Question left from the transfer window

I really can't complain with our transfer activity since July, especially now the waster has gone, but I've not really seen a reason given of why Tim Krul was loaned out. He's not played for ages, so not had any influence on the side, but he's clearly a good keeper. Not sure if he's fit yet.

Did he ask for a move?

 

Privately I think he probably did. Rafa was very open that he signed Sels to play, because of the situation with Krul and Elliot not being fit. He cited the situ last year as not being acceptable. I think Darlow/Woodman was seen as a crazy risk.

So Krul knew having started training, Sels was the starting keeper. After that many years at this stage of his career I'm sure he held talks.

Rafa is a massive fan of his keepers being able to play/sweep/keep it short to build from the back. Its why Reina was a favourite of his. He basically wants a sweeper keeper and wants quality distribution. These are Kruls weakest attributes for me.

 

I think Krul's move is a dignified stepping stone by the club to a permanent return to Holland.

 

I've said in other places that this was probably the reason he had an extension agreed to his contract, that both parties have accepted he's probably not coming back to SJP barring a nightmare season, and we don't want him to move off on a free.

 

Krul was probably worrying about his place in the Dutch squad if he was playing in the Championship (or not playing at all if he was no longer nukmber 1 choice) and we were probably worrying about his wages.

 

The year extension to me says he thinks he does possibly have a future here (or at least wants to have one), otherwise he would have just let his contract run down while on loan as it would be financially better for him if he was a free agent at the end of the year?

 

We might have stipulated the extension as a condition of loaning him out, to keep some value?