You can't blame Leicester's scouts for wasting £6m on Inler. We wanted to waste £6m on Inler too, but he preferred Leicester.
Bit harsh to call it a waste though. They probably just weren't expecting Kante and Drinkwater to do as well as they have done.
Really interesting one this, and the first time in the Deeney to Leicester saga where I've felt like there's a half-decent chance of it happening. I do wonder though, with them being Premier League Champions with higher-than-ever stock, would a player like Deeney be who they are aiming for? Could they not (with the greatest of respect to Troy) go for a bigger name? Also, I have found that rumours that were once fairly strong tend to show their heads briefly for a few transfer windows afterwards, so we'll probably be hearing this until the end of January. Also, with Vardy and Ulloa (and whoever else they're likely to bring in to bolster their attacking options), will Troy get first-team football? Let's face it, he's the first name on the sheet here, week in, week out. Would he be happy to bench-warm? Also, would he be willing to give up his captaincy? I can see why it would tempt him this time, but I'm not sure this will come to anything.
Benfica and Porto consistently sell players for ridiculous fee's after signing them cheaply. I'd say Leicester's recruitment has been overstated. Kante and Mahrez were excellent buys, but the rest were signed ages ago and developed & Mahrez took a while to develop too.
Mahrez was one of the best players in the Championship too. Leicester's scouting network hasn't always been great, thats why it doesn't really make sense to compare it to the likes of Porto, etc. I imagine its also easier for Porto/Benfica to attract players to their club than it has been for Leicester (until now anyway)
He was good, but no better than Knockaert until this season. I think it's just a combination of things perfectly coming together for Leicester. Kante, excluded, I don't think their signings have been particularly amazing.
I know they said they'll be bidding £25m for a Premier League based player but come on, they're not that stupid. It'll be Benteke, Lukaku, Bony etc, that's just the right level of stupid for £25m.
In an Interview with the Sun - When asked about his dream summer, he said: “I want them to give me a new contract! That would be nice and then sign some other players - but look after me first. “What would I like them to do? Sort the car park out I suppose, I am still trying to get a No9 parking spot." http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...-to-DisneyWorld-and-a-new-car-park-space.html Doesn't sound like someone who wants to leave!
I would be gutted if Deeney left, but unfortunately everyone has a price. Would much rather see Ighalo sold than Troy. Unfortunately the fact that Iggy can't hit a barn door at the moment will have driven his market value way down.
Ah yes he must of made an amazing impact between January and May since he only signed for them in January and played 19 games.. less than half a season. Oh wait, 3 goals..
Strange that I would tweet this then to Dream Team (when they asked if any players should be added to their player list at the beginning of last season) Did you see much of Leicester the season they went up?
Have a look at this from page 4 onwards, at the end of his time in the Championship Squibba. http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/topic/92163-riyad-mahrez-official/page-4 "What a talent we seem to of unearthed here. Sure I read £750k. Our scouts out in France must know what they're doing." "Was reading back through this thread, a.) what a player and b.) not a bad chant" "This guy is something else, I mean I thought Knockeart was a baller, but this guy, a joy to watch!" "**** i'm so happy he's with us." "I'm starting to agree with people on Mahrez. He does look a lovely player. If he continues in the same vein next season he'll be a real asset." "he is fcking amazing" "Class player. Absolute steal" "What an impact he's made in just 3 months! Signing of the season." "He is just amazing. Think we're going to find it hard to keep him next season, all the bloody clubs will be after him!!" "Got to be the best signing of the season in our division." But I'm sure you know better than Leicester fans.. after all, he only got 3 goals.
We said that about Nyom for the first 3 months.. or Vydra or many others, some go right some go wrong. Let's be honest, he was bang average last season too and his improvement this year is nothing short of remarkable. He could be a world beater for years to come but he was never ever one of the best players in the Championship in his 4 months there.
Some of you mention scouting networks ie. Dortmund Ajax Southampton. I believe these clubs have phenomenal youth academies rather than a pozzo scouting network. As for Leicester they seem to of got lucky with a group of players that just want to play for each other.
Ah, so you are just going to ignore the opinions of the fans who saw him each week. Can I ask you, what are you basing your opinion of Mahrez on? How much of his half season at Leicester did you see? and how much do you remember clearly?
Chelsea !!! By a country mile !!! Just because they do t give them a chance or run in the first team doesn't mean their academy isn't one of the best in Europe.. ! Look at what it's won over the last few years at different age levels..
Leicester saying they're seeking 'strong minded players who work hard off the ball' in the summer. Not a good sign.
I think the Watford-Deeney partnership might have run its course. He's been brilliant for the last few seasons but I have a nagging feeling he's become too big a figure in the club. I think that he is the reason why we've played the system we have all season, it's the only way to fit him in the team and dropping him when he wasn't playing well at the start of the season was a fight that Quique (understandably) wasn't prepared to have. Much as I like Deeney, I've found his on pitch behaviour this season pretty arrogant. Every time an attack breaks down he throws his arms up in the air, even if he was marked at the time or in a worse position than the player who lost the ball. Whilst I can understand the frustration with Ighalo on occasion, a lot of the times it seems completely unjustified. I sat in the Lower Graham Taylor stand for the Villa game and was close to Paredes in the first half. Early on he messed up a simple pass into Deeney's feet and Deeney started waving his hands around and scowling at him. A couple of minutes later Deeney tracked back and won a tackle in the right back position and had a massive go at Paredes about the earlier pass. Paredes then tried to find Deeney next two times he got the ball even though there were better options and gave it away. The crowd got on his back and he never recovered, putting in a terrible performance. Although it would be hard to say goodbye to such a talismanic captain, sometimes a group can step up when a dominant leader leaves...
I get where you are coming from but you could say the same for dropping Ighalo in the last few months. Also, I'd argue at prem level if you do not have the mental toughness to pick the right pass and tell Deeney to shut it then perhaps you're not cut out for this level. I know that's a very basic way of looking at it but decision making is what separates players at this level. I'd personally be gutted if he left, rank him as my favourite watford player and really hope he stays. As mentioned the thing worrying me most is he does seem an ideal fit for Leicester and with them having CL football and a manager like Ranieri it may be too good to refuse.