Blues in the hunt for Tadic

This lad is one of the top players in the Dutch League, and can play on the wings or up front. A very skilful player and good goal scorer, would be the perfect fit for Roberto's style of play. The only down side would be the size of the fee, about £10mill so that would count us out...

I don't see why it should, if he is that good and Roberto wants him.

BK has stated that the manager will have funds if he wants them and whatever fans on here may think of BK he did provide Moyes with money for expensive players

I'm sure RM can talk his way into the Twente transaction. Fer's transfer was a complete mystery to me. Anyway, forget that transfer. Let's get this kid. My only concern is the fee for the age. If we can haggle it down a bit, I'll be absolutely excited about this!

Linda BK has hardly blown a fortune on transfers since the Kirkby debacle, we have usually made a profit on transfers in /out or at the very least broken even. I think BK has managed to curtail any ambitions that Roberto may have had in significantly bolstering the squad in January. But there is plenty of time left for my theory to be proved wrong.

I doubt there will be much money spent Linda, and nothing like £10mill on one player.

The only way that ever happens is if we sell a star player, and Roberto has said that wont happen..

Patrick, I hope you're quite wrong. It seems to me that the handcuffs are always there, RM knows that, but surely, it this kid is within our budget, I don't see why BK should block that. I agree with you that there is some curtailing to RM's ambition but not to the extend we can't spend.

Patrick and Ian may be right and I could be way off beam. I think Roberto is a canny man and would have asked lots of questions of the board prior to accepting the job, which surely would have included money for the squad.
He did not take the Liverpool job as he wanted control over football matters, so he definitely knows what he wants

If we could just get most of the sickies back we may not need anyone anyway.

Linda, agreed. I'm speechless to see Kone on the treatment table. If he had been healthy, we would have been focusing on strengthening the right areas like central midfield!

Ian(506) we did sell a star player a few months ago and Roberto ended up making a profit on his transfer dealings of over £10M.

Allegedly we didn't have to sell Fellaini or Anichebe to bring McCarthy in, according to one of the rags. Normally I'd not believe such gossip, but the extra Sky cash plus the loss of 100k+ off the wage bill when Neville, Hitz and Mucha left would have provided some additional funds this season.

Ian Glassey, Greg O'keeffe reckons Martinez as a fair amount of money left over from the Fellaini & Anichebe sales to spend this month, and would have even more if he gets shut of Heitinga & Jelavic and says we could make a big signing!.

But in the same breath he also said that Martinez doesn't rate this window and thinks he'll get better deals in the summer and would rather save his money for then, which he'll have more to spend due to the second instalment of tv money to come in.

But listening to Martinez recently, I think he's just looking at really cheap deals this window and mainly looking to get 2 players in short term to cover for the loses of Kone & Gibbo so don't be surprised to see another loan or 2 from the continent?!.

But back to Tadic, he's a class act and can play anywhere along the attacking midfield spots and is creative and can score goals so would be ideal. We was linked to him in the summer and I wouldn't be surprised if we went in for him this summer.

Dennis, why is the fee for the age a concern - 25 peak career, no?

This guy looks very good indeed as a replacement for Peanuts (can actually play on either flank)

But that looks a very hefty price tag given he's in his mid 20's and we can't be sure he will transition easily to the premiership- after all, look at his even more highly rated colleague, Chadli. And if we are getting McGeady now, it seems unlikely we would need another wide attacking player.

Steven, normally no, but I am still operating under the assumption we still need some form of frugality. I was comparing this to McCarthy's fee and age. Unfair probably but always good to operate lean than to be forced to cut waste later. Otherwise, if we can get in many bodies from the academy, I think this transfer is fine.

Ian - If the lad is as good as you say then £10 million doesn't seem too expensive, and at 25 he should have plenty of years left in him. The likelihood is that Jelavic will go at some stage (especially if someone has been brought in) and that we won't be able to afford Lukaku even if he comes onto the market, so this could be a move which suits us now and for the future.

It is possible that RM has been deliberately talking down our likelihood to buy to strengthen his bargaining position, though we are all fearful that the pot is again empty.

Is buying a goal-scorer the top priority? Well it isn't a cut and dried no and I think the manager will seek to improve his squad whenever an opportunity arises. A defensively minded central midfielder may be more of a priority but there may not be any of the required quality available at the moment; from what I have seen so far Alcaraz may be able to cover that position as well.

Si, someone with that killer touch is definitely needed. As for position, I don't think we particularly need a "goal-scorer" position. In fact, I prefer to strengthen central midfield as part of reinforcing the defensive wall we have above our defence.

I feel the points many people say we dropped are simply that we're a bit more leaky than I thought. I might be wrong simply because everyone is more attacking this season but surely a good defence goes a long way.

Remember how Spain used to be the Armada? Barcelona too about a decade ago. Lots of possession and no goal. Well, we know they got past that so hopefully we can also skip that part of the learning curve.

When it comes to a forward (the long term forward we desperately need), I think if we made it into the CL, then making a bold move for Remy is the way to go.
Assuming Lukaku is on his way back to Chelsea, if we got Remy it would fill the gap as perfectly as can be wished for.
Redknapp was just going on about Newcastle having so far failed to put a bid in to make the loan deal permanent. If we made it to the CL, it may enable pull of that sort of coup.

Steven, while I am suspicious of his attitude, it is a good idea. I would say Remy or the like. Also, anything done at the expense of barcodes is a plus on my end! I hope he's cheap tho.

Old rubber face has told the barcodes to come up with £16mill, so I read somewhere today. I like Remy when he is good he is good,but at times he is crap.

Looks and plays like an older version of Oviedo. Do we need him?

Also, looking at Kone, Alcaraz, McCarthy, Robles and the numerous trips to watch and enquire about McGeady, would suggest that Martinez is never in a hurry to sign strangers. They may be ok for a short loan but that's all. Handing out long contracts to people you don't know is a mugs game. Look at West Ham. Too many players with nothing to prove, coasting along and hardly breaking sweat. We've had one or two at Everton. This why Martinez is so big on character and personality. He has to be sure they will always give everything.

If we do have £10 mil + to spend on one player (and for once we might actually have the cash), I think it needs to be invested in an out and out striker. Lukaku will be gone at the end of the season and we need a quality replacement or else we'll be playing the old 4-6-0.

I agree Jon, the thing all teams need is someone to put the ball in the net.
And with Lukaku going that is a priority, there are some top players out there
we just need the cash.

We spent £15 million on Fellaini and £13 million on McCarthy so why is the money a problem? We came out of the last window at least £10M ahead with the sales of Fellaini and Anichebe.

Stop being so negative... if the prospect of a European place is a possibility then it would be money well spent.

In any case, it is down to Roberto and who he targets is probably worth whatever we spend.

Has anyone thought for a moment that Roberto might not be too obsessed with having a traditional centre forward like Barca operate? Just sayin'

Jon / Ian. Spot on.

Colin - I don't think it has to be a 'traditional' centre forward, but just someone who's main purpose is to score goals. They come in many different forms, and in the modern day they have to be able to play alone up front. Tadic is a forward / winger, he's there to create chances as much as score them.

I distinctly remember watching Sky on transfer deadline day. One of the big mouth-in studio guys said we are probably relying on the Fellaini money to sign McCarthy. The studio then received a call from Everton stating, categorically, that there is money for the McCarthy deal and Fellaini doesn't need to be sold.

Thus, I take that to mean the extra sky money was spent on Kone, McCarthy and Joel. The loan deals were from the Fellaini money. Surely, there is money left.

In regard to wages: I'd say we're better off this season than last, but only just.

Winston, I wish that call was made directly onto TV live. Shut those bs of pundits up!

We should consider putting in a bid for Bafetimbi Gomis, he only has 6 months left on his contract at Lyon and he has a decent goal scoring record. Spurs and Newcastle have recently been linked with him, perhaps Martinez can use his silver tongue to persuade Gomis Everton is a perfect fit for him.

Mark (576), great idea. Only question is whether Bobby thinks he fits well in the dressing room.

Dennis, It sort of was live. The guy stated "we've received a cal from Everton just now..."

I remember thinking that this might come back to bite one day. Probably in January!

Winston, probably. Those bs pundits can bear such a grudge, especially since most of them are aligned to the red teams. Then again, we don't need that many players. We'll just wave it off!

Yes Dennis, Martinez has always stated he needs players with the right character. Although, McGeady hardly has the greatest reputation in the world.

I think Gomis would be a great signing if we can get him for £3-4 million, the lad is big, strong and has played several times for France. He would be perfect competition and back-up for Lukaku.

Mark, yep, sometimes it makes me question how true these stories are. I just want these transfers announced instead of chasing the stories in the papers...

I do agree, his record is spectacular, tho those guys at barcodes aren't really doing that well. We'll see.

Dennis - if you want the transfers just announced rather than chasing them in the papers have your tried...er...not chasing them in the papers and just waiting for them to be announced?

But its all too exciting at the moment - I'm just like you. Its like crack. Not felt like this since the late 80s (and perhaps mid 90s when I wrongly thought Kanchelskis, Ferguson and Barmby would take us back to glory, before I understood the financial impact of the CL).

As for the centre forward position. I'd love to see Mirallas given a chance up front. He came to us as the top scorer in the Greek league – I know that the Greek league is not the same as the Prem. He has the pace, skill, and goal scoring ability so why not give him a go there.

He hasn't been at his best this season, I know that but if Lukaku needs a rest, and I think that he does, then lets give Mirallas a chance. He is losing out in the fight for one of those three midfield places so let's stick him up front and see what he can do. The lad is a scorer, no doubt about that.

Who knows, if he plays a few games up top and does well he could save us a fortune and we could concentrate our funds on strengthening other areas.

Just a thought.

The way Martinez has dealt in the transfer market, nothing would surprise me who we sign next.

With a fee for Jelavic agreed it looks like Martinez has already got his sights set on someone.

The way we move forward and pass the ball, I can think of an unflavoured striker at another club who would be perfect for our style of play, Hernandez Chico , little pea.

Well I f you remember at the Martinez press conference Bill clearly said we don't want to lose players and money will be made available for some Roberto signings. So I am guessing if he had not sold anyone he would have still be allowed a couple of signings. Bill is such a dodgy character when it comes to finances though I suspect he knew that Felli would be going anyway and money wouldn't needed to be made available.

Now Jelavic is going to Hull I suspect we have someone coming in, maybe Shane Long who is a player Martinez rates highly. Not really gonna get the pulse racing but who are we to doubt Martinex with success he has had with other players signed who we scoffed at.

Anyway we are in a really good position with Champions League a real strong possibility, it would be suicidal to sell Jelavic and not buy a striker. If Lukaku got a long term injury we would be fooked.