David Murray is probably doing cart-wheels as we speak. Rovers are going to come knocking with more dosh, and this time we'll be relieving them of Peter 'lightweight' Lovenkrands.

Well if it's any consolation, I think we'll have a good season next year. I'm still dubious of whether Matteo will solve the centre back problem bearing in mind that we lack pace at the back. However, the midfield should be strong, assuming Thommo and Ferguson are back to full fitness and starting in centre midfield. Emerton will be on the right and hopefully MGP providing the width.

I sometimes think you talk sense but at others I honestly wonder if you are on a wind up. Leigertwood hasn't even proved himself at 1st division never mind Premier. He's just an average defender if that. He had a stinker in the play off final and has never impressed me at other times. As for Matteo not bad and would be good for a good few years depending on his fitness. If the fee is £1m or less then great. I'm not totally against the Matteo signing (if it happens) but we need a balance between bringing in experienced players and younger players. When was the last time Souness brought in a young centre half? Nissa is the only one I can think of who made it to the first team. I suppose Souness' argument could be that he's got young centre backs already at the club in McEveley, Fitzgerald and Bruce. But whether they will be good enough to get a game is yet to be seen.

Can anyone from Norway tell me if MGP played in the last Euro U21 Championship and how did he do? You know the one, where Dunny captained England to failure and David Pratt predicted that Dunn would be a world superstar by the end of it having brought the trophy home. Egg on face! Edit: Cheers, Rainmaker.

It's not as if good, young central defenders aren't around. I mean, Iain Dowie picked up Mikele Leigertwood for 150K from Wimbledon - and what a signing he's turned out to be. Admittedly, he hasn't proven himself in the Premiership but I strongly suspect he will have done this time next year. It takes a scout with a bit of intelligence and experience to spot an emerging young talent like that. It seems we're adopting the Steve McClaren theory to signing players: 'Bring in anyone who used to be good or has just had a good season'. I don't mind Souness bringing in a few like Dickov and Gray but by going for Matteo he's quite obviously admitting that he has no faith in his scouting system and a limited knowledge of the foreign transfer market so is just going for familiar names that have done it in the past.

Would he add pace to our defence? He's a solid defender but I was hoping for someone younger and faster to help out Nissa - who must be considered as Rovers long-term successor to Craig Short.

We'll get to the final and lose to Holland. Yes, I know the Dutch had a wretched qualifying campaign and have been pants in their friendlies - but they have so much quality in their squad. If it all clicks, they could do the business.

Disagree. Carrick and Ferguson are TOO similar. Both want to play in front of the back four and be the team's playmaker. Neither prefer to get forward to support the strikers and get goals. I don't think Carrick has the mental strength to make it as a top Premiership player. That as well as his propensity to get injured. West Ham fans got on his back in their relegation season and the guy disappeared. If he wasn't injured, he was avoiding the ball. No, we have Ferguson and Thompson, and then there's Donnelly, Flitcroft and probably Douglas and Tugay. So we're not short of central midfield players. Unless of course, Thommo or Ferguson have further set backs whilst recovering from injury.

Let's not draw any comparisons with Duff, because quite simply, Pedersen will never be as good as him. I have not seen much at all of Pedersen, what little I've seen, he looked less a skilful left-wing but more a Freddy Ljungberg type winger who gets in the box a lot to score goals - but isn't exactly mesmerising the opposition full backs or whipping in crosses. Obviously, this view is wholly unsupported because I haven't seen many matches at all. All I have to say is - let's just hope Souness and his scouts have got it right.

It's that infernal noise again.

Babayaro will almost definitely be sold - worth signing? He's always struck me as useful going forward, but poor defensively. Might, in that case, be able to adapt to the left wing if we don't get MGP.

Ambivalent about this. I was hoping for Donnelly to be given more of a first team role with Tugay's departure, but now he'll probably get farmed out again. However, if Tugay can rekindle his form, he'll be a very useful player next season. But note that huge word, 'if'. Pleased if Douglas signs, but a four-year deal seems a bit OTT if thats what it is.

We would have to wait until after Euro 2004 probably. And who knows, his value may have risen by then if he and Russia do well. I don't think that Karyaka is an option. Souness rated him after the trial but something in his club's transfer demands caused Rovers to drop their interest. The recent comments from the Russian club chairman was probably to flush out some different suitors to buy the player rather than reviving Rovers interest.

We can't afford someone with real pedigree like Rothen or Van der Meyde - unless their clubs agree to loan them out. We either go for the older player who's probably past his prime - e.g Overmars. Or, as I think we are right to do, go for an up and coming player who has a chance of becoming a top player. If Tromso reject our overtures for MGP, we should look to the English football league and try and pick up another young player who can make an impact, like Stead.

Exactly making Parasyte's point. Grabbi - big fee - rubbish signing Stead - smaller fee - good signing

Good signing as long as: 1) We bring in a decent left winger and centre back with the money saved on not spending too much on a striker. 2) His arrival doesn't mean that Andy Cole departs 3) His arrival doesn't mean we discard Matty Jansen 4) His arrival doesn't mean that Gally is elbowed out and into a loan deal at WBA or somewhere rubbish like that.

I was looking at some of Tromso's matches via the links provided by our Norwegian fans, and to be honest, the standard looked appalling. OK, it's not quite scientific judging a whole league by watching one match but from what I saw, it wasn't too impressive. The only times Pedersen appeared to receive the ball was from a punt up field aimed at his head (one very good reason for MGP to get out of Norway). I was hoping to see a player who beats the full back to whip in crosses - but despite watching a considerable chunk of a Tromso match, I didn't see it once. Can anyone allay my fears and tell me that Pedersen is actually capable of running at defenders?

Rovers fans should know how you feel, especially after the sale of Damien Duff. For Tromso, it must be worst because the star players leave almost every season, at least we held on to Duff for a while. But that is the vagaries of the football food chain, so you've got to accept it or support Man U. I know what I'd rather do.

How about sending one of our youngsters out there to help them finish the season strongly, whilst we take Pedersen. Not sure how Jerome Watt etc. would mind missing a chunk of their summer break - but it's not as if they've played much this season.

Hopefully he doesn't have too good a game. We don't want more clubs coming in for him.

This drip feed of info on the Pedersen deal is driving me up the wall.

Houllier's transfer dealings make Graeme Souness look like Alan Curbishley. (Curbishley being the manager with the highest points per pound spent record in the Premiership).

With Barry and Whittingham, I don't see why O'Leary wants another left winger. But then again, it was O'Leary who decided he needed Robbie Fowler when he already had about 403 strikers on the Leeds roster. So you never know.

They obviously did have more money than they were letting on because they bid £5 million for Sean Davis and Barry Ferguson respectively, in January.

Dunny still bitter eh Well, Souness has been vindicated in his decision to get rid by the regular hamstring injuries suffered by Dunny and the inconsistency.