SpartyBlue

Perhaps. The odd part is that he WAS great. The talk was we were going to lose him. Then he got hurt, mistakes crept into his game etc..He did well the last few games last season so we will see. I imagine this is going to be it though. I can’t see how he stays if he was a poor year at this point.

Yea. Seems like it should be in there. It’s hard to figure as he had gotten to a really good level 3 years ago and looked like the next Stones. Frustrating. This is the make or break season for him as far as I’m concerned.

I think it just means we would be playing our best players. Mina did used to have a lot of mistakes in him but I haven’t really seen that over the last couple of seasons. I think he’s matured quite a bit in that regard. In any case I would be pretty surprised if both him and Keane were on the team at the end of the window so it will probably sort itself out.

I take your point but if he’s here and healthy and the best option he’s going to play until he breaks. I would be surprised if he’s here though.

When he’s played I think he’s been our best defender the last couple of seasons. That’s why I mentioned it. Obviously the salary and injury history work against him.

Are we assuming Mina leaves? It’ll be nice to have some depth there anyways. Godfrey has a ton of upside so I’d like to see him in there some. Assuming Mina is sold I’d probably start with the old Burnley pair and work Godfrey in. Holgate as cover.

Impressed with him in this pre-season game. He just gets it. Good timing, knows how to put a player off balance, knows when to step up. Not gonna be a world beater probably but he’s like having Gareth Barry at CB. Just a professional.

They always have 2nd, 3rd, 4th options. All clubs do. It’s just that If you pursue your #1 to the end and miss those other options might have gone. Then it looks like you’re scrambling or you didn’t have a plan. It’s difficult . Say your #3 option is interested in coming. Do you pursue #1 or #2 that are less likely and risk that player looking elsewhere? How long do you wait on someone less likely?

Like a beefed up Walcott

Might not have been wise to do while exclusive talks were ongoing.

You understand that would still leave us 40m+, yes? We don’t need to replace Richarlison with one player

I think Dele is symbolic of our season under Frank. He would have liked to play in a way that would have included Dele but we found ourselves in a situation where it was about doing whatever it takes to get a result. Perhaps not the time to introduce someone like Dele into the squad. Now that we have a fresh start I expect he will get his chance as we try to play a bit more like Frank would prefer.

Yea, that’s where his value is. Even if he is having a poor game offensively he can still contribute well. We are unlikely to find a like for like replacement for Richie as few players in world football have his specific skills and the ones that do cost much more than we’d pay. We have to do it in the aggregate.

Here in America 3 names is a good sign you might be a serial murderer. So we should probably tread lightly.

You’ll always be able to find good players if you can afford them, regardless of owner. FFP is still hamstringing us but that won’t last forever.

I’m glad you let be know that you couldn’t be bothered. It really added to the discussion.

The first team is going to take priority for every club. It’s what generates the revenue that allows the club to exist at all. Judge these things when the window is over and once it’s known what resources we have.

What makes you think it’s not done as soon as possible though? We will have identified players long in advance as all clubs of this level do. It’s not as if we just say we want to sound someone and two days later it’s. You need to convince the player, negotiate with his team, do a medical etc.. We don’t have the pull of some other teams so it’s not as simple as going to the market and picking out what you want. In some cases we are going to have to look at our 3rd, 4th, 5th option at a position. It’s not normally going to be a case of the club being lazy or unprepared. On top of that the club will get criticized if it spends too much so we aren’t likely to take the first deal offered. The process is a lot more complicated than it seems. We get inpatient because we don’t see that ongoing process, we just see the signings other clubs make and the 1000 baseless rumors from the media.

I’m not. Coleman is on his last legs and Patterson and Nkounkou have no experience at this level at all. Whatever you think of players like Gray, Iwobi, Allan etc.. they are at least Premier League players. I agree we need to have our attack bolstered as well but we’d be taking a big chance if we stand pat at fullback.

Poor taste? Jk

Particularly at his age. We do need a longterm RB option now that Kenny has gone and Seamus is on his last legs.

I agree but the reality is it’s a very small fraction of players who can become world class that actually do. He needs to show this season that he is more than pace and ambition. Cross a ball, finish a chance cleanly, make good decisions in the final 1/3. I’m not suggesting he’s incapable, just that most prospects (some bigger than Gordon) don’t ever quite figure it out. We have a good former example in Ross Barkley who had all the attributes but didn’t have the head for the game to get the most out of his talent. We have one now in Ali who actually got to that level before his lack of maturity caught up with him. Gordon doesn’t have to be a world beater at his age just yet but he does have to show that improvement.

He has some attributes for sure. But someone spending 40m on him is hoping he can make some big improvements in a lot of areas. Most players with Gordon’s skills never get to that level which is why I’d be alright selling him if it’s for such an optimistic price. But I don’t think anyone is actually offering that price right now so this is hypothetical. No doubt if he does make some of those improvements we will have to fend off a lot of interest. Probably why they are trying to smartly lock him down now.

You seem to be largely agreeing with me. He’s a promising young player no doubt but let’s be objective. Was he wasteful in the final 1/3? Did he cross the ball well? Was he responsible defensively? Right now most of his value comes from what he might be one day, not what he is now. I agree he got worn down by his first season of that intensity but that’s another question mark with him. Can he hold up physically over a full season and deliver consistent performances? This is mostly moot as he isn’t going to be leaving. He’s just not close to the fantasy 40m number thrown around during this conversation. If he improves in some areas I’ve no doubt we will get some interest for a big number as he’s still going to be young, English and promising. I hope we do.

How much is that worth though? 2 points a season? 10? I imagine you’d agree that we should take 100m for Gordon. Which means we agree there is a price where his intangibles mean less than what we might do with that money. We are just determining what the number is.