I saw Xisco score for the 2nd greatest team on the planet at the Bernabau last season. Hes a decent enough player in La Liga but Morientes and Baptiste who are a lot more "physical" than him struggled in the Prem. Lucque was a bit too "girly" for the Prem as well.
Keane was watching Xisco for the worlds greatest club earlier this summer. I hope he falls flat on his arse (sorry).

Last season at Stoke the most glaring problem with the team was the lack of a naturally left sided midfielder, with centre-forward Richard Cresswell kinda filling-in in that role. Unless something seeps out as having happened just before midnight, having had all summer, they have signed precisely no-one to play there.

It's all well and good chasing players like Joe Ledley and Jermaine Pennant, or this Dramani guy from last week, but if you run into problems like a club not interested in selling (Ledley), or unafforable wages (Pennant) or player from non-EU without the international games to get a work permit (Dramani) it's all a bit pointless.

Still, Danny Higginbotham has signed, so there is at least enough defensive cover now. But it doesn't bare thinking about if Liam Lawrence or Ricardo Fuller get injured.

Broken Clock wrote:

QUOTE:
Keane was watching Xisco for the worlds greatest club earlier this summer. I hope he falls flat on his arse (sorry).

love you too (x x x)! in mitigation of xisco's poor strike rate (12 in 44), i'll posit that since he returned from a loan at vecendario his rate for depor was 9 in 14, or something in that region. unless i am misinformed.

amongst all the crazy big money deals i'm sick to the back teeth of hearing about, this fellaini transfer completely slipped under my radar.

he looked fair enough against liverpool, and i'm sure their scouts have watched him more than me, but.. £15m? the world's gone bloody topsy-turvy.

Janik wrote:

QUOTE:
Last season at Stoke the most glaring problem with the team was the lack of a naturally left sided midfielder, with centre-forward Richard Cresswell kinda filling-in in that role.

It's all well and good chasing players like Joe Ledley and Jermaine Pennant, or this Dramani guy from last week, but if you run into problems like a club not interested in selling (Ledley), or unafforable wages (Pennant)

I am, and quite a few other Cardiff supporters are, astonished we turned down £6m for Ledley. I can only think the fact that it would have been seen as a final straw after the many sales of better players for lower fees over the last 5 years was the significant factor. The fans would have seen it as a symbolic surrender up with the Toshack transfer.

I read that the problem with Pennant was that the player wasn't interested in coming to Stoke before you even got to discussing wages, he's not at all left-sided either is he.