Yeah. The time to buy him was during the season. This is the thing. Timing really matters
Have to say, he’s solid winning the ball and has quick feet but I also think he lacks a bit of urgency in his game. A lot of casually rolling it out to the full backs or back to his centre backs
exactly this, he is not the entire package yet but the price tells a different story. i take the other two at half the price any day of the week and let arsenal and psg pay the 86 million pounds for this kid
All you need to know? Mascot will be along shortly
Something else we need to take into account is that due to in particular the TV deals at the top of the sport and especially the PL, clubs are getting richer and richer, with even relegation battlers able to spend far in excess of what they used to.
There’s a double knock-on effect - clubs lower down the ladder are FAR less in need of selling their own players particularly for prices we’d have deemed acceptable even recently, driving the prices ever-higher. And secondly all selling clubs will know just how wealthy PL clubs are and adjust their asking prices upwards accordingly.
Which makes me think this isn’t a temporary bubble, rather an indication of where transfer fees are just heading due to market conditions that will only accelerate rather than ‘normalise’.
Another factor is the media saturation of the sport, and ready available of in-depth stats of the kind it was rare to have access to beyond the top/most progressive clubs previously, means that it’s near-impossible to unearth unknown gems like it was even a decade ago, as basically every club knows about basically every player to some degree.
And both these things are driving up the cost of young players disproportionately - clubs want to target young players because they want to invest in potential and pay them less, rather than hire players in their prime on big wages for more, but with everyone wanting to do the same it’s raised the prices of guys in their early-20s and even teens even higher.
Perhaps we’ll start to see teams recruit even more aggressively for their academies (I think we’re beginning to do this for one) with the aim of either filling out the bulk of the squad from there and maybe pepper it with a few high-cost elite players in key positions, and/or using it to generate more income to invest in players on ever-increasing fees.
I don’t see prices at the top end coming down any time soon, unfortunately.
Do you think they’re all comparable? Bouaddi seems like a holding player who sits whereas Sangare seems a bit more of a guy who wants to play with the ball to me. camara more defensive but does like to break forward
But I haven’t seen as much of those two at all
@Liverdinner, we already had this discussion before but it was focused on wharton, scott vs camara and sangara remember… Bouaddi will sit and will therefore need someone next to him who will do the passing because he cant pass for shit.
I don’t know I’m getting old!
I do think it’s important though that our targets are essentially like for like types. Basically that we have their role as the main focus and what they do in the team
and maybe thats the argument for justifying anderson price, where folks say he can sit as well as recycle and pass the ball, where as the others are all one dimensional and lacking in other areas. but I take that 120 million pounds and buy 2 of camara and sangara and still have some change left to add to another purchase
Id do the same. Much better value to the team overall although Wharton would be my first pick
I’m also a big believer in having specialists who do one role excellently rather than players who do a few roles well but nothing exceptionally
yes, you did argue for wharton as I remember. but at the price being touted i am not so sure as you will still need another piece to complement what he lacks. but we already discussed this previously
Yeah I think we would still need another player.
But I think that’s the case even if we signed vitinha.
We have lots of generalists running around and nobody who does one job very well
and right on que, fernandes goes to spurs for almost a 100 million euros (85 million pounds guaranteed)
Big fee
Have to say I think he could be a really top player and wouldn’t have been disappointed if we’d signed him. Very good technique, combative and very positive
So, Anderson and Fernandes down, who else is on our list potentially.
We’ll end up with Granit Xhaka.
You can rely on Spurs to do something fucking insane.
I am aware of the others, however, Morrison although playing off the right, really lacks the pace required for RW in the Premier league and as Sweeting has said would probably suited more to a 10 position, but does have a wand of a left foot.
Figueroa, from the little I have seen didn’t really do it for me, as he stalled a little the season before, but finished 2026 very well.
Abe is the standout, did exceptionally well at under 18’s as a 15 year old, has pace and end product.
All this said, Sweeting watches more and is aware of others that are even younger.
Also, my reply was just from a question asking if we had any youth players coming through for RW and Abe is supposed to be the one.
Spurs are off their trolley paying £85m for Fernandes, if it’s true. He’s a decent player but nothing more or he would have stopped West Ham getting relegated. He’s typical of these modern ‘efficient’ mids who recycle the ball, keep to their position and are strong and athletic. But where’s the skill, vision and lockpicking you used to get in a top mid? It’s crazy.
Morrison is one of those who we will have to watch develop because right now he’s not quite there physically. Very clever and skillful but, as you said, lacking scorching pace and looks like a 10.
Abe is the top prospect but I also like Kyle Kelly, a grafter who has got through some bad injuries and is such a good reader of the game at 6.
Not heard of Kelly, but hopefully we have more hems coming through.
I do like Ndiaye at CB, when on the ball, can hit the long diagonal, and vertical passes to feet, just not seen enough defensively but still looks big, strong and fast.
Yeah, he’s got the goodies but still a bit naive is Ndiaye. They must see something in these kids that they think can be developed. At today’s prices, you can see why the future of the game is in the academies.