Reading are making a strong bid to get Marlon in the January transfer window, not sure of the amount, but they are very determined. Source: Reporter who covers Reading for local paper.
BBC gossip column: Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is ready to make a move for Watford captain Marlon King. (Daily Telegraph)
Yep, heard it now too. They're going to have to put in a massive offer to tempt us. They may be offering Lita as part of the deal - could be interesting...
I'd take the money. Judging from our last few performances, we're not going up so we need to cash in on King now while his price is high. Face it, if we don't go up he'll leave in the summer anyway. I hope I'm proved wrong but this season is looking more and more like 2000/2001, people may may say I'm doom mongering but taking an objective view on our last few performances we're not good enough and are too one dimensional. I just wish we'd try and get the ball down more sometimes, we have got the players to do it.
5mil + Lita would be a good deal, since Lita has a few years on Marlon and they can both score goals. However, this deal is highly unlikely in my opinion.
why do you think it's unlikely? It would be a good move for both Reading and Marlon, although not for us imo.
I know Reading are looking to offload Lita as he won't sign a new contract, so the part about him being offered in a swap deal doesn't suprise me. If we were to sell Marlon, to get a player like Lita in exchange is good since it gives a logical replacement. However, I just don't see Reading splashing 5mil on Marlon let alone including Lita in the deal. However, as I said in my previous post if they did make the deal I wouldn't be too disappointed with letting Marlon go. Anybody who thinks that Marlon is worth 60mil is deluded (Aidy ;D). To be honest we all thought that 10mil was daylight robbery for Ashley Young so why do we think that Marlon is worth near 10mil then.
If we were to get Lita + 5 mill I would be shocked as Id think Lita would want to go to a prem club. Hope Marlon stays.
Of course some Prem clubs are going to look at Marlon but, as long as we are top two, I don't see that he would want to leave unless we fail to get promoted. He will stay until the Summer. As for Lita - get real. He is not signing a new contract because he wants more money and do you think we would pay top dollar? - NO! Do you also think that he would step down a division - NO! Has he got more chance of furthering his international career by playing in the Prem? YES.
Personally I think this will be turn out to be the biggest test of the Aidy spin machine. We certainly don't need or want to sell, and as Berko says, so long as we are at the right end of the league (and Aidy is still manager) King is happy here. £5m is a pathetic amount of money in the current market, and unlike Ashley I don't think King's price would suddenly drop in the summer if we don't end up getting promoted. He'll still be by far and away our most saleable asset in a very bouyant market. Anyway, Aidy has said we won't sell any of our key players for any price. If we are ever to believe a word he says again King will have to stay. I also have to say I don't know if Stuboy is actually being serious or tongue-in-cheek. But if you're being serious, what the fark are you on about?! Only two teams in the last decade have steamrollered this division - Reading and before them Sunderland. Other than them it's been a fight for all concerned. Yes the opposition are getting closer to us but the fact is that after 21 matches we are top. If we are starting to stutter slightly (4pts from two difficult away games says different but ho hum) the key in January is not to start selling our best players "while their price is high" but to supplement the squad further. Finally, Leroy Lita? Not a bad striker by any measure but not better than King IMO. And anyway, Berko's covered all the reason he won't come here.
That is what I mean, I can see why he is mentioned in the rumour but him even considering joining us would be highly unlikely.
Ha ha! A bit of both UEA, a bit of both. I never expected us to steamroller the division, in fact at the beginning of the season I was very unsure whether we'd get promotion. My view on this has never changed even when we were 9 points ahead (in fact I started a thread saying I wasn't getting carried away). Watford are just so bloody frustrating though!! Of course I really hope we go up, but if we don't for me it's not the end of the world. Just challenging at the top of the Championship is a damn good achievement for a club the stature of ours. I guess I tend to look at things in a more objective way than most (which is both good and bad). That is why my gut feeling is telling me £5 million for King would be good business.
Good business? Really? In the current market I reckon he's a £8m striker, given his goalscoring record here. I would be very disappointed with £5m.
£8 million for a Championship striker? Has that ever happened before? (that's a genuine question by the way).
£6m a piece for Kamara (WBA) and Jones (Soton) for a start, both of whom I would say King was superior to. £8.6m for Johnson (Palace) after a year back in the Championship. Bare in mind though that the market is even higher now IMO. Plus if we're talking about a January transfer there is always a premium put on top of the price.
A few points on this. 5 mio is nowhere near enough for Marlon. At that price he won't be sold. Even at 8 or 10 mio I'd say he's unlikely to get sold IF we are still top after december. We have four matches in December: Plymouth (h) Owls (a) Cardiff (h) QPR (h) I think we must take at least 10 points from those 4. If we do - Marlon stays - if not, he'll go if the bid is right (8-10 mio).
Why will one month make any difference? We could still be top with a lesser points haul. And if we're suddently 1pt behind in 2nd is that suddenly so catastrophic? Hardly. The key is promotion, not being runaway champions. They signed him at the end of Charlton's Premiership season.
A major factor would be that we don't need to sell. Marlon isn't for sale (as far as we know) and we've just made a record profit. If Reading (or anyone else) want him enough they're surely going to have to pay our price?
Interesting that this has come up today because I've picked up talk via friends in Yorkie land that Middlesborough are coming for Marlon in January with Johnson plus £5m as the offer.
That would be an interesting offer, but can't see it happening. Johnson has massive potential and has time on side.
That offer I would find very very hard to turn down. I know King is important but with Johnson as supply line I think our other forwards would easily score loads.
5m plus Johnson. That I would definately accept. Other than that really, we are not in a position where we need to sell so I cannot see King going anywhere for anything other than a large price.
As the guy who told me about it said though it would be great business for both parties, Johnson isn't going to keep them in the Premiership as he is still only on the subs bench most times, whereas Marlon just might, and if he does that for them then he's proved pricelesss, whereas the deal would I think suit us equally well.
£60 million pearls of wisdom.... Yes I agree £60 million in `Aidy speak` works out £10 million real money. So Johnson plus £5 million is very close Rumours about Fulham and Reading as well which will help support the price for Marlon. Newspapers are saying he is fed up with the Championship and our long ball play (which I actually quite enjoy). The board will objectively calculate in January if we are likely to get promotion, and if not they either need a new investor or a big player sale to fund next season - so could be interesting. I guess it will also show how much faith the manager has in Ellington & Priskin.
Having Johnson is likly to make all our forwards from Ellington, through Hendo to Hoskins much much better.
I seem to be ploughing a lonely furrow, am I the only one who did not rate Johnson all that highly? OK he was pretty good, but not as good as most of you seem to think, at least not IMHO!!! I would not let Marlon go, I think it could spell disaster for us if he went, so for me its a.......................... BIG NO!!!
