I am an unashamed fan of Steven Fletcher and think he will be a excellent signing for us. I think he is capable of adding great strength to our attack and scoring 15 to 20 goals. He was my number one target for me this summer. However, there comes a time in every negotiation where a line needs to be drawn and this is it for me. On reflection this last 24 hours, my opinion is that there wont be too many suitors for him at £10m and Wolves are playing a dangerous game. If we pull out they will have a very pissed off player on their hands and potentially will have to look to to lower their asking price anyway. Wolves may think they can hang onto Fletcher to help a promotion drive but whats the point of having a player who's heart will be elsewhere as the focal point of your attempt to gain promotion. Thats going to be a hard task anyway imo (I reckon there are at least 10 or 12 teams capable of winning that next year) so they need all hands on deck. I think we should give them a private 24 hour ultimatum to accept and then go and put a bid in for someone else to stir them up. There will be other targets and with the new season less than 2.5 weeks away now, we need to get the ball rolling on recruitment. I am not yet that concerned as the market in general is quiet but we do need to move it up now and get some new faces in. Its not that we couldnt afford the extra £2m or £3m but the principal. Anyone who has been in sales will have done the buyer seller role plays and seen the negotiating techniques. Go in low and keep increasing the bid and the seller will automatically think they can keep increasing the bid. Go in fairly high and offer only minimal increments, always based on gains and further concessions and a successful negotiator you will be. Time to call Moxleys bluff. He has been allowed to play the game his way too long.
We should work out what we're willing to pay, put in an offer a bit below, and haggle. If they demand more than our maximum we walk away. Like you say, they just end up with a pissed off player going to Hull & Peterborough instead of Old Trafford and Anfield. Doesn't help anybody, but you can't blame them for wanting to keep him. Sadly though, as we know, that's what happens when you go down...
Moxey is a complete buffoon. If you stitched him up good and proper, I would have developed new found respect for your board. Go in with 10, watch Fletcher get restless as it is rejected then offer a lower amount (circa 6-8 million) and you will have got him for what I deem (my opinion is worth naff all though) to be the right price
I agree with commo, Fletch knows we want him, Wolves know he wants out and they will be hoping someone comes in with more, cant see it and what I have heard about Byrne my money is on her.
Hope your right. Even if he's the only player we bring in id be fairly confident of a top 10 finish. If we were to add one or two more quality players after we should be looking at top 7-8
I agree that you shouldnt't allow yourselves to be pushed around, however I think you discredit Fletcher's professionalism too much. If he is a Wolves player on September 1st, like 95% of pros, I would expect him to sort his head out and give 100% for Wolves. Even a 90% focused Fletcher would probably get Wolves up.
Cheik, there is no such thing as professionalism when it come to footballers and agents you should know better. Moxey's arse will be twitching now that no other bids have come in. We should now place a bid of 8 million as they've rejected our 10 and say take it or leave it, 7 million for cash. He would be sat in the board room with his head in his hands crying to himself.
i think we have to go for somone else now.... not a striker maybe phillips or a LB This will make wolves edgy as they see there money flow away.... fletcher edgy because he sees the only team who are willing to get him away from the championship spending there budget somewhere else he might force a move or voice his frustration Then we go in for 8 million
i agree there is no LOYALTY in footy, but once the window closed and it was too late either way, I'd be surprised if a pro like Fletcher went into a season long huff.
Does fletcher want to leave though, can't remember reading anywhere that he wanted out. If he wants out and is interested in joining sunderland than the deal is already half done. Wouldn't pay more than 10 mil for him though. I'd even think twice about paying the 10.
I reckon it all depends how many other 'irons' we have in the fire? We have made it known that we were after Fletcher for quite a while, iirc it was being mooted when we played Wolves at the SoL several of us looked at his performance as an audition, (he was ok slightly better than average but much better than our forwards). I would like to think we have been canny and that we may have a couple of surprises up Ms Byrne sleeve. My yardstick is that to have a good go next season we need to spend £30m on 2 strikers and a creative midfielder. IMHO £10+ mill is to much for a striker who I hope is not our main forward!
