I think Atiba Hutchinson would be a good shout for leftback. Will be available on a free, and although I haven't watched much of him he seems experienced and could be worth a look at.
not seen much of him but he played up front the last time i saw him! not sure he's ever played left back but i'm prepared to be proven wrong on that one
Just checked, he's been playing right back all season for PSV. I thought he'd been playing leftback, blip in memory there.
I would say be careful with RVW, He hasn't even kicked a ball for the club yet and everyone is already speaking abut him like is some sort of legend and comparing future signings to him and his standard. I want him to be top class don't get me wrong but I think we need to hold onto Holt and get another in.
Jose Mourino returning to Chelski is going to set a lot of clubs back a bit as far as transfer funds are concerned. Millions will have to be diverted from the transfer budget into expanding the away dugout to accommodate his ego and his outsize head .........
what he is, without doubt, is a striker who is a cut above anyone we've had in a long time. it does make me laugh though to see some fans rave about RvW sand then completely dismiss hooper - both have been playing in supposed inferior divisions yet for some reason hooper is unproven or not good enough. bizarre logic really! speaking to a man city fan the other day, he didn't realise we'd signed the dutchman and when i told him we had he thought i was barking mad - i actually had to prove it! he watched him destroy his side in a europa tie a year or so back. "one of the best players i saw that year" was his pleasing response. "****ing bargain".
Fingers crossed then Superman, I rate Hooper did you see him the Scottish cup final? Was great on and off the ball and scored a brace. Seeing is believing and I hope in 6 months time I am writing abut how excellent he has been.
I think hooper could be a real handful against teams, I'm sure he'll end up in the premier league this summer, or January, for sure. odd that hooper should be dismissed - just because he hasn't got an exotic-sounding name or has been picked for his country doesn't mean he is inferior.
i did see it. he's exactly the kind of striker this club need. i've always compared him to defoe and i think that's fair. if you want to compare him to someone whose been at city then he's a bit like earnshaw with his movement and eye for goal - a natural finisher but his all round game is a bit better than earnshaw's ever was. he'd score goals down here, no question at all. i cannot fathom why some people (who it appears are basing judgement on league reputation rather than actually watching him) are dismissing him.
At least Hooper knows that, of all the suitors who might like to sign him this summer, NCFC really want him to climb on board. We made a really determined effort to get him in January, and refused to accept "No!" to the point of really getting under Lennon's skin.
I would have thought it would be hugely reassuring to people that, when we demonstrate an interest in a player, it turns out to be "exactly the kind of player" we need. CH's track record on this is excellent, so I'm just happily waiting to see who he brings in.
I think the problem with Hooper isn't his ability per se, I think it's the price tag. If we end up paying the £7m it would have taken in January, then we've been had. If the price is nearer £4-5m, then I'd be a lot happier.
it's the going rate for strikers outside the premier league who score goals on a regular basis within the british isles. just plucking some random names from the top of my head... some of these were plucked from the championship or have appeared recently in it: andy carroll - £12.5m; danny graham - £5.5m; jordan rhodes - £8.5m; jay rodriguez - £7.25m; charlie austin (proposed price tag) - £8m. i'd say, based on those prices, hooper would be an absolute steal at £5m. the reason celtic wanted £7m+ in january was because they didn't need to sell and couldn't replace him with so little time available! it's a buyers market in the summer.
I'm hopeful that this time, we won't be 'held to ransom' by Lennon etc and that Hooper would relish the challenge of playing in the PL. Jelavich (sp) did pretty well in his first season for Everton and it would be great if we did get Hooper for a sensible price and he could grab a few goals for us.
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but when you look at prices on the continent, I can see why people would want us to look abroad. I realise RvW was a huge steal at the price we paid, but Sporting aren't the only club in financial difficulties. It might be a little on the ruthless side, but I'd like to see us hounding every team struggling in this department, and seeing who we can pick up. But, Hooper at ~£5m would still be a great signing to me. I don't think you can ever say a new signing is guaranteed to adapt to the league, but I feel with Hooper we'd be taking less of a gamble in that respect.
But again, the supply line has to be significantly improved upon to serve up the chances for RvW and if we sign him, Gary Hooper!
Yep, completely agree. A Deep-lying playmaker is an absolute must, as Johnson and Tettey don't offer enough creatively. Wessi needs genuine competition, and a winger to rival Pilks would be good too. It's funny really, I think we felt the midfield would be one of our strengths coming into this season, yet it seems to need strengthening again. On another note, Maarten Stekelenburg seems set to move from Roma to Fulham, great signing for them.
I don't think we were at all "held to ransom" by Lennon/Celtic. We kept raising our offer despite Celtic making it very clear early on that they wanted Hooper for the knock-out stages of the Champions League and weren't interested. I think we made ourselves look a bit foolish actually by not taking No! for an answer. That's what infuriated Lennon; we insisted on keeping it going when he wanted to get on with his CL campaign.
Do you know that the reason why the fee is so low? Its because he is third party owned. We will only own about 30% of him, then we have the option to pay the rest of the £20m.
