Wesley Fofana

[StriderHiryu]

• Last season was our second best ever Premier League finish.
• This season we've made our best ever start to a season.
• We've averaged 4 goals a game.
• We've just smashed the most expensively assembled squad of all time 5-2 away from home.
• Our first summer signing has hit the ground running, and is arguably the best signing of the summer so far.

 

If ever there was a time to back the manager, it's now.

[matty98]

2 hours ago, Nicolo Barella said:

Tbf we haven't seen Salisu play yet so know nothing about how he'll turn out. Koch has looked a good buy but Leeds could offer him something we couldn't, which is why he wouldn't consider us.

 

Sarr is overrated.

It wasn't meant as in we should've signed these players, just to show the sort of prices young promising CB's are going for and that we'd be paying way over the odds for Fofana.

 

There's a time and a place for paying over the odds. I don't think a CB that would be 3rd choice is that place though.

If we're going to pay over the odds for a player they should atleast be a guaranteed starter. Fofana almost definitely isn't.

[mozartfox]

3 minutes ago, matty98 said:

It wasn't meant as in we should've signed these players, just to show the sort of prices young promising CB's are going for and that we'd be paying way over the odds for Fofana.

 

There's a time and a place for paying over the odds. I don't think a CB that would be 3rd choice is that place though.

If we're going to pay over the odds for a player they should atleast be a guaranteed starter. Fofana almost definitely isn't.

I think this 'could' be more about long term future/contingent planning. 

 

Evans is not getting any younger. Big Wes will not be retained in a playing capacity next season.  Soyuncu could conceivably be a target from one of the bigger Clubs next summer window.   Tarkowski does not fit in this scenario as well as a younger option such a Fofana does - just my take.    

[brookfox]

He does feel more like the player that fits our transfer modus operandi. Following a Dortmund like model signing top young talent (a la Sancho, Bellingham, Haaland etc) developing them then selling one a summer to reinvest. Tarks might improve us today but just feels like this guy is the one we really want, everything else is just a negotiation tactic.

Edited 29 September 2020 by brookfox

[urban.spaceman]

15 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

• Last season was our second best ever Premier League finish.
• This season we've made our best ever start to a season.
• We've averaged 4 goals a game.
• We've just smashed the most expensively assembled squad of all time 5-2 away from home.
• Our first summer signing has hit the ground running, and is arguably the best signing of the summer so far.

 

If ever there was a time to back the manager, it's now.

[Pliskin]

9 hours ago, Fktf said:

How do we know this - there been an interview somewhere?

It's logic.... I can't imagine the conversation going well if it was "Hi James, fancy joining us as a rotation option when we fancy three at the back?", He's an established PL defender, and yes where I agree we do need one, can you justify dropping Evans? In my opinion no, and that means are we going to always play a back three, which means Under comes as a rotation player, I don't think so. It seems as though it's an option B if Fofana fail's but in my opinion not the right one, as we will end up with three CB expecting to start every week. 

[Vindaloo FOX]

31 minutes ago, talking_goldfish said:

 

So if these fees are correct then the bid is actually for €35m + €5m addons, or £31.5m + £4.5m add ons so a bid of £36m total, which is less than the reported bid for Tarks.

Weeeeeeeedeedeeedeedereeedweedeweedeedeedeedeedeweedweedeeweedeedeedeasseedeedeedeedeedeeweedeedeedeedeedeedeedeededeedeedeedeedeeweeweedeedeedeedeedeedeedwweeedeedeedeedeedeedeedeeweeededeederweedeedeedwweedeedeededeeddeedeedeweedeedweedeedeedereeweedweeweedeedweedeweweedeedeedeededeedewee

[moore_94]

Full summary of the L’Equipe article by GFFN

 

https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2020/leicester-make-4th-offer-for-wesley-fofana-worth-e40m-st-etienne-havent-rejected-it-yet/
 

Leicester make 4th offer for Wesley Fofana worth €40m & St Étienne haven’t rejected it yet…

 

L’Équipe report that Premier League side Leicester City over the weekend made a 4th bid for 19-year-old French central defender Wesley Fofana to St Étienne, worth a total of €40m.

 

The new deal offered is €35m in cash plus €5m in potential bonuses for a player currently contracted to Les Verts until June 2024.

 

The St Étienne board is now facing a considerable dilemma. Last Thursday, they were all behind manager Claude Puel’s point of view that Fofana should not be sold during this window no matter what the offer is, when they took the collective decision to reject Leicester City’s 3rd offer (€32m) and West Ham United’s €35m bid.

 

Fofana found a contract agreement with the Foxes a month ago and they are his preferred destination. His relationship with Puel has soured as the French tactician refuses to engage with the teenager on this subject as Fofana seeks to force an exit.

 

St Étienne’s board met on Monday and have neither accepted nor rejected Leicester’s latest proposal yet – it would appear as if the board is now split in terms of what to do. Tick tock.

[mozartfox]

ASSE forum interesting today.  Many posts seem to think this may happen.  A change from this time last week.    Come on Rudders - get this done!

[Xen]

4 hours ago, fox_favourite said:

Am I one of very few concerned about how the cost of Fofana is getting a little out of control. I do feel we've been played by St Etienne a bit. £40m+ just seems a lot for a player that's hardly played in the French league. Yes he has age on his side, and I'm not denying that he has possible potential, but it could be a bit of a gamble.

Very much with you on this.

 

Our supposed first offer was maybe a little low but its for a player who hasn't even had a full season, and from a club who apparently need money. They named a price. We've since matched that, then gone over it and now with this supposedly ridiculous valuation, it feels like we're being played big time.

 

I'm hoping a lot of it is paper/agent talk and we're not actually being fleeced this hard for someone so unproven and with so few other suitors. Or at the very least, hoping that the structure of the offer isn't quite as reported and that most of it will be performance-based add-ons (CL qualification, PLTOTY etc). Otherwise I'd just walk away now and leave a respectable offer on the table (£25m+£5m add-ons, perhaps) for them to mull over until deadline day, with no further negotiation. Take it or leave it. Meanwhile, progress the loan-with-option on Tah so we dont leave ourselves stuck without a CB.

Edited 29 September 2020 by Xen

[Guest Fktf]

Just now, Pliskin said:

It's logic.... I can't imagine the conversation going well if it was "Hi James, fancy joining us as a rotation option when we fancy three at the back?", He's an established PL defender, and yes where I agree we do need one, can you justify dropping Evans? In my opinion no, and that means are we going to always play a back three, which means Under comes as a rotation player, I don't think so. It seems as though it's an option B if Fofana fail's but in my opinion not the right one, as we will end up with three CB expecting to start every week. 

Good. The same logic applies to praet, tielemanns, maddison. We saw last year how we need a deeper squad. So your convo is going to start, hi james, can't guarantee you'll be first name on the team sheet, but we could have 50odd games to play this year.. so you'll have the chance to play. Oh, btw, some of that might be in Europe mate. 

[mozartfox]

I read a comment from one of the top honchos at ASSE that Puel is one of the only Coaches around that also has a position on the Board of a Club.  This is why he has so much influence on this.

[Strokes]

1 hour ago, UniFox21 said:

We must really rate this kid to be pumping this much at him. Slightly unnerved with that. I know this could be a huge success, but also a huge gamble. Tark would be able to fit in here and now.

I’d take the quoted figures with a pinch of salt.

Remember Tielemans last season? The papers don’t know the details anymore than we do and rely on internal Chinese whispers to pick up any tidbits.

[StriderHiryu]

20 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

We are probably going to over pay for one or two players. But we've also made more than we probably should have done on Maguire and Chilwell. This manager has asked for 5 players and deserves them. "Did we really need Castagne?" was a reasonable question to ask when other areas in the squad seemed like more pressing concerns. How many people are asking that question now!? If we started the season with JJ and Luke Thomas as first choice starters I don't think we'd have done as well as we have.

 

We will have 50+ games this season. Once the Europa League starts it's a game every 3 days till February at the earliest, more if we progress. If we fill out the squad it improves the potential of a higher league finish and going deeper in cup competitions. If we don't it will be the end of last season all over again at some point as the season progresses. 

 

I'm not worried though, it's obvious we sign at least one more player and I could see up to two more come in on deadline day, probably on loan with option / obligation to buy. 

[LCFCABC]

Here we go....

[Bryn]

Sounds like this probably happens now.

[AKCJ]

If they reject that, they're daft.

 

If we then offer more, we're daft.

Edited 29 September 2020 by AKCJ

[happy85]

 

[Ginger_Filbert]

Interesting that Percy said we only had £20m for a CB yet are spending nearly double that. 
Also Rodgers saying that he wants a few more players still. 
Maybe there is more money available than we think and the club are using JP and the media to make it look like we’re skint. 

Edited 29 September 2020 by Ginger_Filbert

[Dahnsouff]

Sounds like someone is having a 

 

 

window

[dbtcity]

2 minutes ago, Ginger_Filbert said:

Interesting that Percy said we only had £20m for a CB yet are spending nearly double that. 
Also Rodgers saying that he wants a few more players still. 
Maybe there is more money available than we think and the club are using JP and the media to make it look like we’re skint. 

It’s almost as though we’ve passed on info to J Percy to keep prices down 👀

[urban.spaceman]

32 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

We are probably going to over pay for one or two players. But we've also made more than we probably should have done on Maguire and Chilwell. This manager has asked for 5 players and deserves them. "Did we really need Castagne?" was a reasonable question to ask when other areas in the squad seemed like more pressing concerns. How many people are asking that question now!? If we started the season with JJ and Luke Thomas as first choice starters I don't think we'd have done as well as we have.

 

We will have 50+ games this season. Once the Europa League starts it's a game every 3 days till February at the earliest, more if we progress. If we fill out the squad it improves the potential of a higher league finish and going deeper in cup competitions. If we don't it will be the end of last season all over again at some point as the season progresses. 

 

I'm not worried though, it's obvious we sign at least one more player and I could see up to two more come in on deadline day, probably on loan with option / obligation to buy. 

I think we'll get this guy and probably a couple of surprise additions on deadline day like Benkovic, Soyuncu and Praet were. Probably on loan, who knows? I think a lot of people are right to worry about the overspending on players, as are people who are not so worried - I think there's a middle ground where we should be proud of the club for going with their gut and getting the player we need. Slimani and Musa were disasters BUT we paid £1.4m for Mahrez and Vardy - one of which has paid back in loyalty and goals and the other in at £60m+ profit, so for me they kind of level it out. We've also made massive profits on Drinkwater, Kante, Maguire and Chilwell - I think we can afford to smash our transfer record on a really exciting prospect. If it doesn't work out, well at least we tried.

[North Leeds Fox]

Tanner on the athletic saying that we see the fofana deal as better value for money than tark. Loans and structured payments will be needed for any further deals if we want to get 5 players in

[Ric Flair]

27 minutes ago, dbtcity said:

It’s almost as though we’ve passed on info to J Percy to keep prices down 👀

Which doesn't help much then when the manager says he wants 5 players and that the press are reporting we have bid £35m for Fofana and Tarkowski

[happy85]