Don’t think there is a back up plan. It’s James or no one. Can’t say I’m a fan of an eggs in one basket approach, so let’s hope it happens!
Don't worry it will happen, just the deal to thrash out. Either a loan then buy or a straight up buy. Player will say he won't be signing a new contract and basically force the move
Id say our league position and the quality of our coach is probably the driving force behind him wanting to sign for us
Thing is I would rather us go for what we really want and fail than go for a make do. Providing of course that a go for is genuine.
In principle yep 2p. What I mean is bielsa says he needs a type of player, Orta scouts for possibles makes a list, bielsa ranks them in order of preference, allowing for likely price/availability and makes a short list... you target them all to sound out availability/interest and go after no1... with a contingency. If James was the only one who fit the criteria then I agree, no point in buying someone for the hell of it... but given that we have flexibility of Pablo at 10 or wide, I’d have thought there was more than 1 player in the world that we could have been looking at. If James falls through and it could for any number of reasons... then we’re 2 down from the start of the season squad (not withstanding the emergence of some u23s)
Phil can expect all he likes, but if he's not ready, he's not ready. And he's not! Simple as that. What a stupid demand. Thought more of Hay.
This gets weirder and weirder. It seems like the deal is done according to Nixon but with a loan fee of £2m and an agreement to pay Swansea £10m if we get promoted. That's fooking double the money we paid for Bamford if you factor in the loan fee. Yes Bielsa wants him so must know something, but I'm gobsmacked
Look at it another way then Doc, we pay whatever transfer fee now that we have agreed in the £5-6 million bracket (plus additional extras as and when), and find out he's not the player we thought he was and don't get promoted. We then have a player that Bielsa will have some time in the summer for next season, but we will also have a reduced transfer budget ( of lets say £6 mil). If James turns out surplus to requirements, we are £4 mil down ( in comparison to the deal presently being muted), with a player that has residual value, but do we get our money back in the summer, or do we let him sit in the under 23's until someone pays us the fee we want (btw I don't expect this to happen , just putting it out as a scenario) To me the deal looks like Swansea need money but don't want this particular player to leave, and with it being January transfer window, they have put a premium on his price. We want the player. but aren't prepared to pay that price (I'm sure numerous posters can come up with various reasons for that). The player announces he wants to leave Swansea, but we are unable to agree upon a valuation that satisfies both clubs. Someone from either of the clubs comes up with the loan now pay more later deal, which both clubs decide is an acceptable alternative. Both clubs get a short term benefit, Swansea receive a higher transfer fee in the summer, and we are able to budget for that at the same time, presuming we get promoted, or if we don't we can then maybe look to strike a new deal, if we still want the player. Is this not the type of deal that we as fans would've preferred the club to take as a gamble on promotion, in all those previous January transfer windows, when managers wanted players but were not supported by the board. Yes we are paying over the odds in the end, but we are receiving the benefit of a player that the manager feels will help to secure us promotion, and all the benefits that will bring. Is that worth the gamble, I'm sure both Simon Grayson and Gary Monk would've jumped at that type of deal if it had been offered by the Leeds board when they were in a similar situation.
Not disagreeing mate but just gobsmacked that a player we would have offered £2m for as an opening gambit 3 weeks ago, is now worth £12m. He isn't a first team regular but I know that Bielsa rates him highly so good enough for me. It's just the uplift in values in January and I see this deal as being the biggest uplift in valuation since Sourez was sold. It would appear that Swansea have asked James to ask to leave therefore not due a % of the fee. They must be skint and James must want to play for Bielsa
Having a medical at TA now according to around 20 sources 3 of which are usually spot on. Must have been up last night or travelled this morning?
As harj would have said "easy fella" just watched highlights of their 3-3 draw with brum midweek.appears to be very direct runner and has some pace and can finish too.
