Agree but... 4 million could be PR for both parties and the fee may be dependent on many conditions being met. If 2 + 1 is true, then I’m guessing it’s City safeguarding themselves against a player, with a recent rep of being a liability, becoming just that here.
For £4 million we could get a midfielder from the Dutch or Belgian leagues without the fitness issues and reputation of laziness, someone like Raskin at Standard Liège. It’s a huge gamble if true. A loan with an option to buy Tufan just seems to protect the club’s interests more than shelling out money upfront for him. We did that with Allahyar and he proved himself.
Suspect Allahyar was an initial loan as the deal was structured prior to the takeover completing and whilst we were under embargo. There would have been no guarantees it would be lifted in time Obvs Tufans last season was disrupted with a failed loan move and subsequently falling out with his new coach after 6 appearances back at his parent club, but he has played 76 times for Fenerbache in the last 3 seasons and has been a regular through most of his time there, so is he really that much of a risk? Acun and presumably Shota don't seem to think so. Whilst 4m is a lot by City's recent standards, it's not in terms of top half championship standards and considering the outlay we had tied up in the likes of Kevin Stewart, Jon Toral, James Scott etc doesn't seem that much more of a risk than those.
I think it's a step too far to say it's outrageous. He's 27 with 65 international caps and been playing regularly for one of the Turkish giants. It's a touch higher than expected but if Shota, Acun & Tan all believe in him then I've no issue. I get your point about taking someone from the Dutch or Belgian league but it's a bigger risk. Ozan has played about 130 times for Fenerbahce, I bet Acun has seen the vast majority of those games.
What's a £4m deal though? Are there conditions? staged payments? Does it include his pay for 2 tears? Who knows but Acun and his team don't strike me as idiots so maybe there's more to it? On the other hand we might have spunked £4m on Ben Arfa's little brother...
4 million in todays market isn’t a lot is it, especially for a promotion chasing team. It just seems a lot because we’ve under invested over the last few years and lived on free transfers. Every signing is a risk
Possibly. That would make him our highest-paid player by far though, won’t it? Close to £20,000 a week.
Again, is that excessive when the owner has already pledged a top 10 championship budget next season?
I assumed Traore would be on around that, and Seri would be on more without a doubt. I don't think it's high at all for a top 10 Championship club
Not particularly but being the highest-paid player in a squad puts a lot of pressure and expectation to perform. It’s also quite a wide gap between our best players like KLP, Greaves, Honeyman who are still on 4-figure salaries. A player with a reputation for laziness coming into the club as the highest earner may upset the balance in the dressing room. Or it may not, idk. I’m just cautious of us spending a fair whack on a player with noticeable fitness, weight and work-rate issues.
Who said he'd be our highest earner? He might be the highest earner right now, but I doubt he will be come August. It's not like £20k a week is a stupid wage, so I don't really see the concern.
Doesn't his rep for laziness come from Watford fans who only saw him play 7 times when he may not have been match fit? Lazy players don't usually get 65 international caps and play 100+ times for the biggest club in Turkey. Can't imagine the Fenerbache support would put up with a player half-arsing it around the pitch for the 6 or 7 years he's been there. What KLP, Greaves and Honeyman are on now is irrelevant considering we're negotiating improved deals for all 3.
I’ve read similar things by Turkish fans online. Idk, I doubt they’re all lying when they say his work-rate is poor. They all say he has technical ability but it’s flashes of brilliance and he regularly goes missing in games. I will judge him properly if and when he plays 10-15 games in a City shirt but it’s not a signing I’m overly-enthusiastic about. Hope I’m wrong though. After seeing Allahyar play, his pace, strength, attitude and work-rate I thought ‘we need to sign this kid permanently ASAP’. I just don’t think that about Tufan, which is why I think a loan with an option to buy would be a safer deal for the club. That way we can see what he’s about without committing to anything.
Fair enough, time will tell as. With all signings, but a player with his pedigree is a step up from what we've had in recent years
