28 Aug 2026 17:59:56
Best window ever, a new goalkeeper and a FOS sponsor ?.
29 Aug 2026 06:20:12
We certainly needed a new keeper, and that is some deal @£7.5million. The BBC are reporting it as the deal of the century.
Chelsea have also recouped more than £160m from flops they were told wouldn't sell: Nicolas Jackson (£65m), Liam Delap (£50m), David Datro Fofana (£3m), Marc Guiu (fee TBC).
Pain doesn't end for the #BlueCo haters.
29 Aug 2026 09:38:44
Definitely a decent window, for which I credit Alonso's influence. Just to note, the BBC aren't 'reporting' the Martinez deal as deal of the century - the question was asked to a couple of former pros, using that idiom for clickbait purposes, if they thought it was.
29 Aug 2026 09:50:05
I'm personally not sure Martinez will immediately elevate us to title contenders like some have suggested he will. He's more than capable of dropping an absolute clanger on his day, and the negative aspects of his personality are probably as much of a worry as the potential positives of his 'winning mentality' (which is to say arrogance). On the other hand, it's possible he'll be focused coming into this team in a way he's perhaps not been in the last couple of years at Villa, and we've needed someone in goal with the confidence to really command their area and the defence, which he brings. Sanchez certainly does not have the trust of the other players.
I'll take Martinez not being the subject of endless conversation - a bit like when Lammens came in and replaced Onana at United. Just going about the basics in a reliable way is fine for me. He doesn't need to pull out 15 worldies a season for the next couple of years, so long as he's not throwing the ball straight to opposition attackers on the edge of the box, as Sanchez has been known to, or making all those other unaccountable stupid decisions Sanchez regularly made that spread uncertainty in the backline. Anything on a level above that is, for me, a positive, even if there are one or two howlers in there.
29 Aug 2026 10:50:48
EdW, I agree with your opinions on Martinez. It seems that the club have a lot of faith in Penders to become our long term No1. However, we could not go into the season with Sanchez between the sticks. What surprises me, it's that it took so long for the club to recognise that he is a liability.
On a separate note, I feel sorry for Donnarumma being credited with an own goal; not much any keeper could have done about that.