Which somehow works out cheaper than the clause Boro are trying to sneak into the Djed Spence deal please log in to view this image
It’s a tricky one, if it’s true. KWP has a lot of advantages as a club-trained HG player. I think of him as solid if unspectacular but having watched a bit of footage of him from the season just gone it’s clear he’s improved on the ball. He has more experience than Spence at the top level. What Djed has on KWP is raw pace and physicality, though whether that automatically makes him a better player is a moot point. KWP also plays both sides which is nice for depth. KWP for £30m would probably be astute business, especially as Doherty has one year left on his contract as of next summer and we’re unlikely to renew. Then again it’s interesting that people are talking about this now, just as the Spence talks seem to have reached an impasse. This could be the kick up the arse Boro need to stop demanding silly money for a young player who has had one good championship season. I’d be happy with either outcome, which is a nice position to be in.
Are they demanding "silly money" for a player you clearly want or are you lot trying to get him on the cheap? These things work both ways and a player is only worth what any club thinks he is to them.
Statistically, it may well be "silly money". Even if so, you cannot blame a club for pushing their luck.
I think yours is a fair comment in general. Specifically about the Spence deal though, some of the add-ons they’re allegedly asking for are ridiculous. Things like paying them per appearance he makes in competitions. That’s quite unusual. Plus the fee is definitely high as it stands, though accounting for his potential it’s probably fair enough. The rumour is 15m then the add-ons, I believe. I’d say that if we got him for 10 it would be excellent business and anything over 20 as the base fee would be overpaying. So 15 feels about right, if a little higher than I’d like. And I’m not opposed to anything like, say, paying £x once he makes say 15 PL appearances or whatever. But paying Boro everytime he pulls on an England shirt, as is being reported, is ridiculous. They know they have an asset, that everyone knows they don’t really want and who doesn’t really want to be there, but they need as much money as possible and the chairman doesn’t want to lose face. I get all of that and it’s fair enough if they have their valuation of him but it’s not like we’re trying to buy some sort of club legend who’s scoring 20 goals a season for them. He’s not even one of their academy players let alone an established first-team player. That’s why I think it’s mighty convenient that it suddenly leaks out that we have a buyback clause for a player in the same position that isn’t, in the grand scheme of things, that much more than they’re demanding. Some hands might get forced.
Widnae, for me. I like him but for that money we're entering the bracket of fee where we'd want a clear upgrade on what we already have. Not sure KWP is that. Yes he has improved under Lowkey Klopp, but he has the same flaws he had when he was here. If we're thinking of spending that much as it is, we might as well chuck an extra £10-15m in there and get on the phone to Tariq Lamptey's agent. That's the thing, if we're spending money let's do it properly.
For all that it annoys me a bit about the Spence deal and overpaying, I do agree. KWP is a good RB and I think would be a good RWB. I worry his physical stature and lack of elite pace mean that as good as he is - and he’s clearly becoming a lovely footballer as he matures, he’s technically looking far better than I remember for example - I don’t know how much more he can improve. FWIW I worry about Lampety’s fitness record. Spence is the one I really want because I think he has all the raw ingredients to be truly special and has already shown he can offer a lot at RWB. With the cash injection to give us liquidity, and with players left behind from tour surely having been told to move on, I think we have the ability to overpay a bit if it’s for the right player. We’ll get something done. I just think that position will take a bit of time for all the pieces to fall into place.
As of right now there's no indication we'll activate the supposed buy back clause but if we did, I'd be cool with it. I've often felt we (Poch) let KWP down big time and in return, let ourselves down. Spending £30m on him would act as a reminder and a lesson to the club that better decisions could save us £ms on transfers. A buy back clause in KWP and a 50% sell on clause in Edwards tells me the club were at least aware these were ballers and had somewhat of a contingency plan in place due to our failures to get them reaching their potential here, albeit potentially costly contingency plans! Funnily enough there's a possibility we could even come up against Edwards in the CL this season and should we draw Sporting in the groups, you just know the inevitable happens... Anyway I'm waffling, whether it be Lamptey at £50m, Spence at £20m+ or KWP at £30m, I'd be happy with the deal, think all three would fit Conte's system. Chuck another £10m-£15m on top of Lamptey's fee and we might be able to persuade Hakimi to try his hand in the final top five league he's yet to play in.
I’ve also said this. Boro realise he’s an asset so want the best possible price for him, fair play to them for that.
I always look at possible value to a club, is one season back in the PL worth more than what is being offered? Like i said, perception of value can be different to different clubs dependant on circumstances.
Boro are asking for £15m with the following addons - International debut (fair enough) - Champions League debut (pushing it, but fair) - Premier League debut (**** right off) - Meaty sell-on clause (with all those additional other clauses, that's taking the piss) Add to that Boro have already replaced Spence, as Darnell Fisher was their RB last season and they've been strongly linked with signing Ryan Nyambe on a free this summer, so Boro can't claim he's a key part of their squad as he spent the entirety of last season on loan and has already been replaced in their team
