Thought he looked good in the championship, but that was the championship. Not at all sure he'd be quite so effective in the Prem. When we were in the championship, I didn't really watch the Prem, apart from MOTD from time to time without really caring who won the games. I used to see our football and think that the gap between championship and Prem isn't really that much. But having watched a whole season of it now, it really is. I watch championship games (like some of the recent playoff finals) and straight away you think "The time! The space!". No wonder a half-decent player (like Hughes or Forestieri or Abdi or Guediora for that matter) could look like a world beater. But in the prem, the defences are good. Damn good. And once you got past them, the keepers are good too. There's not the dodgy, flappy ones like in the Championship. To make it in the Prem, for me, mainly a player has to stand out like a sore thumb - like Delly Boy Ali did at the MK Dilly Dongs Dilly Dangs.
I think he would be a good signing. Even if he doesn't hit the ground running he's still young and got time on his side, unlike Jurado.
Home grown so would cost a fortune. Also predict that as soon as the big clubs get a whiff that Derby would let him go they'd swoop in. But the potential is there!
Just turned 21 last month, plenty of potential there but not enough for the Pozzo's to make any profit of the £10+ million Derby would want . I imagine someone else with bigger pockets will pick him up over the Summer or next. I imagine our focus will be on full backs, wingers and attack over the Summer as we're pretty solid through the middle.
A quick comment on this, and I may be completely wrong, but do you think the mindset of the Pozzos may change with the stupid money in the Prem? Less of the "buy cheap potential and sell for profit", more "buy already established good players and maintain Prem football". Is the money in the Premier League worth more to them than the few risks of buying potential? I appreciate they may get the odd one or 2 gems, but in the main would they be more inclined to go for more expensive players to make sure we make the most of every league position £££ available?
Potentially, but I imagine the 10 mill you could spend on a Championship youngster, could get a player worth double that (if they were English) abroad.
True, but if you wanted to fulfil the HG rule with a talented youngster then this is the sort of way to go - £10m on him is more than the Pozzos would be willing to pay generally for a potential talent, but maybe what they would now be willing to spend with the rich rewards that come with it. You'd probably have to pay double that for a prem HG player generally.
I'm not overly fussed to be honest. Fairly decent player, young, home grown, but not worth anywhere near the figure that Derby would want. Whenever i've seen Derby on the tv i've been impressed by Bryson, and Hendrick as well.
What would an English youngster who had played a starting role in a premier league mid table season be worth? If he the owners believed that 1. He could be that good and 2. That would at least double his value then maybe it makes sense. It's not worth the money for a squad player
I think they will look to do both. No point in ending their track record of finding youth, developing, and selling on at a profit. But they won't be able to blood as many of these immediately in our first team if they want to retain prem status which is why I find the pending sale of Granada odd. They will also have to buy some established quality too which is a not something they have needed to worry about in the past with udinese and is in the champ. Will be interesting to see how successful the recruitment is this summer.
