Drinkwater

[Babylon]

24 minutes ago, dannythefox said:

Chelsea won't play 40M for him. Should stick to our guns though otherwise we'll end up another Southampton selling our best players year after year. 

Without huge investment, sadly that's how it's going to be. We might as well accept it, the best we can do it hold out for good fees. Which we seem to be doing.

[shen]

3 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

I just can't believe that so many people are playing down the importance of DD to our team ...   he's immense !!

Who's playing down his importance? It's just a sober recognition that he's not an outstanding talent at this level and that he's not irreplaceable.

He's been very important to the team for a number of years, but last season showed he struggled (much like in the Great Escape season) in a two man midfield.

[lgfualol]

All ability to take a freekick on goal goes out the window when you join Leicester. Fuchs used to bang them in from freekicks and now he doesn't. 

[Countryfox]

3 minutes ago, shen said:

Who's playing down his importance? It's just a sober recognition that he's not an outstanding talent at this level and that he's not irreplaceable.

He's been very important to the team for a number of years, but last season showed he struggled (much like in the Great Escape season) in a two man midfield.

 

Blimey was just a general comment about several posts !! ...     but if the cap fits ...

 

And to me he is !! ...

 

 

[Micky]

So in summary, it is all just speculation at present and nobody has any reason to believe he is going. Next.

[Ted Maul]

23 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

The ONLY good thing about him going is that we would also lose all those fookin fanboys too !! ....

 

Hang on ..  sorry ...  wrong thread ...    

Drinkwater is magical and you will realise when he leaves... he will be shown to be one of the best in the world when playing alongside better players. You shouldn't get in his way if he wants to leave, £15m is enough.

[filbertway]

The closer the window closing gets the less I'd be happy to see him move on. Even if they offered £100 million. If we've got to rely on King or Amartey for any great length of time we're ruined.

 

I have hope that Mendy will come in this year and be a bit of a revelation but he doesn't seem to be anywhere near? Still not fit?

[NZ_Foxile]

1 minute ago, Ted Maul said:

Drinkwater is magical and you will realise when he leaves... he will be shown to be one of the best in the world when playing alongside better players. You shouldn't get in his way if he wants to leave, £15m is enough.

One of the best in the world, but £15m is enough? 

[shen]

Just now, Countryfox said:

 

Blimey was just a general comment about several posts !! ...     but if the cap fits ...

 

And to me he is !! ..

In that one golden season he was extraordinary. Still, clubs were queuing up for Kanté and not Drinkwater (as far as we know).

Walsh, who knows Drinkwater better than anyone else at another PL club, never came in for Drinkwater either.

If he was such an outstanding talent, he would have been subject to far more serious bids before a £15m offer from Chelsea...

 

My reaction was more that his importance hasn't been downplayed. There's a difference between thinking what a fair price is for Drinkwater and downplaying his importance.

[Buzzell]

If it's anything under £40m I'd tell them to piss off like we did with Roma.

[Buzzell]

4 minutes ago, Ted Maul said:

Drinkwater is magical and you will realise when he leaves... he will be shown to be one of the best in the world when playing alongside better players. You shouldn't get in his way if he wants to leave, £15m is enough.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

5 minutes ago, buzzer_b said:

If it's anything under £40m I'd tell them to piss off like we did with Roma.

This. 

[lifted*fox]

Anyone who thinks either:

 

a) We're going to make a decent fist of this season without drinky - relying on king, amartey, james and iborra as our midfield options

b) Rudkin has even the slightest ****ing idea of who to replace him with and isn't just sat about playing minesweeper

 

needs their ****ing head checking. 

 

We WILL NOT replace Drinkwater with a player of equal quality this late in the window - even with £40m at our disposal - Why? 

 

Because despite people's blind optimism; our DOF and scouting team have most likely not even foreseen this scenario let alone actually started looking into how they'd rectify it if it did happen. 

[st albans fox]

23 minutes ago, Micky said:

So in summary, it is all just speculation at present and nobody has any reason to believe he is going. Next.

When is shakeys presser ??

[Buzzell]

It's too close to the end of the window. If Chelsea really wanted him they should of been interested months ago so that we could prepare for his departure. Even if we do get £40m it's still the fact it's too close to the window shutting we will end up panic buying. 

 

Best thing is to wait it out until January if they really want him so that we can prepare a replacement for him. Same goes for Mahrez too. 

[Babylon]

21 minutes ago, daz*dsb said:

Because despite people's blind optimism; our DOF and scouting team have most likely not even foreseen this scenario let alone actually started looking into how they'd rectify it if it did happen. 

They will have a list of people for every single position, they aren't stupid.

 

Not sure what people have got to moan about this summer with Rudkin, Maguire and Iborra happened quickly, we've stood our ground over Mahrez. We played the long game with Iheanacho, but it's clear the club knew what what going on behind the scenes to get it done, no matter how frustrating it was to sit here and not know what was happening.

 

I don't want to sell either because it will be difficult, it's been a difficult summer for most clubs in the market. But that's to do with the market we're in and not the DOF.

[Countryfox]

59 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

I just can't believe that so many people are playing down the importance of DD to our team ...   he's immense !!

 

41 minutes ago, Ted Maul said:

Drinkwater is magical and you will realise when he leaves... he will be shown to be one of the best in the world when playing alongside better players. You shouldn't get in his way if he wants to leave, £15m is enough.

 

 

Err ...  aren't we agreeing on this ???    

[lifted*fox]

We are potentially about to let one of our best midfield players join another club and we've failed to strengthen in that area - again. 

 

I can agree that Maguire and Nacho appear to be good business but we're still yet to see a creative, forward-thinking midfielder - not just a failing of this window, but a failing for several windows now. 

 

We are seriously light in that area and it will be our downfall - especially if we get 1/2 injuries (which we've been a lot more prone to recently) and we have to rely on King and possibly Amartey week in, week out. 

 

With the money we acquired recently from PL win and CL finish we should have been going all out to get a serious attacking midfield contender - a statement signing to push us forward.

 

If something doesn't happen in the CB position we're looking very weak in that position as well. Still no competition for RB. 

 

We've had a decent window in a couple of positions but the positions we're REALLY crying out for have been ignored / forgotten / badly planned for, as we've come to expect, for yet another window. 

 

It's not all doom & gloom but we've had enough time and seen enough proof that CAM and CB need some serious overhaul, and to potentially be on the verge of another window passing without sorting is pure negligence on the part of DOF and Scouting team, imo. 

 

Also, holding onto Mahrez is good in the sense that it's shown we're not a club to be ****ed about / walked over but it means **** all when it comes to Mahrez commitment to the club and the effort we'll see from him this season. I'd much rather we shifted the unhappy player on for a good fee and had a high quality back up signing ready to come in - but again, where is that signing? Where is that quality? Where is the proactive recruitment?

 

Our recruitment is always reactive, never proactive. 

[Stan]

Where is the evidence that he's going???

[m4DD0gg]

Teams with a history of selling their best players on or around deadline day have struggled.

 

If we end up with 60-90m in our back pocket the targets we are looking at will be over priced.

[Stevosevic]

10 minutes ago, Stan said:

Where is the evidence that he's going???

ITKs..... I've read a number of times on this forum that Mahrez was gone...

 

Pinch of salt

[Ted Maul]

15 minutes ago, Countryfox said:

 

 

 

Err ...  aren't we agreeing on this ???    

that was my best fanboy impersonation... 

[shen]

16 minutes ago, Stan said:

Where is the evidence that he's going???

There isn't any evidence. All speculation based on media reporting on Chelsea bids.

[Thracian]

38 minutes ago, daz*dsb said:

Anyone who thinks either:

 

a) We're going to make a decent fist of this season without drinky - relying on king, amartey, james and iborra as our midfield options

b) Rudkin has even the slightest ****ing idea of who to replace him with and isn't just sat about playing minesweeper

 

needs their ****ing head checking. 

 

We WILL NOT replace Drinkwater with a player of equal quality this late in the window - even with £40m at our disposal - Why? 

 

Because despite people's blind optimism; our DOF and scouting team have most likely not even foreseen this scenario let alone actually started looking into how they'd rectify it if it did happen. 

If they haven't there needs to be an inquiry because, quite apart from anything else, Drinkwater's been injured and/or below for a while now and hardly justified his place at times for all that he never stopped trying.

 

So basically, Rudkin and co have had several months to consider potential options.

 

For me it's the timing that worries me because whoever we might be able to sign in the relatively short time remaining will need to adjust to the team , the training and to his own changed circumstances and I certainly wouldn't let that happen without having a replacement ready.

 

As a principle however, I'd take the money for Drinkwater. He's been a fabulously successful player here and a wonderful servant to the club but I've always believed he's got limitations as a midfield player and there's no way he's going to suddenly provide the creativity we're going to need to make an impression this season?

 

Who is? And that raises another question about our recruitment team along with a good few more.

 

I thought I'd be excited about this close season but it's been largely the opposite. I've not felt a sense of excitement at all despite the chance for a new management team to take us on to where we should have moved last season.

 

Some might argue we don't have the lure of European football to tempt top class signings but we didn't seriously think of Champions League while developing the team that took us to The Premiership title so where are the clever purchases nowadays and, on another level,  why are we bidding peanuts for a potential gem like Hirst?    .          

 

I thought the mood in the place had improved with Shakespeare but it seems there's as many want out as in including some who've not been here more than the proverbial few minutes.

 

Are our owners as keen as they were or are their problems in Thailand taking a toll? Is our management team being shackled. Have the sights of our ambition been lowered?

 

We cannot afford to strip major assets from our team without top quality replacements. I don't care whether those replacements cost pennies or millions of pounds but we shouldn't contemplate serving as a charity for any club without our own interests are protected and we won't protect our place in the Premiership with half a good team and the weakesses that get us beaten by Wolves and Burton Albion never mind Arsenal away through conceding twice in the last seven minutes when it was often hard for opponents to get a goal at all in our title year.       

[goose2010]

56 minutes ago, daz*dsb said:

Anyone who thinks either:

 

a) We're going to make a decent fist of this season without drinky - relying on king, amartey, james and iborra as our midfield options

b) Rudkin has even the slightest ****ing idea of who to replace him with and isn't just sat about playing minesweeper

 

needs their ****ing head checking. 

 

We WILL NOT replace Drinkwater with a player of equal quality this late in the window - even with £40m at our disposal - Why? 

 

Because despite people's blind optimism; our DOF and scouting team have most likely not even foreseen this scenario let alone actually started looking into how they'd rectify it if it did happen. 

you seem to have missed out our best midfeilder in point a....

 

You dont seem to have much faith in our backroom staff how do you know that we dont actually have players lined up to replace drinky and mahrez but we cant make a move for them because it weakens us in the sale of those two?

 

I dont really understand why people dont have trust in our backroom when really bar last season where we were under prepared but can you blame them? it was like playing poker in the world series rather than our currant level of a game of cards round a mates house, they have done little wrong in the last ten years and this season we are at our level just like every other team that finished out of top 7 in the prem.