28 Jun 2017 17:23:36
Afternoon all, just thought I would say I really hope we stick to what we said about ending interest in VVD and make naby keita the priority, I would even go as far as paying €70m because he is exactly what we need. Although I am being told our interest in him is slowly but shorely drifting away for now, maybe until next summer. Obviously getting a left back and centre back would improve our defence but it will not end all problems we have at the back so I would look for a cheaper more realistic option than VVD.

1.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 18:05:06
Please explain why we need Keita, because in my head he seems like a luxury signing, or Marquee or whatever they call it.

2.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 17:56:33
The defence is the priority!

3.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 18:01:47
We are stacked with CM's but short on CB's. Fact.

4.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 18:52:53
Not sure we should spend €70m on a player who has had 1 good season, which was also a season in which he discovered he had an underlying heart condition.

No idea how serious the heart thing is, but either way he is not worth anymore than £30m until he at least repeats last season. Chelsea signed Kante for £30m after the season of his career, but nobody sane would've paid more than that because he was still at risk of being a one season wonder.

Massive gamble if you ask me to blow so much money on Keita. That kind of money could land most players in world football.

5.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 20:06:25
First of all I never once said don't get any centre backs, I just said go for cheaper more realistic options than VVD. Second of all have any of you actually watch enough of keita to think he isn't a priority for us? He is in my opinion better than Kante and non of our midfielders have them qualitys. The whole point of my original post was in a nut shell not to waste time or money on VVD (if soton will even sell him to us that is) when we can cover center back and left back with the money we would spend on VVD. In keitas case if we don't get him this window there is a strong chance he would go to Bayern Munich, city or Chelsea when the price drops but me personally would splash the extra 15m to make sure he is our player and not wait to see how things go next summer. The fact u say €70m is a waist and we could get more or less anyone for that price is funny because we would have to pay £70m for VVD and he clearly is not worth that price tag.

6.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 20:23:43
Ei think it's hilarious that some people think keita is worth no more than 30m but the same people would like us to pay 70m for VVD or even 100m for mbappe 🙈.

7.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 20:27:43
£60m on a proper centre midfielder who would improve our starting 11 or £30 on a player who is neither a centre midfielder nor a decent winger and is a bench player at best. We're in the position we always are every summer, we don't invest in top players while those around us do, we settle for lower quality players, because, well it's a bit cheaper, and then we wonder why we fall short every time. The last top class player we had at the club was Suarez and the club only bought him cause he was cheap due to his baggage. We are at a crossroads here, do we buy top players and pay what it costs, or do we buy mediocrity for less and risk a finish outside of the top four, because you can be sure that United, City, Chelsea and even Arsenal won't think twice about deals like these and then settle for the likes of Gibson or Oxlade Chamberlain if they were strengthening the starting positions in Central Defence of Central Midfield.

8.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 20:30:18
We might have to end up paying way more for VVD than the figures which are being thrown around.

Soton have made it clear that he is not for sale.

9.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 21:19:30
Joe treble, you should probably read the posts before running your mouth buddy.

Ask any poster on here if I think VVD is worth £70m 😂 I have made it quite clear i don't think he is worth it!

Not only have I not even posted about Mbappe who I a) think is an over hyped youngster with nothing more than good potential and b) think is massively over priced. I also think in Salah we signed a more first team ready player.

Remember when Martial was the next Thierry Henry 2 years ago before he became second fiddle to Lingard?

What is with people wanting to blow hundreds of millions on players after 1 good season. That is what got us into a mess before when we signed Clyne, Lovren, Moreno, Mignolet, Lallana, Downing, Carroll and God knows who else. Just chill, let the guys prove they are worth that kind of money, then move. Players with only 1 good season to their name are risks and their price should reflect that. Their price should not be approaching world record figures!

10.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 21:32:17
Hansens I fully agree mate, I think oxlade will just fill the void of Lucas and although I like Lucas I think oxlade is a upgrade.

11.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 22:17:50
I don't see Oxlade as an upgrade because he can't actually play centre midfield. All he is is an impact sub if we're losing. You wouldn't want him on to hold on to a lead or to see a game out.

12.) 28 Jun 2017
28 Jun 2017 22:28:18
Thing is MK, Keita hasn't just come from nowhere or is a one season wonder. He's had two very very good seasons at RB Salzburg before where he was consistently their best player, he's transitioned to a tougher league competing against better players easily. And having watched a fair bit of Bundesliga I can tell you, he's the real deal. He gets up and down the pitch well, he's got a great range of passing, a great long range shot, he puts the boot in, reads the game well and makes a lot of interceptions plus he's got good positional sense.

13.) 29 Jun 2017
29 Jun 2017 00:46:14
I respect you as a poster MK but seriously you rate the Ox yet turn you're nose down on Mbappe who in his one proper season as a first teamer has done more than the ox has in 5 or 6 years. The kid is better than just 'good' potential, I mean he is already turning up in important games in the CL and scoring 27 goals at the age of 18 more than Martial has in two seasons at UTD. to say he is a special talent is an understatement.

14.) 29 Jun 2017
29 Jun 2017 10:03:54
Mk is right on the money. I have never rated VVD so he is definitely not worth the 70m being thrown around. Mbappe is a very talented youngster but 100m? That is just madness. The great Ronaldo was terrorizing the whole of Europe and South America at that Age for Barcelona and Brazil and he was not worth 100m even tho, to me he was. Mbappe was not even better than Messi at that age cos Messi was winning the U20 WC at that age and broke into the Barcelona starting 11 with the giants like Eto'o, Iniesta and the great Ronnie.

As for Keita, his talent is immense BUT a 70m player, he is definitely not esp. after one good season in a top league in Europe (sorry but the Austrian league is a non-starter) . That is just crazy and RBL put that amount on him as they don't want to sell and NK is deep down, not interested in leaving them either. We are clearly barking up the wrong tree here, guys. Take a hint!

People should stop fawning on one season wonders and wait till their proven. If they are proven and then are worth more then, we can go for them, as MK said. We need to stop this right now. Salah was signed for the amount we paid cos he is a proven entity in Italy and in the CL. Those are the players we need.

As for the Ox, my disagreements with MK on that issue are well documented.