Chuba Akpom - "dropped out of the race"

[CosbehFox]

17 minutes ago, VLC86 said:

I stopped reading at Retegui. Delusions

Yeah picking the top goalscorer of Serie A is some stretch 

[filbertway]

Bilal plays behind Vardy. So we want to replace our best player with Akpom?

[coolhandfox]

26 minutes ago, murphy said:

That doesn't mean we can't unearth a gem.  

 

This guy isn't one of them.

Never said his was, but 100% but that more likely in summer window.

 

They also generally take time to develop.

Edited 29 January by coolhandfox

[Ric Flair]

If Akpom is the best our recruitment team can come up with then I'll double down even more on my opinion of Glover and those running our football club. 

 

I get thst it's a difficult window to operate in and often January signings are short term decisions but we need to recruit a handful of players in this next week that fit in to the long term future of this club. There's a big risk we still go down and who knows whether we get points deductions and a transfer embargo but good recruitment set ups identify up and coming players that provide the flexibility should the worst happen.

 

I'm bored of reading we've got limited finances when we seldom make any value for money signings from leagues such as Japan, South America, Sweden and Norway etc. So many innovative and well ran clubs in other European leagues operate on a budget less than ours and would wipe the floor with us if we played them. 

 

We've fell apart this last 3-4 years and it's so sad to watch.

[Realist Guy In The Room]

This would be an upgrade on Daka.

 

I know that’s not saying much, but given the position we’re in, gotta take it.

[Haywood_6]

Surprised by the amount of negativity. His career hasn’t been perfect, but he did manage to score nearly 30 goals in a 43-game season at Middlesbrough and was there player of the year. You don't get that many goals by a fluke. Yes it was in the championship but would any of current strikers would get anything close to that at the same level? No, I don't think so

 

Edited 29 January by Haywood_6

[AjcW]

7 minutes ago, Realist Guy In The Room said:

This would be an upgrade on Daka.

 

I know that’s not saying much, but given the position we’re in, gotta take it.

I've never met you

Never seen you

Hell I don't even know if you have feet

 

But you'd be an upgrade on Daka.

[Saxondale]

Haha, I thought he was about 20!

[Levi Port]

I’d assume he’d come in to play that withdrawn striker roll that Daka plays when he comes with Vardy still up top. It would suit his qualities but it’s pretty uninspiring. I’d only get behind it if it was a loan, or if it was 5 million odd.  

[slymunn]

He can cover a few positions. So if he is replacing Hamza in the squad its not a bad option to have.

[Ric Flair]

28 minutes ago, Haywood_6 said:

Surprised by the amount of negativity. His career hasn’t been perfect, but he did manage to score nearly 30 goals in a 43-game season at Middlesbrough and was there player of the year. You don't get that many goals by a fluke. Yes it was in the championship but would any of current strikers would get anything close to that at the same level? No, I don't think so

 

Similar career trajectory as Sammie Szmodics. There's always a big risk with a player with only 1 good season in 10+ years at an inferior level. I'm all about us taking risks but with high reward. This is not that. 

[FoxinNotts]

He’s a striker that can hold up the ball. We currently don’t have that

[Finnegan]

55 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

If Akpom is the best our recruitment team can come up with then I'll double down even more on my opinion of Glover and those running our football club. 

 

I get thst it's a difficult window to operate in and often January signings are short term decisions but we need to recruit a handful of players in this next week that fit in to the long term future of this club. There's a big risk we still go down and who knows whether we get points deductions and a transfer embargo but good recruitment set ups identify up and coming players that provide the flexibility should the worst happen.

 

I'm bored of reading we've got limited finances when we seldom make any value for money signings from leagues such as Japan, South America, Sweden and Norway etc. So many innovative and well ran clubs in other European leagues operate on a budget less than ours and would wipe the floor with us if we played them. 

 

We've fell apart this last 3-4 years and it's so sad to watch.

 

I dunno. I've mellowed a bit on Akpom. I think if he's the best we can come up with it says more about the overall financial position of the club and the overall management of the squad than simply our scouting. 

 

Now, do not misunderstand me, if this was the summer and a permanent transfer I'd be fuming. It's so little imagination and future proofing it hurts. 

 

And as an aside, I completely agree with you that it's baffling we don't have the same scouting ability in South and Central America, Asia, Africa or even Eastern Europe that we do in France, Benelux and Denmark. 

 

It would have next to no impact on FFP / PSR to expand our scouting and recruitment globally and what we did spend on searching would probably be offset by what you save buying from developing leagues. Sure. 

 

But I do think there's a time and a place to risk bringing in a @Tommy Fresh Bolivian teenager (wait, that sounds horrendous, sorry Tommy) and I'm not entirely sure it's now. 

 

It absolutely pains me to say this but if we're looking for a get out of jail card, I'd probably rather an experienced professional that has previously done alright in this country and won't need time to settle in or experience a culture shock. 

 

In terms of long term squad planning I'd say we're on the same page but right now? Eh idk. 

 

[Edingleyfox]

He might be OK did well at Boro but guess wages will be high.A younger option for the future going back to our previous recruitment model might be 23 year old 6ft 1 David Strelec the Slovakian that Middlesbrough are rumoured to want if Latte Lath leaves

[StonyFox]

It looks like a striker who can offer us something different by coming deep and holding the ball up, although I'd prefer it if they were 4-5 years younger. Apparently has the same agent as Stephy. 

[Ric Flair]

Just now, StonyFox said:

It looks like a striker who can offer us something different by coming deep and holding the ball up, although I'd prefer it if they were 4-5 years younger. Apparently has the same agent as Stephy. 

In which case @Lineker's Lugs any news pal?

[Scotch]

If we manage to dump french Eddy, I wouldn't be too fussed as I expect absolutely nothing from either. 

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, StonyFox said:

Apparently has the same agent as Stephy. 

 

Probably not super surprising, ex Arsenal academy lads that both went on a tour of mainland Europe before winding up in the Championship in their mid twenties. 

[Deeg67]

1 hour ago, Haywood_6 said:

Surprised by the amount of negativity. His career hasn’t been perfect, but he did manage to score nearly 30 goals in a 43-game season at Middlesbrough and was there player of the year. You don't get that many goals by a fluke. Yes it was in the championship but would any of current strikers would get anything close to that at the same level? No, I don't think so

 

Plus his name is fun to say.

[ClaphamFox]

8 minutes ago, StonyFox said:

It looks like a striker who can offer us something different by coming deep and holding the ball up, although I'd prefer it if they were 4-5 years younger. Apparently has the same agent as Stephy. 

A bit harsh denying his humanity, mate. Echoes of Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs: "It puts the ball in the goal or else it gets the hose again."

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

It puts the ball in the goal or else it gets the hose again

 

And that's still better man management than Brendan Rodgers. 

 

[kingfox]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

I get thst it's a difficult window to operate in and often January signings are short term decisions but we need to recruit a handful of players in this next week that fit in to the long term future of this club. There's a big risk we still go down and who knows whether we get points deductions and a transfer embargo but good recruitment set ups identify up and coming players that provide the flexibility should the worst happen.

I kind of share the same sentiment Ric and definitely understand where you’re coming from with this view. 
 

I’m not totally against Akpom for one particular reason, because he has certain attributes that we really need from a striker right now, link up play in particular which he was getting praised for at Boro. 
 

Yes January is a difficult window, you look around the likes of Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga, Eredivisie. The strikers that aren’t currently getting any game time is unsurprisingly not a very appealing list. You’ve mentioned both Andre Silva and Luka Jovic in recent weeks, but very much like Akpom, they come with one big question mark of whether they can rediscover some form. 
 

Personally though like yourself, I’d much prefer a permanent and long term solution, especially if we do go down and are hit with an embargo. At least then we’ll have someone ready, especially if the likes of Vardy and Daka depart in the summer. 
 

The tricky thing is though, who on earth do you get in this window for a low fee? Clubs aren’t going to want to sell their starting strikers, even look at Middlesbrough for example and Emmanuel Latte Lath, they want about £20 million for him. 
 

For this particular time with the situation we find ourselves in, is a gamble on Richard Kone for example better than Chuba Akpom on a loan deal? 
 

Long term yes, short term maybe not. 
 

I’m so conflicted 

[KFS]

Ajax fan on the highlights reel

 

”This video is misleading. From 10 games he does this stuff in 1”

 

Great … 

[FoxinNotts]

2 hours ago, filbertway said:

Bilal plays behind Vardy. So we want to replace our best player with Akpom?

Think this is a bit simplistic mate

 

I personally think this guy is a good option to have in the match day squad. A forward who could come off the bench, hold the ball up, and play it back to the likes of Bilal to slot home

Edited 29 January by FoxinNotts

[Finnegan]

Richard Kone would be a terrible transfer right now. 

 

His club are in a promotion race and the fee would be enormously inflated as a result.

 

Moreover, he's a 21 year old with zero exposure to football above League One who has been a professional for a year and has no formal academy background. 

 

His career pathway makes Vardy look like a spoilt and entitled professional. 

 

Throwing him to the Premier League, where the pace and the intensity of the game is ten times what he's in now, and asking him to save the season (and potentially long term future) of one of the country's largest football clubs outside the Big Six, where the morale is terrible, the manager might be in dispute with the squad and the fanbase is turning toxic would be ****ing insane.