Stefano

I meant if he stayed until his 30's we'd still get a good fee for him.

Fazakerley. His stock will always be high in Spain now anyway, and we should still get a decent return as he approaches 30. A lot of these lads are hitting their peak and want to finish their careers back home or see us as a stepping stone to the national side and a move to their dream club. If it allows us to strengthen and stay succesful, great, but we could just as likely be in a constant state of transition.

Debatable that.

That's fair enough, but it's still an issue in general if we're having to worry about replacing players who are at the peak of their game because they want to go home. I feel for Rafa, as there's just not the quality in Britain, and the Spanish market is one that he will naturally be drawn to.

Talk of dropping Carra is barmy. He's our most experienced defender now that Sami has gone. That said, there's no reason why he shouldn't sit out more games next season, allowing us to develop the Agger/Skrtel combo, if only to prolong his own career.

Nailed on mate. There's no way he'd stand for letting Alonso go and then not being able to spend the money.

Poulsen is a good player but more defensive minded. If we're going to adopt a new approach, I'd rather it was a positive one. Martinez strikes me as a purely attacking player, who could play in between the lines of midfield and attack. But then we're back to buying lads who could have their head turned by the Spanish 'big 2' the minute they reach their peak.

He's out until September. I've been pretty dubious about the speculation as it sounded more like Roma trying to attract interest than any geuine approach from us. I'll be surprised if we haven't at least enquired about a couple of theirs as part of the deal. Sneider and Negredo would be perfect.

The Aqua fella?

Agree mate. The timing stinks. Hopefully Rafa has got a replacement already sorted, which is why things are moving on.

I want to say Lucas could make the step up but I just don't see him as anything more than a squad player. He's doesn't play with enough urgency and is happy to take a back seat and let others dominate posession, but without Alonso in the side that has to be him. Maybe he's been told to play that way but I'm sure Rafa would like him to be a bit more assertive. If he was it could save us money and allow us to concentrate on areas.

Depends on the players available. Lets say for example someone like Villa was available, I'd have no problem with Gerrard dropping back, and using Lucas when we want to change our tactics and go back to a 3 man midfield. Replacing Alonso and re jigging the system is one thing but the quality has to be there.

I agree. No point trying to find the same player and re create the same style. New philosophy is needed, which might have been Rafa's thinking anyway. More mobility and goals from midfield could make the difference.

We've all been there.

Did I just read that we should try and sign Darren Fletcher?

Why didn't he do just this at the start of the window? He's screwed us around for months when we're on the verge of title success for the first time in 20 years to go to that circus. Pure greed.

Good shout. His recent injuries are a worry though, and probably why he hasn't sorted out a new contract yet. Maybe less of a risk on a free next summer.

I like him too, but that dip in form was not a one off. I remember Ballbag saying he could be the best winger in the game if he could find some consistency for the whole season. He's still a vital squad player but I think we can, and should, improve that position.

I agree. I can't be doing with this every summer. What happens when they come knocking for Torres?

I think they'll get him for less than that now. There was rumblings that we'd lowered our price to 27/28 million and this probably justifies it in Rafa's eyes.

I'm sick of modern footballers. Good riddance. Lets start thinking about a replacment.

Does a transfer request really make that much difference unless they pay our valuation?

It's all about money with these players isn't it.

Nope.

Handed in a transfer request.