BigBird

The Anfield Wrap comments were interesting, especially the final quip from Wyatt Derp who quite rightly said: Turn sound off unless you want a headache.

Lets call him Lofty, if he ever wins a defensive header it's because he out jumped an opponents shin pad. First Frimpong and possibly Gueli is an attacking corner Arsenal fantasy that is sure to encourage Sam Alladice out of retirement. Slots obsession with defensive dwarfs must stop. He's a football manager, not Snow White. Bring back Jurgen before it's too late.

Yes we were, but Ramsey has only scored one goal in each of the past two seasons. Seems he didn't fulfil his early potential.

We should be paying six foot four inch Konate what he's worth and allowing Tyrion Lannister to play elsewhere. The importance of tall centre halves in the premiership was a Jurgen Klopp maxim. Guehi is a defence weakening signing that will end in tears. Slot out.

Offering cash up front to a Saudi owned club is about as tempting as a free bucket of sand.

That's how I understand it. Closer to £150M than £110M it seems.

Todays Mirror apparently reporting this: "Alexander Isak is still training alone at Newcastle United's Benton base, with Liverpool having been told the Swede is not for sale unless they launch a serious offer." It's in stark contrast to reports over the weekend which claimed the Saudi owners would not sell Isak until next summer at the earliest. It now seems we need to make a serious offer.

A forum exclusive. First ever copy & paste job for our new Al Hilal fan base as Darwin makes his debut; Al Hilal cruised to 6 - 0 victory over Aarau with Mohamed Kanno scoring twice, Sergej Milinkovic Savic, Malcom and own goal adding to the tally before Darwin Nunez struck in the 88 minute with powerful finish inside the box. A Cobs Fiver if you can guess the final sentence.

Sounds reasonable. Of our title winning side we've only changed half the back four and flogged the back-up centre half, modified the highest scoring attack in the Prem with one newcomer, while losing just the three strikers, and sublimated what Martin Keown described as the best midfield in England with a single modification. That midfield has been asking for it all Summer.

Arne said this about Chiesa post match yesterday: “Of course we have Frederico but he has not been with us on the Asian tour as well, so there is not a lot to replace Hugo with at this moment in time.” The fact that Arne actually mentioned Chiesa is a bonus for the lad. If we don't buy another forward we will have to make use of Chiesa this season. He's not the worst option off the bench if fit.

Palace midfield dominated the second half. We looked unfit.

Yep, Alli not the best at saving pens.

In fairness, Wharton is playing well for Palace.

About 10 or so years ago I went to see Wales v N. Ireland play football in Cardiff. My mates and I were having a pre-match pint with some N Ireland supporters when I referred to the team as, “Ireland”. The supporter I was talking to instantly changed from calm and friendly into raging fury as he shouted at me, “Northern Ireland.” He frightened the life out of me. I apologised, his mates calmed him down, we drank up and legged it. It's a touchy subject best avoided.

Ooops, sorry.

Conor Bradley. Kylian Mbappes biggest nightmare, a home grown Brit, not some overpriced foreign floozy from the Bundesliga, and you've forgotten him already. Dunno how you sleep at night.

Arsenal beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0. Bilbao have had a poor pre-season to date but Arsenal appeared to play really well with Zubimendi MOTM, their new striker scoring and their fans going delirious on social media. A 3-2 defeat at home to Villarreal in their previous match seemingly of no significance. Arsenal picked a strong side and it will be interesting to see how they get on against Man U next weekend. Man U drew 1-1 at home against Fiorentina where Mbueno and Cunha seemed to be a significant upgrade on Hjoland and Zerkzes. Mbuenos crosses into the box were the highlight of his game. Mason Mount appeared to be their star man, playing as a deep lying centre forward. The Man U midfield two of Casemiro and Fernandes were worse than useless. No change there then.

Luke Edwards seems to be back on track by repeating the storey in this mornings Telegraph. Claiming the Saudi owners have, “put their foot down and insist Isak will not join Liverpool this summer.” I read the headline, you need to subscribe to read the full article.

From Anfield Watch - IsaK Going Nowhere One of the journalists that as extensively covered the Isak story this summer has been Luke Edwards at The Telegraph and on Saturday afternoon, he posted a bizarre update to Newcastle's perspective. He said: "Alexander Isak has been told by the Newcastle United board he is not for sale this summer and will not be allowed to join Liverpool in a show of defiance from the club's Saudi owners. "Newcastle's steadfast position on the matter has caused acrimony and tension, with Isak refusing to accept the decision with good grace. He has subsequently been ordered by Manager Eddie Howe to train away from the group. Until Isak is willing to get his head around the fact that he will be denied a move in this transfer window, he will not play for the club. Liverpool were made aware of Newcastle's refusal to consider a sale when they had a bid rejected worth around £110m rejected last week, hence their decision to back away from the transfer. Liverpool have indicated they will not bid again unless Newcastle change their position, which sources have reaffirmed to Telegraph Sport is extremely unlikely, even if they sign another striker." It's a truly blockbuster amount of fuel to add to the fire, not least because no other journalists have backed up the claims and Isak's defiant attitude surely makes this a nonsensical decision. After all, the player might well be quite happy to not play for the Magpies and they'll miss out on over £100m. Furthermore, every time a player is forced to remain at the club against their will has ended badly. So while his departure might still follow the Philipe Coutinho blueprint, it feels difficult to believe that Newcastle would actively choose to keep him this season when he has made it abundantly clear that he wants out - especially since it feels like Isak's wishes to play elsewhere are reasonable. Of course, there are still three weeks left of the transfer window and a lot can still change, but this update has certainly put a dampener on things and left many confused about what happens next.

Think you are underestimating Konate, he's not easily replaced. I would hate to see him leave.

This from Anfield Watch: Football Transfers reports that Tottenham Hotspur are eager to sign Harvey Elliott. They’re looking to replace James Maddison after his ACL injury. Maddison has no real timeline on a recovery and Spurs need to find a new playmaker. Especially after Heung-min Son left for LAFC. The report claims Elliott has already held discussions with Thomas Frank, who 'he pitched a vision of deploying the Liverpool attacking midfielder in the No.10 role’. Frank is apparently a big admirer of Elliott’s. And in turn, Elliott 'is understood to be keen on securing regular first-team football and views a switch to Tottenham as an ideal opportunity to stake a claim for a place in England’s World Cup squad next year’. Spurs should certainly give him that as a UEFA Champions League side in desperate need of a player just like him. Liverpool would apparently accept around £40m for Elliott - but would also want a buyback clause. We’ll see how talks go, then, as Spurs are accelerating things ahead of the season.

Quick edit and update regarding the costs involved in this matter. My previous comment that it has cost each side £20M was way out. £200M to each side according to the Times; As we wait for an outcome, a fresh report from The Times has claimed Premier League club chiefs are growing 'increasingly concerned' at the legal bill from cases involving both Manchester City and Chelsea. It is said the cost to both sides of the case against City for the alleged rule breaches may have topped £200 million over the past five years, with lawyers asking for thousands per hour to work on the case. One club chief gave an insight into the situation, saying: “The sums involved are eye-watering. And the money that is going to the lawyers is money that could have gone to the clubs.” In terms of other cases, an investigation into Chelsea for alleged irregular payments during Roman Abramovich’s ownership is currently into its third year after the club provided new information.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm certain Carrol had one great game for us. We beat City 3-1 at Anfield in a midweek game and Carrol scored twice with a pair of headers. Match reports said the City centre halves couldn't handle him. It was mushroom season at the time and I could have been hallucinating but I'm sure it really happened.

As I understand it, if found guilty it is City, not the Premier League, who could be prosecuted by clubs who lost out as a result of their cheating. I got the feeling from the Borson interview the Premier league want to get the correct decision rather than a quick resolution. If found guilty an appeal by City seems inevitable and is likely to extend the verdict by another 6 months or so. Only then can punishment be considered. The Premier League seem resolved for the long haul in order to preserve the integrity of the brand. They have taken the matter too far, at an extraordinary cost, to back out now. A win for the league appears to be their priority.

If that's the case I stand corrected but the 4 sanctions I referred to earlier are the only punishments being mooted on the BBC and Sky websites. Stripping City of titles was not mentioned either in the Borson Talk Sport interview.