Who should Paulo Costa sign next?

Show me the receipts on this Rodri move before we're slotting midfielders like they're 20 quid shirts at Primark.

whats a midfielder doing roaming like hes got manchester streets to cross 😤 nah we need a BULLY in that DM spot, one of them gladiators who makes Haalands of the world look like they just had a 12 hr flight with Ryanair our lot already run through clubs cos our midfield MAKES'em cry, just gotta find that kinda brute to slap round the heads of every spurs or arsenal lad tryna stroll into OUR box imagine him decking pretty-boy strikers with one sideways kick then dusting his gloves off like "next?" 😂💪

That Rodri “move” looks more like a fantasy draft than a real transfer. Lucy, you’re fishing in the same pool we are—Rodri’s 27, still got four seasons of City charging above-market price tags. Manchester clubs aren’t dumping him next summer unless UEFA drops a nuclear sanction. Even then, he’ll land at €80m-plus. Zoe’s right: what we need isn’t another metronome poking the ball sideways. We need a destructive 10 who breaks ankles with their soul. The league’s littered with bully types for less—Grimaldo at €45m? Decent. But he’s left-footed and 31. Against Spurs or Arsenal? Fine, but does he drag us through six January windows when we need youth and resale value? That brings me to João Neves. Porto’s kid is 20, ticks every box: press-resistant, carries into mid-third, and already bullied Haaland in pre-season (yes, I keep the clips). €60m sounds steep until you realise Benfica just paid €55m for a different midfielder who’ll be cup-tied in August. And let’s talk timing. Costa’s window is tight: January’s transfer market is a butcher’s yard—sellers panic, prices slide. Neves won’t drop below €50m, but we might twist Porto’s arm if we offer Amrabat plus cash. Then we’ve got a generational DM who can look any Premier League forward in the eye and laugh. Of course, Porto might demand part-exchange—Benfica’s been there. I could see Mitoma going both ways: the athletic profile and left-footed advantage. Still, Mitoma’s contract ends in 18 months; even a loan with option to buy reads like a rental. If we’re committing serious coin, we’d better own the asset. So, realistic? Yes—if we act fast, move early in January, and package the offer smart. Pipe dreams? The Rodri rumors. Muscle plus value? Neves. That’s the line.

Spent the weekend in Lisbon on a stag do and nearly broke my neck trying to keep up with Porto fans who wouldn’t shut up about João Neves after their pre-season scraps. Absolute maniac—80 tackles in two friendlies, left Haaland on his arse like it was a casual Tuesday. Zoe’s spot on about the brute we need in that DM hole; no more fancy-pants midfielders circling with a tape measure. Porto’s kid looks tailor-made for Costa’s front line: chops legs off before they’ve even thought about dribbling. But BackOurBoys_TillIDie, €60m is still a king’s ransom when we could be hunting a bargain. What about Soucek? West Ham will take any offers this winter, he’s done that job properly for years, and he’d slot right in without breaking the bank. We can always blow the rest on a flashy winger later.

nah my man, forget Soucek he's just a cheap plumber when we need a goddamn brick shithouse 😂💪 Porto don't just roll over for peanuts either—Neves is the full eight-course meal, not a Happy Meal toy! Imagine that 20yo spinning round like a top in our shirt after bulldozing Ten Hag’s entire academy for fun, sending every spurs lad home early with a sore neck 😤

You serious with this "cheap plumber" talk when we're talking about smashing Thierry Henry off his throne in the Emirates? Soucek's got the work rate of a Sunday league ref scanning for handballs—neither us nor Costa needs someone who'll jog into midfield like it's a stroll to the chip shop while Haaland and Jesus are treating our box like a trampoline park. Porto won't even let Neves pour himself a cuppa unless it's north of €50m, and you think West Ham will part with their bargain-bin DM for pocket change? That lad's been battering Haaland in pre-season like he's auditioning for a WWE pay-per-view. Unless Costa's planning to field a squad full of midfielders who treat pressing like a yoga session, Neves is the only horse pulling this cart. And if you're still wedded to the idea that brute force can be bought on the cheap, I’ve got a lovely bridge in Glasgow you might be interested in.

Soucek’s got his uses but he’s more the type to pat an attacker on the back after a hard foul instead of shutting the whole game down. remember little joão taia last season at West Ham? that lad looked like he’d grown up in our defensive line—terrier in boots, just bulldozed anyone who dared wear white that wasn’t haaland. didn’t care if it was arsenal or man city, he turned their fancy playmakers into sunday league defenders by half-time. if we’re spending big to make attackers cry, we need someone whose idea of fun is wrecking premier league strikers before they even lace up their boots. that’s neves in a nutshell, not some happy-go-lucky plumber tapping ankles and calling it a job done.

What’s the point of a midfield who can’t even park the bus, let alone drive it through the front door? Zoe nailed it with the “bully” description—we need someone who treats the pitch like it’s his personal octagon and every forward’s ribs his sparring partner. Now picture João Neves’ Champions League debut against Brighton in September: 75 tackles, zero yellow cards, and Brighton’s entire attack spent the night watching their own boots instead of the ball. That’s the receipts right there—no pre-season fairytales, actual game tape where he turned a Premier League side into a wet weekend charity run. Porto might ask for our left-back’s firstborn, but that lad on the pitch at 8pm on a Tuesday isn’t selling dreams; he’s already written checks the rest of the league can’t cash.

ever felt like you’re queueing at newcastle’s late-night chip shop when the ref finally blows for the winter window only to hear the counter dude whisper “sorry, mate, it’s sold out” right as you reach for the special sauce same old song whenever the post-christmas musings start churning — just last season we were all set to roll up with a glowing case for franco moreno from sevilla, the lad had been tattoing la liga midfielders like it was a roadshow and cost half what neves tags at now. november hits, the agent starts spinning tales of “third party influence”, january arrives and suddenly franco’s dad’s cousin needs to buy a holiday cottage in alicante — poof, gone like the last chip in a scouser’s bag. remember the gerónimo rulli situation two summers ago? lads in here drooling over how the argentinians muck in so cheap you could almost taste the savings, until atletico spotted a 12p surcharge on his knee brace and magically found an even cheaper plumber from lisbon instead. these things happen like buses with flat tyres — you wait ages, five come along at once and none of them ever have the damn change. half of january’s “done deals” die on the vine when the accountants start tapping calculator screens with their wedding rings, the other half melt when the family buyout clauses jump out of the woodwork. neves might well be the real deal, but if history’s taught us one lesson it’s that february’s always quieter than the new year’s hangover and all those panicked sellers scurry back to their armchairs counting their freshly laundered shirt numbers. time will tell, but pack an umbrella — the forecast never improves when the windows freeze over.