Frenkie de Jong | The last muppeting lap

[Newtonius]

You gotta love how people immediately started to question the best football source in the country because it was negative.

Going to be a fun couple of weeks, oh yeah truly great, how can you not appreciate pointlessly chasing a player for 3 months, a player that delayed other signings, only for him to sign for a rival perhaps days before seeing McFred in the 1st game of the season.

 

[croadyman]

It's going to deadline day, it always was and is inevitable.

Yeah guarantee there is nearly another month

 

[OrcaFat]

Did he return from buying fags by now?

Funny!

 

[NewYorkRed]

Him staying at barca would be one thing, I honestly don’t think i could stomach chelsea getting him after all this.

 

[Rockets Redglare]

I imagine there is probably some truth in the Chelsea story as they do seem to have a bit more pull with certain players due to being in London, but I still think we’re in the driving seat.
I think it’ll be a case of just offering more money to sweeten the deal which isn’t exactly an ideal scenario but if Ten Hag has said it’s De Jong or nothing then we’re going to have to go all out to get his man.

 

[Cypriot]

You gotta love how people immediately started to question the best football source in the country because it was negative.

Going to be a fun couple of weeks, oh yeah truly great, how can you not appreciate pointlessly chasing a player for 3 months, a player that delayed other signings, only for him to sign for a rival perhaps days before seeing McFred in the 1st game of the season.

It's the certain individual journalists which are the best, not the Athletic as a whole. As I've previously said, the minute Whitwell or Ornstein jumps on it, I'll take it as gospel. Until then, it's just another pointless non-update full of ifs and maybes.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

It would be a right kick in the bollocks to have publicly chased this guy for months only for the deal to be hijacked by the club who’ve been getting mugged off all window by Barcelona.

 

[Brownie85]

You gotta love how people immediately started to question the best football source in the country because it was negative.

Going to be a fun couple of weeks, oh yeah truly great, how can you not appreciate pointlessly chasing a player for 3 months, a player that delayed other signings, only for him to sign for a rival perhaps days before seeing McFred in the 1st game of the season.

It's not because it's negative, it's because it's another opinion piece that people are taking as fact.
There is nothing in there thats new and most of it is just the reporters opinion expressing what he thinks is going on

 

[Superunknown]

Manchester is a perfectly decent place. Depending what you want it’s as good as London.

It is probably true that most people who aren’t from here or have barely been here might prefer to live in London as a very broad generalisation. That’s why, when someone says “Frenkie prefers London”, it sounds plausible. We’ve no reliable source confirming it but it sure sounds likely (and probably is true) so let’s go with it. I don’t think he will make a huge career decision based on that but who knows?

Nobody is willing or ready to admit that London is a shithole.

 

[NewYorkRed]

Ed would’ve had this in the bag by now by offering to pay his wages and pay him 800k a week

 

[Rusholme Ruffian]

Not enough random references to shoegaze?! check out the Nightblooms - Crystal Eyes for a banger.

there can never be enough references to minor indie pop bands from 30 years ago in my book!

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Nobody is willing or ready to admit that London is a shithole.

Correct.

 

[Brownie85]

It would be a right kick in the bollocks to have publicly chased this guy for months only for the deal to be hijacked by the club who’ve been getting mugged off all window by Barcelona.

What would be even more ironic is Chelsea giving the club that has mugged them off twice now, stealing players right out of their grasp, €85m for a player they really don't need. That would be hilarious in it's own right to be honest

 

[Berbaclass]

Nobody is willing or ready to admit that London is a shithole.

 

[Matt851]

What would be even more ironic is Chelsea giving the club that has mugged them off twice now, stealing players right out of their grasp, €85m for a player they really don't need. That would be hilarious in it's own right to be honest

He would be a big improvement on their current midfield though. Hopefully there isn't any truth in it

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

What would be even more ironic is Chelsea giving the club that has mugged them off twice now, stealing players right out of their grasp, €85m for a player they really don't need. That would be hilarious in it's own right to be honest

Anything’s possible in the transfer window these days.

 

[Infra-red]

This saga isn't over until Chilevisión have had their say.

 

[MrSingh2002]

That was awful. Really, really poor window.

That window killed me. Going from wanting Klopp/Jose to Pep as a backup.... to getting Moyes.

We've been through worse than this De Jong debacle.

 

[MrSingh2002]

That was horrible. We ended up paying extra for Fellaini as well because of his release clause expiring (I think).

Yeah that was criminal. Watching it all play out in real time. Unbelievable.

 

[Brownie85]

He would be a big improvement on their current midfield though. Hopefully there isn't any truth in it

Not sure you know... they're stacked in midfield, so they'd need to get rid of a few if they were genuinely serious about going for him. Hence why i don't think there is any truth at all. Maybe there WAS interest at one point, but i don't think they're willing to follow up on it

Anything’s possible in the transfer window these days.

Yeah aint that true

 

[glazed]

Chelsea could be true. Equally it could be something Barca put about to get us to pay more of the 17m. It's all black box politics.

 

[OrcaFat]

Not sure you know... they're stacked in midfield, so they'd need to get rid of a few if they were genuinely serious about going for him. Hence why i don't think there is any truth at all. Maybe there WAS interest at one point, but i don't think they're willing to follow up on it


Yeah aint that true

They are good in CM. Unless Jorginho is leaving it would really be madness to blow their budget on FDJ.

 

[Chief123]

Is anyone more attached to this thread/transfer than the Thiago/Kroos/Strootman ones?

That summer with Moyes was torture. Went from thinking we'd get 2 out of those 3 to getting none and Fellaini instead.

Getting Fellani at the end of it was mortifying. I would rather have ended up with none.

 

[Quagmire Maguire]

Nobody is willing or ready to admit that London is a shithole.

I was born and raised in London, the moment I had my first child, I was out of there! It is a shithole, it can be beautiful, but on the whole it is a shithole, a very expensive shithole.

However as somebody who spends a lot of time in Manchester, it is also grim!

 

[Berbasbullet]

How would they get Jorginho and de Jong in the same 11? I just dont see it.

 

[JJ12]

I get a stinking feeling a real gut punch is coming. The murmurs are there. Gut punch.

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

How would they get Jorginho and de Jong in the same 11? I just dont see it.

de Jong can play Kovacic's role, much better.

 

[Swedish_Plumber]

Getting Fellani at the end of it was mortifying. I would rather have ended up with none.

Spending more money than his expired release clause too

 

[groovyalbert]

How would they get Jorginho and de Jong in the same 11? I just dont see it.

Guess it depends on how much Kante is expected to play next season.

 

[Chief123]

Spending more money than his expired release clause too

The best part was when we try to low ball them first with something like £30m for both Fellani and Baines.

 

[pcaming]

I get a stinking feeling a real gut punch is coming. The murmurs are there. Gut punch.

The deal died like weeks ago, I don't why anyone is still fooling themselves.

 

[OrcaFat]

I was born and raised in London, the moment I had my first child, I was out of there! It is a shithole, it can be beautiful, but on the whole it is a shithole, a very expensive shithole.

However as somebody who spends a lot of time in Manchester, it is also grim!

London is pretty shitty. I’ve lived in several different parts of it and I wouldn’t want to raise my daughter there but there are some lovely spots to live if you have a lot of money. Naturally FDJ would live in one of the good bits.

 

[saivet]

Putting this thread back on ignore. All the signs that this saga isn't ending anytime soon and I have a feeling it will end in disappointment. Feels like there hasn't been any update of note for weeks.

 

[Giggsy13]

The Athletic article is really vague in nature. It mentions that "the impression is that he would prefer to go for a CL club". Common sense does suggest that FDJ and ETH would've spoken at some point where he could've said that he prefers to join a CL club and we would've been on our way to find alternatives.

If he leaves Barca, it is most likely to us. But it's been a summer of hijacks so nothing is official till he's holding the shirt.

Theres a meltdown over vague links to Chelsea in an article barely anyone has read. We all know de Jong prefers a CL club, which was reported months ago. I don’t believe ETH and the club would persist with the move if they didn’t get assurances over his willingness to come.

 

[Brownie85]

The deal died like weeks ago, I don't why anyone is still fooling themselves.

Did it really? Have you whacked any money on his staying at Barca/going to Chelsea? You seem certain that the deal to United is dead, even though you have absolutely no proof of it

 

[TMDaines]

Him staying at barca would be one thing, I honestly don’t think i could stomach chelsea getting him after all this.

Might honestly be the most embarrassing moment for the club post-Ferguson, and I include Liverpool smashing us at home last season, and City playing in first gear dominating us. Our chase for him makes no sense if he then goes to sign for Chelsea. Someone will have done their job terribly.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

If he goes to Chelsea, you've got to wonder what dialogue United reps and EtH have actually had with De Jong and his agent(s)?

13 weeks of this, no sign of an alternative and now the Chelsea rumours just make absolute sense. CL, London, better teammates and another club equally on par with being Barcelona's transfer bitchez.

It would be a bizarre turn of events given that we're so far into the window and would be forced to overpay for a vastly inferior alternative or make do with what we have. We've been here so many times as well. Things are gonna change they said

 

[Berbasbullet]

de Jong can play Kovacic's role, much better.

But both de Jong and Jorgingho like to be tbe first to receive the ball from the defence. I dunno, they have way bigger fish to fry.

 

[OrcaFat]

Theres a meltdown over vague links to Chelsea in an article barely anyone has read. We all know de Jong prefers a CL club, which was reported months ago. I don’t believe ETH and the club would persist with the move if they didn’t get assurances over his willingness to come.

Yeah, who knows what he wants but I think he’ll come if he doesn’t get a better offer.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Might honestly be the most embarrassing moment for the club post-Ferguson, and I include Liverpool smashing us at home last season, and City playing in first gear dominating us. Our chase for him makes no sense if he then goes to sign for Chelsea. Someone will have done their job terribly.

I mean, it wouldn't be that bad.