Transfer Deadline Roundtable

In which we talk at length, briefly, about Torres, Carroll, Liverpool, Chelsea, and... West Ham?

Neal Thurman: Carroll for 35M? Really?
Jeremy Spitzberg: seems a bit desperate, doesn't it?
Neal Thurman: really does
Jeremy Spitzberg: how did it get to the point where LIV have no strikers other than Torres
Jeremy Spitzberg: when they've been without Torres for such long stretches?
Neal Thurman: exactly
Neal Thurman: shouldn't Suarez be filling in that gap?
Jeremy Spitzberg: when was the last time someone came from the Dutch league and prospered?
Jeremy Spitzberg: who wasn't Dutch (RVN, RVP)
Neal Thurman: Ruud? RvP
Jeremy Spitzberg: jinx
Neal Thurman: um
Neal Thurman: um
Jeremy Spitzberg: kezman? maccarone? alves?
Jeremy Spitzberg: kuyt? ;-)
Neal Thurman: agreed across the board

Neal Thurman: lol
Neal Thurman: Huntelaar
Neal Thurman: (adding to your argument)
Jeremy Spitzberg: meanwhile ACMilan run out Robinho, Ibra and Cassano
Jeremy Spitzberg: with Pato on the bench and Ronaldinho not even in the 16
Neal Thurman: must be nice
Neal Thurman: (not that I'd want Ronaldinho)
Neal Thurman: but Pato...
Jeremy Spitzberg: right. just an example. ;-)
Neal Thurman: More importantly, since Carroll is obviously not a purchase for this year (out for another month and LIV out of contention for anything useful) then why not spend the money on the next Carroll (Wickham) instead of overpaying for the current Carroll?
Jeremy Spitzberg: a "we have to do this to prove to the fans... " mindset?
Neal Thurman: plus, is there any chance that giving this kid MORE money is going to be a good thing?
Jeremy Spitzberg: how can he pass a medical, either?
Neal Thurman: good question
Jeremy Spitzberg: been out for a month...
Jeremy Spitzberg: seeing a specialist, last I read
Neal Thurman: not sure on the "prove it to the fans thing" not really ever been a hallmark of the Red Sox - they're a Wenger-like "build our way" group more than a "make big media splashes" group
Jeremy Spitzberg: it would be fun if LIV said fuck the cash, give us the Drogs
Neal Thurman: or even more interestingly - FloMal
Jeremy Spitzberg: dear god, not another attacking middie!
Neal Thurman: (they could use one who actually likes playing a wing role)
Jeremy Spitzberg: granted floma would be the best one
Neal Thurman: Adam to LIV is apparently done (per FSC and Sky)
Jeremy Spitzberg: another odd choice
Jeremy Spitzberg: can't figure out how ot play miereles and gerrard already
Jeremy Spitzberg: now throw in adam?
Neal Thurman: Pull off the bandaid all at once? Sell Gerrard to someone with more money than sense?
Neal Thurman: #gratuitousrumors
Jeremy Spitzberg: lol
Jeremy Spitzberg: seems a lot of money today...
Jeremy Spitzberg: not much sense
Jeremy Spitzberg: but if it makes BFAR a viable fantasy starter, i'm all for it
Neal Thurman: Carroll/Adam/Suarez = $108M
Jeremy Spitzberg: and what is CHE going to do with Torres?
Jeremy Spitzberg: 442?
Neal Thurman: or 2/3 what they paid for Carl Crawford ;-)
Neal Thurman: no idea on CHE/Nando
Jeremy Spitzberg: Elk will LOVE being benched
Neal Thurman: no joke
Jeremy Spitzberg: who can play on the right of a 4man midfield?
Jeremy Spitzberg: said Frenchman?
Neal Thurman: no idea
Jeremy Spitzberg: diamond with lamps at the point, ess (right), floma (left), and mikel holding?
Jeremy Spitzberg: i guess that works
Neal Thurman: as much as the CHE midfield has worked at all since Sept
Jeremy Spitzberg: bos and cole bombing forward
Jeremy Spitzberg: in theory
Neal Thurman: in theory
Neal Thurman: Here's something that would be fun to think about - LIV gets CHE THISCLOSE to the deal, completes their other deals, and then keeps Nando (or the deal falls through)
Jeremy Spitzberg: so Nasri already out of Barca?
Jeremy Spitzberg: that's at least three EPL matches
Neal Thurman: seems that way from the quotes I've read
Jeremy Spitzberg: nasri/bent to o'hara/rooney
Jeremy Spitzberg: #quicktradesnotsaved
Neal Thurman: Rooney getting very close to dead to me status
Jeremy Spitzberg: Cesc becomes more inviting
Neal Thurman: that seems like a solid replacement
Jeremy Spitzberg: and then when I ditch VDV for Bentley...
Jeremy Spitzberg: #oy
Neal Thurman: have to say - watched BRM in FA Cup over the weekend and other than an insane goal, BFDB didn't seem to be in the middle of things as I'd hoped
Jeremy Spitzberg: agreed, but they're in a bit of transition
Jeremy Spitzberg: now with Oba...
Neal Thurman: Obafemi!!!
Jeremy Spitzberg: Oba/Jerome an interesting front two
Neal Thurman: Oba/Zigic interesting with Larsson/DB crossing the ball in
Jeremy Spitzberg: don't know that BRM can become dynamic, but that's an athletic start
Jeremy Spitzberg: zigic a stiff
Jeremy Spitzberg: albeit a tall one
Jeremy Spitzberg: did he come from the Dutch league? :-)
Neal Thurman: with those two crossing, he doesn't need to be much more than a lamppost
Neal Thurman: lol, but no
Neal Thurman: Germany I think
Jeremy Spitzberg: Spain, actually
Jeremy Spitzberg: not that it matters
Neal Thurman: doesn't but would have been my last guess
Jeremy Spitzberg: GRossi to Spurs
Jeremy Spitzberg: free Nico!
Jeremy Spitzberg: 6 Feb, 16:00 ChelseavLiverpool Stamford Bridge, London
Neal Thurman: Is Rossi official?
Jeremy Spitzberg: no
Neal Thurman: so, who do NUFC buy come summer? Elmander (out of contract), Crouch (#findinghislevel), or Bendtner (#CouldBeAvailable)
Jeremy Spitzberg: they would do well to overpay any of those guys
Jeremy Spitzberg: though i don' tknow how Bendtner's ego would do outside a "top" club
Jeremy Spitzberg: too bad NUFC couldn't get Vela on loan #wba
Neal Thurman: agreed but NUFC already has a bunch of little guys - Nolan, Ireland (official now), and eventually Ben Arfa running around - they need a target
Jeremy Spitzberg: hell, with that money they could get Berbatov
Jeremy Spitzberg: or David Villa
Neal Thurman: hmm, Adam to LIV may be off
Jeremy Spitzberg: so WHU now have CCole, Sears, Piq, Obinna, Keane, Stanislas, Hines, Dyer, Barrerra...
Jeremy Spitzberg: Glad they sorted out their problems
Neal Thurman: oddly CCole seems to have fallen way down the list despite the fact that they could have cashed in on him in a reasonably big way over the summer
Neal Thurman: CCole to NUFC over the summer?
Jeremy Spitzberg: how about this evening?
Neal Thurman: or that
Jeremy Spitzberg: let's put it out there
Jeremy Spitzberg: ;-)
Jeremy Spitzberg: to the twitter machine ;-)
Neal Thurman: fire away
Neal Thurman: I think I only have about 10 Twitter followers :-)
Neal Thurman: will Michael Bradley ever get a run at Villa?
Jeremy Spitzberg: no
Neal Thurman: #OddMove
Jeremy Spitzberg: this has been "short answers"
Jeremy Spitzberg: especially on the heels of Makoun's big $ move
Neal Thurman: I guess Villa decided that they needed a Bradley, any Bradley at the club this season come hell or high water
Jeremy Spitzberg: appease the american owner?
Jeremy Spitzberg: http://twitter.com/#!/jspitzberg/status/32172005591617536
Jeremy Spitzberg: twittered ;-)
Neal Thurman: I saw (I follow you)
Jeremy Spitzberg: figured
Jeremy Spitzberg: just including it for the eventual roundtable post ;-)
Jeremy Spitzberg: #lazy
Jeremy Spitzberg: http://media.kyte.tv/store/008/bor/1101/31/20/2877496-tmcl310111carroll7_460_335.jpg?v=20110131T202214Z&h=ba668f34d3981dd5f57f9026034da667
Neal Thurman: I saw somewhere that he arrive via helocopter in a t-shirt (w/ no jacket)
Jeremy Spitzberg: who's the agent/lawyer?
Jeremy Spitzberg: with pen and paper out
Jeremy Spitzberg: classic image
Neal Thurman: no idea but he looks straight out of central casting for a 50s movie
Jeremy Spitzberg: 'My falcon, Mr. Spade!"
Neal Thurman: heh
Neal Thurman: looks like Adam is staying put
Neal Thurman: interesting day for BPL then - keep Adam, bring in BFAR and Beattie
Neal Thurman: nice veteran depth for the back half of the season
Jeremy Spitzberg: but shame for fantasy clarity
Neal Thurman: indeed
Jeremy Spitzberg: formica a starter?
Neal Thurman: I've seen both striker and midfielder
Jeremy Spitzberg: intrigued by Rovers
Jeremy Spitzberg: burned when I wrote them off
Jeremy Spitzberg: now wondering what is really going on there
Neal Thurman: bummed about RSC injury for this weekend though
Jeremy Spitzberg: sturridge to Bolton on loan
Neal Thurman: probably a good change of pace for them with Elmander and Davies
Jeremy Spitzberg: klasnic drops further down the pecking order
Jeremy Spitzberg: unless ELMANDER GOES TO NUFC TONIGHT!?!?!?!
Neal Thurman: most recent Tweets have that as a dead issue but Bolton might be smart to cash in now since he's been giving them nothing recently anyway
Neal Thurman: they can suck without him just as easily
Jeremy Spitzberg: is he good player...
Jeremy Spitzberg: or just prone to CCole/Zamora-like streaks?
Neal Thurman: good question - he's only had one strong streak in nearly two years so far
Jeremy Spitzberg: albeit in his first extend run as central striker
Jeremy Spitzberg: nelson valdez
Jeremy Spitzberg: sigh
Jeremy Spitzberg: if only it were CCole
Jeremy Spitzberg: but he has a pony tail
Jeremy Spitzberg: so maybe that's why they signed him
Neal Thurman: late offer from Spurs for Adam?
Neal Thurman: more late-window magic from 'arry?
Jeremy Spitzberg: now that they won't be getting Phil Neville
Neal Thurman: (why I have no idea since he is neither a HM or an F)
Neal Thurman: just odd stuff from Spurs
Neal Thurman: but who would expect anything other I suppose
Jeremy Spitzberg: what's new?
Jeremy Spitzberg: yeah
Jeremy Spitzberg: free Nico
Neal Thurman: too bad he didn't get a chance to move on - amazing he went from ARS target to 3rd team at Spurs in about 12 months in which he barely played
Jeremy Spitzberg: and with Bale out, he would have gotten a chance before Pienaar arrived
Jeremy Spitzberg: Luiz cup-tied in the CL
Jeremy Spitzberg: so that's nice
Neal Thurman: definitely - hopefully that makes him the EPL regular
Neal Thurman: Eidur to FUL as the window closes?
Jeremy Spitzberg: so i read
Neal Thurman: just as their forwards get healthy
Jeremy Spitzberg: eidur, sidwell
Jeremy Spitzberg: no Konch though
Neal Thurman: odd doings all around
Neal Thurman: ok - I'm going to ponder them while I'm on my way home
Jeremy Spitzberg: k. i'll post our chat at some point
Neal Thurman: sounds good
Neal Thurman: 'night