No idea and I have no idea if Clarke was his first choice, but I don't think we'd be bidding for someone he didn't want. It's just another case of the club not fully backing the head coach, especially with the money we've brought in this summer. You'd think we could get Clarke for less than we paid for Bayo, maybe we should use Bayat as an intermediary and the deal will suddenly get done overnight for £10m.
I’m hearing that we will be putting in a 2nd bid of £100k paid in instalments and based on Watford getting into Europe
I’m confused - and this is a genuine point, not attempting to argue. But weren’t you suggesting the other day that you didn’t believe Edwards was involved in signing Gaspar? But you are now saying you don’t think we’d be bidding for signing someone Edwards didn’t want? (I exclude Mogi deals obviously)
£3 million when they are on the verge of cancelling the contract of someone they spend £2.7 million on?
Hasn't this guy won player of the season 2 out of 3 season's on loan? Possibly more. Solid LCB that is desperately needed for 3 at the back. This was highlighted again against Birmingham. They're out of excuses but this shitshow continues. Add Kalu into the mix and others clubs must be ******* themselves looking from the outside.
Yes he did but why isn’t he in the Brighton team or in the squad ( maybe he is but just not selected ) At 25 must be time for him to make the step up ?
Yes because it sounds like Edwards clearly identified the centre back he wanted. The fact that we bid for Clarke suggests that it was him, or was at least one of the options Edwards felt he needed. If he asked for Gaspar then fair enough, but it seemed to interfere with the Laird deal who is a completely different profile. To me that suggests that the club brought Gaspar in regardless of what Edwards wanted. I do believe the club are making an attempt at listening to Edwards this summer. However, we clearly haven't moved away from Bayat and seem to find cheap deals from around Europe irresistible still, regardless of whether the player suits us.
So we’ve done to Brighton what Newcastle have done to us with Pedro, make a lowball offer and see what happens.
Turns out a Championship club without the ̶m̶o̶n̶e̶y̶ potential of Newcastle don't have much of a pull!
The article makes it sound like we made a bid a while ago and haven't been back, doesn't sound like it's an ongoing negotiation.
This is our disgraceful ownership in a nutshell. Won’t go an extra million or so to secure an upgrade centre back so we end up with the dreadful Cathcart and Kabasele stinking the team in year in year out. £5m for a backup striker to benefit the Bayat brothers? Instantly available. These people do not act in our football club’s best interests.
Got to say it’s pretty damning of the club if this is true. £3-4mil for Clarke is peanuts. A massive upgrade and exactly what we need. Instead we’re waiting for injury prone, barley played, has had knee surgery and no pre season Kortney Hause because we will sign him on loan. A player that is ready fitness wise vs a player who it’s going to take at least a month to get up to speed. We go for the latter because he’s “free.” Watch Clarke sign for Boro or someone like that and have a much more successful season that Hause. This is what frustrates fans. We’ve been crying out for a LCB for ages. We were told that the club has a plan for every outgoing player that they will be immediately replaced. The club have known about Samir leaving for weeks. Clarke should have been done and dusted, that as soon as Samir leaves, Clarke is in. Not us. Samir leaves, and we apparently bid no-where near Brighton’s asking price of around £3mil. It’s a joke.
I hope that this isn't the case but I'm not sure I can offer an alternative. The crossroads on the road to Thebes approaches.
And the subplot - Hause breaks down injured due to lack of pre-season and the crys will got up “how unlucky. How was Pozzo supposed to account for that?”
I think we definitely need to sign a new LCB, but maybe we made tentative enquiries for both Clarke and Hause and have decided Hause is the priority?
At least if Hause signs he'll have come roughly when he should have, what was the point of waiting 2/3 months to sign Nkoulou?
Wouldn't be surprised if we're doing it on the cheap and preferring Hause because he might be available on loan, but ultimately, is there really much difference in quality between Clarke and Hause? There doesn't seem to be much evidence either way
Probably and my question would be why Hause over Clarke?? Clarke is the much better player. The only reality of Hause over Clarke is because he’s cheap. Yet again we don’t learn. You cannot go cheap on the defence and get away with it. It doesn’t work. There are many defenders now going for high prices. Gino has to invest in this area properly and stop being a Fagin.
I honestly don't know the answer to this either way, but what are you basing this on? Hause has made 28 starts in the PL, and while I remember him having an error in him he's not been terrible at that level. While Clarke hasn't played a single minute in the PL and no one in that league has wanted to give him any yet either.
Let’s just hope we do land a decent LCB before the window closes. If we don’t, the Board/recruitment team do deserve a good kicking. Either Hause or Clarke would be fine.
Personally I'd go for both Hause and Clarke. Both are better than Kabs and Cathcart, and both would be good value for the Champ.
Do either of them have a right foot, because if not, they'll be fighting it out for 1 spot in the team, which I don't think would have been their idea when they thought about dropping down a division
Have either of them played that role before? Anyway, I think it's a moot point as the Clarke deal seems dead
Why? He’s got to move to somewhere before 1 Sept and I’d have thought we’re still in the mix. Just frustrating Pozzo isn’t just signing the players we need early.
Sierralta has been so good centrally it would be weird to move shift him unnecessarily. If we want to replace Kabs in addition to Cathcart then it will need to be with someone good on the ball with their right foot.
I get the logic and would agree if I thought it wouldn't limit funds for other positions where we are weaker than in defence.
We're never going to get the perfect CBs, but ultimately our CBs are far stronger than our CFs and our RWBs at the moment, now that we mention it, if signing an extra defender (in addition to Hause and Stephens who are expected to come) means we miss out on a player in another position, it's not worth it
Wouldn't signing Hause and Stephens be a bit weird if they're both right footers? Agree we don't need to sign 3 CBs.
