Madrid are buying back Morata for 32 million. According to Marca, they'll slap a 75 million euros price tag on him, if they decide to sell. Apparently they are about 50-50 on whether to sell him or keep him and convince him to fight for his spot. We will see.

Other big rumor (sorry ref) is that Leicester have offered Kante to real madrid for 25 mill euros.

[War Machine Dawg]

New word leaking is that Arsenal is abandoning the Morata chase. Madrid has supposedly set a 60M pound price tag for him. Supposedly we'll target Vincent Janssen in the Eredivise. I'd imagine the annual Benzema rumors will resurface now, too. There's been a little Higuain chatter, but nothing to make me think it's legit.

I'm still hoping we'll go after Lukaku. One of the club legends just said recently that's who he thinks we should target. And obviously, WMD agrees. Lukaku seems like the perfect striker for Wenger. Huge, good power, good with the ball at his feet, can create his own shot if need be. He's not very pacey, but that's not any different than Giroud. While I'd love a faster striker, I think Lukaku is the best, most realistic option out there that Wenger would consider.

[TheRef]

Jamie Vardy has signed a 4-year extension with Leicester City. That's right, Premier League, you'll have to endure four more seasons of Jamie Vardy attacking your back line and keepers. Vardy will have his pay doubled, and if you have any thoughts of getting Mahrez or Konte go ahead and put them away. We are keeping our championship squad.

[Liverpooldawg]

Jamie Vardy has signed a 4-year extension with Leicester City. That's right, Premier League, you'll have to endure four more seasons of Jamie Vardy attacking your back line and keepers. Vardy will have his pay doubled, and if you have any thoughts of getting Mahrez or Konte go ahead and put them away. We are keeping our championship squad.
I figured you would be over the moon with that news. It will be interesting to see how you do if you do keep them all.

[TheRef]

I figured you would be over the moon with that news. It will be interesting to see how you do if you do keep them all.

If we can maintain this squad going into next season, and add a few more key players. The repeat run may not be as far out of reach as I originally thought.

[Liverpooldawg]

If the UK leaves the EU, which based on the results so far looks increasingly likely, the impact on the EPL will be huge. It wont effect the blockbuster type transfers but the younger guys........that may be over. Overall not good for Liverpool under Klopp I would think.

[DudyDawg]

Bad news for EPL with what the UK did.


Confirmed transfer news- dani alves gone from barca to juventus. Good riddance, tired of seeing his ass in La Liga.

[BrunswickDawg]

Great pickup by Liverpool today with Sadio Mane! Like his style and energy.

[DawgHouseUnited]

Great pickup by Liverpool today with Sadio Mane! Like his style and energy.

Yeah I kinda hated to see him go from Southampton. Not sure this is going to be a great summer for the Saints, but they got a nice chunk of change for Mane.

[DudyDawg]

Not a transfer, but still big news. Psg has hired Unai Emery to fill the coaching job left by Laurent blanc. Wonder how Sevilla will fill that massive hole

[DawgHouseUnited]

Well Southampton have gotten their new manager- Claude Puel. (http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/20160630-claude-puel-announcement-southampton-first-team-manager-3162443.aspx) He's spent most of his time in France, but he has some Champions League experience.

[DudyDawg]

Zlatan officially announced he's reuniting with Jose mourinho in Manchester those year. At the very least it'll make them more entertaining on and off the field

[Liverpooldawg]

Great pickup by Liverpool today with Sadio Mane! Like his style and energy.

We have been burned so many times lately in the transfer market I ain't getting excited till the guy actually does it in Red.

[War Machine Dawg]

Looks like Arsenal is hard after Lukaku and Lacazette. Lukaku appears to be the preferred target. New rumour today is that Liverpool may be about to hijack our push for Lacazette as soon as they can offload Benteke.

Once the Gunners land one of the strikers, that might be it for our transfer business. We do still need a CB upgrade, though. Just gotta see what Wenger has in mind, but he's been a little spendy so far. Xhaka first and we signed a young Japanese star a few days ago, although it looks like he's going out on loan.

Did see a rumour that we're interested in Julian Draxler, but I have no idea where we'd play him. I'm counting that one as bullshit. The only thing about it that makes me think there *might* be something to it is we wanted Mkhitaryan badly and Draxler could fill the same role we had in mind for Micky. Still, I call bullshit for now.

Dudy, what's your take on Lacazette? From what I've read, seems like he'd be a hell of a signing. Electric pace and only Ibrahimovic has scored more goals in Ligue 1 the last couple of seasons. Supposedly Morata is still Wenger's preferred choice, but he's not going after him unless Madrid comes down on their 57M pound valuation of him.

[TheRef]

Seems like Chelsea is trying to grab N'Golo Kante from Leicester City. Leicester is offering 100,000 quid a week for Kante to stay with the Foxes.

[War Machine Dawg]

Seems like Chelsea is trying to grab N'Golo Kante from Leicester City. Leicester is offering 100,000 quid a week for Kante to stay with the Foxes.

Can't remember who, but one of the big Italian clubs is also after him.

[TheRef]

Can't remember who, but one of the big Italian clubs is also after him.

I would really love to keep Kante, but I think he will be the biggest casualty of the Summer transfer window. Which sucks, because we took him from nothing and made him into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

[DudyDawg]

Lacazette is a stud and only 23-24. He will be good for a while. I think any team on earth would want him.


As for Kante, I still think real madrid is going to push for him after the Euros. Zidane likes him a lot.

Morata rumors- right now the rumor is Conte said he's a must get for the plans at chelsea. So we slapped a 75 million euro tag on him. He will be rumored just about everywhere so I don't think we'll know his landing place (If he leaves) until it happens

[TheRef]

Lacazette is a stud and only 23-24. He will be good for a while. I think any team on earth would want him.


As for Kante, I still think real madrid is going to push for him after the Euros. Zidane likes him a lot.

Morata rumors- right now the rumor is Conte said he's a must get for the plans at chelsea. So we slapped a 75 million euro tag on him. He will be rumored just about everywhere so I don't think we'll know his landing place (If he leaves) until it happens

So question: How much would we have to pay Kante in order to guarantee keeping him, in your opinion? 115k quid a week?

[DudyDawg]

So question: How much would we have to pay Kante in order to guarantee keeping him, in your opinion? 115k quid a week?

If teams like Real Madrid want him, the answer is easy. There's no way you guarantee keeping him with any amount you offer. They can pay more and if the player wants to make the move he can pretty much force it to happen. The question is, where does he want to play.

[TheRef]

If teams like Real Madrid want him, the answer is easy. There's no way you guarantee keeping him with any amount you offer. They can pay more and if the player wants to make the move he can pretty much force it to happen. The question is, where does he want to play.

True...he's a huge cog in our midfield, and will be extremely difficult to replace. That kind of talent is extremely rare.

[DudyDawg]

Big news on Paul pogba. Apparently madrid have ended what was actually not much true interest and he is set to be sold to Manchester United. Now likely just a matter of how much.

As for madrid, I'm sad we will apparently miss out on his talent, but he would've been just a shiny toy and not something we actually need. I really want Kante to sure up the midfield, to hold on to James, and to sign a backup left back. We do that, and either keep Morata or sell him and buy a backup for Benzema, and I think we can win la Liga and push to keep the champions league trophy in madrid

[War Machine Dawg]

Basically no movement from Arsenal or Hull right now. Wenger looks like he's back to form and will Wenger the transfer window aGAIN. He apparently hasn't figured out that sometimes you might actually have to pay more than you think a guy is worth to get him, especially if it's a striker. We're down to chasing Lacazette, it seems. Unless Madrid finally bak down on their ridiculous 60M quid valuation for Morata.

Did see the rumour re-emerge that Arsenal is in the hunt to sign Koulibaly for Napoli. And we sold Isaac Hayden to Newcastle. He was surplus, but has a good rep as an up-and-comer. Played at Hull on loan last season. There was some speculation Bruce might try to buy him this offseason. Speaking of The Bruce...

Apparently he wants to bring in 4-6 new players to Hull. Hopefully it's solid young talent ready to break out, but I'm not holding my breath. I just wish this damn sell of the team to the American group would happen already. For all the good things they've done, the Allam clan needs to get their shit together and get gone already. They've already fractured the fan base and holding up the sale for so long isn't helping the situation. You want out, so get out already. So long as Hull avoids relegation, I'll consider 2016 a successful campaign for the Tigers.

[DudyDawg]

Looks almost 100% Kante to Chelsea. ?36 million

[DawgHouseUnited]

Looks almost 100% Kante to Chelsea. ?36 million

Was just coming along to mention that. I've seen it on the twitters, for what that's worth. I'd seen 32mil.

Southampton has been over here doing some preseason work. They played the DC United U23's and won 2-0. Kinda cool that they are over here for some preseason stuff.

[TheRef]

*sigh* I hate to see Kante go, but I knew deep down we wouldn't be able to keep him. Chelsea got themselves a good player for their midfield. Going to suck not seeing King Power across his chest this season. He's going to be one helluva problem in the midfield.

[DudyDawg]

Really upset real madrid missed out on Kante. For only 30 million.

[War Machine Dawg]

So Napoli's official radio station is saying today that Higuain is "almost certainly" coming to Arsenal. (http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2016/07/16/25681852/arsenal-have-offered-50-million-plus-giroud-for-higuain) Supposedly the Gunners have offered to swap Giroud + 50M euros. And Giroud's agent has talked up the move, hinting that Giroud is keen on moving. Really, really hoping this move happens. Higuain would be a huge upgrade.

There's also chatter that Mahrez has snubbed a new contract offer from Leicester. If true, don't be surprised to see Arsenal make a strong push to land him.

Hull is supposedly closing in on a deal for Hal Robson-Kanu. I don't expect them to make many early deals, based on what Bruce has said. Basically we gotta wait for the big teams to get their business done and then see who's left and who we can afford.

[War Machine Dawg]

Hull City is Arsenal lite when it comes to injuries. The season hasn't even started and two of our key players, Michael Dawson and Moses Odubajo, have sustained major injuries. Dawson, our team captain and a starting CB, is set to miss 3 months. Odubajo was a breakout star at RB on last year's Championship Promotion squad and is set to miss 6 months.

In positive Hull news, it looks like we're on the verge of signing Hal Robson-Kanu. He'll be competing with or playing alongside Abel Hernandez in front of goal.

Arsenal appear to be chasing Mauro Icardi. Icardi's wife, who is also his agent, dropped a major hint yesterday with a tweet geotagged in London. Supposedly Arsenal is set to bid around 41.8M quid for him. Would love to see this happen. Arsenal is also on the verge of signing Rob Holding from Bolton. He's in London for a physical and working on personal terms. Bolton has already agreed to a purchase price of just over 2M quid. Signing Holding probably will allow Callum Chambers to go out on loan. Not the starter Arsenal fans were hoping for on the back line, but he's a very good up-and-coming player who could become a real star.

[BrunswickDawg]

Hey Ref, my Bhoys face the Evil Empire of the Foxes in a pre-season tune up Saturday. Does Celtic have a chance of defending our honor in Paradise or will y'all come and burn Glasgow down?

[DudyDawg]

Hey Ref, my Bhoys face the Evil Empire of the Foxes in a pre-season tune up Saturday. Does Celtic have a chance of defending our honor in Paradise or will y'all come and burn Glasgow down?

Imagine losing to a team from Gibraltar and then beating the English Champs ha. What a turn of events

[BrunswickDawg]

Imagine losing to a team from Gibraltar and then beating the English Champs ha. What a turn of events
No joke. At least we rebounded in the return match earlier this week and just flat out dominated the Red Imps. I was not thrilled about the Brendan Rodgers hire, and that 1st match was typical Rodgers. I bet we lay a Rodgers@Liverpool style turd tomorrow - because his teams tend to wilt on the big stage.

I'm hoping having Rangers back in the premiership will help Celtic get a little more edge and compete better in Euro.

[TheRef]

No joke. At least we rebounded in the return match earlier this week and just flat out dominated the Red Imps. I was not thrilled about the Brendan Rodgers hire, and that 1st match was typical Rodgers. I bet we lay a Rodgers@Liverpool style turd tomorrow - because his teams tend to wilt on the big stage.

I'm hoping having Rangers back in the premiership will help Celtic get a little more edge and compete better in Euro.

We've only lost Kante from our squad who won the Premier League. You know that Ranieri will have the squad ready to roll. Personally, I'm calling a 2-1 ending to the match with your Fox Overlords taking the victory in Glasgow.

[DudyDawg]

Higuain completed a medical with juventus. Looks like he's going to move

[TheRef]

In International Champions Cup news: Leicester defeated Celtic 1-1 (7-6 shootout) in Glasgow today. Your Fox overlords shall face off against Paris Saint Germain next weekend in Los Angeles. Oh how much money I would pay to watch that game in person.

[BrunswickDawg]

In International Champions Cup news: Leicester defeated Celtic 1-1 (7-6 shootout) in Glasgow today. Your Fox overlords shall face off against Paris Saint Germain next weekend in Los Angeles. Oh how much money I would pay to watch that game in person.
I was relatively pleased with what I read about Celtic's performance today. Maybe we can make some noise in Champions League this year!

[DudyDawg]

I was relatively pleased with what I read about Celtic's performance today. Maybe we can make some noise in Champions League this year!

As politely as I can say, I don't think you'll make more than a barely audible peep haha

[DudyDawg]

Higuain completed a medical with juventus. Looks like he's going to move

Its official. He moved for 94 million dollars. Wow.

[War Machine Dawg]

Hull City is in complete disarray. Steve Bruce resigned unexpectedly last week, just 3 weeks before the season opener with our defending Champion Fox Overlords. Reports say he was fed up with Vice Chairman Ehab Allam and the inability to bring new players onboard so far this summer. It all boiled over during a meeting between the two last week. Apparently the inability to sign 3 players in particular were the last straw for The Bruce. He desperately wanted the Sane brothers and Hal Robson-Kanu. Bruce also apparently wanted to sign Hayden from Arsenal, following his successful loan still with Hull during last season's Promotion run. But the foot dragging of Allam the Younger saw Hayden go to Newcastle instead.

Reports suggest that Hull already have a shortlist of 5 candidates they want to take the job. At the top of the list is supposedly Roberto Martinez. I'm gonna hurl if he's who we hire. He did a decent job with Swansea and was awful with Everton. Throw in the Hull injury crisis and relegation looks almost certain.

If you aren't a Hull fan and follow the ongoing saga, it's impossible to describe just how much damage the Allams have done to the team and supporters. While they've brought in money, they aren't big spenders. And then there's the ill-fated attempt to change the club name which totally fractured the fan base. They've been trying to sell the team and supposedly were deep into discussions with an American consortium. But the club announced talks have now been put on hold until the end of the transfer window. Lots of speculation that means the deal is dead. I really hope not, because the sooner Hull can get rid of the Allams, the faster they'll be competitive at the top tier.

Arsenal continue to chase a striker without success. Lyon publicly outed a proposal Wenger made for Lacazette and rejected it. Supposedly Wenger is lining up an improved bid, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't the The Cheapskate is willing to pay out the cash necessary to get an upgrade. And in other bad news, The BFG - Per Mertesacker - has sustained a major knee injury. Wenger confirmed he'll miss "months." Media reports are saying it's 5 months and could wind up being longer. Arsenal are now desperate for an experienced center half at the back. It's appearing likely that Callum Chambers and new kid Rob Holding could see some extended PT.

[DudyDawg]

Id take martinez gladly if I'm a Hull fan. He won an FA cup with Wigan. He will keep you up

[War Machine Dawg]

Id take martinez gladly if I'm a Hull fan. He won an FA cup with Wigan. He will keep you up

I just wasn't impressed with him at Everton. That club should have done way more than they did with what they had. And his philosophy of building from the back offensively was a major problem that wound up making Tim Howard, who I'll admit is a little past his prime, look worse than he was. Lots of cheap, unnecessary goals because of terrible possessions that left Howard exposed with no chance.

That said, Martinez could be one of those guys who just doesn't do well in the major club environment. He might need the challenge of building smaller clubs. Wouldn't be the first manager in sports who struggled handling all the other stuff that comes with being the boss at a big club. Still, unless the Allams spend some money for players and finally sell the team, I don't see the situation improving much.

If I might ask, Dudy, why are you so high on Martinez after his run at Everton? Other than his job at Wigan, I should add.

[DudyDawg]

He wasn't great at Everton, but I think the expectations were unfairly high. They can't expect to be fighting for Europe. They aren't big enough and don't have the talent. So I don't think he was great there but he wasn't as bad as he was made out to be.

[TheRef]

PSG absolutely trounced your Fox Overlords 4-0 in ICC play at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles. Next up is Barcelona in ICC play as we play in Stockholm, Sweden

[DudyDawg]

Almost time to fire up the 2016-17 thread

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

So Napoli's official radio station is saying today that Higuain is "almost certainly" coming to Arsenal. (http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2016/07/16/25681852/arsenal-have-offered-50-million-plus-giroud-for-higuain) Supposedly the Gunners have offered to swap Giroud + 50M euros. And Giroud's agent has talked up the move, hinting that Giroud is keen on moving. Really, really hoping this move happens. Higuain would be a huge upgrade.

There's also chatter that Mahrez has snubbed a new contract offer from Leicester. If true, don't be surprised to see Arsenal make a strong push to land him.

Hull is supposedly closing in on a deal for Hal Robson-Kanu. I don't expect them to make many early deals, based on what Bruce has said. Basically we gotta wait for the big teams to get their business done and then see who's left and who we can afford.
I've read that Hull could have a historically bad season this year with all that is going on and the lack of players brought in. I know Newcastle thinks they've sealed the deal on Mohamad Diame, scored 13 goals from the midfield for y'all last season in the Championship. Should be more than serviceable replacement for Wijnaldum.

Newcastle's climb back to the PL begins Friday. I find myself strangely excited for the season and have been pleased with the quality of players we've signed despite playing in the 2nd tier. The only thing I'm left hoping for at this point is that someone will take Sissoko off of our hands, hopefully even at a nice fee since he played decent in the Euros for the French.

Most importantly though, Rafa remaining as our coach has galvanized the fanbase. For the first time since I've followed Newcastle (admittedly, this is only my third season following them) the fanbase is excited and not a cesspool of pessimism and anger. And the rift between them and Mike Ashley (owner) has gotten significantly better. The Rafalution has begun.

[War Machine Dawg]

I've read that Hull could have a historically bad season this year with all that is going on and the lack of players brought in. I know Newcastle thinks they've sealed the deal on Mohamad Diame, scored 13 goals from the midfield for y'all last season in the Championship. Should be more than serviceable replacement for Wijnaldum.

Newcastle's climb back to the PL begins Friday. I find myself strangely excited for the season and have been pleased with the quality of players we've signed despite playing in the 2nd tier. The only thing I'm left hoping for at this point is that someone will take Sissoko off of our hands, hopefully even at a nice fee since he played decent in the Euros for the French.

Most importantly though, Rafa remaining as our coach has galvanized the fanbase. For the first time since I've followed Newcastle (admittedly, this is only my third season following them) the fanbase is excited and not a cesspool of pessimism and anger. And the rift between them and Mike Ashley (owner) has gotten significantly better. The Rafalution has begun.

I'm on f'n suicide watch. The Allams have completely destroyed the club. I don't know if it's even salvageable. We only have like 9 healthy outfield players right now. And we haven't added a single player so far. And Diame may be leaving, although we're going to offer him a new deal. But if he goes.....DAMN. He scored the game winner for promotion. Losing him would be a huge blow, both in terms of talent and symbolically. I saw something that said as it stands right now, Hull's odds of staying up this season are about the same as the odds of our Fox Overlords winning the title last season. That's absurd. It's beyound time for #AllamOut

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

I'm on f'n suicide watch. The Allams have completely destroyed the club. I don't know if it's even salvageable. We only have like 9 healthy outfield players right now. And we haven't added a single player so far. And Diame may be leaving, although we're going to offer him a new deal. But if he goes.....DAMN. He scored the game winner for promotion. Losing him would be a huge blow, both in terms of talent and symbolically. I saw something that said as it stands right now, Hull's odds of staying up this season are about the same as the odds of our Fox Overlords winning the title last season. That's absurd. It's beyound time for #AllamOut

Why is he waiting till after the transfer window to begin discussions on selling the team? Seems like he's basically just giving the city a big ole middle finger for not letting him change their name to Hull Tigers.

[War Machine Dawg]

Why is he waiting till after the transfer window to begin discussions on selling the team? Seems like he's basically just giving the city a big ole middle finger for not letting him change their name to Hull Tigers.

That's exactly what it is. Check out this epic tweet. (https://twitter.com/HullCityLive/status/760105213646802945) It lays out everything. Basically, the Allams have been having discussions all summer following promotion, but they're wanting more than anyone is willing to pay. It's just a really shitty situation.

In other Hull news, the Wales FA rejected our attempt to speak with Coleman about our job. With Coleman officially out of the running, it looks like we're going to see Giancarlo Zola named as the new boss. Going to be interesting to see if the Allams will open up the kitty for Zola. He doesn't have long to get anyone into the club. There ought to be a Lumberjack Strap Match between Steve Bruce and a partner of his choice versus the Allams, with a selection of fans acting as lumberjack with leather straps on the outside. I think pretty much everyone hates the Allams now and would like to kick them in the nuts.

[War Machine Dawg]

Hull is chasing Chris Coleman hard. Apparently we're willing to nearly quadruple his wages up to 1.5M. He's interested, but the Wales FA have blocked approaches so far. Hope like hell we land him, he seems like a big time manager in the making. I still want the #AllamsOut yesterday, but I'll give them credit if they can hire Coleman.

All quiet on the Arsenal transfer front. We're still chasing Lacazette and Icardi. Supposedly Agent Wifey for Icardi is in London working on a deal. There's also some speculation we may be behind the recent Julian Draxler transfer drama. I'd kill to land him. There's some talk we might play him as a No. 9, although I'd prefer to keep him on the wing then move him to CAM when Ozil moves on. But if Wenger feels he could develop into that elite striker that we're missing, go for it.

Are we gonna do a fantasy league again this year? Season is only 6 days away! :)

[DawgHouseUnited]

Are we gonna do a fantasy league again this year? Season is only 6 days away! :)

I'm still in with my Saints, but I'm worried that things won't go so well this year. Had some big names leave for our event reason or another and haven't really seen any big splashes with signings. Plus we've got a new manager, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

You guys ever listen to any soccer podcasts? I'm on the road a lot and get really tired of regular radio. I found a couple of podcasts last spring that I liked but I'm open for suggestions.