Don’t know if this is @BusheyOrn’s source, but the Sarr/Liverpool January story was denied by the Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce. https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/02/...erpools-reported-move-for-35m-ace-last-month/
https://www.90min.com/posts/liverpool-transfer-news-watford-winger-ismaila-sarr Liverpool have made contact apparently and he wants to go... In fairness, can hardly begrudge him a move after he pretty much got us back to the big time after slumming it playing Rotherham and the scum. Didn't kick off last year but if this story is true, can imagine him trying to force a move this time as will probably feel he's kept his part of the bargain by playing a year in the Championship. Will obviously blow a massive hole in our chances of staying up and suspect we wouldn't reinvest all the money.
Sell him for anything north of 10m. We need the cash desperately and we're gonna go down with or without him.
Don't know if they'd take 40, but 50 would certainly do it. If even half were reinvested we should be all right, and help keep us out of the financial abyss that we're overlooking.
He stayed when others didn’t and he has definitely earned a move. That being said we should be held over a barrel here as we will have to reinvest to stay up. If they offered 45m for him, then I would probably expect us to take it. However last year i thought the move didn’t happen because Liverpool were basically penniless and couldn’t pay anything up front. Looks like an easy lazy journalism story really.
If he goes it needs to be a deal that sees us get the vast majority of the fee up front. The speed at which the promotion squad is falling apart, in all the wrong places, is pretty worrying.
I don’t think he will leave. That said, irrespective of fee, I think it would be confirmation of relegation. We need him to stay to have any chance.
It would be very odd if Watford sold Sarr this season. We kept hold of him in the Championship. We are now back in the Premier League and hold all the cards as he's on a long contract. I think this time next year, sure, that would make more sense, but not right now. Sarr and his agent don't come across as wanting to force the move through, or else that would have happened last year. It would be interesting if Liverpool bid up to £50m though, as to what the club would do. It would however signify a probable relegation, so until we are a little more established, I think it would be a foolish move by the club if they were to sell at this time.
If Sarr were to leave, as well as the contract situations it would be mighty impressive if Pozzo ended up weakening last season’s squad at CB, CM and out wide. This season feels like it will be very hard going indeed.
I think we only kept him last season as we didn't get a good enough offer. We will only keep him this season if we don't get a good enough offer.
Liverpool just pulled out of deal for a player who was valued at £25mil because they couldn’t afford it. Not saying it’s true, but Liverpool are not a team that tend to spend huge amounts of money on one player. In fact what we supposedly want (£50mil) it would make him Liverpool’s third highest transfer in their entire history. Jota who they purchased last season for £41mil is fifth in their entire history. The only way he goes to Liverpool is if Salah goes to Madrid or someone like that.
Take Sarr, Chalobah and Hughes out of this below and the squad absolutely honks. It would struggle to get promoted again, let alone stay up. Some of the ‘backup’s’ in the graphic fill me with dread. We are an injury or two away from disaster and the squad is not strong enough even if the above 3 players stay….
Personally I don't see it in terms of 'he stayed in the Championship and got us back up so he's fulfilled his end of the bargain', or indeed 'the Pozzo forced him to stay a year to make sure we got back up before letting him leave' - the idea of rejecting tens of millions for him to make him stay and play has to be seen as a two-year project - there's hardly any point if he was just going to be allowed to shoot down the gangplank as soon as we were back up, almost certainly condemning us to not just the oncoming relegation but one so humiliating and shameful that the league have no choice but to bust us down to the Vanarama National for collectively bringing the game into disrepute. He's only done his job if he is here this season and helps us re-cement our place in the Prem (i.e. literally records Messi in his best overall season's numbers) - either way, he will then leave next summer; in a cut price relegation deal or a much improved step up fee. The Pozzo can't logically think it makes any sense to let him go now for basically what we originally paid for him in a still covid-depressed market. Also, 90min.com is pure fugazi fugayzi horseshyt.
Unfortunately we're pretty ****ed for next season before we even kick a ball. Enjoy the what wins we get and expect relegation whilst collecting the cash, anything else is a bonus. But if we got relegated with Doucoure, Capoue, Deulofeu, Welbeck, Dawson, Sarr, Pereyra etc, imagine that lot trying to stay up. The state of our back up centre backs is absolutely diabolical.
It has gaps yes, but I quite like the squad that is taking shape, its not the usual scattergun its selecting players who can fit 433, and the new frontline has absolute pace to burn But then again I never was one of the bed wetters I’ll happily predict this squad gets to 40 points and stays up As for Sarr, when you see the losses most clubs took from covid, no one is getting anywhere near our evaluation
We'd be guaranteeing our relegation if we sold Sarr. I'd hope for at least one more season of him to see if we can re-establish ourselves in the top flight, otherwise it'll be a long time until we see a player of his ability at The Vic again.
Doucoure, Capoue, Deulofeu and Pereyra were also part of a squad that far surpassed mere survival. We all know that the 2019/20 team was talented enough to survive, but that the culture, coaching, bad luck and other factors had a huge say. The squad we're building is odd in the sense that it could bomb, but also - IMO - has a high ceiling if the club has everything in order to get the best out of it. I think it's competitive enough to give survival a very good crack and probably achieve it if the coaching, culture etc is as good as it possibly can be - like in 2018/19. I also think that by keeping XM on, and with this Hughes contract situation threatening to take over the summer, that there are fair question marks as to whether they'll manage that.
There’s a starting XI (including Sarr, Hughes and Chalobah) that would be in with a shout of survival. But how often do you get a season where you can rely on a small batch of players? The reality is that 1-3 of the backups will play a lot because of injury/AFCON and then we are bang in trouble - more so if any of those 3 players leave. There’s just nowhere near enough depth of quality there yet for the thrills and spills that a 38 game PL season throws your way. Certainly defensively.
I don't think anyone should be surprised if we get relegated this season. That's not being defeatist or having no ambition, that's just where we are financially at this moment in time.
Hope you're correct. But I just see what Norwich did with Buendia and can see him going. But he won't go unless they offer what Gino wants.
All well and good but there are two sides to it, it's not just about what's best for the club. Player power talks, he's clearly better than our club and if he decides he wants to go then what's better - a £40m player who doesn't want to be here as we've knocked back his dream move or £40m in the bank and spending a portion of it on strengthening the squad? And yes it's appeared in 90 Minutes but from memory Graeme Bailey is quite reliable.
I would add the incredibly reliable James Pearce has said nothing is expected from Liverpool at least for now. The club is prioritising sales. https://theathletic.com/2697759/202...ummer-business-expected-as-club-target-sales/ They may well be interested in Sarr, but without Bournemouth to overpay for their dross, I can't see it as top of their priorities.
Though Norwich's sale of Bunedia was always on the cards. Hence they got their business done early and well before he could ever even fleetingly be considered part of their plans for this season.
Looking forward to us getting £40m for Sarr and the adolescent Twitter army suggesting we then spend that £40m on Hudson-Odoi.
