Douglas made available by FC Twente

This is the bloke I want to see shore up our defence.....



http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/douglas-made-available-by-fc-twente/?

According to Voetbal International this morning, FC Twente have indicated that they are willing to work with clubs on the transfer of temperamental centre-half Doublas Franco Teixeira. Douglas was linked with a number of clubs over the summer, including Newcastle, who are also named in the recent report along with Internazionale and Reading FC.

The summer transfer broke down over price negotiations, but in contrast to some reports in the UK press, the issue was more complicated than NUFC refusing to match Chairman Munsterman’s valuation for his star player. There were two factors working against a summer transfer, but only one of them matters this transfer window.

The first problem was that Douglas wanted to achieve eligibility for the Dutch national side through a residence qualification, which meant that he could not sign a contract outside the Netherlands until later August. This meant that any contract signing had less than five days to be finalised and signed.

This would not have been an insurmountable problem had there not been an issue with agents, which only came to light later in the Autumn. According to VI sources, there were three third parties with an interest in any transfer of Douglas from FC Twente, including Douglas himself, but also two of his associates, reportedly a family member and old school friend.

All three – Douglas, the family member and friend – were all entitled to a substantial percentage of the fee paid by the purchasing club. When Douglas originally signed for FC Twente in 2007, he joined after a trial, and had a very low value, meaning that the percentage fees would be in the low tens of thousands of pounds.

However, with Newcastle tabling an offer reportedly above ten million, this meant that all three of these ‘agents’ were entitled to millions of pounds in fees, leaving FC Twente facing a very low final transfer fee, as well as less than a week to find a replacement for one of their first team regulars.

FC Twente’s demand to Douglas was waive these fees – i.e. let FC Twente take more of the transfer – or play out the last year of your contract. Douglas unsurprisingly refused and it is fair to assume that this personal gain he stood to make was important in his decision to stay put.

And FC Twente have been good to their word and are prepared to let him depart in the summer, which means he apparently loses this contractual right. They are now prepared to take a very small fee – presumably in the hope that he will waive his personal share of the transfer – in order to plan an orderly succession in their defence.

If Douglas is motivated by money, then he has two options. He can sign for a European top-club and seek a £100k per week contract immediately, or he can take a step-up, and put himself cheaply on show in the hope of making that step in a couple of years’ time. Now approaching 25, a good run in a middle ranking European club and for Oranje would give him the chance to sign a highly lucrative contract in 2015.

It is unlikely that Inter would take a punt on a defender untested at the highest level, particularly when he has not proven to have his impetuous nature well under control. And so that leaves Reading and NUFC in the frame as potential opportunities for Douglas to showcase his talent.

With the signs certainly better for a winter departure of Douglas from Twente than they were over the summer, hopefully all parties involved will now have a much better sense of the financial realities involved and be able to make the right deal happen.

On a personal note, I remain to be convinced that he is the centre-half that NUFC need: but with our perilous league position and limited options for strengthening, now certainly seems a good time for the manager to be taking a few informed gambles on untested players in the winter transfer market.

 

Wrote this yesterday ACS:

I wrote in my report on Douglas last summer that he wasn't good enough for NUFC. His lack of vision and bad temper were affecting his game. But in the past 4 months he has improved, since Wisgerhof(CB, 33y) was benched he had to take over leadership in the defense of FC Twente. Ever since his temper seems under control and his marking has improved. Attacking wise Twent is even more sloppy as NUFC but the defense has been remarkably stable: Twente has the least goals against in the entire Eredivisie currently. Right now I'd have to say he is close to EPL level, but I'd rather wait till the end of the season when his contract runs out. It also gives the opportunity to see if he can keep up his level for a full season. There is a problem however. Inter Milan said they are willing to make a bid on Douglas in the winter period, and Twente are very willing to sell Douglas since his contract runs out in 6 months.

 

So it seems that a bit of leadership/responsibility has helped calm his temper.
I reckon a deal could be dome now for £1-2m.
What kind of wages do you reckon he is on at Twente?

 

Somewhere between 25-40k a week, which would make him top earner at FC Twente.

 

Probably around 20k. Dutch footy isn't that big.

We'd probably be able to sign him on 40k a week.

He's an awesome CB. Dominant in the air. We don't really have a dominant header of the ball in our squad. Saylor is good, but not dominant.

He's also quite a threat from set plays. He's had issues in the past, but he's a solid CB, perfect partner for Colo.

He's big, very strong, decent pace, and precise in stand tackling.

Would be a great signing. 6ft 4 like Willo, but with strength.

 

How do you know, you never watched a game...

 

I have actually. But I admit only to see Douglas and Anita a few times.

But my comments weren't necessarily about the quality of the sides in the league. You don't have to watch Dutch League games to know that the Dutch League isn't really that big compared the Premier League/La Liga/Ligue 1 etc.

The wages will not be very high. If you earn 50k a week, you're probably one of the leagues top earners, compared to the premier league where 250k p/w wouldn't even make you the top earner.

 

Which is it tash?