Summer 2014 Transfer rumour thread - Part III

I'm really missing Nicola this summer, madman or not....

 

I know people feel starved of information, but it's funny how Cortese is remembered, because I don't remember him giving us any information at all on things like this.

 

Not regarding info, more the extent (in my mind) of his horse's head collection ready to be deployed on potential suitors.

 

Yeah I know exactly what you mean, but it's so irrational isn't it? Cortese had a reputation for being a shrewd negotiator apparently off the back of one sale, and then people just took it for granted that he was doing exactly the right thing all the time. Now there are new people (and Les Reed is still there and in charge of player transfers, so nothing much is likely to have changed really), everyone assumes the worst.

 

And our money remains the same whether Nicola is here or not...if we are short of funds now, the same would have been true before he left. The only difference is that he had an air about him (to people he liked) that would convince people to stay. We may have got everyone to stay for next year, but the chickens would come home to roost soon.

 

...and what you say raises a valid question. With big clubs circling Adam and Luke, our belts perhaps being tightened etc... would Nicola have been able to keep them?

We'll never know. The one time a big club managed to turn our player's head, he left. A good deal, but he left. (Yes I am aware we were L1)

 

I think the one sale thing is perhaps the reason for it - people just didn't want to leave under him. That might have changed now, there's at least some reason to assume that his (often ridiculous) ambition was holding a lot of things together.

 

But for how long? And with time would our financial position have got perilous...he seemed to have upset commercial partners...never a good move. The jury is out on Ralph et al, but only time will tell.

 

Yeah, who knows. Rationally we can't really be upset about anything because we can't tell how Cortese would have done in more time, and we don't know enough about the new gang yet to make a judgement, but it just doesn't feel the same.

 

On the other hand, until now really, we've always been on the way up (yes Cortese deserves credit for that of course, but it was kind of a separate factor too). Now our players have all proven themselves in the top flight they are obviously more attractive for that reason as well.

 

It's certainly not so much fun.

 

Yeah that's the problem, it's hard/not fair to compare the different situations. Hopefully people won't start judging Kruger as a failure if he doesn't pull off the unlikely act of not selling anyone except Osvaldo and simultaneously strengthening the positions we need to.

 

Supposedly linked to a braga player to replace Lallana.

Rafa silva, no idea who he is.

 

Yeah that's been doing the rounds for a while, think we were linked in January too.

Seems a tidy player.

 

looks a good price as well. perhaps an option even if we keep adam and send gaston back?

 

Haven't seen much of him, but he is very highly rated in Portugal

 

Two observations from Mauricio (paraphrased of course);

1) It's a good thing that we're generating all these rumours, as they're a direct result of a successful season.
2) We should not fear the future.

 

Hope he's right

 

Mikey, why oh why haven't you posted that before? "A Lallana in the hand is worth two Eric Lamelas in the bush"... Brilliant.

 

Agreed. In fact people were climbing the walls over that.