I would be even more surprised about buying him now than last summer.
I just can’t think of a modern precedent for us doing this kind of deal. Even putting aside the Chelsea rivalry (which I agree is arguably less relevant under the new owners), when was the last time we did a deal like this with another traditional top six club? We mostly always buy players from teams outside of the big six because we’re looking for value.
Adebayor was maybe the exception but I don’t think he was part of the Man C first team anymore.
There’s always the possibility Chelsea sell him relatively cheaply to us out of FFP desperation but it still seems a long shot to me: Chelsea coming down to a price Levy deems acceptable and him actually wanting to join. We’re also pretty stacked in CM which would probably make Levy even more reluctant to sanction a potentially expensive deal.
I hope I’m wrong because I think he could be a great addition but I just can’t see it right now.
I just can’t think of a modern precedent for us doing this kind of deal. Even putting aside the Chelsea rivalry (which I agree is arguably less relevant under the new owners), when was the last time we did a deal like this with another traditional top six club? We mostly always buy players from teams outside of the big six because we’re looking for value.
Adebayor was maybe the exception but I don’t think he was part of the Man C first team anymore.
There’s always the possibility Chelsea sell him relatively cheaply to us out of FFP desperation but it still seems a long shot to me: Chelsea coming down to a price Levy deems acceptable and him actually wanting to join. We’re also pretty stacked in CM which would probably make Levy even more reluctant to sanction a potentially expensive deal.
I hope I’m wrong because I think he could be a great addition but I just can’t see it right now.