Big deal. When you bring in prospects, not all of them work. Chak, Baah and Vata are all recent examples of players that will generate massive profits if/when sold
That’s not the point. Who cares if they all work or not - the reality is it’s cost us a fair whack of money when we don’t have any. The premise of it ‘paying off down the line with Fluminense’ is reaching. It certainly puts credit in the bank for Cleverley at least. He’s bemoaned buying players who are nowhere near ready - and Gino has just sanctioned a move that proves it.
Could also have kept Hoedt for that money and had change left over, but self interest and player trading comes first.
And Mebude, Oulare, Hurtado and Penaranda are examples of prospects that don’t work for balance. At least two of them were signed for decent sums too. Let’s not create a narrative that we can afford to take the hit on failed signings.
Not saying we can afford to lose any money. But think we have done pretty well in the transfer market recently. Every signing comes with a risk, so don’t see it is a big deal if some transfers go against us. If others want to wet the bed over it then….
You’re missing the point. We don’t have the wiggle room to ‘take risks’ anymore. You can buy players you think are first team level that don’t work out - of course, they happen. But we have spent money on a player who clearly wasn’t scouted well whatsoever and was several levels below first team level - and that’s money that is in scarce resource. People aren’t ’wetting the bed’ as a result - they are concerned at the direction of the club in the transfer market. And it’s a concern the head coach clearly shares given his comments about spending money on players who aren’t ready. So would you say Tom Cleverley is wetting the bed? Also keen to hear how you think we have done well in the transfer market ‘recently’?
I noticed on social media that his young partner is recently pregnant. I wonder if that has played into the early exit. All that aside, I was told early on that he was nowhere near good enough and we already had better homegrown defenders on the books. Which is damning when you think how bad our own youth setup is.
One of the key, perhaps somewhat lost, details is that he isn't even going back to Fluminense to take a place in the senior squad - he's going back for another chance in their U-20s. That's how unprepared and incapable a player our genius scouting department decided to commit £1m on, at a time we are constantly either pleading or just demonstrating poverty, and steadfastly refusing to shell out any money on desperately needed reinforcements/upgrades. The point some apparently either can't or don't want to see is that it gives us further insight into the competence and focus of both our scouting operation and our H U S B A N D R Y U S B A N D R Y
Yeah, reading between the lines it looks like a young lad a long way from home deciding it just isn’t for him. Frustrating but the club have typically managed the acclimatisation aspect well in the past so if it was that it’s just one of those things.
Any new transfer is a risk, even if they have a track record of previous success at championship level. Pozzo has always taken bigger risks by bringing in unknown players with potential. have rarely brought in unproven players with potential, that is not a new direction. For me players like Chak, Vata and Baah are excellent examples of players who have come through this season, and previous brought in for modest sums. I think TC is doing a great job personally, but agree that if we want to maintain where we are, TC will need more support and he is right to demand that.
With respect, you’ve reframed what I asked and answered it as such to fall in line with your original comments. You have clearly accused fans of ‘wetting the bed’ over this deal - yet our own coach, who you yourself have said you heavily back, has stated more than once, his own concerns over the same issues that fans are ‘wetting the bed’ about.
Ahh the old ‘I’ve said something stupid so better just throw a quick insult out there’ defence. I’m not at all worked up. This is a football forum that we all take time to contribute to. Yourself included. It doesn’t at all ‘work me up’ to see you say people are ‘wetting the bed’ (an ‘insult’ that you started before anyone else said anything to you) - in fact, it pleases me to see you failing miserably to defend your reasoning for saying it.
I don’t think calling out a bad signing that is a waste of money, especially considering it’s widely acknowledged we don’t have much to play with, is ‘wetting the bed’, but each to their own.
But presumably Hoedt would have cost more in the long term given Ogbonna's only on a 1yr deal? Even if knowing Pozzo he'll end up still here in 2030.
Surely every transfer is a risk though especially from another country. Sounds like this kid has not settled very well which sounds like he may have requested to go back. It's annoying yes and we could do without wasting that money but Richarlison and Pedro were risks from Fluminese and that worked out incredibly well so sometimes you have to take the rough with the smooth. On the flip side though it doesn't seem as though this player was actually ever any good. Be interesting to know how he was scouted
I don’t disagree. My point is there are times when it’s financially prudent to take risks. And there are times when you really need to be careful due to lack of resources. I’m certainly not saying we should never take risks - I was one of the last people on here to give up on Jebbison for instance. Didn’t work out - but at least he was considered to be ready to help out. Moreover, the initial reports on this guy were that he was nowhere near good enough. So him failing to settle I think is just one aspect.
I have no idea how to pronounce his name, but in my head it is “cakey”. We all love a bit of cake, so it’s a shame this hasn’t been fruitful. No icing, no jam. Just spongey and cack.
Last summer cash-strapped Watford strengthened their back line by signing three centre backs. As of today, they’ve made a combined total of 6 appearances for us. Lol. btw I think we only dished out 200k on this one, the rest was to be paid in instalments
That is certainly concerning and I wonder if Fluminese pulled our pants down a bit by recommending him and we just went, ooh Fluminese, we always do well out of them!
This guy is still listed in the squad list on the official site and as far as I remember the club never published anything regarding him going back to Fluminese. Is this another one of Nani's "oh, we forgot but we should have told you" moments?
