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The Cody Gakpo Transfer Saga Thread

Saint Garrett

By Saint Garrett,
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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Suhari said:

Funny all round this deal.

Looked like we agreed a fee, agreed terms and the player seemingly wanted to come. The whole thing with him playing last night was strange; then the Leeds involvement and him 'not getting on the plane'. Maaybe he did want to join us, and PSV said no - Leeds it is (since they've offered more). Could be there's another twist today (if he really fancied joining us, and if PSV really needed the money).

Shame we didn't get him - looked a good player.

Encouraging that SR are seemingly happy to drop this level of cash on a player though. Hopefully we don't go last-day-silly trying desparately to get an alternative in. Would prefer to wait for the 'right' signing in the next window or two.

 

Personally I'd rather we got someone in, even if it's a loan. Going into the season with our current attacking options would be amateurish considering it has been our top priority to sort the entire summer. 

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coalman

coalman

Posted
Posted

While I'n be gutted this won't happen. It gives more chances to Adam Armstrong (who is finding his place), Mara and (if we sign him) Edozie.

Would rather the club stuck to their guns than they panic bought another Carillo. If the money is there then spend it well.

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Suhari

Suhari

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Personally I'd rather we got someone in, even if it's a loan. Going into the season with our current attacking options would be amateurish considering it has been our top priority to sort the entire summer. 

Loan - absolutely.

Desparately trying to splurge £25M on a perm signing - nope!

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Toadhall Saint

Toadhall Saint

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Given that we haven't replaced Broja then yes. You would hope there was an exciting prospect on our list somewhere that a big club is willing to let go on loan. Werent we linked with an attacker yesterday?

You would hope so but what if there isn’t? And a bright prospect doesn’t always mean they are the next Broja  (who imho we got lucky with) when push comes to shove.

Edited by Toadhall Saint
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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Toadhall Saint said:

You would hope so but what if there isn’t? And a bright prospect doesn’t always mean they are the next Broja  (who imho we got lucky with) when push comes to shove.

We've had the entirety of the summer to select candidates. It's not correct to say there simply aren't any suitable players available. 

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Toadhall Saint

Toadhall Saint

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

We've had the entirety of the summer to select candidates. It's not correct to say there simply aren't any suitable players available. 

But what if none of the candidates were suitable or available? What then? There is not an infinite pool of talent out there that is better than we have else I’m sure we would have done something about it. After all it’s more than obvious we have been looking.

Edited by Toadhall Saint
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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

We've had the entirety of the summer to select candidates. It's not correct to say there simply aren't any suitable players available. 

Let's say the club identified 10 "suitable players". How far down the procurement process for each of those 10 players do you think the Saints heirachy should/could go. Surely you can't expect all 10 to get to the point in the procurement process where they are all ready to sign on the dotted line the moment the first choice drops out? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the level of readiness you're expecting the club to be in with other options with only a few hours to go? There comes a point in any procurement process where you have to put your eggs in one basket when there's a deadline involved.

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Toadhall Saint said:

But what if none of the candidates were suitable or available? What then? There is not an infinite pool of talent out there that is better than we have else I’m sure we would have done something about it. After all it’s more than obvious we have been looking.

Personally I think that's an absurd line of argument. We are a professional club and it has not been an impossible task for the club to improve the attack a sufficient amount from last year given the time and resources we have had. If we have now run out of time and so cannot strengthen further then I think we have made a mistake. 

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
Just now, trousers said:

Let's say the club identified 10 "suitable players". How far down the procurement process for each of those 10 players do you think the Saints heirachy should/could go. Surely you can't expect all 10 to get to the point in the procurement process where they are all ready to sign on the dotted line the moment the first choice drops out? Or maybe I'm misunderstanding the level of readiness you're expecting the club to be in with other options with only a few hours to go?

I think it's quite possible that we have left it too late to chase other options. If that is the case then that's the fault of the club and we're taking a risk by going into the season with a weaker attack.

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
Just now, hypochondriac said:

I think it's quite possible that we have left it too late to chase other options. If that is the case then that's the fault of the club and we're taking a risk by going into the season with a weaker attack.

But you're always going to reach a point in any procurement process where you run out of time to pursue other options. That's just basic logic.

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S-Clarke

S-Clarke

Posted
Posted
Just now, hypochondriac said:

I think it's quite possible that we have left it too late to chase other options. If that is the case then that's the fault of the club and we're taking a risk by going into the season with a weaker attack.

I don't think it's fair to say we've left it late, I trust the club have been all over targets all summer but deals like this (especially for the ones you really want) often go down to the wire, that's just the nature of it. 

The impression that we've sat around on our hands until 30th Aug is wrong, there is a hell of a lot more that has gone on which hasn't been reported either. We do certainly need an attacker for sure and like you I'd be disappointed without one, but you can't proclaim the club have left it until the last min.

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
Just now, trousers said:

But you're always going to reach a point in any procurement process where you run out of time to pursue other options. That's just basic logic.

IMO priority number one was to replace Broja this summer. If we get to close of play today and have not done so then we've failed in that objective. It's quite simple really and all the noise about what we could have done, what we tried to do etc is all a bit meaningless. Starting the season without a proper Broja replacement is disappointing however you look at it. 

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

I don't think it's fair to say we've left it late, I trust the club have been all over targets all summer but deals like this (especially for the ones you really want) often go down to the wire, that's just the nature of it. 

The impression that we've sat around on our hands until 30th Aug is wrong, there is a hell of a lot more that has gone on which hasn't been reported either. We do certainly need an attacker for sure and like you I'd be disappointed without one, but you can't proclaim the club have left it until the last min.

No I meant that it is now probably too late to get an alternative to Gakpo. I don't think we've sat on our hands but I do think we could have pushed and tried to sort one of our targets slightly earlier in the window. Waiting to pick up a target at the last minute is a risky strategy when an attacking signing was the priority of the summer. 

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

IMO priority number one was to replace Broja this summer. If we get to close of play today and have not done so then we've failed in that objective. It's quite simple really and all the noise about what we could have done, what we tried to do etc is all a bit meaningless. Starting the season without a proper Broja replacement is disappointing however you look at it. 

My priority #1 would have been a creative player as we had pretty much nothing last season other than JWP’s set pieces. Stu is a decent ball carrier who moves play up the pitch but Tella, Redmond, Theo, Moi and Djenepo were hopelessly substandard. In Adams we had one player who can find the net. Not enough but not as hopelessly empty as we were in the playmaker dept.

A striker was probably my third priority after AM and GK.

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

My priority #1 would have been a creative player as we had pretty much nothing last season other than JWP’s set pieces. Stu is a decent ball carrier who moves play up the pitch but Tella, Redmond, Theo, Moi and Djenepo were hopelessly substandard. In Adams we had one player who can find the net. Not enough but not as hopelessly empty as we were in the playmaker dept.

A striker was probably my third priority after AM and GK.

I think what that does do is show how weak we were across most of the team. We have done very well with the signings we have made, it's just such a shame to leave a hole if this is how it pans out. I'm still hoping for another left field attacking addition though. Maybe not as high profile but still time. 

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
42 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

IMO priority number one was to replace Broja this summer. If we get to close of play today and have not done so then we've failed in that objective. It's quite simple really and all the noise about what we could have done, what we tried to do etc is all a bit meaningless. Starting the season without a proper Broja replacement is disappointing however you look at it. 

I would imagine it's never as "simple" as the wise sages of internet football forum land make it out to be... 

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 minutes ago, trousers said:

I would imagine it's never as "simple" as the wise sages of internet football forum land make it out to be... 

The simple part is failing to secure a replacement for Broja. No one is suggesting that securing signings is simple but it is an achievable objective given the time we have had and the resources. 

Also soggy passive-agressively liking the responses is amazing. Hi soggy why don't you converse with me directly or am I blocked again? :)

Edited by hypochondriac
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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted (edited)
10 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

The simple part is failing to secure a replacement for Broja. No one is suggesting that securing signings is simple but it is an achievable objective given the time we have had and the resources. 

But until we know the reasons why Broja hasn't been replaced (if that's how it pans out) then how do we know whether to label Semmens and Co as 'incompetent buffoons' or not? Surely our judgement of them depends on the reasons why something "failed" rather than just taking said failure at face value?

Edited by trousers
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sadoldgit

sadoldgit

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, trousers said:

I would imagine it's never as "simple" as the wise sages of internet football forum land make it out to be... 

Indeed! We have clearly been trying hard to sign a goal scorer all Summer but for whatever reasons, no joy so far. But no matter what happens today, our recruitment this window has been excellent and we have a much stronger squad than we did at the end of the season. There is also another window coming up in a few month’s time. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the owners have shown a real intent to get us back on track. I think that there is plenty to be optimistic about.

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

 

 

 

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Bad Wolf

Bad Wolf

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

 

 

 

Thought that said Romeu

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maysie

maysie

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

 

 

 

What’s your point? Football fans use clichés shocker?

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sadoldgit

sadoldgit

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

 

 

 

You sound like you have been shagging Alexandra Daddario, Margot Robbie, Selena Gomez and Scarlett Johansson this summer but have got the hump because Paige Spiranac turned you down today. 😥

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

 

 

 

Phew... I didn't get quoted. Maybe I'm not as clichéd as I thought I was.... ;)

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S-Clarke

S-Clarke

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said:

I do wonder if there is stil la small chance of this happening. Reports of them needing the money.  If Chelsea sign the midfielder from Ajax, they won't be signing Sangare, Leeds are signing some other striker (Bamba Dieng), that PSV might still buckle late on....

I can only hope.

Nah, I think this has been done for a while. The media have just stirred it up for the last 24 hrs to create some extra drama.

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Saint Garrett

Saint Garrett

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7 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Nah, I think this has been done for a while. The media have just stirred it up for the last 24 hrs to create some extra drama.

I don't agree, as supposedly we have been looking at him all summer, but only made the move once we knew they were out of the CL. Everyone seemed to be well aware it was close last night, and there would be no benefit to Adam Blackmore reporting that it was close for it to fall apart last night. 

Even when he was talking after the game last night, he seemed to not be aware. My gut feeling is that PSV stopped the deal to Saints because Leeds came in with a bigger offer, and he didnt want to go to Leeds. Now he's "decided to stay" but PSV still need the money, and obviously last night Chelsea supposedly bid £50m for Sangare. If that doesn't happen I do wonder if there is a tiny chance Gakpo deal is still live.

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trousers

trousers

Posted
Posted (edited)
18 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said:

I do wonder if there is stil la small chance of this happening. Reports of them needing the money.  If Chelsea sign the midfielder from Ajax, they won't be signing Sangare, Leeds are signing some other striker (Bamba Dieng), that PSV might still buckle late on....

I can only hope.

At the end of the day, every player has a tipping point price (there, you can have that cliché for free @hypochondriac ;) )... if someone offered them (plucks random unrealistic number out of the air), say, £100m then then would sell him at the drop of a hat today.... I just wonder how far away we are from that tipping point (given Leeds reportedly offered more than us, I'm guessing it would be around the 50m euros mark....?)

Edited by trousers
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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, hypochondriac said:

All the cliches are coming out now. So far today we've had:

 

Bloated squad 

We never needed another attacking signing, we just wanted one

We will be fine until January

We signed Mara so we are stronger in attack 

There were no suitable or available candidates

Rome wasn't built in a day 

Cliches they may be but there's a large degree of truth and relevance in all of that. The only dubious issue is really whether we get another attacker and if not how well Mara stacks up compared to Broja. Even if we sign nobody else, this is still an 8/10 window IMO but all the noises are that this isn't the case.

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

Cliches they may be but there's a large degree of truth and relevance in all of that. The only dubious issue is really whether we get another attacker and if not how well Mara stacks up compared to Broja. Even if we sign nobody else, this is still an 8/10 window IMO but all the noises are that this isn't the case.

7-7.5 for me without sorting the attack. 

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AlexLaw76

AlexLaw76

Posted
Posted
20 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Cliches they may be but there's a large degree of truth and relevance in all of that. The only dubious issue is really whether we get another attacker and if not how well Mara stacks up compared to Broja. Even if we sign nobody else, this is still an 8/10 window IMO but all the noises are that this isn't the case.

You say 8/10. Only 2 players bought are evidently better at this stage - ABK and Lavia

the rest, we shall see, whilst being weaker in attack

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skintsaint

skintsaint

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Maybe, we shall see. Looks decent but not seen loads of evidence yet. Pulled off a couple of good saves but then fluffed it a bit at Leicester.

 

Adds a lot more on the ball as well when in possession. Something AM can't do in a million years.

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S-Clarke

S-Clarke

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think it's a bit daft to say only 2 of the players we've bought in are 'better' than what we had.

Lis - quite clearly an upgrade on Harry Lewis.

Bazunu - huge upgrade on McCarthy, that's not even up for debate. So we've got better there.

ABK - huge upgrade on Bednarek, absolute no debate there either.

Lavia - We've lost Romeu ( :( ) and Smallbone on loan, and brought in Lavia. Have to say that's an upgrade.

Aribo - We needed extra in the 10's, at the end of the day he's no worse than Redmond, Theo, Elyounoussi - so we've upgraded with that one.

Mara - If you look at him being the 'long' replacement then he's a significant upgrade on him.

Of the potential incomings...

AMN - Adds even more quality in CM which we didn't have before, and extra cover at full back.

Caleta-Car - We'll have replaced Jack Stephens with a Croatia international centre back.

Edozie/Larois - Young players to add a bit more depth, replaces the squad places that Tella and Small took up last season.

 

We are still short at the top end, but all of our signings so far have been upgrades on who they've replaced.

Edited by S-Clarke
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wild-saint

wild-saint

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Turkish said:

Blackmore has already done a “club has done all they can” tweet this morning 🤣🤣

 

1 hour ago, S-Clarke said:

Nah, I think this has been done for a while. The media have just stirred it up for the last 24 hrs to create some extra drama.

I think you are right. The fact that Leeds were there with a plane to take him back this morning. We probably knew it was going pear shaped and coincides with the left winger from city being agreed before the news broke that he wasn’t coming. 

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