They actually started to believe they were a "top 6" club too soon. Which is precisely why I don't want us going down the same route too soon.
Which is fair enough. But this idea that no one is allowed to go above Bruno's wages is for the birds, as is the concrete decision from fans that Maddison is 100% asking for 250 grand a week or whatever it is. Maddison is easily one of the best creative players in the league, therefore Europe. We'd be hella lucky if such a caliber of player would sign for Newcastle United.
I don't doubt for a second that there were, but the guaranteed starts would be a % less likely a level up for the majority of the sides he'd have ended up at at the time. No right or wrong here, it's just my opinion that I'd rather in that initial development stage, we have players starting >80% of games and if it needs to be in L1 to achieve that, I personally think that's the most important thing.
That depends on if your looking to set a precedent of rewarding good form over a sustained period of time for our club. The issue we have, is how many players will be looking for improved deals on the back of Bruno getting a new deal? Tripps? Schar? Burn? Longstaff? Willock? Joelinton? Wilson? Miggy? The cash needs to come from somewhere and if they all need rewarded with better deals then that takes a significant chunk from the pot we have to spend at present. Let's not forget that Maddison isn't exactly an endorsement of health and fitness and has his fair share of time in the physio room. Then again, it's not my money so if we sign him then champion
Exactly people read something decide its true and then react like it's fact Nobody has a clue what's going on not eventhe journalists.
Maddison has been highly regarded as one of the best midfielders in the premier league for 3 seasons now and has silverware to his name, he's also 26 years old with his best years ahead of him. Like, the very definition of a player who can come in and demand a high wage package. No one is being rewarded with any better deal, we are asking for his services and offering him a set contract. If Bruno starts to piss cry about it and demand more money, then we need to look at that situation and asses his position, but as of this very moment that hasn't happened and we have no idea how much Maddison would even want. We aren't signing a 32 year old for 200k a week and hoping he stays fit. We are talking about signing one of the best midfielders in England in his prime for a relatively low fee.
We are also heavily focused on younglings it seems when we go out and sign players, that's a good business strategy, but now and again you need to get your hands on a golden goose when the opportunity presents itself.
Maddison could turn out to be this summers paqueta obsession. I think Szlobozlai seems more likely at this point but we're all just guessing.
We have so far shown one wonky decision in the transfer market, pissing our pants and signing Gordon for no real reason. Think the lad is unfairly targeted by fans, but Howe doesn't treat him well in my opinion and plays him in bizarre positions. The kid has gone from the LCM, LW, RW, RCM in his months at Newcastle. He finally starts playing well enough at RCM ... the exact position he always played at Everton. Attacking movement wise and passing, he has the potential to be far better than Longstaff, you can see how the two of them play their games, so why we have pissed about for months in that regard is beyond me. I am certain Howe wasn't particularly interested and Ashworth pulled the trigger anyway, as he was around £20m cheaper than last season. We also for some reason signed Harrison Ashby? He hasn't even made an appearance off the bench, not even when we are coasting games.
From what I can gather from Gordon's interview. He is the one who has pissed and moaned wanting minutes initially, admitting he was a bit immature until he realised he was nowhere near fit enough for Eddie Howe's tactics. He has admitted he was miles off the pace in training sessions and never ever imagined the fitness levels and stamina levels would be so gruelling and has had to play catch up ever since he joined. He went on to say he fully intends to work hard in the close season to make sure he is on it come the pre-season and able to take the opportunities when they come his way to prove his worth. To be fair it was a damning assessment as to just how **** Lampard and Everton's training had been.
Gordon was unfit so I think next season he'll start to shine. Howe's going to have to rotate now so it's a new challenge for him.
I'm unsure about Maddison, he is a good player but is he gonna do it every game? Is it more about him than the team?
