He wins a lot of loose ball and has pace and energy. The question mark is whether he uses the ball well enough. I’ve seen him win it then gift it.
Be interesting to see how they price Dan Neil like. Got to be close to 20m. Amassed lots of games now.
I don't think Neil goes this window. Prem clubs don't generally sign players in January unless they're expecting them to materially affect the rest of the season for them. Liverpool, Spurs etc will see Neil as a long term prospect rather than immediate impact. Plus with his contract situation we are in no rush to sell, and with playoffs in possibility we will likely add a premium for that. I reckon all parties would prefer to wait until the summer. Mind you, I think that if he were to go this window, its only likely if he's immediately loaned back for the season.
Yeah, just so much interest in him wish makes me nervous. That's said, he is on long deal and we are not blessed with lots of cms
I suppose we have to be pleased we have a dozen scouts at every game although that's difficult ... ... we can only trust the owner and his staff to do the right thing for the club and us all.
They do take a lot of criticism for reasons I don't really understand. Our sales have, so far, been sound and logical imo. It's easier to criticise our purchases but every club will make a percentage of wrong choices. I once looked at the list of high priced flops Alex Ferguson brought in and it was staggering. I'm currently totally trusting the club because the alternative is an endless circle of conspiracy theories, gossip and innuendo ... ... entities like WMS formulate advance criticism of players they believe will be flogged off. They'll be right one day and will be shouting 'Ha!' from the rooftops..
most of the players have been told this month we don't want to sell them and a very substantial bid will have to come in for us to even think about it, players are happy with that and are happy to see the season out, neil is very happy here and has already had city sniffing when we were in div 1 and he didn't want to go then, and doesn't want to go yet aswell same for patterson, both said rather get game time and learn then sit on a bench
That attitude right there is why this team is so loved and they will all leave with the best wishes of everyone when they inevitably move on
More. Dan will leave with my blessing because he deserves it all. We got £16 up front (and a lot more cos he smashed the triggers) for Henderson and Neil is far, far higher potential. I think he will follow the same path to Liverpool and I’d say he is our most valuable player so I’d be asking for 20 plus add ins and I mean substantial add ins. He goes somewhere like Liverpool the levels he can improve to quickly just training and playing with world class players will be sky high. For me he could and should become our greatest ‘export’ and we have had some canny exports.
sounds daft but i'd be abit more worried if a mid table team come in over a top 6, you see now the top 6 take all the best talent and then most of the the time the get lost, where like an everton come in, your chance of playing is trebled, and for once we've got a young team who jus want to play football i recon the club will want about 30-35m for neil this window for it to happen,
We sold the two Jordans for 20m and Dan is a similar prospect in my view, so taking in inflation in general and football in particular I would only he happy ? with closer to 30m, he and Ekwah in a midfield 3 could be the key to promotion in my eyes, tinted I know but that's how I feel , in fact i would rather loose JC than DN, hope the grandkids dont read this last bit .
I’d agree with that fee in January for sure. Losing Dan would be massive. He’s like the ****ing batteries in the side. You don’t see them, but if you take them out nothing works. Love the lad and will watch his career with immense pride, as we did with both Jordans.
We can compare prices all day but just because someone went for X and we think Neil is better doesn’t mean we’ll get more money. Worse players will be sold for more and better players will be sold for less it’s the nature of the beast. Comparing him to Henderson, who captained both England and the best Liverpool in decades plus arguably one of the best PL sides to ever compete, is probably a stretch imo similar type of player but he’s not on that level. Henderson had 4 seasons of PL football under his belt at Neil’s age. Being a HGN player will definitely add some value if it’s a PL club.
I agree mate, Jan deals arent really for top end prem sides. Spurs might do something this Jan, which may give us something to think on, but I still think it is Liverpool next summer unless we are promoted. Mind you, as others have said, Dan loves it hear and he might just see one more season with us as a good thing. Captaincy might be a canny temptation, and he is captain material in my mind.
I am with you mate. Batteries is a brilliant description for him. Since I first saw him I thought he was exceptional. He has learned so much and is still improving. He has just about everything you could want in a central midfielder. I personally think he is a fraction quicker this season too and would love to know if he has worked on his speed during close season, it looks like it to me, over 3 or 4 yards anyway.
And his shooting, whilst still ‘under construction’ is far better. His biggest asset is his calmness. In reply to above I’m not suggesting he is Henderson level, but I absolutely suggest his ceiling is higher.
