Carnivore Chris

I don't see him fitting either and think signings such as himself, Di Maria and Paulinho would all be desperate buys.

Ter Stegen Vidal -- Pique -- Umtiti -- Alba Roberto -- Busquets -- Iniesta Messi -- Suarez -- Deulofeu That team looks good to me. Rakitic started showing his best form towards the end of last season(too little too late unfortunately) and has had a solid pre-season, so him starting wouldn't be something I'd be against, but I reckon Sergi Roberto has warranted a starting place and would bring something fresh to that midfield. He's a much more experienced player now after making over 90 appearances(even if a lot of them out of position) over the past 2 years. That's a very good side and has a solid balance of younger and more experienced players. The only worry is the fact Iniesta can't play too often anymore, but then that's where Denis Suarez comes in and deserves a run in the side. I also think Samper should be kept and not loaned out as he could be a useful player this season and offer depth to a squad that needs it. But Arda, Varmaelen and Douglas should all be shipped out.

Apparently Ozil is "offering himself" to Barcelona. What would you make of that deal if it was to happen Balon?

If he was a free transfer, then it would be good business, but I don't see the need in buying someone like him rather than using young players already at the club. There is no need to get desperate. Zubizarreta himself brought in some bad signings, although just as he started getting it right(with the players you mentioned), that's when he was sacked. Time for more positivity:- I personally don't think all the signings other than Umtiti have been necessarily poor though mate, but some haven't always been utilised properly, mainly Denis Suarez and Paco. Both have showed what they are about and if Valverde has more faith in them than Enrique did, then Denis could become a first team regular and Paco, a highly useful rotation player, which is what he was signed for really and not to be the first choice number 9. Paco scored 6 league goals last season(not including his goal in the Copa del rey final!) and 5 all came in the last month or so when he finally started getting chances(and his movement started looking deadly), so with the correct minutes, he can be a very useful player. It would be unfair to write him off so soon and Denis showed loads of promise when given chances last season but then Enrique stopped showing faith in him for some strange reason, so he deserves another crack under Valverde himself. Aleix Vidal is also the right type of player for Barcelona's system and if he doesn't have more injury problems this season then he will improve the right back position greatly. Deulofeu, for me, could well become a shrewd piece of business as well. As for Semedo, we'll have to wait and see, but the plus signs for both players(and Denis and Paco) is that they are young. As for Marlon(another not mentioned), he hasn't feature enough yet to comment, so maybe he could show us what he's about this season. I think this season is the one to truly judge some of these young signings. Andre Gomes, Arda(although you could see the reasoning behind this one) and Digne signings have been thr terrible ones and certain positions not being addressed properly has been the biggest issue of all. Also placing a 200 million clause in Neymar's contract was devastating when you look back now as that, while being a massive clause, was never quite a clause that some of these oil clubs can't afford. Real Madrid have a 1 billion clause in Benzema's contract(nevermind C.Ronaldo's) and the Barcelona board should have done similar with Neymar. That way, he wouldn't have been going anywhere until an adequate replacement was signed. By the way, why can't Sergi Roberto become a top midfielder if used in his correct position? He's shown plenty to me to suggest that he will thrive in this role. He has a lot to his game.

It might not even be true this one to be honest. Well atleast you'd hope. But signings such as Paulinho and Di Maria aren't ones to fill you with optimism and you could just see them both happening. Like you say, a lot of money has been spent on crap over the years and this looks likely to continue.

If true, then it'll be a disastrous transfer window on a massive scale. Sell one of the world's best players and bring in aload of duds. Pulling out on signing Martinez was a joke as well. He's a defender who is badly needed, has a very small clause in his contract and due to the well known interest, every club in the world will now know his clause and he will be gone to another club by the end of the summer.

Mbappe is going to PSG by the looks of things.

True and Romario only had 1 proper season at the club as opposed to 4. Neymar is class though and if he stayed for a few more years then I'm sure he would have cemented his own legacy at the club, as he was certainly going in the right direction. His connection with Messi and Suarez is as deadly as anything you'll see, his understanding with the Argentine especially was immense. Him leaving is actually sad in many ways. He had to go in the end, but speaking talent alone, he's a major loss. He brought a lot of excitement to the team with his samba feet and barring he keeps his head on his shoulders and doesn't end up becoming a party animal like some players can, he can certainly go on and help his team win major honours and grab himself a Ballon d'or in the process.

He'll never be Rivaldo or Ronaldinho.

That festival was good but honestly, going out around blackpool after it until about 6:30am was the highlight for me, we ended up in some club and it was banging as fuck. It rolled back the years ans I was raving my tits off on the stage like a madman until the music stopped and lights suddenly came on. I've seriously not gone all out like that in a long time but I enjoyed it.

Looks like the Martinez done is nearly finalised. Class signing.

What a fucking mad weekend that was. I won't be doing all that again for a long time though as I can't handle the after effects anymore.

Coutinho would be a signing in the right direction for that role in my opinion and it was obvious that he was a target before the talk of Neymar ever leaving, so I;'m not sure why the media are speaking about him being Neymar's replacement, when that isn't the case at all. With that said, he technically won't be "replacing" Iniesta either, as nobody will ever replace him, just like they won't replace Puyol or Xavi(or Messi when he hangs up his boots). As Alex Ferguson once said, you don't replace players of this ilk, you evolve and Coutinho would certainly help the team evolve for me. One negative is that he could be more consistent, although consistency can easily grow when playing around better players, with all due respects to Liverpool. The problem is the fee it will cost. The defensive signings are as good as sorted now with Semedo and soon to be Martinez(let's also remember that Vidal will be like a new signing in the right back position), so it's just about buying a player to replace Neymar and one who can be bled into Iniesta's role. I've also heard Munir and Marlon could be off to Leganes on loan. I think this would be a good move for all parties concerned, although I believe both could do a bit better than Leganes with all due respects to them and Las Palmas would be a better move at the moment.

No chance of that happening. But it would have certainly been a top signing for Athletic if it had have occurred. If Martinez is signed, then 2 more players such as Dembele and Coutinho would make for a solid window, although the problem is the cost of the latter two.

I'm off to a festival tomorrow. It's about a fiver for a bottle of beer, so it looks like i'll be sneaking in a bottle of vodka/whiskey and a few gram of charlie then... We will be getting pissed up through the day as well before it, so it should be a good laugh. I've booked Monday and Tueday off work as I can see me feeling rough for a few days after this one. I don't bother with these mad benders much these days but every now and again it's nice to get on it. The weather is supposed to be alright as well for a change.

Ye, if they leave, then it's usually to stay in Spain and Barcelona are naturally a club they feel more affection towards than others. This is definitely a signing that is needed as far as I'm concerned and he knows la liga well, in fact, it's all he knows. It's the perfect match in my opinion.

Iñigo Martínez looks to be on his way and it's probably the right time for him now at 26. He has given Real Sociedad a lot of top years and this is now the time for him to move. It's a signing which has looked possible for years to be honest and now is probably the right time. He should be a regular starter as well and for me a defender is certainly a signing that was needed at the start of the transfer window before all the Neymar nonsense. Marlon should be sent the other way on a 2 year loan I reckon as Real Sociedad could make a top player out of him, it's what they are good at and they'd be getting a man with high potential there, who probably won't feature much now for Barcelona after this signing. I must say though that 32 million is a steal in today's market and I feel for Real Sociedad in this regard, as they could have gotten more if they were able to dictate the fee. The thing is, a lot of Basques like being at home mate and never end up leaving. It looks like Iñigo Martínez won't be one of them, but look at Xabi Preito, who has given them his whole career, or the many Athletic players.

It wasn't too long ago that you were claiming Neymar wasn't all that great, that he was a diver and how Bale was a better player, before posting a video of Bale scoring a goal, in the only great moment he had in a Real Madrid shirt. Now Neymar is the second coming? Make your mind up.

Why are Arsenal charging so much for Lucas Perez? They don't need him, don't utilise him properly(they didn't need to sign him in the first place in fact as it was always highly unlikely to work out), he now wants to go home, but they are charging a ridiculous fee what Deportivo simply cannot afford. Greedy cunts.

@Teso dos Bichos In fact, fuck it, I can't pick 10 favourite rappers, it would have to be more like 20 as I like too many equally.

What a sad bastard

Yeah that fight was lacklustre. Woodley could have finished it though to be honest. Bisping looks like he could be fighting against Georges St-Pierre in November.

Very impressive by Jones but I knew that he would win the fight, even if not quite as comfortably as he did. Comier is hardly a bad fighter either and it was the first time he'd been knocked out for a reason. Great to see Jones back. Volkan Oedemir was another who was impressive(he won performance of the night, although I do think that should have gone to Jones, all things considered) against Manuwa. Another great victory and knock out for him. Some class fights overall. These events rarely fail to impress and that's what is good about UFC these days.

Even though not many moves have been made in this window(and a midfielder and centre back could do with being brought in) there are also players, if used correctly, who could be like new signings next season. Rakitic - I say him as he seemed to start losing his way, but towards the end of last season he started to regain his form and has had a solid pre-season. Sergi Roberto - He's brilliant, but needs to be playing in midfield. He could well be the answer and we all don't truly realise it. He really stepped up in important moments last season, unfortunately his talents were being sacrificed a lot over the course of the campaign due to him playing out of position. He's very versatile, but midfield is where he should be playing and all his best moments last season came from the type of attributes you'd expect from a top midfielder. He's done plenty to prove that he deserves that opportunity and I know Valverde will want to use his younger Spanish players. Denis Suarez - He was excellent for Villarreal 2 seasons ago(his talents have been known about for sometime) and for Barcelona in glimpses when given chances last season. He has a special talent there and if he is utilised properly then I genuinely believe he can be a success at the club. He's still only 23, it's the perfect time to give him a fair crack of the whip. Vidal - Just as he started to impress and broke into the team last year, disaster struck and he ended up with a serious injury, but he's back now and has looked solid in pre-season, as if he never sustained a serious injury in the first place. Barring he doesn't suffer any more, he will be a big plus sign next season. It would also enable Sergi Roberto to play in a more natural position to him, especially given the new signing of Semedo on top of that. Umtiti - Last season was only his first season and while he wasn't always perfect, he did show a lot of what he's about. He seems to be the right fit for the club and I believe he can only get better. Paco Alcacer - It took him a while to get going last season, but when he did, he scored goals and combined well with whichever 2 of the front 3 he was partnered with(all of which felt confident playing around him), this lad is certainly a more than handy option to have. It's just about using him properly, like with Sergi Roberto and Denis. All are talented players who offer plenty of squad depth. I don't see much of a future at the club for Andre Gomes, but with all due respects to him, he did look a lot better towards the end of the season. I feel that he doesn't deserve to be ahead of the likes of Denis and Sergi Roberto(playing in midfield) in the pecking order though and this was one of Enrique's problems last season, giving him chances when others were more deserving and would have offered more. On top of that, Turan is undoubted talent and is an option if he stays, also the young Brazilian Marlon may be given an opportunity. There is also Deulofeu. I've never felt confident in him ever being a Barcelona player for some reason, but he is certainly dangerous, has pace to burn and could be an interesting option. I also haven't heard of any talk of Munir or Samper going, so those 2 offer depth themselves if given chances. Another young option is Carles Aleñá, who is slowly starting to make appearances in the first team and has recently signed a new contract with a whopping clause. At only 19, it's always intriguing to see what these young lads can offer, especially when they play in an area where the team could do with a bit of strengthening. There is actually a very strong squad there with a nice balance of experience and youth, it's more about finding the right formula more than anything I think. I do believe a midfielder and defender are needed, but at the same time, I don't think it would be a disaster if the only signing was a Neymar replacement(which will be a must if he leaves) as there are actually a lot of options there in midfield.

It's been a strong pre-season and the team are looking sharper every game going into the new season.