I guess we are getting a really good loan fee? Because I don’t see them paying that amount to make it permanent in the summer
Weirdly, not particularly that arsed... which is a stark contrast to how I would've felt in the summer. He has flattered to deceive, but clearly a lot of talent in there.
Well in a way it’s good. He’s the opposite of what we were talking about earlier - he’s a player that’s better at PL than Championship. Best case is that he gets good playing time at Juve, improves as a result, and comes back to us in the PL next season.
I thought Juve were broke. Can't see that they will actually spend 35m on Charly, whether he does well there or not. In which case, what do we get out of this exactly? EDIT: Sorry, just repeating what everyone else has said.
He's been the victim of our successes in a lot of respects. I think he's been good more often than not when he has started, and we have been VERY good when he starts: in 13 Championship matches with him in the starting XI, we have achieved a nearly unfathomable 35 points from a possible 39 on the year, consisting of 11 wins and 2 draws without loss (conversely: when Charley doesn't start, we have taken 23 points from a possible 45). But once we got our possession dominance working, Russ seemed to lean into players who would maintain that rather than someone like Charly who has a bit of chaos to him. if he's itching for more playing time/to play at a higher level though, I'm happy to have a loan with no obligation (and a massive fee), because if we go up, we're going to have more space to operate in and less possession, and we're going to want his skillset very badly.
Kind of think that the high ‘to buy’ fee is because we don’t actually want to sell him/them to buy him. He gets time at a high quality club, and we might just get a full Argentinian international back next season in the PL (that’s more likely to happen playing at Juve than with us, realistically), in a league that suits his particular skillset far better.
The situation with Alcaraz is really quite strange, one of very few lights last season he was really expected to tear the Championship apart this season yet has barely featured. He has blown hot and cold when he has played but the evidence has been there that he remains a good player, he just hasn’t really had a sustained run in the team, maybe the feeling is he isn’t really a good fit for RM’s style? Either way it would be good to have him back for the PL next season if we make it.
(on Charlie, I hope I'm wrong but I think the RM system requires certain things that also happen to be Charlie's weaknesses. And so it's a bit of a slog for a really talented player ATM)
Whilst I agree with everyone saying we are very unlikely to get that £35m, I also don't think losing him will impact our promotion push. Especially now we have Rothwell but also now that Aribo is a genuinely useful option. Done deal by the looks of it too:
Strange one. Signed a new 5 year contract in October. Seems to enjoy it here and be fully invested when he's on the pitch and has said such in interviews. Maybe he's not getting enough game time, but he is one of those players that can make something happen from nothing. Think he's best when he has a bit more freedom to do as he pleases on the pitch and not have to worry about the system which is why he reguarly looks great coming off the bench. Until Rothwell proves useful, this will weaken us. Maybe not dramatically, but even just as an option off the bench to unlock a defence he's quality. Think we'd get more out of having him in the squad then we will whatever the loan fee is. Can 'only' be a couple of million. Edit: I think if you're going for autos with a congested period of games coming up you keep Charly here for the sake of a million or two. Ignoring the buy option because that's never going to be used. What happens when Stu get's injured or needs a break? Yes we have Aribo and Rothwell. But Alcaraz was a very similar fit to Stu in the team. Drives forward with the ball and makes things happen and can score goals. Rothwell looks a long way off being a useful addition so far and we don't know that Aribo will still be in the form he was in pre-AFCON. He's only been good for us for a few games.
For whatever reason Martin doesn't trust Charlie. I see this as a risk. We only really have 2 players who drive forward and break the lines from central midfield - Charlie and Stu (Aribo to a lesser extent). We have WBA, Leeds, Leicester and Ipswich to play away from home and will need some extra quality driving us forward to break through them. If Stu gets injured....
The 35mill fee does reassure me somewhat that we won't actually sell him. It's an excellent move for Charly and hopefully we'll get him back in the summer.
