Having an overseas number 3 keeper seems strategically poor. Especially one how is on a steep decline. For all the need to upgrade, so far our business is 4 year contract for a 30 year old and a 1 year extension for a veteran keeper. Does not bode well for Pozzo view on things. Where will Cathcart performance levels be in 2 years time. Prodl is already an obsolete waste of money. It seems to me Pozzo can’t let a player go. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to convince Britons to stay.
I agree its not ideal that he takes an overseas spot. But for that not to happen, we would have to buy an English GK as 2nd/3rd choice unless we kept both Dahlberg and Bachmann here next season - which I think we all think is unlikely to happen. Not sure which English GK we could get in knowing they'd not be 1st choice. Heaton perhaps but he's hardly young and he will be leaving Burnley as he's not 1st choice, so I doubt he'd rush to join our situation which would be similar. Same with Hart and Pope. So realistically we would be looking down the leagues.... And in that case, and I know the concerns over Gomes ability - but would the payoff of losing him and what he brings to the squad be worth it to bring in a homegrown GK who is unlikely to play? As for you other points, I massively agree. Cathcart could have been rewarded with a new deal but on a shorter term. Prodl was a silly extension of that length but I'm not sure anyone quite saw the fall from grace being as big as its been for him. Rightly or wrongly, it's easy to see why the club are keen to keep Gomes because of what he adds as a character and a leader in the squad. The above players won't bring that when they are 34/35yo. I hope it changes this summer, and its a discussion for another thread, but the club definitely have a problem with recruitment when it comes to defenders and it skews their decisions when keeping the ones we have.
Gino doesn't explain his actions to us, the same way he hasn't explained his thinking towards getting promoted to the premier league, just about to enter our 5th consecutive season or reaching last seasons cup final! I would rather we don't hear from Gino! and let him get on with it!
Mercenary bunch, most of you. I welcome the news on the basis that the club knows what is best, not us. I like Gomes and whilst he may be getting older he is still good enough and his presence around the club cannot be underestimated.
It's one thing trusting the club. But when they spend money on Oulare, Zeegelaar and many others, when it comes to contracts and transfers its clear they don't always know best. I'm a defender of the new Gomes deal. But when you say he is still good enough, what do you mean?
Will Gomes even be in our squad? If so, 3rd or 2nd choice? He could be playing a holding role until one of our younger keepers is ready to replace Foster, or his main role could be to integrate our young Latin Americans - that could be vital. And we don't know how much he'll be paid. Let's wait and see
How is Gomes signing on as (I presume) 3rd choice keeper in any way a bad move? Sure, we could sign someone pointless to fill the role like Stuart Taylor, or we could use one of our more recent fan, club and player favourites in Gomes. Weird responses here I would say
Every club, and I do mean every club has success and failure in the transfer market. Along with Oulare there is a Doucoure. It’s the market we’re in. We buy players hoping they will end up being top 4 material. In regards to contracts, it’s s very similar story. We give out contracts to put us in a decent negotiation position if they wish to move on. Players like Prodl for some reason have regressed at an astonishing rate. Gino is not beyond criticism but to take us from mid table championship to mid table Premier League suggests he knows what he’s doing
Who would have possibly thought that 30 year old plus players might regress at astonishing rates. Maybe that is why you give them 2 year contracts and review, rather than 4 year deals? Just a thought.
Of all the players who have been with us in the Pozzo era, who have progressed beyond 30yo, which of them has had transfer interest that has been impacted by the length remaining on his contract? I’m confident enough to say none really. All players we have had at that kind of age could easily have been left until they had a year left. I agree that on the whole, Gino has shown he knows what he’s doing. But I just can’t understand these longer than necessary deals. If we have top quality players approaching 30 or they are even beyond that age, then I get it. But these have been average players we have given them to. Cathcart did well last season - so reward him with an extra year. If he doesn’t want to sign that, review it in 12 months time and see what his form is like alongside a new CB partner. To just give him so many extra years isn’t needed.
He'll be 3rd or 4th choice with a game or two in the carabo cup. Since when have we signed someone on sentiment rather than contribution ?
Have to agree. Keeping 2nd/ 3rd choice keepers happy is a difficult one plus Gomes is a good influence around the squad. Don't think his standard has dropped. Of the 6 Man City goals I would say only one of them could be claimed could have done better. It was a collective defensive failure in the face of a wonderful De Bruyne cameo. It put the gloss on their win. Blaming Gomes (or Pereyra) is unfair. It remains a team game.
This time last year Fulham splurged 100 million pounds plus on some (on paper) tasty players. It did not work. We secured and got the best out of a mercurial ex-Barca talent, bought for peanuts. We can all witter on about the failures like Oulare, but overall season in season out Gino trumps the nay-sayers on this forum. That's good enough for me.
That’s the same old argument though. If every club that got relegated spent what Fulham did, it would hold water. But they don’t. Huddersfield stayed up for a year and didn’t spend £100m. Brighton have never spent £100m and have stayed up twice. Bournemouth haven’t spent that. Nor Newcastle. Nor Burnley. Nor Wolves. The club takes as well as it gives. We are all mostly happy with where we end up every season, no one denies that. But we all also pay our hard earned money in to the product as well - and that earns us a say. And it’s my opinion that with the untold millions that come into the club due to us being in the PL, that the club should invest more heavily in better defenders. And Deulofeu wasn’t bought for peanuts. He cost about £13m. By our current standards, that’s not peanuts.
Check the latest figures for net spend. Wolves have spent more than any team that has been newly promoted. Serious Portugese investment. Brighton have one of the highest net spends over the last two seasons. Burnley actually have spent more money recently and Huddersfield did in their first season. Newcastle are a bit of an exception but they had Rafa to keep them up. You say 13 million was alot for us and that is right but comparatively its peanuts for this current window.
Would agree with you Burnsy that we need to invest more in better defenders. Dawson is a start but only that. Trouble is the fees are now getting silly for them as well. Not a recommendation by any means but the going rate for a decent younger Championship defender is going to be 12 - 15 million. Unless we progress players like Wilmot we have little option but to get a cheaper import and hope they adapt.
As long as he is third choice and not second choice then I have no issues with this. Wouldn't be confident seeing him play again though.
Brighton and Wolves spent nearly £70m last summer each. £13m is peanuts compared to what clubs are spending. Yesterday I heard a rumour that somebody was going to spend £50m on Mcginn from Villa! We all want better players, especially defenders but we don't have mega wealthy owners who will risk everything because the market says that's the price for a player. Fulham spent £100m, Brighton nearly £70m. One went down and the other was mighty close. That woiuld be a massive risk if we went down that route and I just don't believe we would take that risk.
You are cherry picking a bit here though. Our expenditure was chunky in the first 3 seasons. Between 50m and 80m each season with some recouped of course. I agree fees have gone bezerk in the last 18 months though and it’s hard to get value.
But in your own, rather sunny summary, you've already highlighted how directly, these two are responsible for a goal a piece each. Doucoure too. OK, we'd still have lost, but 4-1 is a lot better than 6-0 and then, if you take my view, that Gomes could have done better for 2 or 3 of the goals, it's even worse. Yes we lose that game 99/100 whatever, but losing 3-1 or something and it's a day where those players are remembered as Watford legends. As it is, I'm sickened that most of them are still gonna be here come August.
Gomes is more than a reserve GK. It's all about the team and team spirit. As a character to be in an around the team he's worth his weight in gold.
Agree with this...I doubt his extension was based entirely on a view to him keeping goal. He was paramount in helping Richarlison settle in - and by virtue partially responsible for the large profit made on him. With the signing of Pedro, and indeed the seemingly growing relationship between us and Fluminese and possible future starlets coming our way, Gomes may be worth much more to us than just in goalkeeping terms.
The most expensive mascot/ player liaison officer of all time? To be fair, I’m happy we’re keeping him and it’s not my money. I just don’t want him playing in the most important games of our lifetimes.
As if they'd consider playing a 38 year old reserve keeper in such important games. Laughable suggestion.
Just lazy thinking. He's Brazilian, he was mates with Richarlison and as we all know, all young Brazilians must be exactly the same so he'll be mates with Pedro too. Even though Pedro might not turn up till next summer.