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

Just cannot see us getting Bowen. I might be wrong, but I’d have thought Hull will hold out for £20m plus

 

Like they tried to with Brady

 

Yep, I can see this happening .........
https://www.mediareferee.com/2019/0...ld-attacker-once-the-summer-window-commences/

 

Some people just don't understand what Norwich are doing,do they.

 

It's an issue of long Vs short term, really. In addition to his attitude I've never been convinced that Pritchard is PL level. Spurs didn't think so and he only played once during a year long loan at WBA in the PL. More importantly, he'd never fit in with the team spirit in our present squad.

 

O contraire, I think he has struggled at Huddersfield, He has only played half their games this season, less last season. He is now 25 arguably not fully full filling his potential. We might even get him for what we sold him for, possibly less (Though I doubt it unless they really wanted him off the wage bill).
- So as a player who has lost a bit of career momentum he fits the bill.
- If we could get him for around £10m he probably fits the bill. Let's not forget that we will have a larger budget and our shopping list will be adjusted accordingly (Remember Huddersfield bought Mooy after promotion at £8-10m, a move I'm sure Webber had set up before leaving)
- We need to buy British, our squad is short in this area.
- He is a player I believe could fit in to and enhance the team/squad.

The question marks, would be for me:

- attitude; on what sort of terms did he leave? Was it purely ambition to play in the PL and play at the highest level or was it more about the filthy lucre?
- Would we spend that much on one player (And perhaps more importantly on his wages and contract stipulations?) It is a lot of money but £10-15m may not be beyond us with the PL money. But only time will tell.
- Can Webber keep pulling rabbits from hats now at very low cost now the standard required has increased? As an example, how many of our first teamers would we part with for less than £5m? Some from the Squad certainly, especially if they are getting nowhere near the team. Examples maybe: Pinto, Hanley, Thompson, Srbeny, Morris, others who might be moved on because we recruit and/or have better options: Hanley, Tettey, McClean. But to improve on those players if they leave, even Webber has his work cut out to do so for <£5m.
Those with a market worth of £5-10m. I think most of our squad sit in this bracket (With good negotiating the top end or maybe inxs of the £10m) But how do we inprove on players now in this bracket, all it seems picked up or developed to be effective in the Farke system and tactics? We want a Trybull who is Tettey level defensively or a Tettey who is Trybull level with the ball. I doubt that comes cheap!
What about those worth £10m or even £15m? Every player has a price, even with wage rises following promotion we can easily be gazumped on wages. If Spuds or another come calling for Arrons offering £60kpw. We probably can't give him half of that. You hope he stays but there are no guarantees. So even to come close to replacing or improving on our best is unlikely to cost much south of £10m.
Because now to improve our squad/team we must be looking at players we believe will be better than these guys. It's now kinda no good finding an Emi Buendia, Because we have an Emi, with a year of experience in English football and in our set up. A new signing must be better than the incumbant.
Is Pritchard better than any of our front line attackers? That is the biggest doubt for me. Though I believe if DF thought so then I think we could get him.

Bah!

 

I don't know if I fully agree. I think he can be PL quality in the right team. Spurs need a top 4 player. He likely isn't and won't be that. I think with a run of games in a side that plays the right football to get the best from him, he is a potentially decent low end PL player. His return hasn't been very good for Hudderfield but I think he could still be successful in the PL. As for fitting in, I have my doubts too, but he left with us going knowhere very slowly side to side, as I said in my other post, if it was ambition and hunger to prove himself in the PL, then he may not be a total write off yet.

Bah!

 

Personally, I’d rather he didn’t return – it’s a bit like when your wife/partener/GF opted to be the one to leave the relationship, in the belief that she could fare better elsewhere and then regretting the move some 16 months later.
Also, how many midfielders do we need??
We have Stieperrmann, Cantwell, McLean, Leitner, Vrancic – plus the 3 ‘Ts’ Trybull, Thompson and of course Tettey. Imo, I don’t see AP as an upgrade on any of those!!!

#nomoremidfielders

 

I'm not sure he improves what we have, though I do think he is a good player. But if DF and SW thought he could then I would be happy enough to see him signed. I'm not sure he would be against all of those players. More the trio behind Pukki. Is he better than; Stiepermann, Emi, Cantwell or Onel? The last two maybe, but enough to justify a big outlay, maybe not.

Bah!

 

Although I can see GM's logic, I still think Pritchard's not for us. We now have a PL level attack in depth (you missed out Hernandez, JMF) which is mobile and dangerous (even Pukki has 7 assists). I'd rather see us strengthen at DM and the defence, as well as another quality GK when McGovern leaves.

 

I have to say I am not convinced fully on that. It is a very big jump. I would be pretty uncomfortable if we went up as is. I think Pukki might make the step up, Buendia too. But the others I am less convinced of.

Bah!

 

The challenge would be different and we'd be playing far more counter-attacking football, which our present players are very skilled at, as well as understanding each others play. They're also very good defensively when the ball is lost and that isn't common in attacking players.

 

I missed out both Hernandez and Bendy as he could NEVER replace them!!

 

He (Pritchard) was eager to leave when we were in the Championship because he wanted to play in the Premier league & wasn't prepared to wait like the other players in our squad who had to go through the disappointment of failing to go up, now because Huddersfield are facing relegation and City are looking like promotion candidates he should not expect us to sign him up straight away so he can avoid having to play in the Championship. He made his bed, he should lie in it. He was a class player whilst at City but we have moved on now. Funny how some ex-city players who could not wait to leave City to play in the premier league, such as Josh Murphy are now facing relegation & the possibility of having to ply their trade in the Championship next season.

 

Yes, but if you're joining Cardiff, Huddersfield, etc is the grass really all that much greener?
I suspect not from where Murphy and Pritchard are sitting now.

 

I'm not convinced we would be in the position we are now if Murphy(s) / Pritchard had stayed.

 

I still felt that when Pritchard left our season had perhaps been ready to really kick on. The [I think] 2 matches he and Maddison played together offered much promise and before he went I at least felt a serge of optimism that we might make the playoffs at least and then who knows what might have happened? So maybe we'd be better off? We can't ever know, but I don't think it's cut and dried that we would be in a worse situation. In missing out on promotion, we absolutely needed the money, but Pritchards sale was a sliding doors moment for me. In the then we definitely got worse. Who knows what the now would look like in that parallel universe.

Bah!

 

Looking back, I can see why AP left when he did and IMO, it would have been better if he had at least stayed until the end of the season to repay some of the cost of his rehab etc and I agree that he worked well in tandem with JM.
That’s all ‘water under the bridge’ and the money we received was quite reasonable under the circumstances and it wasn’t as though clubs were queueing up to sign him.
We have moved on since then and we have a surplus of proven midfielders who can cover his preferred position. Would he be willing to adhere to DF’s training regime (the reason why CJ left!!)??

I’ll end by saying leave him alone and let him sign for one of the other clubs who get promoted.

 

I can see Max getting a huge amount of interest from PL clubs. I wonder what SW's buy out number is? Passlack doesn't seem to be on Farke's radar and will likely return to his club in June given the complete lack of action. We'll need to be clever in the transfer market again if Max goes whatever league we're in come Aug.