Signing a Keeper top priority now

We'll be f@cked if Mannone gets injured:-

KEIREN WESTWOOD could need an operation to cure the shoulder problem which has been plaguing him for the last two months.


Sunderland had hoped goalkeeper Westwood would be available for tomorrow’s clash with Norwich City after more than a month’s absence from the Black Cats squad.

But the 29-year-old, who started the season as Sunderland number one, continues to be troubled by a shoulder injury which may now require surgery.

Westwood was forced to pull out of the Republic of Ireland squad in October with the problem and was given a pain-killing injection which initially appeared to have solved it.

But the injury was aggravated in Sunderland’s defeat at Hull last month after a clash with Paul McShane forced the stopper off.

Head coach Gus Poyet said: “Keiren is seeing a specialist and is still feeling it a little bit.

“We need to make that decision now on what is the next step with him. It’s a medical decision which we need to make.

“It’s difficult to decide what will be better for him – an operation or not. The medical staff need to be convinced, but an operation is one of the options.”

Summer signing Vito Mannone has deputised well in Westwood’s absence, but he is the only other senior goalkeeper on Sunderland’s books.

Youngsters Jordan Pickford and Joel Dixon have both been on the bench over recent weeks, yet if Westwood does go under the knife, it could lead Poyet to consider entering the market for a goalkeeper in January.

Sunderland have been linked with QPR’s Julio Cesar, although the Brazilian’s wages at Loftus Road would be far more than the Black Cats were willing to pay.

 

Cesar will do me nicely.

 

Yes he will

 

Mercenary

Would rather get that young dutch lad in

 

I disagree. He's only played for 3 teams in his career if you don't count a season long loan. That's in a 15 year career. That bloke is a cracking keeper but isn't getting games, can you blame him wanting to move? A january move for the Dutch lad could be very expensive, Cesar will be a free signing on a short contract and I can't see us throwing massive wages at him after so much hard work getting the wage bill down, besides he'll be on **** wages now after his relegation clause kicked in, he'll probably be on a fraction of what he was last year.. A sensible time to go for the dutch lad would be in the summer imo.

 

Think the gossip columns were right cesar

 

Hes on 80k p/w hence QPR want rid...

And yes fair enough only been at 3 clubs however Inter Milan or QPR...QPR was higher wages as opposed to CL football and contenders for title...hence Mercenary

 

Just checked London Evening Standard reckon its 90k p/w

 

80k or 90k a week for a keeper you must be joking , thats madness

 

I don't believe that he's on that much sorry. It's easy to pluck out the articles that show the top estimate. I've found an article that puts him on 48k a week. 48k to 90k, bit of a gap in estimations. I can only conclude the press are setting his wage with mindless guesses like they always do. Some of them would have us believe AJ is on 70k. I think calling a player in his 30s a mercenary after moving to only his 3rd club because the press says he's getting high wage is utter nonsense in the grand scheme of things. Next, anyone who requests a transfer will be a mercenary

 

he might be on that now but if he wants any chance of making brazil's world cup squad he needs to be playing regular in a decent league. he will need to take a pay cut wherever he goes as there is nobody out there daft enough to pay what those mugs at qpr shelled out for contracts

 

QPR will have been offering significantly higher wages than teams already in the league to attract big names therefore meaning paying over at least 30k p/w
Stepping down from Inter to QPR would suggest he would want a hefty pay rise, looking over some of the more trusted sources (guardian/telegraph) he is on between 70-80k p/w
Now whilst as you may say these are guesses, even 48k p/w for a 34 year old keeper imo is too much, plus could unsettle some players

Im not stating hes a mercenary for the amount of clubs
Im stating he is a mercenary for moving from 1st choice italian title contenders to high wage paying relegation candidates

 

There must be stacks of good keepers out there, QPR would be daft to sell him, as they are going for promotion. I see Sorenson played for Stoke the other night. We need 3 goalkeepers though and before the Jan fixture list !.

 

A new challenge and a nice pay rise in the twilight years doesn't make a player a mercenary in my opinion either. Chris Samba joining the ****ty russian league in his prime is an act of a mercenary to me, Asamoah Gyan jetting off to play in a dessert in front of 350 people and a goat for 140k a week all before his 27th birthday is the act of a Mercenary. A player who fancies a bash at the toughest league in the world, laying in front of large crowds defending goal against some of the best strikers in the world is not an act of a mercenary for me.

Add to that that he wants to leave because he's not getting game time surely proves he's not a mercenary, If he were then surely he would dig his heels for the remaining 3 years on his contract raking in his apparent 90Kpw.

I'd welcome him, he's a cracking keeper and would easily be the most high profile player we've had at the club in my lifetime. Global superstar. He's only played 76 times for Brazil and Big Phil has already confirmed he'll be on the plane for next world cup. God knows what's Saggy Chops' problem is with him, he has a track record of turning on his own players, Cesar seems to be the latest.

As for his wages? I know I wouldn't turn a job down at a top company because they were offering me too much money that's for sure.

We won't pay him 48 k a week and nobody else will unless of course he is a mercenary and he ****s off to some radged country with more money than sense, in which case I'll hold my hands up.