If the plan is to just get Isak and that’s it, that might actually be a better idea. Hopefully it’s not.
But we were happy to sell Diaz and Nunez with no replacements its mind boggling. But to be fair Skys days of knowing anything have long gone.
Well it was Isak
Its extremely naive selling those first.
I defer to your years of experience managing football clubs.
1 Like
Its not leaving yourself short of key personal. You could understand one but not both when you have to deal with the unforseen Jota situation.
1 Like
Didn’t the story come out after signing Henderson that Sunderland quoted £16m expecting us to negotiate, and they’d have been happy to take £8m?
Apparently so.
So you see we don’t just pay the quoted price then?
1 Like
I never said that.
That’s where you seemed to be going.
Newcastle probably feel £110m isn’t enough, would like £150m, but would accept £130m.
We’ll want to be at the bottom of that range, Newcastle will want up at the top - that’s a negotiation.
As @Kopstar says, they’ll want to get the most they’d hope for. We’ll want to pay the minimum they’ll accept.
3 Likes
Unless your living somewhere there isn’t a housing crisis(lucky you), you offer what they ask and end up paying more because so many others have offered the same.
Regarding Isak, I’m happy to walk away at 110 as I don’t think he’s worth 150.
So had we offered what they wanted they would have sold him because that’s the price they wanted. I’m glad that we didn’t offer it
Isn’t that pretty much what I exactly said?
It could also be as much an issue of time as money. Maybe they accept 110 later in the window if whatever they are doing now fails to convince him to stay. Maybe if they land Wissa or someone like Kolo Muani it takes one spinning plate out of play and make them willing to accept a reasonable offer, maybe something like 110, to allow them to deal with their one remaining spinning plate.
3 Likes
The Isak thing is starting to make less and less sense to me. He is, no doubt, a great player, arguably the best all-around #9 in the league. To pay a 2nd English transfer record in the same window for him seems mad given we have Ekitike. How do you get them on the pitch at the same time? If the answer is, “you don’t…it’s for rotation”, then I have a problem with it. You don’t spend nearly 70M for a backup #9. I think I’d rather get another #9 to rotate with Ekitike and then get a Rodrygo-esque, verstaile forward.
I’m ok if we don’t get him this window. It just might open up 1st team opportunities for younger guys.
I was making the point what ever fee is agreed is ultimately what the selller wanted.
The reporting on our interest in Ekitike said we saw him as someone who could play on the left (I know he has rarely ever played there, but its obviously possible to identify an ability of a player to do a different job than the one you’ve seen him in by observing his traits and abilities). Newcastle were reported to have been willing to pay big money to pair him with Isak.
Isnt the obvious answer that smart football people do see a high likelihood of them being able to play together?
1 Like
Of course that’s the answer, but it’s fun to talk about and what this forum is for!
It will be in the range of what they wanted, but it might be at the bottom end rather than the top.
2 Likes