Sure but with all that we also need to look within ourselves, we’re about to sign a world class player who is levels above and will no doubt be coming to take his spot…that leaves Cody in a bit of bother because a) he can’t play on the right, b) he’s fairly mediocre playing as a CF and c) would push a player on 250k a week to a mere back up option.
I’m sure we’ve given plenty of thought of the chances that Spurs do come in with a 70-80m bid, where else in the XI we could improve with that money.
If the accounts of us having long considered this summer to be when he might be allowed/asked to leave, then I presume a lot of that incoming fee we’d be expecting has already gone to the Barcola fund. Sure money is fungable, but I suspect that would be why we decided to go big on a winger and use the money already in the budget to fill in the other gaps (2 additional wingers, wages of Araujo, maybe a Jones replacement)
My take is that Gakpo is regularly undervalued because we brought him in on a relatively reasonable transfer fee. His mediocre last season has swerved people’s opinions in a negative way, but who hadn’t a bad form last season?
If you take out last season, he’s roughly a player who scores or creates a goal every two games. Not world class, but very useful to have in a squad. The fact that Slot and Hughes overrated him and gave him an overblown status and contract at the club, puts us now in that awkward situation: we have to get rid of him despite of being very useful for us, and why? Because he earns too much compared with his actual ability.
“Cody Gakpo is facing a decision over his Liverpool future, with Manchester City interested in signing the Netherlands winger in a deal potentially worth about £85m.”