[RUMOUR] Matt Clarke

That's only because they put them back on the wrong legs.

 

As his friends know him, Daniel 'Transfer Deadline' Day Lewis.

 

Never watched this guy play (that I recall) but someone who's won Player of the Season at like 3 different teams must be bloody good. GET IT DONE @Gino Pozzo

 

I think we are getting/have got Hause now so presume this won't happen ?

 

And change their name by Deedpoll to Andre Gray.

 

Shame.

Seems like he'd be a great option at a low cost (about half a Bayo).

 

Sure, but yet he's somehow never been wanted by any PL clubs, so he can't be that great.

 

Think we can file this under 'Not Happening' now!

 

I guess there's always a slim chance we might want 2 LCBs but it must be unlikely ?

 

Good enough for us though in the champ ? Gather he's not the quickest but still his record at this level seems excellent.

 

Sure, but he's proven himself to be a fantastic player at this level that we need to get out of. Borrowing him for a year would make sense, Cathcart, Kabasele, Hause and Sierrelta aren't wanting by PL teams either but we have a job to do first. As much as I would love a Prem ready squad in The Champ, with minimal disruption if we were to get promoted but we have to be realistic.

Anyway, it's not happening now so!

 

Well considering playing Cathcart on the left hasn't been an absolute disaster, I highly doubt we'll bother, not to mention Clarke himself will probably rather go to a club where he's guaranteed games?

 

Cathcart won't be here next season, surely. WTE may leave this window and Pollock won't be up to Prem even if we get there.

That would leave Hause (if we sign him permantly), Sierralta, Kabasele, Clarke.

We'd still need to significantly invest in the defence if we were promoted so don't see a problem with signing Clarke permantly now and him being part of a 25 squad

 

Cross that bridge when we come to it! Haven't seen anything about an option for Hause, but I guess the possibility is always there if he's a success. I'm not sure it's sensible to sign Clarke, possibly have him on the bench this season, just so we have bodies for next season if we go up, because there's zero hard evidence to suggest Clarke is a Prem level player

 

Is Clarke not better than Cathcart and Kabs at this level?

Back three of Clarke, Sierralta and Hause sounds good to me.

 

I don't think we have much choice. The level of improvement we need to compete in the Prem is just not on the cards until we get there, sadly.

 

It’s been reported that Brighton are fans/very respectful of Clarke, but just don’t consider him good enough on the ball for the way they play. I don’t think that necessarily means he’s not good enough for the Prem, given the way their centre backs play, especially given the fact that he’s still only 25 and the level of those players ahead of him.

If a club were to have slightly less passing expectation (as we certainly seem to) he might still be acceptable at that level, and that’s more than we can really have said about any of the others (that we’ve actually had the chance to see there) in the past few years.

 

I'm not disagreeing that he's clearly very good at this level, but more suggesting that we don't get carried away about his supposed abilities because clearly they still have a limit.

As I've said before, even though I couldn't really say for sure who is better out of Hause and Clarke as I haven't seen much of them play recently, the fact that Hause has been deemed capable enough to make 28 starts in the PL and hasn't done too badly there must count for something.

 

Signing for Boro this afternoon for £2M. **** know's what we offered.

 

500k paid over 5 years.

 

Good player. Hopefully Hause works out or this will be a real source of frustration.

 

So annoying.

 

Certainly contradicts the idea that Watford are suddenly flush with cash.

 

Yes, but do we file it under ‘our horrific club was interested but never made a bid’ or ‘our horrific club was never interested?’.

 

I prefer Hause.

 

If Hause really isn't available for up to 2 months as has been mentioned on here, then it is a strange one, hopefully that report is ********!

 

Where's that been said? I'll change my mind to utterly pathetic, ridiculous signing if that's anything like the truth.

 

Look in the League Cup thread, also seen similar chat on Twitter, although on the flip side I've also heard he had either returned to full training or was about to when he signed for us, so make of that what you will!

 

That's the worrying thing. We definitely are.

 

BBC says signed by Middlesbrough - so we will see him at the Vic before the window shuts

 

Looked slow and clumsy.

 

Looked even more immobile than Sierralta, somehow.