Yeah I felt we needed 2 and keep Gakpo or a third if he went. Barcola alone should mean we keep him and I would say winter or next summer, especially if we went back for Minteh.
Isnāt Munoz a left winger ?
Iād only sell Gakpo at this point if we were bringing in two attackers in addition to Barcola.
One scenario Iād be like to see, based on the players linked recently (and admittedly this is a bit of Football Manager nonsense, and probably not realistic), is going back to PSG and trying to secure Mbaye on a loan with an obligation to buy, even if a higher fee. We could then use the immediate savings from pushing that fee back a year, along with the proceeds from a Gakpo sale, to bring in Sarr plus a midfielder (Monaco player recently linked, although I know nothing about him).
I think bringing in Barcola, Sarr, and Mbaye would help from a settling-in perspective too. Mbaye and Barcola already know each other from PSG, while Sarr and Mbaye are international teammates. Sarr can also cover striker and second striker, which helps soften the loss of Gakpo a bit.
Then, once Ekitike is fully recovered, we could look to sell Sarr to Saudi or Turkey, where heās already attracted interest, and use that transfer fee to fund next yearāsnobligation payment to PSG for Mbaye.
The other option Iād explore is whether we could get Solanke on a one-year loan as part of any Gakpo deal. He seems out of favour there, and heās worked with Iraola before. Iām just really worried about trying to depend on Isak.
If none of those types of options are viable, then Iād keep Gakpo and reassure him that weāll reassess things in January based on both his playing time and Ekitikeās fitness. Gentlemanās agreement that weāre committed to getting him minutes, either here or by helping him find a move in January if itās clear heās not playing enough.
Can genuinely do both. And if he has a slight preference for the left, given the options at our disposal itās pretty clear which side we need him on right now.
If we get Minteh it will be interesting as weāll have a big-money LW who prefers the left, a big-money RW who prefers the right, and two guys in Munoz and Rio who can kinda do either. So it will be a good mix, I think.
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Seems madness to think about letting him go now. Heās currently our most reliable front three player, even if we want others to surpass him?
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Hope we keep him even if we sign another Winger.
Going to need him as a CF before the end of September
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To be honest, even if we get another winger, it depends who that player is whether Gakpo could be sold and it be fine.
If itĀ“s somebody like Mbaye who I think wonĀ“t offer much in the short term, it could be a bit silly to get rid of Gakpo, especially as Barcola may need a month or two to adapt
. If itĀ“s somebody like Endrick who I think would be better and could cover up top, maybe. Still a risk with such young wide options. Would mean a new front 4 with Wirtz and Isak that have not played together much at all. Basically, selling Gakpo so late in the window is very risky, as much as I donĀ“t rate him that much. We know his likely output
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I donāt rate Gakpo as highly as some, but thereās no chance Iām sanctioning his sale without bringing in at least one more winger.
I cannot fathom the logic behind it at this point.
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You dont have to. Its been reported repeatedly that itd take two in for Gakpo to go
Thats taken out of context as I watched it. He said that about all the players linked with a move in and out - not just Gakpo
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Well who else bar Gakpo is linked with a move out?
Harvey
Bajetic, Elliot, Chiesa
Actual moves out, not given away because theyāre permacrocks, overweight or deadweight. I think the future of these 3 are well known.
Whod have thought Chiesa would still be here about to start 3rd season!
Heās injured now, according to Iraola.
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Unless we do 3 I would want him to stay.
Heās that good that heās so wanted.
Anything less than 100 miliion for Gakpo should be laughed at. Period. From my point of view non-negotionable.
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