NUFC Transfer Rumours

[Groundhog63]

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Remember liking him a lot but it’s pretty vague memories at this point. 

Bets hedged

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, Zero said:

Yea it’s like this 

 

1. Before May / June - NO all agreed that we have to wrap up some deals for the positions that need strengthening ASAP

 

2. Nth happened till August

 

3. People start questioning the club and the manager and some will jump out and say “you are just naive to think we can get deals done early, it really depends on the seller, out of control, not our fault etc”

 

4. End up settling for 4/5th choices with staggering price 

“that’s the cost we have to pay, we do not have bargain power etc”

 

 

And the worst thing is no one needs to be accountable for this

 

 

 

Missed out the bit where our best player decides to be a massive dickhead and set everything on fire.

[Zero]

2 minutes ago, SteV said:

Missed out the bit where our best player decides to be a massive dickhead and set everything on fire.

all the clubs except the biggest few ones face this problem. Even Man Utd couldn’t keep CR7 when Real Madrid jumped in. It’s not something “one-off”

 

we just did a very poor job. Face it. We don’t have planning ahead. We don’t have control. We got mocked by Brentford. We ignored players from other leagues. Would players like Groupi and Rayan choose Bournemouth over us? Did we know them? Or even try to interfere the deal like how Liverpool did to Ekitike? 

 

 

Edited May 21 by Zero

[SteV]

1 minute ago, Zero said:

all the clubs except the biggest few ones face this problem. Even Man Utd couldn’t keep CR7 when Real Madrid jumped in. It’s not something “one-off”

 

we just did a very poor job. Face it.

We could have handled things a lot better obviously, but it’s silly to suggest that him behaving the way he did, didn’t massively impact everything, and make things a lot harder for us.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

10 minutes ago, Groundhog63 said:

Bets hedged

 

I just can't remember anything specific about him, but I do remember thinking he was good

[Zero]

10 minutes ago, SteV said:

We could have handled things a lot better obviously, but it’s silly to suggest that him behaving the way he did, didn’t massively impact everything, and make things a lot harder for us.

it’s still fucking poor work from the club. Just think:

1. Why should the team be so dependable on one single player? Where is the tactical flexibility?

2. And even if the above is true or something we cannot change, why don’t we have plans ahead that he might want to leave? Why didn’t we scout for replacement before June? How can we assume the Isak would stay here forever?

 

 

I mean seriously, if you are Isak, Liverpool is willing to pay you 300k ppw, what would you do? And did the club offered the same amount? Isak is a cunt but it is not something totally unforeseeable and something we cannot prepared for. 
 

WE JUST DID NTH. It’s arrogant, ignorant and incompetent. Don’t you get it? A well functioning club shouldn’t be massively impacted by a single cunt’s act. Just like your own business can be ruined by one single staff. The fault is on you.

 

 

Edited May 21 by Zero

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, Zero said:

it’s still fucking poor work from the club. Just think:

1. Why should the team be so dependable on one single player? Where is the tactical flexibility?

2. And even if the above is true or something we cannot change, why don’t we have plans ahead that he might want to leave? Why didn’t we scout for replacement before June? How can we assume the Isak would stay here forever?

 

 

I mean seriously, if you are Isak, Liverpool is willing to pay you 300k ppw, what would you do? And did the club offered the same amount? Isak is a cunt but it is not something totally unforeseeable and something we cannot prepared for. 
 

WE JUST DID NTH.

 

 

 

As I said, it could, and should have been handled far better. But it’s very difficult to anticipate someone who (at least on the surface) appeared to be of good character, is going to go completely rogue to that extent. 
 

Hopefully lessons have been learned though….

[kingxlnc]

I do want them to be more ruthless - like with Rayan, they said we'll wait until summer - no screw that, go and get him ASAP so you don't miss out
We have a lot of work to do, shed our transfer lightweights reputation tbh

In the first few seasons, we did very well, stealth mode to sign Bruno, Isak, Tonali, bought and then got rid of Wood and even Kelly. 
The Anderson and Minteh plus Isak deals have wreaked havoc on us from a selling perspective and then buying Vlach, Wissa, Ramsey, Elanga for inflated fees has shown us to be naive, whilst missing out on Guehi, Khusanov, Trafford, Ekitike, Pedro, Sesko, etc shows we are not attractive or ruthless enough to get the deals done. We seem to be penny pinching a lot and being overly cautious. Of course in some cases we were gazumped. 

I'd like more gems to be polished at good prices - like Bilal Al Khannous for £20m, deals that are an obvious no brainer. 

There's a lot to turn around in one summer. Let's see if they can do it. 

[SteV]

1 minute ago, kingxlnc said:

I do want them to be more ruthless - like with Rayan, they said we'll wait until summer - no screw that, go and get him ASAP so you don't miss out
We have a lot of work to do, shed our transfer lightweights reputation tbh

In the first few seasons, we did very well, stealth mode to sign Bruno, Isak, Tonali, bought and then got rid of Wood and even Kelly. 
The Anderson and Minteh plus Isak deals have wreaked havoc on us from a selling perspective and then buying Vlach, Wissa, Ramsey, Elanga for inflated fees has shown us to be naive, whilst missing out on Guehi, Khusanov, Trafford, Ekitike, Pedro, Sesko, etc shows we are not attractive or ruthless enough to get the deals done. We seem to be penny pinching a lot and being overly cautious. Of course in some cases we were gazumped. 

I'd like more gems to be polished at good prices - like Bilal Al Khannous for £20m, deals that are an obvious no brainer. 

There's a lot to turn around in one summer. Let's see if they can do it. 

What’s the difference between being ruthless and overpaying?

[kingxlnc]

2 minutes ago, SteV said:

What’s the difference between being ruthless and overpaying?

Having the conviction to get the deal done where needed. 

So for Rayan if the issue was it'll be cheaper in the summer - then that's a problem. In Jan, we were still in league cup semi's, CL etc - we desperately needed a spark of inspiration, fresh blood can do that. 
For Guehi - I do understand it got to crazy levels so that probably wasn't the right deal - but again, in hindsight, if he's the player you are going to build the defence around, you get it done a la Van Dijk and Maguire. It was the one deal that would have made that Mitchell summer had it gotten done, even if it was overpriced. 
 

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, kingxlnc said:

Having the conviction to get the deal done where needed. 

So for Rayan if the issue was it'll be cheaper in the summer - then that's a problem. In Jan, we were still in league cup semi's, CL etc - we desperately needed a spark of inspiration, fresh blood can do that. 
For Guehi - I do understand it got to crazy levels so that probably wasn't the right deal - but again, in hindsight, if he's the player you are going to build the defence around, you get it done a la Van Dijk and Maguire. It was the one deal that would have made that Mitchell summer had it gotten done, even if it was overpriced. 
 

So if Wissa was the player in the mould of being ‘the one’, were we right to get the deal done, even if it was an overpay?

 

So often you can do the ‘right’ transfer, at the ‘right’ price, and the player doesn’t deliver, so does that then make what you did wrong? And vice-versa?

 

We all think we know how transfer business should be conducted, but there’s so many variables and intangibles, it’s very difficult to get consistently right.

[Unbelievable]

Getting Marc fucking Guehi for a 65m transfer fee and/or 300k in wages would be a sign of utter stupidity, not ruthlessness. Him, Wissa, Elanga and all the other overpriced “proven” PL players we should steer far clear from. Let’s focus on bringing in and developing young up and coming, high potential players instead.

[Fak]

2 minutes ago, Unbelievable said:

Getting Marc fucking Guehi for a 65m transfer fee and/or 300k in wages would be a sign of utter stupidity, not ruthlessness. Him, Wissa, Elanga and all the other overpriced “proven” PL players we should steer far clear from. Let’s focus on bringing in and developing young up and coming, high potential players instead.

 

Aye but Guehi is class?

[Unbelievable]

2 minutes ago, Fak said:

 

Aye but Guehi is class?

I’ve not followed him at City since he went there, but for me he’s nowhere near world class, which is what the price tag suggests.

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, Unbelievable said:

Getting Marc fucking Guehi for a 65m transfer fee and/or 300k in wages would be a sign of utter stupidity, not ruthlessness. Him, Wissa, Elanga and all the other overpriced “proven” PL players we should steer far clear from. Let’s focus on bringing in and developing young up and coming, high potential players instead.

How many clubs with that strategy, and that strategy ONLY, have qualified for the CL via the PL.

 

Potentially Bournemouth this season (with a touch of fortune if 6th ends up being a CL place). Anybody else?

 

I don’t dispute getting players of the ilk you describe should form part of our strategy, probably a fairly big part, but if you want to challenge the elite, you need to supplement them with a degree of ‘proven’ players. Chelsea’s decline would evidence that.

[Fak]

1 minute ago, Unbelievable said:

I’ve not followed him at City since he went there, but for me he’s nowhere near world class, which is what the price tag suggests.

 

Players can develop. VVD was nowhere near world class either when he went to Liverpool for £75m.

[Unbelievable]

Just now, Fak said:

 

Players can develop. VVD was nowhere near world class either when he went to Liverpool for £75m.

Van Dijk was an infinitely better player at that stage imo, and importantly had the physical attributes to deal with any offensive threat unlike Guehi. I wanted him for NUFC before he even went to Celtic. In any case, we couldn’t even afford Guehi’s wages if we wanted and for that reason alone it’s a silly suggestion to hold him up as someone we should have shown ruthlessness for.

[The College Dropout]

49 minutes ago, SteV said:

What’s the difference between being ruthless and overpaying?

Think often they go hand in hand. It's what we did with Gordon, Isak, Tonali, Hall, Tino etc. All of these we paid a premium on potential. 

 

If we signed Guehi in 2024 for £55m + £200k p/w - at the time it would've represented an overpay and I would've been sceptical. But if he continued his development the way he has, it would've been a worthwhile deal. We would've been fighting to keep ahold of him.

 

How good Guehi is? He starts for the second-best team in the PL and would start for every team in the division bar Arsenal. I think there are only 5 clubs max he doesn't start for in Europe - and I can only be certain of 1. I think the composure and leadership he brings to a team is invaluable and difficult to measure - that's the gap between him and Thiaw (or Botman) atm.

 

 

Edited May 21 by The College Dropout

[AyeDubbleYoo]

54 minutes ago, SteV said:

What’s the difference between being ruthless and overpaying?

Whether people like the transfer I think. 

[Rafalove]

Not looking to sign him, but we like Marouanne Bentalib in Ajax’s academy.

[Nucasol]

1 minute ago, Rafalove said:

Not looking to sign him, but we like Marouanne Bentalib in Ajax’s academy.

“How’s the Bentaleb did you say?”

 

[Optimistic Nut]

We should do much better signing players this summer because we're unlucky going to be in the market for players the top 3 or 4:want in their first-team. Not sure it's a particularly good thing, like. 

[SteV]

13 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

But if he continued his development the way he has, it would've been a worthwhile deal.

Therein lies the rub…

 

You can identify a player, analyse his qualities, see his potential for development etc etc. but you can never be sure that development will get realised.

 

They develop as hoped, you’ve underpaid, and are a transfer genius, they don’t and you’ve overpaid and are a transfer idiot.

 

Such a fine line at elite level.

[The College Dropout]

57 minutes ago, SteV said:

Therein lies the rub…

 

You can identify a player, analyse his qualities, see his potential for development etc etc. but you can never be sure that development will get realised.

 

They develop as hoped, you’ve underpaid, and are a transfer genius, they don’t and you’ve overpaid and are a transfer idiot.

 

Such a fine line at elite level.

Worked well with the aforementioned players named. I was sceptical at the time but it would've been a great signing and we would be much better off now. Really lack a player in his prime with those qualities at the back. When a player like that becomes available - you have to be ruthless and get the deal done. It's Tonali-esque. 

 

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Whether people like the transfer I think. 

Can only tell some years into the transfer imo.

 

 

Staveley/Ashworth era when we were convinced on a player we did our level best to get the deals done even if at a premium/slight overpay. I really think that increases the transfers success rate. Those days we got our higher targets but we also went for them earlier than the competition. We were 12-months "early" on Guehi but didn't get it done. A year only on Isak, early on Gordon, Hall etc.

 

It's a tougher market now mind. Chelsea go in stupid early now, Man U are trying to go earlier (not sure if this is actually happening).

[Minhosa]

2 hours ago, Unbelievable said:

Getting Marc fucking Guehi for a 65m transfer fee and/or 300k in wages would be a sign of utter stupidity, not ruthlessness. Him, Wissa, Elanga and all the other overpriced “proven” PL players we should steer far clear from. Let’s focus on bringing in and developing young up and coming, high potential players instead.

Massive difference in those players to Guehi. 24 year old PL Captain at Palace, England international wanted by last years champions and Man City. 
 

Wissa and Elanga don’t exist in the same conversation as Guehi.