Yes and no. Yes he is a little old at 31, but this all depends on his fitness and his wear and tear. Also he brings bags of experience and world class defending to the table. He can switch between RB and CB, which he does surprising well at. He has a good injury record and has great discipline on and off the ball. Also we have the problem of going out, finding a new player, spending a hefty sum to replace him by and then give the new player time to adjust in the team. In my opinion, give him the pay rise and focus on other more pressing concerns, like a new CF etc. If one of our players deserves a pay rise then that is Sagna. Take a look at his Premier league appearances for us, he must be one of our most most reliable players. 2007–08: 29 2008–09: 35 2009–10: 35 2010–11: 33 2011–12: 21 2012–13: 25 2013–14: 35
James Milner is being linked. I'm not a huge fan but he is versatile and would make a decent squad player.
I don't get the "Sagna is world class" argument. I think he's an incredibly reliable fullback but he has his faults. I'd be unhappy if we were to pay any more than £90k for him as that's what Per and Kos are both reportedly on now. He's certainly not better than either of them but I think all three deserve a contract around that figure. Not many clubs in the world would pay more than that for a RB and he also gets to play regular football at the highest level. Still think he's off mind. As to Milner... Meh. Another reliable player but I don't see his style fitting in with us. He'd end up being an expensive squad player I think as he'd probably not get the starts he'd want with us either. I'd not be adverse to getting him, provided we got a good deal obviously.
I dont really 'get' the fans who think he is'nt. When you look at all round (defensive and offensive) he's arguably as good as any right back out there. Sure there's Dani Alvez and Marcelo who are both beasts going forward but can be extremely suspect defensively. Then there's solid guys like Ivanovic and Ramos both great defensively but dont have the legs to run up and down the pitch. For me Sagna is arguably the best 'all rounder'. We always under-rate our fullbacks. Lauren was another example of this. Even Clichey - he was apparently not good enough for the TOP level according to many fans.. Did'nt stop him from winning the league and maintaining a superb defensive record at City. How Much would a TOP class replacement cost £10-15 Million? For me it's a waiste of money. We need a Top striker/defensive midfielder and Sagna deserves some loyalty. Just about EVERY top club would take Sagna in their squad and he stuck with us for 8 trophyless Seasons.
We'll have to agree to disagree then on his overall ability. I think he's an excellent player, one I want to keep desperately in fact, but I think there are better players in his position. IMO, attacking-wise he's average and his crosses are appalling. It's his defensive reliability and all round work-ethic I love about him. I understand about the problems with getting a new player in and totally agree and in an ideal world I'd like to see us keep him and bring in someone of Aurier's ilk who can play backup. However...I don't understand your loyalty comment. He's been offered numerous contracts which he's turned down. He's apparently being offered parity with our defensive maestros Per and Kos. How is this not showing faith? Supposedly we've offered him deals for about 18 months and he turned them down. Prior to that he was playing poorly and prior to that he was out for months and months with broken legs. We showed faith/loyalty in him. It's a two way thing loyalty.
Milner would be a good player for a mid-table side looking to get into Europa league. He is below the level required. His main problem is that he's a winger who is too slow and not skillful enough to be a top winger. He makes up for it with workrate, but top teams need someone with more than just that. Also, he isn't good enough on the ball to play in CM, where his workrate would make him a fantastic player.
Its a very short lived career at the end of the day. An introverted guy like Sagna is'nt going to make a career for himself as a pundit/manager in 3-5 years when his career is over. Other Clubs are obviously offering him alot more money. Ashley Cole was offered £200 a week as a 30 year old. For all we know he is asking for a simular amount to what he could earn elsewhere. Rumours are that United have taken an interest too now. How much do you think he could earn at City, Chelsea or United? It's like any other job, we would all be tempted. Particularly when you spend 8 years in a company that does'nt seem to reward or care about loyalty in anyway and has this crazy aged based policy.
On the flip side, how many players do you think are better RBs than Sagna right now in the league? I think its time for us to keep things more stable in our squad and keep our senior players together.
In our league based on this season? Three. Zabaleta, Ivanovic and Coleman. I won't comment on other leagues as I rarely see them play enough to have a balanced opinion though I do always think Ramos is a quality player when I've seen him. I've already said I rate him and would like him to stay but I don't want this fannying around to hamper us getting a replacement in if he has no intention of staying.
That's a good list but I reckon they are around the same level. But I do agree with you on the fannying around, I do hope they sort this thing sooner rather than later, especially as the WC is around the corner.
Meh. I could earn a lot more if I moved to somewhere like Sky but it should never be purely about the money. Job satisfaction, good working environment, respect etc all play a huge part too. Anyone see thta picture of Wenger kissing Sagna's head as he was praying? It broke my heart! Sagna is good enough that he should be playing every week and out of those 3 clubs you listed I think he'd only make the United squad regularly. I'm simply saying I'd be gutted we he to leave us purely for the dollar dollar bills.
That was a terrific shot, shows how much love Wenger has for his players please log in to view this image
According to the Daily Star,Sagna will sign for Citeh on a £140,000 pw 3 year contract.If this is true I don't care how good he is he's not worth £140,000 pw.
Sagna leaves, let's get this guy, heck I want him now! [video=youtube;CLU18UaJiIA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLU18UaJiIA[/video] [video=youtube;BWQ2VEtkRSo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWQ2VEtkRSo[/video]
He is worth it. In a World where TOP class players are earning around the 200k mark. 140k for an experienced international like Sagna seems about right.
Ashley Cole... Who'd have him back?* He's just announced he's leaving Chelsea and at 33 still has a couple of years left in him. For me he's still one of the best left backs in the world and I'd rate him higher than Gibbs (who I also rate). Considering Keiran's injury record would it be worth going for Cashley considering you'd only have to pay his (quite considerable no doubt) wages? What a left back pairing that'd be! Monreal I think is alright but nothing special and not as good as either Cole/Gibbs so wouldn't be adverse to selling him or maybe keeping him as a utility back up for the left. * I am well aware he's an obnoxious little turd and also aware bridges were burned with us. This is purely a hypothetical question. In all honesty I see him going somewhere like Liverpool.
Defiantly one of the best left backs in the world but I think too much water has passed between us and him to make a comeback. Whoever gets him will get one hell of a player.
