Eamon, you have risen above from those of us who still live on Fantasy Island who hope and pray he stays. Yes, we are the perennial dreamers, who still believe Bugs Bunny, Snow White and the seven dwarfs or was that Seven Oaks Bourban? Anyway, what you say makes perfect sense and in truth, we should sell Charlie but can't we dream just a little longer .............. at least until reality sets in. Your faithfully, Elmer Fudd
If I was Les Ferdinand / Chris Ramsey, I'd be looking for an assurance from TF that Austin will not be sold in the last week of the transfer window, unless another decent striker has been lined up and the deals can be done simultaneously.
Charlie has class and he's behaving, thus far, with dignity and integrity (Raheem take note). If he stays, that will eclipse most of the 'good' signings we've had at QPR over the last few years. Sadly, I think he will go unless they bought Mackie as insurance? Mackie did not sign to sit on the bench.
I think the way the club are looking at it is simple. If we sell Charlie Austin for £15mil, then it's good business. If he stays, and consequently takes us up, we will then essentially gain that £15mil from being in the Prem again. Then, Austin will have a choice whether to go on to pastures new, or stay with us in the Prem. Of course, the risk involved is that we may not go up and lose out on the money, but is that a risk worth taking? Personally, I would cash in on him if we can.
If we get 10 million for Phillips (from WBA), surely it it is only time before we get 15 for Charlie. I have a feeling the business will be done in the next week. I would like to dream, but feel Charlie is ready to go, now his main man OBZ has gone
Absolutely agree. The days when players could afford to continue to play outside the top division have long since gone. Why would Woy Hodgson waste his time on a Saturday to watch one player when he can watch several at once playing against each other and the cream of World football to boot? A player who is on the fringes of the England team cannot afford to play in the Championship and I don't begrudge him doing what is right for his career. Whether that means he takes a mercenary view and is prepared to get splinters warming the bench at one of the Galactico sides or takes the view he is better off playing twice a week at a smaller club is a matter for him.
[QUOTE="Rangers Til I Die, post: 8123330, member: 1006901"Sadly, I think he will go unless they bought Mackie as insurance? Mackie did not sign to sit on the bench.[/QUOTE] Don't forget Sebastian Polter. (More of an OBZ replacement, granted.)
I feel like the Sterling deal is going to kick off the whole transfer movements in the premier league. Benteke to Liverpool etc
Spot on Eamon. I think we might play better football without Charlie too, not that the quality of play was his fault. It's strange that the 'legal discussions' on FFP are allowing us to continue trading in this window. On the basis of no knowledge or understanding of the rules, I'm wagering a face saving but manageable fine and a January window transfer embargo may be the outcome.
Exactly right. If he won't sign a new contract we have to sell him. We can't afford to lose that £15 million in exchange for just one more season of Charlie, even if that did help us win promotion. In any case, does anyone think that we're ready for another season in the Premier League?
Don't think it matters for Charlie if he stays or goes this summer. Go = he gets a Premier League contract and game time, stay = he pockets a large windfall next summer that eclipses anything he could hope to land now. This decission is up the the club alone, gamble on promotion and risk losing out on £12-15 million, or sell now and make a profit for once. For Charlie and his agent it is win/win either way in my opinion.
Completely disagree with this, he has just broken into the England set up and will likely only keep his place if he is scoring goals in the Prem, there is too much competition to have a Championship player in the squad, secondly he would likely get a bigger payday in going to another club as part of a transfer from us then as a free agent as he has not put in a transfer request so it would basically be us 'forcing' him out and therefore he would get a % off the fee as a payoff from his current contract!
Compared to pocketing the whole transfer fee himself in twelve months? If he couldn't get a look in the England side with all the injuries and in meaningless friendlies recently then surely a realistic guy like Charlie know playing for England is utopia under the current set up.
Sell him ASAP he isn't good enough yet and will struggle at another club mark my words IMO he got found out a bit and top defenders had him in their pocket He is very direct and I really like him but not enough for the class where he may end up by that I mean top clubs One England call up doesn't make a player IMO saying all that I think in two years or more he could be very good Sell him now Another reason is this .... There will be new emerging stars that come under the radar next season and names get forgotten very quickly because the hype will turn to a fresh face ... It's England remember and stars are made and destroyed in minutes
There wouldn't be a transfer fee in 12 months, he would get a signing on fee which he would also get now but he would also get compensation from us now for selling his contract. He has had a taste of being in the England squad, if you think that he doesn't want to do everything he can to get into the team then you are the most deluded person on this board!
Signing on fees for free agents are not far off from what his transfer fee would have been, a LOT more than a regular signing on fee. That is what I was saying. And I never said he didn't want to fight for a place in the national side. Just that it must have been an eye opener not being picked in meaningless friendlies with most of the regular strikers already pulled out of the squad through injuries. If he didn't get picked then he probably never will, and him seeming like a very down to earth and realistic person must have grasped exactly that. In the end money matters most for a footballer and securing his and his familys future trumps all I would think.
The signing on fee for a free agent would be higher but not in the same ball park as the transfer fee. You're also forgetting that he is on fairly modest wages with us(reportedly £28k) and if he went to the likes of Newcastle he could possibly be getting more like £60-£70k which would be an extra £2m for him over the next 12 months! Also I think you are underestimating his desire to play at the top level, when he spoke about being in the England set up you could see how much he wanted more of it, all he can do is score goals at the highest level to force his way into the team and he can't do that with us!
Agree with most of that. But I know the signing on fees for (sought after) free agents are ridicously high, it is a bidding war between clubs and still a cheaper way of signing players than buying them for an outright fee. So both his signing on fee and wage would be higher signing as a free agent. In my opinion he could fetch anything between £5 and £10 million in signing on fee alone as a free agent, depending on how attractive a prospect he is. I appreciate that he might be a less of an attractive prospect in twelve months time, after one season in the Championship though, something he needs to take into consideration of course.
