Summer Transfer Thread, (Closes 8pm tonight)

[Duvel 2,446]

The three behind Assombalonga have all played in those positions before. Do you think we'll have three of the four on the bench?

[estonpidge 1,449]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4733930/Ashley-Fletcher-set-6-5m-Middlesbrough.html

Don't know if this has been posted but...

[teapot 4]

The three behind Assombalonga have all played in those positions before. Do you think we'll have three of the four on the bench?

 

I've never seen Braithwaite or Fletcher play so I can't comment on them, but I prefer Bamford as a striker rather than as a right-winger.

 

Fletcher's record doesn't inspire confidence at all, especially at the price quoted.  If he was a £1m signing for the U23 team I could understand it, but £7m is crazy money for someone with so little experience and such a dismal goal-scoring record.

 

I'd still prefer to buy wingers to play on the wings, and a #10 to play behind the striker if we are playing 4231.

[Brunners 7,982]

The three behind Assombalonga have all played in those positions before. Do you think we'll have three of the four on the bench?

 

I've never seen Braithwaite or Fletcher play so I can't comment on them, but I prefer Bamford as a striker rather than as a right-winger.

 

Fletcher's record doesn't inspire confidence at all, especially at the price quoted.  If he was a £1m signing for the U23 team I could understand it, but £7m is crazy money for someone with so little experience and such a dismal goal-scoring record.

 

I'd still prefer to buy wingers to play on the wings, and a #10 to play behind the striker if we are playing 4231.

 

But you did comment on them? Make up your mind.

 

If you can't comment on them you can't claim it's "3 of 4 in positions they're not best suited to" can you?

[BearSmog 1,382]

I like the Fletcher signing but not at the price quoted.. £3million tops for me

[Uwe 3,545]

Have to say that Gibson has absolutely stuck to his word about giving us more pace and flair and is clearly doing everything he can to "smash the league" - I know there are still more gaps to fill but he has once again proven he really is the best chairman we could wish for!

 

Teacider

 

Can you now divulge the other striker we had in mind if the Britt deal fell through?? Just curious that's all

 

(If it wasnt you that mentioned it before I apologise)

[estonpidge 1,449]

The idea of a fully interchangeable front 3/4 does excite, leaving the 2 holding CM to help out the defence. or support play when we're against teams that have parked the bus.

Let's face it all us defenders no matter what level, prefer to have the guy your marking stand still in front of you rather than not know who you've got or where he is.

[northern boro 449]

Gaston edging closer to leaving

 

 

GASTON RAMIREZ is edging closer to the Middlesbrough exit door, with Spanish side Real Betis having stepped up their pursuit of the Uruguayan midfielder.

 

Ramirez was handed something of a lifeline earlier this summer when Boro boss Garry Monk restored him to his first-team group, and the 26-year-old has featured prominently in the Teessiders’ pre-season games.

 

However, the reprieve was only ever intended to be a temporary one, with the Boro hierarchy remaining keen to move on Ramirez after being less than impressed with his attitude in the second half of last season.

 

Ramirez’s submission of a formal transfer request was followed by a petulant dismissal in a crucial defeat at Bournemouth, and Boro are confident of securing a significant sum for a player who signed a three-year deal when he made a permanent move to Teesside last summer.

 

Boro officials have fielded a number of inquiries about Ramirez this summer, with Portuguese side Benfica and German club Freiburg both having been keen to set up a deal.

 

However, Real Betis have always been at the front of the queue of clubs jockeying for Ramirez’s signature, and the South American’s agent, Pablo Bentancur is increasingly confident that a deal is close, despite his client having been training at Boro’s Rockliffe Park training ground this week.

 

 

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/15436001.Gaston_Ramirez_edging_towards_Middlesbrough_exit_door___with_Real_Betis_increasingly_confident_of_striking_a_deal/

[Duvel 2,446]

The initial fee will be nowhere near 7m either especially for a young kid. I bet we'll only be paying half of that and the rest will be based on goals/appearances etc.

[Duvel 2,446]

The three behind Assombalonga have all played in those positions before. Do you think we'll have three of the four on the bench?

 

I've never seen Braithwaite or Fletcher play so I can't comment on them, but I prefer Bamford as a striker rather than as a right-winger.

 

Fletcher's record doesn't inspire confidence at all, especially at the price quoted.  If he was a £1m signing for the U23 team I could understand it, but £7m is crazy money for someone with so little experience and such a dismal goal-scoring record.

 

I'd still prefer to buy wingers to play on the wings, and a #10 to play behind the striker if we are playing 4231.

 

But you did comment on them? Make up you're mind.

 

If you can't comment on them you can't claim it's "3 of 4 in positions they're not best suited to" can you?

 

:)

[northern boro 449]

"Football.London can confirm that Ashley Fletcher has left the West Ham training camp in Germany this morning to head to Middlesbroguh for talks over a £7m move.

 

The young striker has been granted permission by Slaven Bilic to enter talks with the Teeside club after struggling to make an impression in claret and blue last season."

 

http://www.football.london/west-ham-united-fc/transfer-news/exclusive-fletcher-leaves-west-ham-13392189

[Foogle 2,104]

The three behind Assombalonga have all played in those positions before. Do you think we'll have three of the four on the bench?

 

I've never seen Braithwaite or Fletcher play so I can't comment on them, but I prefer Bamford as a striker rather than as a right-winger.

 

Fletcher's record doesn't inspire confidence at all, especially at the price quoted.  If he was a £1m signing for the U23 team I could understand it, but £7m is crazy money for someone with so little experience and such a dismal goal-scoring record.

 

I'd still prefer to buy wingers to play on the wings, and a #10 to play behind the striker if we are playing 4231.

 

Yes unfortunately you can't just play loads of strikers in the same team and expect them all to score. The creativity has got to somewhere. Play an out an out striker as a number 10 (second striker) and it puts more pressure on the wingers and centre midfielders.

 

On Ashley Fletcher, his season at West Ham hasn't been the best but he'd only played 353 minutes. But when you look at his time in League one he looks very impressive, 5 goals and 4 assists in 1187 minutes (involved in a goal every 132 minutes). Then an even more impressive record in the high pressure environment of the League one play offs 2 goals and 2 assists in 3 matches, one of those goals in the play off final. 7 Million is an awful lot of money to spend on another striker who's never played in the Championship, but it's not my money and this lad certainly has potential!

[Humpty 3,261]

I can't imagine he's that highly thought of if West ham are letting him go for £7 mil

[Will 2,958]

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ben-gibson-tony-pulis-provides-13392025.amp

 

Pulis is such a ***. It's not difficult to get him, pay the going rate and he's all yours, that's if you can convince him that being a makeshift fullback half the time is what's best for his career...

[Will 2,958]

I can't imagine he's that highly thought of if West ham are letting him go for £7 mil

 

They got him on a bosman last summer and have plenty of strikers ahead of him.