There are 2 sentences in the tweet that SaintsFC 76 posted. In the presser, Ralph ruled out Che going on loan to Everton. That’s the first sentence. A separate question about players in general leaving for “the right money” was answered by Ralph saying we aren’t ever going to be a club which wouldn’t consider reasonable offers. The second sentence in the tweet is therefore incorrect, in that Ralph wasn’t even asked about a permanent move for Che specifically. Watch the presser, you’ll see what I mean.
I get that Forest are buying to try and stay in the PL, but are they just stockpiling players so the similar clubs around them don't sign them? ie Saints
Hey CTR have you moved to NZ yet or planning to bask in another Albertan winter (would've p.m.'d you but don't know how)
Basically the players I would have guessed. Those not guaranteed / good enough for a starting role. With the exception of Bednarek and Che. With the former being the centre back who could fetch the highest fee who we would actually want to sell (in theory) Assuming these are true. But most of this isn’t surprising other than the McCarthy one. If clubs of greater stature than us wanted him then why didn’t they want him on a free when his contract was winding down? Unless they want him on similar terms to what we are offering but not on what he was demanding as a free agent ? Or perhaps he assumed he would be a starter when he signed a contract and if the choice is between being number 2 here and at a “higher status” club then he will pick the latter Although his salary is on the high end for a number two goalkeeper in the premier league outside of the top six. And I don’t think many of them have slots available. So maybe another club want him as a starter. Which would be even stranger
Before we get the pitchforks out... Why would McCarthy sign a contract if he was unhappy, and knew that there would be there clubs after him? Stephens has been at the club for ten years, and always been a very reliable squad member. Not a big enough player to cause disruption; after all he is hardly ever on the pitch. Maybe Bednarek I can believe to have become frustrated, but if so, then he has perhaps earned his right to do so, seeing as he has always been very professional. And Ralph is still playing him every game. Redmond is always being mentioned as very helpful towards the academy players and youngsters that we sign. Would imply that he is a good guy too, with the club's best intentions at heart. IIRC he was also quite vocal about when Hughes left the club. Again this would suggest that he was frustrated, but for all the right reasons. In sum. These are not maverick, Dani Osvaldo types, but decent squad members who deserve the respect of the fans. If they are unhappy (as you suggest), questions should be asked as to why.
Agreed, I was only joking. I’m not sure how much I believe these rumours. If we were going to sell the whole squad I’m pretty sure we’d have moved earlier.
Agree. Would add also that 'big clubs' interested in McCarthy likely those who want a British backup which helps with foreign numbers. If Chelsea could get a decent fee for Keppa, for example and replace him on the cheap with McCarthy. Not a bad move for him but more likely we are happy with out options beyond him now. We don't need 4 senior gks. Bednarek has been an excellent signing but will fetch the biggest fee and will be attractive to very decent sized clubs. Stephens probably feels he needs regular football to kick on. He's right. Redmond absolutely needs playing time and would do a job for a lot of teams. Diallo not quite settled as both parties would have hoped. No blame on anyone from me if reports are correct.
Redmond, Moi and Walcott (and Djenepo) all have one year left on their deals. It is our last chance to try and get something for them Che and Diallo have two and seem unlikely to sign (or be offered new ones) McCarthy clearly didn’t have the offers he thought he was going to get as a free agent. He over valued himself on wages. And likely didn’t expect to lose his first team spot so quickly. He’d easily sign a three or four year contract regardless of how how happy he was because it is a guaranteed multi million pound income. Especially if there weren’t equally attractive offers on the table
I’d forgotten that Chelsea were looking to shift Kepa. It would be a good move for him given that he lives in Surrey
Hey buddy. I am just waiting on my work visa. Hopefully be there sometime in September. Now back to our scheduled broadcasting. Lol
Very true. I guess the question is are these players unhappy because they are not part of Ralph’s plans, or are they unhappy with Ralph’s methods?
They’re probably unhappy because the club wants to sell them and thinks they aren’t good enough which, judging by our lack of offers, is probably true? Honestly. Apart from KWP and JWP, who would we really be keen to keep? Who isn’t average at best and utterly expendable in the face of trying something new? Sell everyone. Buy more kids plz.
He seems to have misunderstood the definition of “understudy”. It doesn’t sound like they want someone capable of challenging De Gea as that would likely require significant investment. They already have Heaton though. Is McCarthy a significant upgrade ?
Considering we have so many players who are apparently not good enough and also no one wants does that make the job Ralph has done better ?
He qualifies as homegrown, which can often be a useful factor for backup keepers on big clubs. That said, while I haven't checked closely, I don't think Man Utd really has roster size issues at current...quite a few of their players qualify as homegrown.
