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Transfer Rumours Ins, Outs, Rumours & Tosh. Summer 2019.

Discussion in 'Norwich City' started by Walsh.i.am, Feb 20, 2019.

  1. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Players must realise that being in the PL raises the bar and competition for places will increase. We have that in many positions already (S, CM, DM, CB). Lewis will compete with Heise in the pre-season (like those in other positions). New players will bring competition in other positions.

    This might be one. A Turkish based rumour says that we might sign Ryan Babel on a free transfer from Fulham. His wages might be high, but I could see this happening on a one-year contract (he's 32) as competition for Hernandez.

    https://readnorwich.com/2019/04/24/norwich-linked-with-move-for-babel/

    Wiki page:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Babel
     
    #221
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2019
  2. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    Can't see it myself. He's played well for Fulham, but he's 32 and on the pitch relies on pace. He's probably got one good season left in him. Off the pitch, he's had disciplinary issues throughout his career, so I'm not sure he's the type of character we're looking for. A six month contract at Fulham indicates to me he doesn't have the stomach for the championship, or his wage demands are too insane even for Fulham to handle in the championship.

    I don't see him as a signing which helps us long-term. I think Webber's criteria for signings is that they have to contribute both on the pitch and off it (either financially or in terms of atmosphere). Nothing about Babel suggests to me he'd fit any off-pitch criteria.
     
    #222
  3. ncgandy

    ncgandy Well-Known Member

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    He'd have to change his hair colour to yellow, too <ok>
     
    #223
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  4. canary-dave

    canary-dave Well-Known Member

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    Green might be acceptable.
     
    #224
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  5. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    I had similar doubts, DH, but he might be a similar situation to Mbokani a few years back. As far as I could tell, his disciplinary problems were to do with with his use of social media in an Arab country. Obviously SW and DF would have their own views on that.

    I was suggesting that he might be an option on a one year contract, given his ability to play as a striker or at WL. On a free, his wages wouldn't be that much of a commitment and he's experienced in the PL. Krul, Klose and Tettey are the only players we have with that sort of experience (4 goals and 3 assists in 13 games for Fulham).
     
    #225
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
  6. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    Don't disagree with what you've said, and it could very well be that he'd be an asset. I think it's certainly the type of cover we could use. I suspect Webber wants to work out budget harder than that though, and it's a position he'd be prepared to spend good money on.

    On Mbokani, it was interesting to hear (from I think Ruddy) that his attendance at training was sporadic at best, and that he very much did what he wanted between games.
     
    #226
  7. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Hadn't heard that, DH, but I'm sure that SW would dig deep before committing to Babel. The last thing we'd want is a player who would upset the team togetherness.
     
    #227
  8. Canary Rob

    Canary Rob Well-Known Member

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    Not sure if it’s been posted above but on the QPR board they are claiming there are rumours we’ve agreed o pay £4m for Luke Freeman.

    An interesting one if true as we do have a good number of attacking midfields but by all accounts he’s been their standout performer of the season.

    £4m is probably in our price range and at age 27 he’d obviously be bought as a long-standing first team member rather than a young gun for the future
     
    #228
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  9. Walsh.i.am

    Walsh.i.am Well-Known Member
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    #229
  10. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Freeman is a curious case. At 27 he's only played one and a half years at Championship level. He played as a winger at Stevenage but at QPR has played more centrally. Has he got PL potential? I'm not sure, but if SW and DF think he does then I bow to them, but it wouldn't be a signing I'd be excited about.
     
    #230

  11. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    #231
  12. JM Fan

    JM Fan Well-Known Member

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    #232
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  13. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    A one year contract on a free transfer would make sense to me but I'd rather go for Fourtunis or the other Greek option.
     
    #233
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  14. carrowcanario

    carrowcanario Well-Known Member

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    #234
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  15. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    Latest rumour, AS Roma goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

    £10m fee rumoured with existing PL clubs interested. The fact he's played in Scandinavia, an area I suspect we're targeting for scouting, makes me think it might have some kernel of truth buried in their somewhere (like we had a scout at a game he played in...), but I'm not sure we can compete with Watford. Also not sure £10m for a keeper would be a likely use of our funds.
     
    #235
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  16. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    I know, I had similar feelings myself!

    I think that it would be strange to give a new contract to McGovern and then pay £10m on another keeper when we have Oxborough as the third option without taking up a squad place. SW and DF have gone out of their way to endorse Krul as the number one.
     
    #236
  17. General Melchett

    General Melchett Well-Known Member

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    It's one thing to endorse your number one as your number one, when the season is not yet won. But he is the one for most of the season who one or two of us believe was the weakest link. So one suspects that, he made at least one too many mistakes and he, our number 1 is number one on the list for upgradable for significant returns.

    Although I think Krul has improved over the season, I still do not fully trust him with the ball at his feet and his pushing away of the ball I think still too often ends up in dangerous areas. His shot stopping is decent, though not outstanding, I think someone of Gunn's caliber would represent a great investment and instant upgrade. It of course would have to be a foreign Gunn, as he is likely already beyond our financial reach. So maybe there is some legs in this speculative Olsen piece?

    Whilst all positions can be improved with deeper pockets, we have a lot of depth in the middle of the park. so the positions I would look to strengthen would be:

    1] Keeper
    2] Wide left (Hernandez is good but can be frustrating too, can we find another at Emi's level for the other side? How good would that be?)

    Positions to add an option
    :
    1] Striker (whether that is JR or another to give Pukki more of a run for his money I don't know, for me we should aim higher than Rhodes whilst probably spending less)

    Positions to add depth:

    1] Right back (assuming Pinto leaves)
    2] Wide Right (with Emi banned, we looked very short of options to keep the same shape)

    For me the positions above are the ones where if we lost a player to injury, we currently haven't got sufficient back up, but in the first 2 instances I believe we can and should strengthen.

    Bah!
     
    #237
  18. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    If we managed the other signings you indicate and still had enough for another keeper, then maybe, but I can't see taking up 3 places out of the 25 man squad with keepers.
     
    #238
  19. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    I think I broadly agree with that. For me:

    Keeper: A bonus but not a priority, I can't see us prioritising spending on a goalkeeper, unless it's somebody so significantly better than Krul that £5-10m still feels like a steal. I can't see it happening.
    Wide midfielder(s): I think we could look for an upgrade for Hernandez, with Onel serving as a very handy impact player. In an ideal world, I think we sign two wide players, one in the Emi mould and one with serious pace. Might seem a bizarre request, but I'd like one of them to be comfortably 6 ft/good in the air. Bradley Johnson as a wide midfielder utterly bullied full-backs in the air, and it gave us a unique threat. In this current Norwich side, when Krul is pressured and goes long, we basically never win the long ball, so it's a very temporary relief of pressure. If someone in wide areas could be relied upon to win a good number of knockdowns, it'd take some of the sting out of the press.
    Striker: The EDP/Pinkun lot seem to be under the impression Rhodes won't be returning, but even if he does I'd be concerned with him as our second choice striker. Much as Rhodes has contributed when called upon, I'd not want him leading the line for a significant number of games. Strikers are always expensive, I can see us spending good money on a younger player to both learn from and challenge Pukki.
    Right back: I don't think we can rely on Max being here for the 2020-21 season, so whoever comes in here should be ready to be first choice by then. I wouldn't say no to some experience as well, Max is surely due a drop in form, or for the losses in the PL to get to him, or something!
    Defensive Midfielder: Tettey didn't look consistently PL quality last time, I'm not sure I'd want to rely on him for much of next season if Trybull is out (and Trybull has missed a good number of games over the last two seasons). Thompson also looks like he needs a loan to get a full season under his belt, to prove he can do it. So a tough-tackling DM would be on my shopping list. In terms of other qualities, clearly they need to be good enough on the ball for Farke, but I'd also look for them to be a bit of a bastard on the pitch. We're a little bit too nice at times. We could do with someone who will wind up opposing players and fans, and who is capable of lifting our own team with a tough performance. Maybe not quite a Scott Brown (Celtic), but someone a bit more in that direction.
     
    #239
  20. RiverEndRick

    RiverEndRick Well-Known Member

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    Those priorities would look right if money wasn't tight, but it's a big ask to sign 6 PL quality players and their wages for £20m. For me, that's why we gave McGovern a new contract. It's also why we're likely to sign only one wide player who can play on either side, given the amount of movement required by Farkeball. If we don't sign Rhodes, a PL quality striker won't come cheap, taking a big chunk out of the £20m budget. Signing a RB is an obvious need, but terms you don't hear from the new set-up is 'squad player' or 'back-up'. All the new players need to be capable of competing for a starting place and that won't come cheap. SW has to balance these needs, which is why signing a player like Babel on a free transfer on a one year contract could free up money for other signings. The Rhodes deal last year was similar within an even tighter budget. It isn't an ideal situation, but it's clear that long-term stability for the club is the highest priority.
     
    #240

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