I don’t think it’s fine for Quansah. He is at an age where he needs regular football.
Everyone is suggesting that the club has binned him off by selling him to Leverkusen, but the presence of both a buy back and a pre arranged contract suggest the club see a future in him.
He is an alternative view. The analysis of Quansah at the club is that he is a player who is capable of going to the very top, but the biggest barrier to him making it is that we can’t afford to give him developmental games. So a deal is struck with Leverkusen that basically amounts to a two-three year loan. We take thirty five million for him now, let him get his games in the Bundedliga. In a few years, if we think he has hit the level he is capable of, we take him back for 60m (which I think is the agreed fee) as a first choice defender, having paid Leverkusen £25m to develop him for us.
Not sure where we would have all fit them. Can’t really say to a player hey come to us if our young lad does his ACL in you’ll get some minutes if Gomez, Konate or VVD also get injured.
Not “hedging our bets” like that is a big part of the reason why we had the room this summer to land the players we did. Especially when that sort of approach tends to land you only the sort of player who doesn’t impress when it is finally their turn to play.
Let’s remember that even in the catastrophic 2020-21 season it wasnt until the new year that results started going off the rails, so maybe lets wait until we fail to do anything in the January window before panicking
Nope
We need to panic now. FSG fucked around like mealy mouthed owners during the summer.
We should have broken the transfer record twice, should have signed two new fullbacks and a top class centre forward or two.
We should have chased around 6 central defenders because we should have known an exciting young talent was going to have a dreadful injury.
They hedged their bets, they should have signed Guehi, Hincapue, Upemacano and another young Italian defender.
Ignoring the idiotic hyperbole of the post , and the humourless nature of the poster that follows yours.
I don’t think I’ll be stopped being haunted by Klopp replying on Henderson playing CB.
It’s bordering on the arrogant to think that we could go into this season with an ageing albeit GOAT Virgil. A Konate who’s spent some time injured and probably does have his head turned. A Gomez who’s spent almost 60% of his professional career injured. And now a kid like Leoni as the 4 defenders of choice.
We needed to go in with one more defender at the very least. Even if it was a stop gap signing like what Klavan was to Klopp.
I don’t mind Quansah being sold. But there definitely was a defender around who could be a backup to what we wanted. Sign the backup first. And then look for the increment. Even if the backup is a short term deal.
Thing is, the club did exactly what you are asking for here:
Leoni was the back-up meant to replace Quansah. A logical move.
Then they went for Guehi as an improvement, and seemed sure to get him, before they and the player got fucked over by Palace at the last minute.
Given the present unfortunate situation, I’d be willing to bet that they’ll go back for Guehi right at the opening of the January transfer window. Hopefully it will work out this time around, fingers crossed!
The thing is, will Palace be any more likely to sell Guehi in January than in the summer?
He’ll still be a vital part of their team and probably worth more than the 20m or so that we’re likely to offer.
Everyone is entitled to their opinions and I respect yours and everyone else.
I stand by my own opinion, that we went into this window very light in the back line and didn’t add the CB we were missing. Instead we released a 22yo home grown and picked up a 18yo with very little experience.
That deal gets done AFTER you sign Guehi. Not before.
With how much I see Ibou laboring in the past few appearances, I predict he will be on the treatment table for a torn quad/hamstring by Christmas. We will not be able to shop in the PL, (as the league leaders) not a single team will want to help us.
Any team that WILL sell us a top-flight CB in January is going to price that player at eye-watering levels.