Here's a question, are De Ligt and Zirkzee INEOS signings or ETH signings?
Ask as some journos think ETH has played a blinder in the off season with INEOS and strengthened his hand. 2 more Dutch players coming. 2 Dutch coaches coming into the club to replace a Dutch and a South African coach.
He still has his veto over signings. He has got his wish to have the medical department overhauled. Not sure if he got his wish to have the youth team over hauled.
So it's hard to tell between INEOS targets and ETH targets.
We were briefed by media last week that we were looking at DCL and Toney as potential signings as an experienced striker. That doesn't fit in with INEOS buying plans for 17-24 year olds. So maybe ETH wants a experienced striker?
That's a very, er, conspiracy theorist way to look at it. Sure, you can believe that EtH is some crazed Dutch nationalist trying to colonise Greater Manchester with the Oranje, but I think the reasons we're signing these players are a lot more logical than that.
Most of the reports around the new coaches have said that it was INEOS who insisted on the changes. Not sure EtH would have let van Der Gaag go if it had been all his own way. They've obviously let him have input though, can't just dump a bunch of guys he doesn't know/trust on him. Pep has a lot of Spaniards or Spanish speakers on his staff, so is it that unusual?
Similarly, Zirkzee is supposed to be a signing suggested by Wilcox and the scouts. Again, I'm sure EtH has endorsed it, but I'd be surprised if it was his first choice, let alone his suggestion.
De Ligt feels like an opportunity signing more than anything. Our first choice was obviously Branthwaite, and then probably Yoro. The initial reports seem to suggest that we were made aware by Bayern that they'd be willing to sell him, and for a lot less than Everton want for Branthwaite. Also, he's a good player, do you not want us to sign good players because they're Dutch?
The links to Toney and DCL feel very loose. They were basically tacked on to the end of tweet by Whitwell, and since then the only thing I've seen has been from 'goodison news' and Teamtalk. Hardly tier 1 sources, and it basically reads as gossip anyway. I mean I'm sure EtH does want an experienced striker, but then isn't that a popular view of the caf as well? I can imagine a scenario where we might move for one of them, after we've sold all the players we want to get rid of and if the price was low enough, but I wouldn't bet my house on it. I certainly can't see us paying £60m for Toney just because EtH wants him. I think they'll be conscious of what happened with Casemiro and Antony.