So here’s the thing. Arsène Wenger has definitely decided to swoop for Atlético Madrid’s blonde bombshell and goalscoring sensation Antoine Griezmann. It is partly because he is rather talented and partly to stick it to José Mourinho who thinks the French forward might save Chelsea’s season.
But is this really happening, The Mill hears you ask. Really? Well let’s break this one down. Wenger once said the transfer window “is like a poker game”, and the legendary poker champ Daniel Negreanu always says that to succeed you must understand people’s tendencies – then you just figure out what they are most likely to do.
So: Wenger has a long-term career-threatening tendency to sign skilful flighty types; he tends to avoid all physical contact with Mr Mourinho; he tends to be French. All of this surely points to the indisputable fact that Arsenal must be signing a French flighty forward purely to peeve José. Then again, Wenger also has a tendency not to sign any outfield players at all, so who knows? The Mill was always more of a shuffleboardsman anyway.
Bayern Munich are also in the market for a bit of forward-pinching. Pep Guardiola, not satisfied with 43 goals from 15 Bundesliga games, is hoping to nab Southampton’s Sadio Mané from under Louis van Gaal’s nose, presumably when the Dutchman is stuck on a seven-hour flight away to FC Krasnodar.
Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp is close to a reunion with the Galatasaray and former Dortmund wide-man Kevin Grosskreutz. According to reports in Turkey, the 27-year-old has already agreed personal terms.
An Anfield suit has also decided Demarai Gray might turn out to be rather good. The 19-year-old Birmingham City winger-forward, who scored six goals for his hometown club last season, has a £3.75m January exit clause in his contract. With only Adam Lallana, Divock Origi, Daniel Sturridge, Christian Benteke, James Milner, Jordon Ibe, Danny Ings, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and possibly Grosskreutz standing between him and first team football, what can go wrong?
Talking of snaffling young talent, Alan Pardew took his brush and mattock for a dig around east London and unearthed a gem at non-league Tower Hamlets. The Crystal Palace boss offered the 18-year-old non-league sensation Randall Williams a one-week trial and was suitably impressed. Palace will sign up the former Tottenham academy player pronto before anyone else comes poaching.
Elsewhere, Leicester have ideas well below their station to sign kung fu’s Nigel de Jong, Manchester United like the look of the Fulham teenager Moussa Dembélé, while Brendan Rodgers is likely to snub any approach to return to Swansea, instead keeping his feet firmly on the floor and holding out for the England job.
