[SOLD] Luis Suarez

I asked this against Sheff - Philips wasn't on the bench so someone (I hope...) is classed as club grown.

 

It's against them lot up the road, and if anything if Troy wants to move to the Prem, its a "one game to show people you're fit and able to do it in the Prem".

Murray has been pulled off after 45 minutes in the last 2 games or close to it. Might be due to fatigue, but ultimately its down to him being dreadful and long past his sell by date.

 

Does Ben Wilmot count? They have to have had 1 year with the club before the end of their U19 season, we signed him when he was 18 so depending on how the U19 rules work (eg. for U21 internationals there's a qualification date rather than being dropped on your 21st Birthday) and when his birthday is he may have a season under his belt? Potentially the same goes for Quina?

 

Lucky guy.

Is that why they had to loan, not sell, to us ?

 

Weird that there has been nothing on the socials about him, have to assume he is on his way really. Shame but we need the cash.

 

There was quite a bit of stuff before he caught Covid (if we are willing to take Vlad at his word). They posted interviews with Cleverley and Quina about him. From memory we didn't get stuff like that about estupinan.

To give a happyclapper opinion - Given that he arrived late to pre-season after having to quarantine, then he missed at least another 10 days with quarantine (and was possibly not 100% even after that) he has probably had very little by way of a pre-season to get fit and learn the tactics.

To give a bedwetter opinion - he is being sold to fund deeney's Talksport salary for the next 3 years.

While Vlad and the club don't give clear answers about him, and AL refuses to ask the tough questions, we don't have a scooby what is happening.

Marseille just confirmed their new striker as Luis Henrique

https://twitter.com/OM_English/status/1309401361507930115

 

He actually looked alright post-lockdown once he was playing with a strike partner again.

If we play two up front I think he'd do well for us this season. He's not capable of being a lone striker though, it's not his game.

 

Appears to play in the same area of the pitch as Suarez, and cost about the same as they'd been wanting to pay for Suarez.

 

Laughable report in Spanish media saying we are holding out for €15m - but if no one offers that, we will let Granada have him for €3m because ‘we are friendly with them’...

 

I know deals can move fast, and that there might still be clubs interested in him, but time is running out, and I don't know who would be sufficiently interested to pay the kind of fee we'd be after. It's one thing clubs being after one of the best left-backs in Spain, quite another having clubs after a player who's only done it in the Segunda, even if he may have more than a year left on his contract. He'll either go for a cut-price deal to a team on the Continent, or he'll stay

 

Pretty sure the €3m is a loan fee. Either way it’s silly.

 

I think that’s revisionism. He scored a couple of penalties and was fortunate the ball fell to him against West Ham (actually because he hadn’t kept up with play) otherwise offered nothing. Actually nothing. In 9 games.

 

From the match threads, plenty of people disagreed with you, including a few of his critics.

 

But quite often was up top on his own, and lets be honest he's bulky and slow. When he's had a strike partner who is smart, be it Ighalo, Vydra, even Welbeck vs Arsenal - he's been alright. He's not got a bad touch about him, if there's movement off him, which you don't get in the 4-2-3-1, then he has a part to play. If we're insisting in the 1 up top though, then he needs to go for his and our benefit.

 

The rose tinted glasses are coming back with a vengeance.

 

I prefer to call it the Glen Murray effect.

 

For 100k a week, we should not be having to build the team entirely around a striker who is slow, old, doesn't score goals and dictates the formation you are required to play because of the huge number of weaknesses in his game.

What impact does him playing have on Sarr, Quina and Joao Pedro who will be forced to play out of position just to accommodate him?

Who is this quick striker we play alongside him ? Glenn Murray? Perica?

 

Aka 'how to make yourself appear younger and quicker in one easy step!'

 

AL asked about Suarez in his current Q&A on the Athletic but he doesn't really seem to have a scooby about him:

"Ivic said that he was currently outside of the group at his presser yesterday. Clearly there is a significant chance that he will be leaving, Marseille is a link that won't go away, but much like with Sarr they would like to keep him. But as we have heard on a number of occasions with VI he only wants players that want to be here. So it's a case of having to wait and see."

 

Oh spanners.

Let's hope no one meets the price before the deadline and then he gets his head down and decides to stay and fight for a place.

 

I think this is the big part. VI only wants players who want to play. I think it's telling Troy and Sarr are with the group now, and I think Deeney said in an interview he wants to play against the scum tomorrow and targeted that as a return date showing the manager his heads in it, and it was quite apparent that VI spoke with Sarr and Sarr has said he wants to play to him. I presume the others we haven't seen are mentally not up for it, and I think this might be where the rumours of VI being hard in training (apparently) might have come from.

 

I think Quina does

 

Well put.

Still find it weird that any player looking to move can't focus enough to play well and earn a move, demonstrate you can do the business for us while you're here.

 

It does sound like Vlad is working the lads hard in training, I think both Clevs and Foster (might be wrong) have mentioned it, so I presume they don't want to risk the injuries and such like. Trying to think which others are "missing" now - Sarr and Troy sound like they're happy to work. Capoue and Bobby have said they want to go - Good luck to them. Hughes, Masina, Janmaat, Success, Geri D, Gray are injured. Suarez had Covid, now we don't know if he's in the In or Out camp - Wouldn't surprise me if VI asked him bluntly to commit or not and he hasn't answered straight as yet. Think the rest have played other than Welbeck who I think might be deemed to expensive to play?

 

Good list.

I can't imagine Caps not trying if selected but if it's Vlad's choice....

I'm sure Welbeck it's money as you say.

 

Be interesting to know what Welbecks situation is. If there's a lot of reluctance for Prem teams to come in for him over his fitness, it would probably be worth his while to try and negotiate his deal - Say for a year with a set wage which the club deem reasonable for him to play and show case he's fit and still got something to offer. He doesn't strike me as someone who would moan and kick off - but who knows. Can certainly do a job in this league if he keeps fit.

 

No idea it would be value for money but when fit would massively improve what we've put out so far.

 

Leventhal knows nothing about the clubs recruitment. I think that’s pretty obvious by now.

 

Same can probably be said for Ivic. Another week passes by with none of the signings he said he wanted.

 

I still think he is the best source of info we have, but he doesn't seem to have the sources he once did.

The club seem to be even more secretive than usual this window though.

The sad reality seems to be that I don't think we can make signings until further sales are made and the wage bill is dropped.

 

My sources tell me this is a wait-and-see.

I’ve heard we want him to play for us and do well, but at the same time would not want to get in his way if an acceptable offer came in and he wants to leave.

I’ll give another #ITK update as and when I have it.

 

Best source of general info, I agree. But when it comes to recruitment, I don’t think he knows more than any of us.

 

True. You would think he would have a better idea about Suarez though as he is a current Watford player so it isn't really recruitment as such.

 

Sorry - when I say ‘recruitment’, I mean in and out.