João Pedro

[The Prophet]

2 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

No chance it is happening if Sarr is off to Palace like. We keep going for players that clubs just won't sell unless the offer is ridiculous.

 

Maddison and who else? The whole Maddison affair was a bit odd mind.

[Dokko]

9 minutes ago, toon25 said:

Tbh, I think £20m was a fair offer.

 

Really nothing more than that apart from add-ons. He probably needs a goalscoring season in the championship before making any difference to an established prem team.

[gdm]

13 minutes ago, Pokerprince2004 said:

Merson was watching the Watford game and said he was terrible. Be an underwhelming signing for me 

Merson is a clown but i really don’t get what people see in Pedro. Aye he’s tidy but as a striker he’s just not that good tbh 

[ponsaelius]

9 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Maddison and who else? The whole Maddison affair was a bit odd mind.

 

Not even Maddison I was thinking of. I don't think the asking price was actually unreasonable for a player of his quality. That was more a lowball offer for a player who actually might have been a goer.

 

I was more meaning the likes of Diaby, Harrison, Sesko, JP etc. They're all from clubs who don't need to sell or had already sold players they had expected to go this summer. We're repeatedly targeting the players who clubs don't want to sell because they've already had big player turnover or just don't want to sell at this stage of their value arc (unless the bid is way over and above). I think that's half the reason we're falling short repeatedly. We seem to be bluntly targeting the precise profile of player we want rather than actually playing the market where potential deals are there to be had.

[The Prophet]

Just now, ponsaelius said:

 

Not even Maddison I was thinking of. I don't think the asking price was actually unreasonable for a player of his quality. That was more a lowball offer for a player who actually might have been a goer.

 

I was more meaning the likes of Diaby, Harrison, Sesko, JP etc. They're all from clubs who don't need to sell or had already sold players they had expected to go this summer. We're repeatedly targeting the players who clubs don't want to sell because they've already had big player turnover or just don't want to sell at this stage of their value arc (unless the bid is way over and above). I think that's half the reason we're falling short repeatedly. We seem to be bluntly targeting the precise profile of player we want rather than actually playing the market where potential deals are there to be had.

 

Did we ever go for Diaby, Harrison or Sesko other than reported interest or enquiries?

[ponsaelius]

It was well reported we enquired about the first two and were quoted sums we weren't willing to pay. Just because it didn't get to bidding stage doesn't mean we didn't try and sign them. Sesko we were clearly interested in given that we met his agent. None of those clubs have ultimately sold those players and I'm not sure they will (I don't count the Sesko to Leipzig next year as a real transfer - the corp have kept him in house).

 

Gordon is another one for me. We went in for him well after they'd got the windfall for Richarlison (and Kean). Might have had a better chance earlier on. But generally I don't think they intend to sell him unless the offer is ridiculous (which might be what they're going to get from Chelsea).

 

 

[OverThere]

If only we had developed our young players in Mitrovic and Toney. Both were far cheaper and far more accomplished than this guy.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

Line!

[ponsaelius]

£20 million probably is a fair offer to be honest which reflects his current value as a bit of a gamble. But it's not one that will make them sell considering the windfall they'll get from Dennis and Sarr who were always going to leave. JP is clearly the one they wanted to keep for at least another season. This is the point. We keep targeting the players that the clubs don't want to play ball with at this stage - so you then need to offer 30-50% more to make them sell. Which we obviously won't do because it then doesn't represent value for us. Round and round we go.

[The Prophet]

5 minutes ago, ponsaelius said:

It was well reported we enquired about the first two and were quoted sums we weren't willing to pay. Just because it didn't get to bidding stage doesn't mean we didn't try and sign them. Sesko we were clearly interested in given that we met his agent. None of those clubs have ultimately sold those players and I'm not sure they will (I don't count the Sesko to Leipzig next year as a real transfer - the corp have kept him in house).

 

Gordon is another one for me. We went in for him well after they'd got the windfall for Richarlison (and Kean). Might have had a better chance earlier on. But generally I don't think they intend to sell him unless the offer is ridiculous (which might be what they're going to get from Chelsea).

 

 

 

Isn't making enquiries and meeting with agents something that a majority of clubs do on a regular basis with a view to making transfers now or further down the line? For example, we could have sounded out Diaby and his representatives might have said not before a world cup, but keep in touch.

 

Edu recently spoke to Sky about putting the feelers out for a couple of their deals back in January. 

[LV]

When did we meet Sesko’s agent? 

[HaydnNUFC]

Aye, the strategy post-Botman (which was 1st July btw) has been bizarre. We seem to mostly have targeted PL or England based players where values are inflated and gone for players whose clubs do not want to sell, proceed to low-ball with a bid based upon a particular valuation of ours, baulk at the asking price and proceed to move on. Rinse and repeat. It's why a few people are getting frustrated. 

 

If you want to take a PL or recently PL club's best player(s) who they actively don't want to sell (Maddison, Pedro, Harrison, Gordon etc) you have to pay over the odds to land them. Which often is over £40m these days which seems to be our ceiling. 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by HaydnNUFC

[The Prophet]

By all accounts Pedro had a stinker tonight.

[The Prophet]

3 minutes ago, LV said:

When did we meet Sesko’s agent? 

 

His agent was in Newcastle. It could have been a decoy, but he was teasing on social media.

[LV]

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

 

His agent was in Newcastle. It could have been a decoy, but he was teasing on social media.

Ah, yeah I remember his agent possibly being in town.
 

Doesn’t mean we met him mind. 

[Wolfcastle]

Have to say if this transfer doesn't go through, it'll be right up there with the time the Salako transfer didn't happen and we got Ginola instead for guttedness

[LV]

10 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

Aye, the strategy post-Botman (which was 1st July btw) has been bizarre. We seem to mostly have targeted PL or England based players where values are inflated and gone for players whose clubs do not want to sell, proceed to low-ball with a bid based upon a particular valuation of ours, baulk at the asking price and proceed to move on. Rinse and repeat. It's why a few people are getting frustrated. 

 

If you want to take a PL or recently PL club's best player(s) who they actively don't want to sell (Maddison, Pedro, Harrison, Gordon etc) you have to pay over the odds to land them. Which often is over £40m these days which seems to be our ceiling. 

 

 

 

Because of FFP. 
 

We have a limit but are seemingly having a go at getting players while sticking to that limit.

 

Better to have a go than not try at all imo. 

[Kid Icarus]

18 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

By all accounts Pedro had a stinker tonight.

Definitely wouldn't go anywhere near that far. Very good first half and second half he wasn't great, then picked up a bit, then missed a decent chance.

 

Where he's picking up the ball looks like the problem, but he looks like a very good dribbler. He didn't look like he was playing at CF at all, more LW and then RW.

[HaydnNUFC]

1 minute ago, LV said:

Because of FFP. 
 

We have a limit but are seemingly having a go at getting players while sticking to that limit.

 

Better to have a go than not try at all imo. 

 

I get that, but why bid £35m-£40m for Maddison, see Leicester reject it and quote £60m so we then bid again but £40m-£45m which also is inevitably rejected out hand? Seemed to be an enormous waste of time, like why bother? Leicester were never going to sell for that.

 

It just seems awfully scattergun, bidding our budget limit on players whose asking price is way above that due to their importance to their current club which surely NUFC are aware of. For all this organised operation and stuff Ashworth has meant to have brought it seems the attacker search is a bit disorganised after Ekitike knocked us back.

 

If we want players who will improve us and/or an affordable striker who seems to have the same criteria as Pedro and Ekitike I don't know why they don't explore the continental market a bit more. Maybe they are but the lack of movement sure isn't dampening the rising feelings of anxiety that we won't sign anyone at all.

[LV]

3 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

I get that, but why bid £35m-£40m for Maddison, see Leicester reject it and quote £60m so we then bid again but £40m-£45m which also is inevitably rejected out hand? Seemed to be an enormous waste of time, like why bother? Leicester were never going to sell for that.

 

It just seems awfully scattergun, bidding our budget limit on players whose asking price is way above that due to their importance to their current club which surely NUFC are aware of. For all this organised operation and stuff Ashworth has meant to have brought it seems the attacker search is a bit disorganised after Ekitike knocked us back.

 

If we want players who will improve us and/or an affordable striker who seems to have the same criteria as Pedro and Ekitike I don't know why they don't explore the continental market a bit more. Maybe they are but the lack of movement sure isn't dampening the rising feelings of anxiety that we won't sign anyone at all.

I guess they aren’t factoring in the nervousness of some of the fan base as they go about their business

[HaydnNUFC]

5 minutes ago, LV said:

I guess they aren’t factoring in the nervousness of some of the fan base as they go about their business

 

I fucking hope they aren't.

 

But the bottom line is our last signing was completed on the 1st July, 47 days later no one else has come in despite that our most pressing issue since this window's outset was attackers; a backup/understudy to Wilson and a competent wide player who can contribute goals & assists. We've persistently had bids considered derisory knocked back by clubs for players who they actively don't want to sell. It doesn't make much sense.

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by HaydnNUFC

[The Prophet]

 

[nemtizz]

Hilarious if true.

[duo]

The club seem to have a blue print of the type of player they want to bring in 

[HaydnNUFC]

In before the inevitable rejection of a bid considered 'derisory' then the following 'internal discussions at the club regarding moving onto alternative targets'. Rinse, repeat.