[NOT HAPPENING] Assombalonga

I really think he will be signed. If we have a bid accepted, then I think Britt will choose Watford and the Premier League over a briefcase of cash and championship football.

 

Yeah but we are to Assombalonga as Chelsea was to Chalobah, to a certain extent. I don't think we could promise him regular first-team football. The opportunity would be there for him to earn it, sure, but I would expect his playing time to be much more secure at Boro. Do well at Boro for a year, help them to promotion and then he's got Prem football, the wage packet, and a golden opportunity to be bought by some club like West Ham or Southampton if Boro go back down again.

 

Fair point.

 

Anyone else have the feeling we will start the season with the forwards we have now ? Plus perhaps a surprise last minute £5m for an unknown.

 

Nah I think we'll get a cheeky last minute £10 million bid on Dybala and it'll be accepted because Juventus forgot that his contract expired on that very day and that he wants to play in the Prem under a young and ambitious manager!

 

Don't doubt Gino!

 

No. Very much like the Chalobah deal or the Pererya deal or many others, it's in hand.

 

Won't believe this until I hear it from Dusbero.

 

There's a trend with many Pozzo transfers, especially for good players. Rumours drag on for ages, and just when we've all given up hope of it happening....bang! There he is holding up a Watford shirt.

 

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sp...ting___9m_Martin_Braithwaite_deal/?ref=twtrec

Talks planned today for finalise details of a deal with Nottingham Forest and begin talks with Britt's representatives.

 

Assombalonga, Braithwaite, Howson and Christie for £30m. Jesus ******* Christ

 

Probably a good time to get something substantial on boro to walk the championship!

 

I dunno. Championship looks tougher every year.

 

True. Though Newcastle found it relatively easy. Think tenner to win and something a bit more for automatic.

I know norwich and villa struggled but feels like there is much more intent from the boro bosses.

 

I'd agree usually but I think next season looks a bit weak. I don't know how Reading will bounce back from play-off defeat, most of the bigger clubs seem to be in meltdown, recent Prem clubs like Villa, Hull and Norwich look a lot poorer than they were. I think Boro will get one of the automatic slots.

 

Am I the only one who doesnt want to buy this guy, For 10 million surely we could buy someone better?

 

Who would you recommend?

 

Judging by this transfer window 10 million wouldn't get you much better

 

I think that's the crux of it. £10million will you get a young potential. When we have Jerome Sinclair, Folivi and Jakubiak there seems little point in signing a young prospect.

EVEN MORE SO when we have Penaranda who is due to gain his Spanish citizenship in January/February. Sure we could sell Okaka in January. Sure Penaranda is good on the wing. But the situation doesn't scream for us to spend £20million on a striker for back-up.

Like you, I can't think of a good young-ish home grown prospect striker that we sign for around £10million who would also be happy to compete with Deeney.

 

I agree with your point but I wouldn't necessarily narrow down our striker options to home grown

 

We caved in last season due to now having a big enough squad. If Watson and Hoban leave the club, that will leave a HG spot open. I am 200% certain we will fill that HG spot. Whether it's Assombalonga or someone else.

 

Giovanni Simeone is 21 years of age and has scored 12 times and assisted once this season in Italy. Valued at about 17m, But If you consider that the Pozzo's can both haggle and that we have connections in Italy means we could get the deal cheaper. Eyed by PSG but he wont get any game time there. Worth a punt even if we pay 5m More than Assomba.

Braithwaite has scored 11 and has assisted 3, He should be around the same value of assomba or maybe higher. He is 25 and will be a good fit in if he decided to join us.
There is Andone from La Liga, Plays for Coruna. Hes Scored 12 this season and assisted another two goals. Apparently a Physical specimen, Agile and strong. He wouldn't be any higher than 10m.

All im saying is that when you have leagues like Germany and Spain where there is an abundance of strikers who can achieve 10+ goals a season, why do we look to the Championship for a home grown player who i doubt is any better than we can find elsewhere. Just because we go on a spree and buy two English players doesnt mean we have to buy a third, I say we look elsewhere to be honest.

 

Braithwaite has signed for Middlesbrough for £9m. Simeone has had one half decent season scoring 12 goals in Serie A, I don't see why fans are getting a hard on over him. Andone has a 20million euros release clause and is their best striker, they won't let him for for £10m.

 

I don't think €20m is a silly price for a good promising striker from one of the top Euro leagues. Britt would also have been a good buy as an alternative. But we do need to strengthen our sticking options. And it will cost lots of ££s.

 

But again. Andone scored 12 goals in La Liga. I don't think thats a 20m Euro striker. Yes the market is inflated but I don't see the Pozzos splashing that kind of money. The more I talk about the less I think they will shell out for Assombalonga tbh. I don't think they'll sign any of the strikers we've mentioned. If they do, great. But it's a risk and I don't think Pozzo's take uncalculated risks with their money.

Anyway, the debate is who we can get that's for £10million. Not 20m euros or £17m.

 

Who can we get for £10m or £17m. Both are relevant. Is silly money for strikers, we know that. So do we just buy no one ?

 

Is this actually confirmed anywhere? The bits I've found when casting an admittedly half-arsed net around the err... net suggest that it needs 2 years continuous residence in Spain for him to qualify. Presumably his stint in Udinese reset that the clock?

 

Didnt know about the braithwaite deal. However wouldnt you like the club to be more ambicious and go for someone other than Assomba?

 

You're right. Spanish Govt website confirms it has to be two years continuous residence.

 

I don't think that Simeone and and Andone are that ambitious. They'd be good signings. But I don't think they're worth the money quoted.

 

Well ****. I knew that Udinese loan was a dumb idea. Why on earth didn't get just stay at Granada?! He'd be here right now training with the club FFS!

 

from what I saw of the u21s he's not ready for the prem, brilliant potential but decision making poor

needs a couple more years in back water leagues around europe learning the trade

 

I think he'll be disenfranchised and ask to leave before he's ready. Calling it now, we'll never see this kid in a Watford shirt.

 

£15mil, what a rip off. Boro have beaten Premier League teams because the Premier League teams aren't that stupid to pay that amount.

 

Sorry for continuing an off topic tangent, but I spoke to Malaga supporting friends a couple of months ago about what they thought about Penaranda and why he wasn't playing. They really didn't rate him, assumed the two-year loan would be cut short, and were perplexed when I said that Watford were talking about him as being maybe the best signing we've ever made (this was the kind of talk from Downling and co at the time of the original announcement if i recall correctly).

What little they saw of him was not positive, and the fact he barely played backs that up to them. Lazy, poor decision making, and looked disinterested. 'Doesn't like to run' was the basic take home sentiment. I was pretty disappointed to hear what they had to say..! We'll see though - could be a circumstantial thing.

Personally, I also don't think we'll ever see him in a Watford shirt.