To be fair, he’s 22 and spent a season and half on the bench for PSG behind players who cost them half a billon
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I do think what Frankfurt are wanting doesn’t reflect what he has produced over a sustained period and feel he should be around the $50m mark.
I also have more trust in who we have managing our transfers more than before and especially when Darwin was bought.
As I have said from what I have seen, Ekitike offers more than just goals, his link up play, height, speed and dribbling skill provides more tools to our attacking output.
However, at $85m, it is a gamble, but Hughes and our scouting team know far more than we do and if they go for him I hope they get it right.
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TBF the price-tag Frankfurt have put on him isn’t so much a ‘we think this is a fair value’ and more a ‘we don’t want to sell and don’t have to’ amount… it’s basically make them an offer they can’t refuse.
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Exactly, and that’s why I put what Frankfurt are wanting and they are perfectly in their right to do so, as we have the right to say no, which as Zoran put in another thread, is sometimes good then teams don’t think that they can have our pants down asking silly fees.
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If we get Ekitike, would happily go into the first half of the season with an attack of:
Gakpo
Salah
Ekitike
Chiesa
Wirtz
Doak
Danns
Ngumoha
Especially knowing that Szob and Frimpong can play RW and Jones LW if necessary.
We should have enough depth to give Danns, Doak and Ngumoha some game time to develop and expect that would benefit us in the long run over holding a disgruntled winger who will only be a distraction and isn’t our future. I expect Diaz to be professional, but this noise about wanting to leave will only get louder. If we get the right price, let him go.
For this to work we should probably be prepared to add someone in the 2nd half depending on their progress (youngsters). In the 1st half, regulars are still healthy, and no AFCON yet…
For the 2nd half, we should have a better idea of whether the kids need more time, are ready to contribute as depth or won’t make it but have elevated their value with appearances for us.
The thought of the likes of Elliott, who understandably wants to leave us due to playing time, really irks me when he is good enough to play.
I assume this is the answer.
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