Great signing as was Prodl. Vydra too but he is different and no idea what this GK is like. A solid start but still a fair bit of work to be done before the season begins. I'd like another fb, CM, winger (at least one) and 4th choice striker at least
We paid in chillies on the old Nando's card didn't we? Red reward? Genuinely brilliant news on Holébas! As I said earlier in the thread, I think this one was/is actually more important to us than Perotti would have been. Welcome José!
Solid signing, but people are taking as if we've pulled off a coup. And the comment about the Pozzos scouting network.... Yes, because no other clubs in the premier league would have been aware that Roma had players. #bestscoutingnetworkintheworld.
To be fair Moog I think people in the know do actually regard this as a coup and are not quite sure how we pulled it off. Like all signings though, let's see how he gets on when he plays
Who is 'in the know?' Equal camps of 'how did we pull this off' and 'Roma's most hated player' from what I can see Bit in bold is spot on. We've had plenty of amazing players on wiki and YouTube join us and do nothing in recent years. Forgive my reticence, but I've become inured to hype. His reputation seems to me no better half a dozen players we've signed recently who've gone on to be disappointments
Well what the guck do you want? Ryan Shawcross? Leighton Baines? Eden Hazard? This studied curmudgeonliness is quickly becoming tiresome.
We've just signed an AS Roma player who spent most for last season as first choice in the side that finished runners up to Juve in Serie A. For less than a couple of million quid. Coup.
Looks good to me, experienced and has the odd goal in him. Had to leave Roma because on nights out he insisted the Germans in the squad pick up the bill.
Look, I see where some of you are coming from. The signing is a no-brainer in many ways for a club in our position and I'm totally happy with it. He's not totally over the hill, the fee is low, he has top flight and international experience and looks/sounds like he's an athletic player which should suit English football. But it's a bog standard signing in many ways. I've seen people (still) suggesting that his signing might convince Perotti or any other number of players who have rejected us to change their minds. That's bordering on bonkers.
Prodl, Aurlaskis, Holebas, possibly Nyom - I can't see the difference in standard between our Championship transfers and our premier League ones. We're just shuffling the deck, not improving it. Holebas looks like an equal standard to Motta on paper. Sure, if you transfer through enough players, maybe you're sure to find a gem, but I'm not exactly seeing a 'statement of intent.' Rather just routine squad replacement.
Why are some being so negative? I've never seen him play, but even without having competition for left back (and Ashley Cole is hardly a bad option) you still have to be a very decent player to play for Roma 30+ a season. He's cheap and should be a very solid signing and is a seemingly a huge upgrade on our current Left back options. We're a newly promoted side, some are acting as if we're an established prem side already!
I think this is a bit harsh. We've seen that it's hard to attract a player of Perotti's status. Until we get established we need transitional players to improve us. Pudil, love him though we do, wouldn't get 24 games for the Serie A runners up. Some Roma fans don't rate him, but many do. No doubt Roma has many daft fans who think all their players should be Galacticos. Doesn't mean players of this standard aren't good enough to get us halfway up the Prem.
Although I agree with the Perotti convincing, anyone with World Cup, Champions League and top flight experience isn't bog standard in my book...just saying
His pedigree is impressive and whilst I don't follow Serie A as closely as I once did it sounds a great signing. I like his oil too!
Great signing at a great price. What's more I think we could potentially get a similar fee for selling Pudil to a championship club, making this a potential upgrade at very little extra cost. Great business!
I find it disparaging to hear some people dismiss our signings so easily. Maybe it would be helpful if they could provide some kind of wish-list of who we ought to be signing.
It's a very, very stupid question, which was why i ignored it from him. I can make a comment on a football message board without spending 7 weeks scouring Europe and Latin America to find out which players are available for roughly which prices. Have you never said a film is bad, without writing an alternative screenplay to show how it can be done better? Look, I'm not slating the player, I'm just adding a counter to the overblown and childish euphoria that accompanies our signings, with people making ridiculous leaps and assumptions and then going into a self induced meltdown about how the Pozzo family are geniuses who know everything.
I wasn't expecting a list of names + prices, but what level of player you feel we should be aiming for? I don't think i've ever seen Holebas play, but starting 60% of the games for team that ended up 2nd in Serie A last season doesn't strike me as a bad nor "unknown" signing. Of course he may end up being crap, but so might Utds £20m signings (as proved with Tottenham, Liverpool etc). Every transfer that every team makes is a gamble.
We're staying under the radar. You wait till Everton away. "And here's Watford's starting line up: "Gomes, Cathcart, Prodl, Holban - No wait hang on, Holebas? Who the fu...? When did that happen? Sorry, moving on, Nyron Nosworthy - No wait, Nyom? What the hell is going on here!?" Good signing in my book. I like the fact that he has grit, and seems like a warrior. Think he'll turn out to be a good signing.
It absolutely is for a Premier League club. This is where the disconnect comes with 'little old Watford' because we're not that anymore. Yeah for Watford this probably ranks (on paper) as one of the highest profile players we've ever signed. And I've made it abundantly clear I'm happy with the deal so no hate from me towards him. But if we aspire to stay in the league we've just been promoted to this is the kind of run of the mill signing we need to bolster our squad.
I would agree that this level of signing needs to become the norm from now on, & it probably will be. However I refuse to be unexcited YET about the signing of one of AS Roma's best defenders.
