What does seem silly in hindsight was holding onto some of the players that were linked away in January - Trippier, Wilson, Miggy - when it was clear they weren't going to be part of the long term future of the club and fairly clear they weren't even really part of the short term future. The three of those out the door would have probably meant we could have kept one or both of Anderson and Minteh (reckon we'd have got £30-40 million for the three combined and the wages would have been a bit cut too).
Whilst I don't agree with the whole idea that Howe is somehow behind all of the bad transfer ideas and others are behind all of the good ones which is sometimes pushed here I do think it will have been Howe who was pushing to keep those three. It makes sense if you don't know who is coming in to replace them (probably no-one in January) and still trying to compete on a few fronts as we were. With Ashworth going, the FFP issues we had, the change at the top of the club, etc then if we get another good quality through the door (ideally RW and CB but one of the two I'd settle for now) then it's been a consolidating summer and not the end of the world.
Howe is doing a great job and I suspect he's pretty frustrated with the situation himself. I think he probably thought we'd have brought better players in. Whether he's refused players we'd all have been delighted with will always be unknown. His in game management and his delay in getting the best players on the pitch I find annoying but overall can't fault him.
If true then if was clearly a bad decision. We could have kept Minteh and sold Miggy + Trippier and now only be looking to get in a CB with the money we have. ... if true ...
It's been reported that Miggy had (and still has) no intention of leaving. You can't just sell a player because you feel like it. There has to be a buying club offering the right terms AND the player has to want to make the switch and agree to those terms.
Not unreasonable but we'd just sold Mitrovic in the January and had a forward line with little back-up (we got Kenedy and Rondon on loan, both of whom did pretty well in fairness) and which were fairly one dimensional. Benitez got the most out of the players he had but ws very set in his ways, I think trying to develop a young English player wasn't really on his "to do" list when he could just loan in a guy in his late 20's to do it instead. I'd be lying if I said I had any inkling Toney was going to reach the levels he has. I could say the same about Joselu.
There was another, single, report that although Almiron was initially reluctant, personal terms had been agreed with the player after he was offered a considerable wage boost. This report then suggested that Howe pulled the plug on the transfer (as well as on outgoing transfers for Trippier and Wilson) as he decided the player was too important to sell at that stage of the season, with injuries as they were.
I have heard Howe very recently pipe up about the importance of having these players voices at the club.
It is worth remembering that injuries were pretty bad. If Howe had sanctioned them being sold and then we'd finished 8th-10th I think he'd have been in trouble and I doubt the fans would have let him off for making decisions based on us having a better team this season. Can you imagine us trying to convince players like Guehi to come if we'd finished below them in the league?
It just seems to me that Howe needs help managing the group. The reality is at some point he's going to have to manage more flamboyant characters. You'll never win anything with voices in the dressing room.
I think if and it's a big if, all these rumours are true that Howe wants to keep all these players when they are clearly getting on or it's the right time to sell and he says no and also has a rigid preference of prem experience overriding the clubs wishes then it will inevitably blow up in his face and he will face the consequences of that.
Agreed. Either that, or Mitchell isn't as tough as he makes out. He is above Eddie in the pecking order so if, IF, it is all Eddie, then Mitchell needs to grow a pair. IF. Personally I think some just have a very strange fixation with blaming Eddie for absolutely everything. Don't understand why. Yes, he has his limitations, but some of the theories are laughable. He's be out on his arse by now if they were true.
Who is blaming Howe for everything? It's impossible surely. The club is where is should be really... others seem to think the clubs really a top 7 if you like club.. I think it's way off... there's a big 6 and there's 4 other clubs in a group somewhere down the mountain.
I understand why we had to sell him. But I think we are going to regret it being him. Miggy Wilson Trippier should have been shipped. But like others have said we will never know. Let’s be honest we shouldn’t have been in that situation anyways. How did that even happen?
