Summer Transfer Rumour Thread.
- Thread starter SaintsFanAlex
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Much better then we have, the guy is a tank. A commanding CB despite his age, great at heading and positioning. He was one of around 4 players that helped get 6th place. They were up with the leaders for the a while but slipped of badly in the end.
Was outstanding last season and been linked to far bigger teams then us.
That's pretty much what I've heard. Only seen him play once so wouldn't honestly be able to give a well informed review myself
That's pretty much what I've heard. Only seen him play once so wouldn't honestly be able to give a well informed review myself
Changed my post now you bastard
, i saw him play around 5 or 6 times last season (yes on tv). But he looked class every game i watched.
Hargreaves training with QPR. I know there are big doubts about his fitness but part of me still can't help thinking he would have been a good signing for us.
So with Harding gone and Dickson having been below Harding in the pecking order (and likely to leave as well) surely it won't be left to Shaw to cover this season? I know he has plenty of potential and has done well in pre-season but he's only just 17. If the Buttner deal is off as has been reported, then surely we have moved on to another target.
What's wrong with a 17 year old backup? Chamberlain, Walcott and Bale were 16/17 year old starters, so a backup role will be fine. If you bring in a good enough LB for the Prem then it pretty much guarantees 0 minutes game time for him.
The key difference is that Bale,Walcott and Chamberlain were playing in lower leagues. There is a lot more pressure on young players in the PL due to the coverage the leagues get, would be very overwhelming for most people, let alone a 17 year old. If NA thinks that Shaw has the head to deal with it then fine, if not then let him be 3rd choice/play in cup games/go out on loan and bring someone else in to challenge Fox for the starting role
Don't think there are as many young players that break through in defensive positions though. If he is good enough then great, but the fact that we were clearly looking to bring someone in at LB before Harding left suggests that we are not going to throw him in the deep end. And even if we do bring someone in, that doesn't mean 0 minutes game time. He still has the cups.
Lower leagues but as starters and key players. Shaw as backup will, providing Fox doesn't break his leg, only have a minimal role. If we're gonna bring someone in then what do we look for? Someone like Martin Olsson who would overtake Fox but then drop him a year or so later, making him a big waste of money? Or someone crap but cheap who wouldn't do better than Shaw anyway?
Using your Olsson example, I would expect him to become first choice pretty quickly, moving Fox to backup. Shaw to go out on loan this season and next then come back (hopefully) able to challenge Olsson for the starting role and sell Fox on.
But how much would we have to spend on Olsson to essentially keep the LB spot warm for Shaw?
Not sure, and there is no guarantee that he would be just keeping it warm. Yes Shaw has great potential, but there is a chance he won't ever fulfill it if he, say, gets an injury or doesn't train on like people think he will. As I said before if NA thinks he is good enough and has the mental strength to be back up this year then great, if not go and buy someone to challenge Fox. If it was Olsson then I think he will be better than Fox, so Fox would be moved on when/if Shaw is ready. If Shaw becomes first choice then he is still going to need an understudy, so if Olsson is available then why not go for him
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