22 Jul 2026 21:14:35
One £65m+ midfielder to cap the rebuild.
Who and why?
Baleba?
Scott?
Tchouameni?
Camavinga?
Does anyone else realistically see it being anyone other than one of those four?
22 Jul 2026 22:18:40
Zaire Emery is strongly linked. After him, Manu Kone is stylistically very similar to Ederson, so he'd have to rank highly. Of your list, I think only Scott is someone we'd actually go for this summer. Too many doubts over Baleba and the Real duo; I'm not sure they were serious targets.
23 Jul 2026 09:09:45
Rumours are we don't want to pay big, so in any auction we will likely lose out. But then rumours say Scott prefers Arsenal, whilst other rumours say he prefers Chelsea. ?♂️
23 Jul 2026 09:11:22
I like Zaire Emery a lot, but I thought Camavinga would've been perfect for us.
23 Jul 2026 09:21:27
Agree, Angelred, I've always liked Camavinga but didn't think he'd be realistic. Things maybe, hopefully, have changed there. I like Zaire-Emery also.
With Arsenal strongly linked with Guimaraes, I wonder if Lewis-Skelly becomes an option again. We apparently were linked earlier in the year, but I thought he'd saved his Arsenal career with his performances in Europe for them.
If they are successful in getting Guimaraes, they have quite a few options in CM, and I'm not sure Arteta likes him at LB.
It would be a smart move, with his versatility to play LB but also move into CM.
23 Jul 2026 09:28:30
Ports, I think it's obvious we need a great engine/legs in there, but someone who can play.
Alex Scott is also an option, and it will be interesting to see what Bournemouth do, as he has seemingly said no to an extension. Do they cash in now?
Either way, I really really believe that the recruitment and transfer team are ready for all eventualities.
Santos and Tielemans were not on the list whatsoever, and they were done quickly.
I've also seen them make some interesting transfers at youth level. It bodes well for the future.
Another couple of good signings to bolster the first team squad, and it's going to be an eventful season.
23 Jul 2026 10:58:58
I definitely don't see it being a Real Madrid player, as things stand, although if they get Rodri or Ferndandez they may opt to sell one. Camavinga is useful to them, as he often fills in at the back.
I don't think we'll want to meet Bournemouth's price for Scott.
They don't want to sell him, and we won't overpay.
Baleba is still most likely from that list, but I hope not. The PSG guy would be awesome, and we've looked at him previously.
23 Jul 2026 15:58:52
Baleba or Kone are my preferences, wouldnt touch Scott for the money.
23 Jul 2026 17:47:09
My thoughts exactly, Ken.
23 Jul 2026 17:41:14
Spenno
Did I see something about Rodri having back issues? If so Madrid would be unlikely to buy him at vast cost and that could stop the sale of midfielders from them.
23 Jul 2026 17:51:55
I don't think it needs to be a big name expensive signing to finish off the midfield.
I mean, currently we have Tielemans, Mainoo, and Santos for two positions.
Tielemans will almost certainly be a regular starter. You don't join a club at 29 to sit on the bench.
Which means the other position will be fought for by Mainoo and Santos.
Looking at the options, the thing we are missing is physicality, a big, strong unit who can battle in midfield.
Tielemans is the playmaker, who can also win the ball back.
Mainoo is the dribbling, tight-space, press-resistant ball progressor.
Santos is a passing, ball-winner.
It's a real physical player that we are missing.
That could be Carlos Baleba, but you don't need to spend 65-80m for this kind of player, especially if you aren't signing them to build your team around.
We don't need this kind of player for every game, but we need them to be able to rotate in and out when needed.
Personally, I really like the idea of signing Sander Berge. He's EPL-proven, has great experience, and is exactly what we are looking for in terms of player profile.
He wouldn't cost more than 40m.
Having Tielemans, Berge, Mainoo, and Santos as the four options looks really nicely balanced, both in terms of profiles as well as age and experience.
Also, if we compare those midfield options to what we had last season, it's a massive improvement. And we could sign all three (Tielemans, Santos, and Berge) for around the same amount as Elliot Anderson did on his own.
If you're looking for a midfield rebuild, then signing those three over just Anderson is the right way to go.
With a bit of luck, that will also leave enough money in the kitty to improve in other positions.
LB and ST are the ones I think we need to focus on the most, followed by CB, and then LW if we can move on Rashford (although we have signed Thompson, who plays LW and could have a similar impact as Heaven, as, just like Heaven, he is also on the cusp of the first-team squad).
While we can't rule out Amass stepping up at LB either.