Xabi Alonso _300
So I would say, let Alonso go now, take the money and, while there’s still plenty of time, spend it on someone who can turn those draws – so costly in last season’s final analysis – into victories.
Alonso might be the best passer at the club but even he hasn’t got the attacking prowess to be a genuine match-winner.
So it’s time to cash in and get someone who is.
Mark Lawrenson was talking to NICK SMITH
I KNOW I say this every year, but then that transfer window comes along every year.
Maybe it wouldn’t irritate me as much if the season started on September 1 or the summer window closed on July 31. But the season starting two weeks before the deadline is just ridiculous and disruptive.
Football must be the only business where people are told when they can buy and sell their commodities.
It’s a restraint of trade and I’m amazed the clubs and indeed the Premier League and Football League authorities just sit there quietly and put up with it.
