Why are you expecting an instant return on investment for Ilori and Alberto, they're signings for potential. In fact Ilori hasn't even played yet so how can you possible judge his performances? Aspas is looking like a bad signing but a bad signing cost is £7mil this time instead of £20mil+. You can not expect even the greatest managers in the world to make good signings 100% of the time.
ok guys... I am not basing anything on the amount of fee paid but on what i've SEEN with my eyes.
i.e. u21 games with ilori and what alberto has managed to do for the firsts... AND what aspas has done.
whether its 7mil or 20mil.. its a waste of time. aspas is sitting there not sucking much wages as we discussed this in the summer, 20-30k is what he was on then... BUT add 5mil and bid for eriksen. coutinho cost 7mil. DId we really have this much faith in these players as to spen a combined 20mil on three men that to ME, (my opinion, i'm entitled) do not look good enough to make it in the prem...
None look like henderson... whom i defended ad nauseum when he signed and now its the fashion and when I say actually he's our weakest attacking player and i want him to play deeper i get criticized for daring to think for myself. In short alberto doesn't look good enough, he's not got drive. He looks like a spanish shelvey. Ilori looked shaky at best at u21 level in games i saw and aspas is a weak player who can't get into games.
Our summer was defined by 3 buys, mingolet, toure and sahko. I contend still reina today would be a better option this season, skertl has displaced toure (wrongly IMO) so our success this season thus far is based on last januarys buys and suarez playing well. what will drive us on next year? not aspas, alberto and ilori thats for sure!
If we buy this summer I'd rather we don't repeat this stuff. Maybe it is out of europe shopping but its never goign to improve us.
I think the point redlad made about positives is fine... he named players we already had.. and i am saying last january buys is where we improved and give credit there. All i'm saying is we can do a lot better with the cash than to put in a player like ilori then ship out wisdom... put in a aspas and ship out suso... oh maybe next season both of those would be vast improved as a result but... we loaned in the awful moses too... would those two have got games... unsure given rodgers picked anyone bar wisdom before loaning him.
I am willing to stick my neck out and call a spade a spade once i've viewed the players. add up those 3 and you get a big fee. none are trusted, none would be first sub on and for me they are very average players if we are seeking to have ambition.
would you like any of them to be turned to in a crisis... fa cup 5th round and we are away to oh city... here aspas first pick.. thats heads in hands time.. or alberto too.. you'd be saying its too much to expect form a young player... I'd be saying he could be 28 and he wouldn't be up to it.