The Konate contract thing needs sorting sooner rather than later, due to the rumours of RM sniffing about. We don’t want to lose another player for a free transfer. Until this is nailed either way, might suit us better to keep Quansah in the squad.
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It remains to be seen just how much faith Arne has in Quansah.
Personally, I think he should stay but if a good offer is made then he might go if only because he may feel that he’ll get more first team starts elsewhere. Notts Forest might not be a good choice for him though as their first choice CBs don’t seem likely to be leaving.
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Yeah Konate signs a new deal by 30/6 or he’s sold.
So either:
i) 2 new CBs are brought in with Quansah going on loan and Konate going wherever;
ii) 1 CB brought in with Konate staying and Quansah going on loan;
iii) Konate stays and no one is signed or loaned.
I’m not a fan of iii) as I think we need to refresh at CB, even if Ibou signs an extension.
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Why? If he’s determined to leave, we have 2 years to find a new player. If we sold him, the timeframe is much tighter.
Has it ever occurred to people that whatever we might “lose out” in transfer fees, we could well save in terms of being able to bide our time?
EDIT: (sorry @RedWhippet) but also beyond that, we would be saving on 2 years of whatever wages we would have offered him, which I imagine is rather substantially different from what he’s on right now.
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Konate’s contract ends next summer
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was just about to post similar
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An extra year then. That bought us the difference between players whose name I can’t even remember because they’ve faded out into irrelevance (and Kabak), and Konaté himself.
Can’t sell a player who doesn’t want to be sold.
He’s in a great position for him. Sounds like we want him to stay and he’s open to it. But if a deal can’t be agreed this summer we’ll become increasingly desperate as the season goes on. Meanwhile he can start looking at his options and I imagine he’d have the pick of Real, Barca, PSG, Bayern and possibly even other clubs in England.
Only way I see him getting sold this year is if PSG come calling and are willing to pay a sizeable fee to essentially jump the queue next summer. But if they don’t come forward with an offer you can’t forcibly sell him to whoever you want.
Personally I think the fee we’d get for him with one year left probably isn’t worth forcing ourselves into having to find a replacement this summer. We’re already looking at potentially two new starting full backs this summer, do we want to add a CB to that turnover too?
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Don’t disagree with this, but the World Cup next summer means he’ll want to play as much as possible this season. If we get n his replacement this summer and it looks like he won’t be first choice, he might move to protect his place in the France starting 11.
Not that I particularly want that to happen.
His replacement? Any expensive young CB we sign now will be viewed as Virgil’s long-term successor. The captain will be 34 this summer.
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If Konate doesn’t sign a new deal, he’ll need replacing and that player will come in either this summer or next, no?
As we’ve seen with Trent, we’re not going to restrict his playing time if he doesn’t sign a new deal.
Any CB you sign this summer is going to have to earn the right to take minutes off Konate. They aren’t walking in with a guarantee of being CB2 from the off. And even if they do displace Konate he’d comfortably be CB3 and getting plenty of game time.
I still think we go into next season with four CBs. Only way we get one this summer is if Gomez or Quansah move on.
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I don’t get how Konate is wanted by all the top clubs in Europe, but isn’t a guaranteed starter for us.
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They wouldn’t even have a guarantee of being CB3 or 4.
It’s all about the transfer fees, actual football is secondary or even unnecessary.
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I could see a world where we sell any of Konate (contract) Gomez (playing time and games lost to injury) or Quansah (playing time, development) this summer.
I would not countenance a sale for any of them without knowing about incoming.
I’ve got an inkling for Hincapie this summer. I know it would be three players from Leverkusen, but if he is going to leave as well, we have established a good relationship with them, and we could help fill the coffers for their rebuild in a post-Alonso world.
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Like the lad as well. Could also do bits at LB if we need.
But as a left footer is he the right guy to replace any of those three you mentioned who are more comfortable on the right.
Gary off YouTube reports that he’s going to RM with Xabi 
Why should we give a fuck where Gary off Youtube goes?
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Unless it’s Gary Eats.
He’s quite good.
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