FootyChatter.com

All the latest transfer news, done deals and reports plus Phil Mc Nulty Q&A taking place - get your questions in Latest: Chelsea agree deal worth £60m for Brighton's Joao Pedro & Jamie Gittens set for Chelsea medical Nizaar Kinsella on Chelsea's business: Too many attackers or embarrassment of riches? Latest: Calvert-Lewin to leave Everton as free agent & what next in Liverpool's pursuit of Marc Guehi? Gossip: Arsenal join race for 23-year-old French striker Hugo Ekitike? | Gyokeres tells Sporting he won't return and wants a move this summer? Get Involved: Whats App on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)⁠ Written by Craig Nelson, Mantej Mann, Holly Bacon & Ijeoma Osadebe. Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Tom in London, a Swansea fan whose sentiment has long been eroded: Q for Phil Mc Nulty - as Paul Mullins moves on from Wrexham despite club legend status, is there any room for sentimentality in football? Has there ever been? Not when it really matters, Tom. Ultimately football is a very ruthless business, not a natural home for sentimentality. That’s more for the fans. Still doesn’t mean you can’t recall those wonderful memories Mullin has left behind at Wrexham, but if you’re looking for sentimentality, I wouldn’t come to professional football. #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Hugh, Liverpool: Re Ken in Newcastle - you could always sell us Isak, I’m sure an extra £120m would help you get deals done… Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Mike, Liverpool fan in Teesside: Hi Phil. People are largely lauding Liverpool's transfer business so far this summer. Looks like there could be more signings to come. On the back of the previous summer window, when very little business was done, they won the league comfortably. Do you think they are in danger of doing too much, having too much change and preforming worse than last year as the new signings take time to bed-in and gel as a team? Hello, Mike. Interesting that I’ve had questions from Liverpool fans concerned they might be doing too much business after getting them from fans fearing they were not doing enough this time last year. As I mentioned before, I think Liverpool’s team did need strengthening despite winning the title, and they have done it in exactly the areas you might expect so far, at right-back, left-back and in the forward positions. Now it is about sales, then I can see more incomings, maybe in central defence and up front. I would not worry they are over-doing it. This has not been a scattergun series of acquisitions. It has been done with structure and purpose – and has strengthened the squad. #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Re: Adam, Croydon 11: 05 - 100% Liverpool have sold some flops, but a fair few have flourished or made the club that bought them some serious profit. Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Dominic Solanke, Taiwan Awoniyi, Raheem Sterling. Van den Berg has been decent too. And they’ve just sold Kelleher and Trent for a combined £22m! Jonny Re Adam from Croydon at 11: 05. If the Williams he mentions about Liverpool rejects is Neco Williams at Forest he is completely wrong. Neco has turned into one of the best attacking full-backs and was part of one of the meanest defences last season. Rich in Nottingham Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Ken, Newcastle: Hi Phil, why do we (Newcastle United) seem to be struggling to get deals done. Eddie said he wanted business done early but we haven't been able to attract our top targets. It's a little bit of a worry. Hi Ken. It has been frustrating, as I was at Newcastle on the last day of the season when Eddie Howe said it was imperative business was done quickly – but this has not happened. It is not as if they have not been trying, but they have been unable to agree deals and now it looks like Joao Pedro, a prime target, is off to Chelsea. I think this was always a fear behind the scenes at Newcastle, with the attraction of London and extending the ex-Brighton clan of Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez. Still plenty of time to bring in new faces – but there is no escaping the fact it has all been very frustrating for Newcastle and Howe so far. Craig Nelson BBC Sport reporter Maybe we should start an offshoot to this live on out-of-context sightings of Phil Mc Nulty. Maybe not. Right, back to the serious [transfer] business at hand. Over to you Phil. .. #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Thanks to browser cropping I opened BBC Sport to see the headline ‘Transfer news latest: Chelsea agree fee for Pedro & Phil Mc Nulty’ - I mean I know they’re building a big squad, but I didn’t see that signing coming! James, in need of a second coffee Craig Nelson BBC Sport reporter Thank you Mick for putting that image of Phil Mc Nulty tearing it up at Glastonbury into my head. I'm thinking maybe something similar to the headmaster character played by Greg Davies in the final scenes of the first Inbetweeners movie - shirt off, with school tie around his head and maybe some neon face paint? Made my morning that has. For those who missed BBC's Glastonbury coverage, there is plenty on i Player to get stuck into. I am sure Phil is rocking out to it now as he answers your questions. .. Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Mick: Hi Phil, I'm glad you made it back from Glastonbury. Should the FA put in place a mandatory retirement age for international football to allow the England Under-21s to develop into the European Championship and World Cup-winning team we all know they're capable of becoming? Hi Mick. No Glasto for me I’m afraid. My days of outdoor concerts were restricted to Monsters Of Rock. I would not agree with a mandatory retirement age for international footballers: A non-starter in every respect, especially as I doubt not a single country would agree to it. #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Both teams could do a lot worse than including Diogo Jota in a deal for Marc Guehi. Seems like the team is improving around Jota and he's not been able to step up. Could be a decent fit for Palace as another forward option in Europe. Andy Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Andrew, Glasgow: Morning Phil. Where do you see Dominic Calvert-Lewin moving to? On his day he's a handful, but those days are few and far between. Hi Andrew. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s decision to leave Everton is, in my opinion, the best for all parties. He has been so badly troubled by injuries in recent seasons and maybe a fresh start is just what he will need. I can certainly see plenty of interest, despite this, and we must assume he is aware of that as part of the decision-making process in leaving Everton. Clubs have already been linked, including West Ham United, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, but anyone interested will certainly be weighing up the price of the overall package against the time he has spent out injured in recent years. As you say, on his day he is a talent, but any move will certainly carry an element of risk because of that injury record. Despite that, it would not surprise me at all to see Calvert-Lewin in the Premier League next season. Right, back to Phil Mc Nulty's Q&A. Next up is one on the news that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is to leave Everton. .. Craig Nelson BBC Sport reporter While we are on the subject of Liverpool, just a heads up that we are going to come back to the Premier League champions' reported interest in Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi later. There has been discussion on this page already today about the correct valuation for the England defender, and whether Liverpool could add in a player, maybe even Harvey Elliott, as part of any deal. Please get in touch with your own views on this topic, via: #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Adam, Croydon: As a Palace fan I'm not sure I want Ben Doak as part of the deal. Liverpool have a tendency to overvalue their young players and I can't really think of one who's left them and done particularly well for the money paid (often around £20m)? e. g. Brewster, Ibe, Williams. #bbcfootball, Whats App 03301231826, text 81111 (UK only, standard rates apply) Liverpool fan here! Re talk of Harvey Elliott in some sort of swap deal - having seen him shine for the U21s I think he’s looking stronger than Jota when given more game time. Liverpool should definitely keep him. Sarah Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Jack: I have a question for Phil. I’m a Liverpool fan and have been really enjoying their transfer window this summer and do not want it to end. We’ve clearly seen most of the big teams on the downward spiral and have decided to capitalise on it, but do you think that it could come back to bite them as it is too much change at one time? Hello, Jack. No wonder you’re enjoying it. It has been outstanding so far. No, I don’t think it will come back to bite them because all the signings so far have been with an obvious purpose in mind. Frimpong was signed to replace Alexander-Arnold, Kerkez to provide competition for Andy Robertson, who is now 31, and Wirtz because he is simply an outstanding player who was wanted by some of Europe’s top clubs. There may be further additions, perhaps central defence and striker, depending on departures, but Liverpool did need strengthening even though they won the title and they are going about it in a structured way. Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Chris, Tilbury: Hi Phil. I did ask last week if you think the FA got the wrong man. Under Thomas Tuchel, it just seems like more Gareth Southgate, meanwhile Lee Carsley did an excellent caretaker job and his Under-21s team, which he had to rebuild, not only played high-tempo, exciting football, but they won they defender their U21s Euros crown as well. I'm in the Carsley camp. Morning, Chris. I think I have to repeat my belief that it is far too early to make definitive judgements on Thomas Tuchel, even though there has been little to excite us so far. The bottom line is that this will only come with the World Cup. This is when Tuchel must, and will, be judged. In the meantime, I think Carsley and his coaching qualities provide the perfect fit to develop England’s younger generation which, in turn, will help Tuchel. Phil Mc Nulty Q&A Phil Mc Nulty BBC Sport chief football writer Neil, Edinburgh: After his tremendous performances helping England win back-to-back Under-21 European Championships, should Harvey Elliott stay at Anfield to force his way into the team or head elsewhere? Also, what about that U21 final? What an achievement from Lee Carsley and the team, which seems to have gone almost unrecognised. Morning, Neil. Harvey Elliott, as he has said himself, faces a very big decision this summer. He did not get many starts in the Premier League last season and, with the World Cup coming up next summer, he will want regular game time to push his claims. He enhanced his reputation with England’s Under-21s in the Euros win and he is now at the stage of his career where he needs to be starting a lot more games. He is certainly good enough. It will be very hard to break ties with Liverpool, though, given where they are at the moment. The Premier League champions have made big moves in the transfer market and clearly have sights set on the title and beyond next season – and Elliott is a boyhood Liverpool fan. Elliott must decide whether to bite that bullet for the bigger picture of his career, or is so confident that he believes he can break into a star-studded team on a regular basis. One thing is certain – if he does decide to leave Liverpool he will be in a very big demand. On your last point, it was a superb achievement by Lee Carsley and the U21s, and I actually think that has been recognised for that. If only we had a football expert we could turn to to answer our burning questions. .. Phew, luckily we have BBC Sport's chief football writer on hand. Over to you Phil Mc Nulty. .. Emily Salley BBC Sport Chelsea have already assembled a big squad, with a value heading north of £1. 4bn. Liam Delap has already signed this summer, while midfielders Kendry Paez and Dario Essugo, winger Estevao Willian, goalkeeper Mike Penders and defender Mamadou Sarr also completed moves to Stamford Bridge. By buying younger players on lower wages and spreading the payments over long-term contracts, Chelsea's strategy is to unearth new stars and sell on unwanted talent for a profit. But further bolstering their ranks may be determined by the Premier League's response to the sale of their women's team to parent company Blue Co for £198. 7m - a process that put the wider business into profit. "If this is accepted by the Premier League, then Chelsea would have significant spending flexibility and another £200m is a possibility, " football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport earlier this month. "If it is excluded, then things will be far more challenging and they may have to sell before buying. " However, Chelsea's finances will be bolstered by qualifying for next season's Champions League, while they are set to receive more than £50m for taking part in the expanded Club World Cup. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.