Ivan Katalinic's 'tache

I assume Ralph will have a pre-game press conference on Friday? If so I guess we'll be able to gauge how close we are to any new signings by his mood whether he's asked directly or not!

I've heard Wesley is currently wandering around Lazio's training facility looking for the chap that does the medicals but once again he's lost his man...

Presume this might make getting Ntcham more of a problem, if we're still interested?

No idea if this is true but I thought I'd up the meltdown a little if I could:

Maybe our loan target is a Ruben Loftus-Cheeky loan?

Laydeez and gents, I give you...

Unless he just means one centre mid not the total number of players we will get in? #ClutchingAtStraws

Apparently the feedback from the FA regarding a work permit for Salisu was: "look guys, we know you're shit at the back so you can sign Salisu." When we went back for Sangare too they said: "oh no, sorry chaps, you can't sign a central midfielder who doesn't meet the criteria. Exhibit A, a quote from a Mr Leslie Arnold Reed, a former employee of yours": " I believe as a group we probably have a choice from the best pool of midfield options in the Premier League."

What about the link we had to Jovane Cabral a few days ago.? A winger rather than a CM but I guess nothing in it (or nothing until Boufal moves on)? Just a week to go in the transfer window and whilst we might like to dress it up as an opportunity to try to grab a few players we might not normally have the chance to sign, it does still feel like we're once again fiddling whilst Rome burns. If we do want up to 3 in before Monday's window closes, we are going to have show a bit more urgency...

Maybe Ralph was already aware of the Sangare situation with PSV and he is the one he referred to as the one we were missing out on?

Boufal replacement I guess then?

From the Twitter-verse: Record: Talks between Sporting and Southampton over Jovane Cabral are reportedly at an advanced stage. Sporting have been asking consistently for €20M and Southampton may be willing to pay that price.

Not transfer news but I see former Saints youth team centre back Bevis Mugabi scored his first goal for Motherwell in the Scottish Premier League today.

The whole club is s shambles right now, taking the post-lockdown positivity and firmly stamping it down. Chaos over the shirt sponsors, lack of recruitment again (and again blamed on players we can't seem to shift) and sometimes brainless, sometimes turgid on pitch performances. I can't work out whether it's a lack of ambition or complacency over our finish to last season where we clearly over achieved based on the squad that was available to us. Maybe it's both. Whereas once I was casting an envious eye over the players and resources at the biggest sides, now I'm looking at teams like Brighton and thinking how they've got a decent mix of players, a coach who is effectively enforcing his ideas and an owner who cares and is willing to invest in the team and wishing that was us. Of course there's plenty of time to get ourselves in good shape again but it will take 3 or 4 reasonable additions to the team/squad to give us the depth and quality we're sadly lacking right now. And maybe even to keep our manager from thinking 'stuff this' and walking away.

Well, Ronald has just said this midfielder needs to find himself a loan. Get on the phone Ralph... https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/barcelona-midfielder-riqui-puig-available-for-loan-after-ronald-koeman-talks-a4551301.html

I bet Spurs are shitting themselves laughing.

From the Sky Sports Centre, it looks like Sheff Utd are interested in a player we've also been credited with an interest in:

Kamil Jozwiak has signed for Derby. Wasn't he the Polish winger we were linked with? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54145048

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/joseph-dagrosa-ownership-discussions-two-18903626 A bit more background reading...

First time I've been jealous of Everton. A Hummel kit... nice!

Thiago Silva has joined the great Chelsea recruitment drive.

So, Redders, Obafemi or a goalie?

I can imagine Jim Bowen now: "Red Bull you wanted, RedBall you've got..."

Lewis Dunk has signed a new 5 year contract at Brighton. I wonder if that means Chelsea will start looking towards Bednarek again?