Blues bid rejected for Banega

Absolutely no doubt about Banega's talent. A top class player. His temperament is another matter. Still I am sure Roberto could get the best from him.

He comes with potential problems, but you don't get many players with his ability for £6 million nowadays.

He would do very well with us I think. Can really control games on his day. Would be delighted to get him despite his past personal problems.

Banega is a class act on his day but his commitment and professionalism is questionable at times.

Had a brilliant season on loan at At. Madrid a few years ago, went back to Valencia and did well but summat happened with him off the field I think and he fell out of favour and ended up back in Argentina on loan at Newell's Old Boys where he's done we'll enough to get into the Argentine World Cup squad.

I'm not certain but I think he's in the final year of his current deal at Valencia so I don't think he'll go for much more than £6m!

It's rumoured that £6M has been rejected, does this mean that Barry won't be joining?

Derek, I think Barry will make his mind up pretty soon after his City contract expires on 1st July. I have a feeling he will be coming here. Arsenal may have been contenders but they turned down Fabregas because Wenger feels they are well stocked in central mid. I reckon (hope) Barry will be an Everton player by the time we start pre-season.

The Tello move is looking positive too.

I think Banega's career has gone backwards since we were first linked to him a few years ago. Also, he has a bit of a reputation as a changing room shop steward.

I don’t really agree with Colin (895)about Banega’s career going backwards. He’s always been temperamental to say the least , and last time we were mentioned with a move for him it was because he wasn’t in the Valencia team!

Now he’s a main stay player and a much more experienced player whilst still having a long time left in his career. I feel he’d be a terrific signing.

Sign him up

Just been watching the Croatia / Cameroon game, that Perisic looks good Sam, we're supposed to be after him too, £6-8M ish, and he can score as well as assist, quick too !

Derek, Stephane Mbia is on a free from QPR too...

If I could pick any one of the rumours to come true, it would be this one. Absolute class act and would be a massive upgrade to our midfield.

Is it me or are we getting a better class of rumour this summer. Better as in "linked to better players" rather than better as in "more accurate" (which remains to be seen). Also these players seem to be within our price range.

I can't help feel that this is proof of a change of perception of the status of the club (upwards) since the arrival of Roberto – even if the rumours are completely made up, at least some journo thinks it might be plausible, helping reinforce the change of perception in a positive fashion.

I struggle with Banega because of the time he was caught on the Internet with his cock out.

And he looks like an extra from Lord of the Rings.

Ivan Perisic should be the priority...class act!

James #961

Don't think he'd be doing that in a match mate! Seriously though he does have a bit of history for being a dick, he is from what I've seen a good player, it is whether he will improve us, and to what extent.

Perisic on the other hand is definitely in the right mould for us, but after his MotM performance last night, will set other clubs alarms going and his price will escalate!

I, like most of us here, would like to not only know the identities of genuine targets, but to also get them well in before the pre-season if possible. Still think the striker situation needs resolution more so than midfield or defense!

I have no doubt Roberto will pull something out of the hat for us before too long, though he is rather busy at the moment!

Penis envy James?

Good player, good price.

It's been a while since we have had a psycho in the team, bring it on

Hoping that we sign Perisic but not sure we will get him at £8m anymore after his World Cup displays. This is why we should do our business BEFORE the World Cup if possible!
ps: We still need a couple of strikers and waiting for Lukaku to make his mind up has got my feet itchy!

Talking of strikers, does anyone out there actually know the situation of Lacina Traore?

I was under the impression, that because of his injury ravaged stay, he was being granted an a further extension to his loan with us.

I have read, though can't remember exactly where, that he has gone back to his club.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2103405/Ever-Banega-hit-car.html

Brilliant. The guy sounds like a genius!

Please God let someone confirm Traore has returned to wherever he came from, as he was one of the worst players ever to wear a blue shirt. And let's hope he takes McGeady, Kone, and Alcaraz with him.

However, getting Barry, Bony, and Banega signed up, with a Barcelona loanee like Aflay would be the perfect start to the new season – not sure about Tello, but hey – in El Bob we trust.

Jimmy S will have a new hero, Banega sounds as if he could easily outdo Drenthe and Van Der Meyde with a bit of the Richard Wright thrown in.

I am glad we are being linked with this type of player, but looking at the World Cup matches, there are some other good players we may find at a decent price. Did anyone see how good the Mexicans and Chileans were? I would like a player or two from these.

I would like to know how many miles they ran against Spain? They were like bees round a honey pot. Every time a Spanish player picked the ball up, they had players in their faces. How they lasted for 90 mins like that was incredible. It reminded me of how DM had us playing at our best but without the technical ability or speed.

It just shows how we need players with fast pace to frighten the opposition. Young Deulofeu and Ross Barkley both have it in abundance.

James,

El Bob brought McGeady, Kone and Alcaraz into the squad mate.

I agree about first impressions on Traore, but you shouldn't judge him after one game.

Paul, you forgot Robles. To be fair to Martinez, as soon as he got over the new manager syndrome of signing players from his former club, he was superb in the transfer market. Think McGeady will come good with a proper pre-season.

As for Traore, under no circumstances whatsoever should we waste a penny more in him.

I can’t help but feel we are a little harsh on Traore! He’s being judged on one goalscoring performance. He’s quick and half decent in the air; furthermore, he is a loan player so nothing outta the kitty.

I’m not stuck on McGeady either. He’s quick and tricky but I think he looks a bit like Peter Beagrie: one too many tricks and not the greatest final ball. I really really hope I am wrong though as our squad is thin hence the need to keep Traore.

I can’t help but feel some if not most of Bobby’s signings have flopped other than McCarthy. Kone was unlucky with his injury but didn’t light the world up before it; Alcaraz is a bit of a dog... and Robles is dodgy as fook!

Hopefully his new signings will be at the level of his loan players who all worked out really well.

How old is Banega? He seems to have been around for years. We definitely need players in for the start of the season though given the start we've got.

We should look at Daley Blind from Ajax. Don't matter if he's right- or left-footed – he's really good. An offensive defender, could probably play wings or midfield too.

Ever Banega is for me more a name than a player I really want. He would be entertainment, tough, if it's getting run down by his own vehicle or something else. But I like more down-to-earth players whose sole focus is football. I know this is difficult with all the money and all the hoes that goes with it, but look what a gentleman Suarez turned into, and he's giving the credit for his better behaviour to his wife.

I wonder if Drenthe was married and faithful to his wife, not drink-driving all over the place, would he still be with us? I mean, showing up at training with some hookers?

Look up this dutch guy. Daley Blind his name.

Ian Johnston #917

I watched M'Bia play for Cameroon in the World Cup this week and I was not impressed. All the Croatia goals came down the left side of the pitch and as he was part of the right-side defense; he was terrible. Often he wandered across and around the pitch, mainly to the left side, and I wondered if he was lost?

While he often ran forward with the ball, as soon as he confronted a Croatia player he didn't seem to know what to do. The Cameroon team's attitude was very bad, with Cameroon players quarrelling with each other – just what we want at Goodison?

I'll watch closely next Monday when he plays against Brazil (that's if he's chosen) to see if I'm giving him a bad rap!

If we're going on what we've seen in the World Cup, Axel Witsel looks quality. He's a deep lying midfielder for Belgium and plays for Zenit St. Petersburg.

James, @988, you want rid of four Martinez signings then sign off with 'in El Bob we trust'. You seem confused.

Derek, there is no deal in place at all. At the moment Traore will be back at Monaco next season. There was talk of him coming to us again because the coach didn't want him (Claudio Ranieri) but Ranieri has left, so we don't know what the new manager thinks of him, or whether he'd be available for another loan.

Didn't Zenit pay around €40M for Witsel, Mike? Likely to be out of our reach in terms of transfer cost and wage expectations.

Derek, yes Pericic looks tasty though do we have £8m+ to spend on a winger when we are so under stocked upfront and in central midfield.

I think Banega, Barry, McCarthy and Gibson would give us a truly excellent blend of options in central midfield as they all offer different things. Probably a pipe dream though.

How about that young lad Pogba? Could we get him in on the cheap maybe. Looks quite handy.

Sam, are you joking or not? I think Man Utd have been quoted about £60 million to re-sign Pogba.

Yeah Si, it was a joke. Too subtle a one clearly.

Sorry Sam, but it is pretty hard to tell who is up to date with player valuations. I still don't know if Mike was aware of how expensive someone like Axel Witsel is likely to be if he is put on the market.

No worries Si. Serves me right for being sarcastic. If only we could bring in the likes of Pogba and Witsel! As you say £100m+ for that pair.

I don't think we will be doing that much shopping at the World Cup anyway, not many high level teams base their transfer strategy on a handful of tournament games these days. Though there's every chance that some pre-picked targets are playing there.

Mike (#246),

Thanks mate I wasn't sure what was going on with Traore, I was reading conflicting reports of him staying / going / gone etc.

Sam (#250),

Thought you would be purring over Perisic, I do hope we get this guy, I think he would be a really useful addition!

Why did we keep Traore if there was little chance of him playing after his injury? Were we paying only a small fraction of his wages? Was there a deal for next season before Ranieri left?

Re Banega being run over by his own car. Does anyone remember a similar situation involving Brian Harvey? I mean if it can happen to a genius like him then it could happen to anyone. It was the potato what did it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-358451/Harvey-blames-potatoes-bizarre-car-accident.html

Too many players shine at the World Cup only to fall flat on their faces in the Premier League. Surely we all remember the likes of Diouf, Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, Linderoth, Alexandersson etc....? There are loads of examples of players who've played out of their skins for their respective countries only to be exposed once they move to a tougher league, or team, as being sub-par.

I think Roberto will be looking at Costa Rica, Mexico, and Chile, for strikers and wingers. I think his centre mid options will already be drawn up.

Drenthe? Mad as feck. Had his kitchen removed and turned it into a 70s disco according to a builder I know.

I think some of the England players might be going cheap – certainly I can't see anyone paying over the odds for them and most clubs will be looking to move them on.

Colin # 278

I have got to agree that big money signings initiated by World Cup displays have turned sour on more than one instance.

Without being the Devil's Advocate, I would like to take a punt on that Enner Valencia, who I am sure would not command silly money. He has shown each time I have seen him play a good team spirit, a great engine, and an uncanny knack of getting into decent scoring positions, plus of course the ability to slot them away!

As it is looking increasingly unlikely that we will have any chance of landing Rom, unless he has another stinker or two, we desperately need someone up front who can score!

That Fellaini bloke looks good as an impact sub. Anyone know anything about him? And the Aussie Cahill looks as though there's a goal in him. Worth a punt?

That feller Fellaini got sold by a club (can't remember which one it was) for £27.5 million. The chap who organised that is starring on Crimewatch next week apparently.

The other lad is a legend; the sooner he comes home to take up a position on our coaching staff, the better.