But that’s the trouble…. Unless I’m wildly wrong, 44 appearances and 8 goals in the UK across 2 leagues isn’t amazing reading but implies some potential. That’s what we will always be paying for when we buy players. He had potential in the Prem but it wasn’t fulfilled, you can argue lots of things; new to country, language barrier, adapting to new style, etc. He “should” have torn it up in the Championship, but didn’t, again, you can argue let’s of things; doesn’t suit style, physical nature of league, etc. Spotted by Juve, tried the league, didn’t work out for him; honestly don’t watch Serie A, so who knows why but stats are poor. And here we are again… expecting something different from someone who has struggled to adapt to the leagues he’s played in. He could be very good in the future, or his mediocrity could persist in high pressure leagues where he hasn’t got time on the ball. Can we afford to “carry” a player until he reaches his potential, or do we accept a financial offer based on being able to get someone else in to do a job now, not in 12, 18, 36 months time? In an ideal world, we’d do a Chelsea and loan him out until he gets good enough, but realistically we’re not in the position to be able to do that. If we can cover his initial fee, plus salary outlay and make some on the side to use positively, to me it seems a no brainer. I, like most others, want it to work and can see the potential, however, I suspect it just won’t work in this league.
Why won't it work in the PL? He did well under Selles in a car crash of a team. If he stays he will contribute. People are simply far too keen to give up on young players. He is unpredictable, a bit volatile yes but he can do stuff on the pitch no one else in the squad can. He's good enough to play for us, he's shown his ability on numerous occasions. He's 21 at the end of the day, he's going to be inconsistent but he excites me whenever he gets on the ball in the attacking third of the pitch. He also looked good against Lazio until the er.....unfortunate incident in the second half. He linked up well with BBD throughout the first half, assisted the goal.
Not saying I don’t want it to work, but it’s the situation we find ourselves in. I like his energy and let’s face it, if we’ve persisted with much, much worse players in the team (Lyanco, Mara,etc) then he deserves a longer run in the team for that reason alone. But it was more about how much of a fee we can/should command if we were to sell. If it’s based on what he’s achieved or what potential he has. One is a lot easier to put a financial value on than the other.
Isn't that the second failed medical by a player at Hoffenheim in a couple of days? Might be more of an issue with their testing than with the player...
I want to keep Alcaraz. I'm not all that interested in the stats - he passed the eye-ball test for me in the PL, was clearly rated highly enough for Juve to have a good look and pay a sizeable loan fee, shows quality, loyalty and fight and will not be easily replaced (O'Reilly far from a done deal and far from a PL success certainty). I also think one decent season and he's be worth a fortune, if that's the route we want to go down. I don't buy the 'doesn't fit RM's style' stuff too much either. We are not keeping 65% possession in the PL and RM will know we need to adapt somewhat. We need good players and he is one.
This is classic “we buy any car” stuff. “We will give you £15m for ABK subject to assessing dents, scratches and defects” “Thanks for bringing in your vehicle for assessment our revised offer is £2k and a packet of cornflakes”
Maybe they are citing problems at the medical to try to reduce the price? Why else would they be trying to resolve the issue if there was a genuine problem?
