08 May 2024 13:28:17
If, and a big If, Conor doesn't sign a new contract (and I really hope he does) who would his replacement likely be? Is there a list?
{Ed002's Note - There is a list of options but the preferred choice would be Heorhiy/Georgiy Sudakov.}
08 May 2024 13:52:04
Thankyou ED02.
08 May 2024 20:58:16
Ed002
Why aren't our academy players more highly valued?
A foreign option seems to always be the preferred option.
Many thanks.
{Ed002's Note - I don’t understand the question.}
08 May 2024 23:11:32
I tend to agree K Drog we will probs throw 50-60 mil at an unproven player from the Ukranian league like Mudryk and it will backfire as they aren’t ready for the prem yet when it would be equally as beneficial to integrate a player from the academy.
09 May 2024 00:36:05
Who are these academy players who are going to help us to get back to a higher level? Come to think of it, apart from Terry, over the last 15 years which academy players have had a significant impact on our previous successes?
{Ed001's Note - to be fair Jimbo, how often have they been given a chance to establish themselves like Terry was? Usually they are farmed out on needless loans.}
09 May 2024 07:28:14
Perhaps Reece James Ed, Jimbo?
Of the present players, I think Levi (definitely) and Connor (if he signs a new deal) will be academy products that will have an impact in trophy winning seasons to come. JT also had a loan at Forrest I think before breaking into 1st team.
At the level our club is at, players get pretty much 1 chance, an example being Golding, who I thought was good when given a chance earlier this season, but got put through 1 on 1 and didn't convert, and hasn't been sighted since. We, as fans, think in the hundreds of pounds/ dollars per week in earnings, these guys are in the thousands, and sometimes tens of, so the expectation is higher, and tbf, rightly so!
{Ed001's Note - good shout Kiwi. He is probably the best example. If he hadn't got injured so much he would have been a regular for sure.}
09 May 2024 08:17:19
In recent times Mount was given a chance and proved himself at our club. I would like to think CHO and RLC would have proved themselves at our club if they hadn’t picked up there horrible injuries.
This might be a tad controversial but I would have kept Tammy but that wasn’t to be.
I can see some merit in the loan system but they don’t, for lots of reasons, all work out.
09 May 2024 10:00:35
Curious to see that they'd look to bring in another new midfielder to replace Conor if they sell him. Barring another freak injury season, Lavia should finally enter the fold as a rotation player. Ugochukwu was also bought and has looked pretty promising when playing (before also disappearing for the past 4 months with injury) . You'd hope that Chukwuemeka would also have a less injury-riddled season next year.
Then we've got Andrey Santos doing well at Strasbourg, who looks the type of all action CM that Conor is as well. And then we're not even mentioning academy midfielders like Golding, Russell-Denny and Kiano Dyer who have had really good seasons in the youth and development teams.
Buying yet another midfielder would just push all those other mids that we already have further down the pecking order. Seems strange. If you don't trust them enough to use them, why buy them in the first place?
09 May 2024 11:19:32
Jackson and Jimbo, I tend to agree that if we sold CG I can’t see why we need to replace him.
I think Chuka will be a top class AM and Ugo looks a good DM option. Lavia will prove himself at Chelsea and he can play anywhere in midfield in my opinion.
We also potentially have Caicedo and Santos available for next season.
09 May 2024 12:02:07
James and Mount were absolutely integral to our UCL success Jimbo. You could make the case that Christensen was too.
The question is whether they can contribute to the team more than a more expensive or established player. Frequently this season the answer has been they can (Gallagher, Chalobah) .
09 May 2024 13:03:24
bandy, I forgot Chalaboa. Again this is probably just me but I would be slightly more gutted if we sold Chalaboa.
09 May 2024 13:28:13
Ed002
Leftback -Cucurella £60m incoming.
Hall/ Maatsen outgoings over £60m . The fee for young inexperienced players indicates they are highly thought of outside the club.
Midfield over £300m spent with little thought given to Conor developing but other clubs willing to spend £40/ 50m on him.
CB Over £150m with Chalobah apparently available for sale.
And why but Badiashile when we have Colwill.
09 May 2024 16:02:46
Agreed KDrog. The mooted fee for Sudakov is 60m. And we sell Gallagher for what, 50? Baffling.
As a point of interest related to this topic, presumably a lot of this recruitment is, in the first instance, data-driven. Do those in charge of identifying players also look at players coming through our own academy using the same models/ criteria?
{Ed002's Note - It is not baffling - what is baffling is you not understanding that he has not signed a new contract and can leave for nothing next season.}
09 May 2024 19:14:46
I agree with ED002, CG is not signing a new contract at this point and if by the summer it's still not signed he has to leave otherwise the following season he leaves on a free.
I know he has played and captained most games this season but that is due to our horrendous injury record and it would have been interesting to see how many games he would have played if it weren't for that scenario.
09 May 2024 17:30:37
You're right Ed002, I hadn't factored that in. Has the club offered Gallagher a contract based on his performances/ role this season, or is the contract he's being asked to sign one that was offered before his emergence as a key part of the squad?
And do you think Sterling's wages, agreed towards the outset of the new ownership (and presumably far higher than the wage structure the club now, sensibly, wants to employ) have presented an issue for the club, in the sense that other players see his contribution and feel they should be earning the same?
{Ed002's Note - Fallagher has been offered a contract that will no doubt include bonuses. Sterling is being made available as it is time to move on. It is not about the wages, but that will impact his value.#
09 May 2024 20:02:42
Thanks Ed002, appreciate the input.
10 May 2024 01:47:55
Gallagher wants 150-200k allegedly. It would cost more to replace him and his ability and he has more than shown his worth. If we don't pay him someone else will and there is no shortage or suiters.
{Ed001's Note - that seems a fair request in the current market for the club captain. It would not be opening the floodgates to others as it could easily be made clear he gets a premium for being captain. It certainly makes financial sense to pay it rather than buying someone else of a similar level of ability.}
10 May 2024 06:19:05
Gallagher is not the captain just a stand in captain. Besides I don't find him worthy to captain imo.
10 May 2024 07:55:52
Tusole I think Gallagher became a worthy captain when he took the ball from the arguing kids and gave it to Palmer! He probably learnt a lot in that moment as well, and, because of that, and the ensuing out fall, the team has started playing as a team. To give credit when due, Poch made the tactical change with MC becoming an inverted midfielder, which also resulted in Noni and Mudryk also discovering their defensive responsibilities which has resulted in a team defending as a team, then attacking as a team.
We will win our last 3 games, but other games will determine our league position.
Standard, the (our) club don't pay those sort of weekly wages anymore, if he doesn't want to sign a contract he will be sold. I have no problem with a weekly wage with bonus's for achievement being involved, makes the team more eager .
My gut feeling is that Reece will move to Real in the summer, therefore removing the last huge earner, after Sterling, who will also go, then maybe achievement within our team will be rewarded.
10 May 2024 08:59:07
The Gallagher situation is straightforward as Ed002 keeps re- stating, the club have offered a new deal and he has not signed a contract. The cutoff point is appproaching, if there is no agreement he will have to be sold. Personally, I am more concerned about keeping Palmer, if we carry in the same vein as the last two seasons a big club will come in for him.
10 May 2024 09:29:27
Jimbo, we are a big club.
10 May 2024 11:28:26
Ed001
Thank you for spelling out the financial realities of retaining the bloke who has captained the side, worked his nuts off, scored important goals and clearly wants to stay at the club.
I think his importance to the side is vastly underrated by the club and he could easily become what Henderson was to Liverpool and that in my book is high praise.
{Ed001's Note - I agree. He has grown into a very important player in my opinion and he is clearly improving still.}
10 May 2024 16:42:33
Bill, I guess it depends on what the definition of”big club “is: if we are we need to start acting like one.
10 May 2024 17:16:24
Interesting comment but maybe for another day!
10 May 2024 19:00:14
Kiwi, pretty sure there’s at least 6 current players who are on over 150k/ week. James, Chilwell, Cucu, Caicedo, Enzo, Fofana, Nkunku. Palmer will probs join that group too as I think we’re offering him a new contract. So I don’t see 150k as too much imo. I do think performance bonuses are better imo, assist/ goal bonuses and team bonuses etc though.
11 May 2024 01:24:07
Not only that ed002, one of the only players who is always, always fit and available. Someone mentioned 'he's not captain, just a stand in captain' . how ridiculous. He's been captain in the majority of the games this year because our two 'real' captains cannot stay fit.
I'd feel massively disrespected if I was Gallagher, and again, although we don't know exactly what he's after wage wise, if reports are true and it's 150-200k, he absolutely deserves that.
11 May 2024 10:05:25
Standard, I haven’t got a clue what CG has been offered but what we do know is if an agreement cannot be reached he will be sold. I’m also not sure what he “deserves” but I do hope a solution can be found.
He has been our captain in the absence of our club and vice club captains. I personally don’t regard him as a so called leader but the manager has asked him to put on the arm band.