Chuba Akpom - "dropped out of the race"

[Ric Flair]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

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. 

 

Agreed. He'd be a buy now and leave at Wycombe for the rest of the season.

[Ric Flair]

10 minutes ago, kingfox said:

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 

Bang on. I get Akpom is more physical and can hold the ball up but I actually view him as a Iheanacho type striker who's a support striker than a pure number 9 which only solves half our problem unless we use him alongside Vardy or Daka. He isn't the all round striker I think we need that can press from the front, hold the ball up, attack crosses, quick and a finisher. I realise it's hard to get all of that packaged in one player but the are in existence and once again the art is in the discovery of such talent.

[RonnieTodger]

You might as well just give Edouard a go

[dmayne7]

6 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

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. 

 

Sounds perfect. Gerrrrrrrimin

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Agreed. He'd be a buy now and leave at Wycombe for the rest of the season.

 

But then you're paying money now, in a PSR period in which we still risk relegation, for someone that isn't helping us avoid that fate. 

 

And you're paying a premium to jump the queue and have Wycombe sabotage their season. 

 

It'd be terrible business. 

 

If we get relegated and think he's the man to get us out of the Championship and we want to back him to be our star for the future then we almost certainly can have him. We'll likely be by far the biggest club willing to take the risk on him. The last club to bid for him was Luton, no? 

 

Any scrap of cash we have to spend in this window is going to be to try and save us. Can you imagine the look on Ruud's face if we told him we're dropping 7-10m on a striker for next year so he can't get any reinforcements this window? 

 

 

[kingfox]

10 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

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. 

 

What type of player is the answer right now then Finners? 

[CrazyKopCorner]

Never hear of him never mind seen him but gerrimthe****inwillya 

 

Ecstasy overload incoming!!! 

[Finnegan]

9 minutes ago, kingfox said:

What type of player is the answer right now then Finners? 

 

 

[FoxinNotts]

19 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

You might as well just give Edouard a go

Think you kinda need to trust RVNs judgement on Edouard. He clearly doesn’t rate him, so I guess that’s that

[Long Eaton Fox]

Don't think we'd get a tune out of this Chuba.

[Fox92]

2 hours 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

 

One season though. Before, and since, he's rarely made double figures. 

 

Also consider 30 later this year.

 

All in all it's the same reasoning why I didn't want us to go for Szmodics in the summer.

[kingfox]

16 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Bang on. I get Akpom is more physical and can hold the ball up but I actually view him as a Iheanacho type striker who's a support striker than a pure number 9 which only solves half our problem unless we use him alongside Vardy or Daka. He isn't the all round striker I think we need that can press from the front, hold the ball up, attack crosses, quick and a finisher. I realise it's hard to get all of that packaged in one player but the are in existence and once again the art is in the discovery of such talent.

You look at that profile of player though and the question will always come back to, how much will they actually cost? 
 

I’ll use three strikers with attributes that I think we need as examples, Evann Guessand, Ricardo Pepi and Vladyslav Vanat, but like Emmanuel Latte Lath, they’ll probably all fit in the £20 million bracket. 
 

Then you come to the pool of players like Richard Kone and I’ll throw Stefanos Tzimas in there as an example. Tzimas would cost way more than Richard Kone, but very much like Kone, you’d be asking a very inexperienced striker at top level to bail you out of a shit situation. 
 

We need a striker with pace, who can drop deep and link play, but who is there that would fit the £5-10 million price bracket that is more ready right now? 
 

You’ll be left scratching your head. 
 

Maybe Chuba Akpom is a more understandable solution after all. 

[DJ Barry Hammond]

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…

 

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. 

I’m baffled at this view Rik because I feel you’re essentially missing the current situation the club is in, despite pointing out the situation the club is in within your post!

 

As you point out, there’s a risk of relegation, so the view in this window HAS to be short term - players that can help us get on the right side of the line come seasons end - especially under a tight budget.

 

At seasons end and into the summer, when our league status has been determined and budgets are refreshed, that is the time when the club can look a bit further ahead in terms of transfer planning (not withstanding that if we survive, the scope and availability of players to us would significantly widen)  - but for now, we have to be considering players who can improve us or add something we haven’t got and contribute in the 15 games + cup fixtures we have left.

 

I also think you’re barking up the wrong tree in terms of looking for signings from Japan and South America during this window - through the logic of time zones, language and simple geography they are much harder deals to do and would come with massive unknowns in terms of player adaptation periods and performance levels.

 

And so if you consider this link - primarily a loan to seasons end (we don’t know what options it includes yet), that makes a lot of sense when you consider there’s no way we’re intending to sign a striker in this window that would be starting in front of Vardy - partly because that would surely require a £30-40 million outlay at least!

 

So is this link suggesting Glover isn’t doing his job properly? Or is he actually working to situation we are in? 

 

[kingfox]

17 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

 

Good looking striker. 
 

Was very prolific at Man City away if I recall  

[Finnegan]

30 minutes ago, RonnieTodger said:

You might as well just give Edouard a go

 

10 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

Think you kinda need to trust RVNs judgement on Edouard. He clearly doesn’t rate him, so I guess that’s that

 

Odsonne Edouard is a perfectly acceptable Premier League, lower mid table footballer. He's not really greatly worse than Ayew or BDCR. 

 

He actually rates very highly in a whole bunch of very useful metrics, not just stuff like progressive passes and carries but he actually weighs in well defensively, being in the 99th percentile for tackles and the 93rd for blocks. 

 

Despite all of that and despite Daka struggling for output, Edouard hasn't had a look in at all under RVN and barely got minutes under Cooper, who also had no time for him. 

 

It's probably fair to conclude, given his lack of minutes, he's either absolutely stinking the place out because he doesn't want to be here and he's not even trying to apply himself or there's some sort of appearance based structure to his loan fee and we're trying to minimise his minutes (which would no doubt just lead to the former issue anyway.)

 

Either way, it's pretty obvious he's not getting anywhere near the team and we'd send him back in a heartbeat if we could. 

 

We're probably more likely to start Mavididi, Ayew or even a youth player up front at this part than Edouard. 

[Clarkey123]

Make a great fantasy name though ‘YouChuba’  

 

I’ll get my coat..

[Finnegan]

5 minutes ago, kingfox said:

Good looking striker. 
 

Was very prolific at Man City away if I recall  

 

My point being twofold: firstly, I wouldn't have a striker a priority anyway. 

 

Secondly: whilst it pains me to go all Steve Cooper, right now I'd be looking for warriors with a bit of backbone and some trench spirit over kids for the future. 

 

If we can get them on loan or on short term contracts, even better. 

 

But give me a Huth January signing over a Demarai Gray one right now. 

 

[Mickyblueeyes]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

 

My point being twofold: firstly, I wouldn't have a striker a priority anyway. 

 

Secondly: whilst it pains me to go all Steve Cooper, right now I'd be looking for warriors with a bit of backbone and some trench spirit over kids for the future. 

 

If we can get them on loan or on short term contracts, even better. 

 

But give me a Huth January signing over a Demarai Gray one right now. 

 

Danny Ings it is!

 

But on a serious note, you are right - we probably cant be looking to the future just yet - we need guys who can hit the ground running. 

Edited 29 January by Mickyblueeyes

[kingfox]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

 

Secondly: whilst it pains me to go all Steve Cooper, right now I'd be looking for warriors with a bit of backbone and some trench spirit over kids for the future. 

 

If we can get them on loan or on short term contracts, even better. 

 

Think you’ve just described Oli McBurnie. 

[MPH]

48 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Bang on. I get Akpom is more physical and can hold the ball up but I actually view him as a Iheanacho type striker who's a support striker than a pure number 9 which only solves half our problem unless we use him alongside Vardy or Daka. He isn't the all round striker I think we need that can press from the front, hold the ball up, attack crosses, quick and a finisher. I realise it's hard to get all of that packaged in one player but the are in existence and once again the art is in the discovery of such talent.

 

Patrick ageymang of Charlotte FC! He’s an absolute unit but can run on to through balls with serious pace.. heads the ball really well too. He’s a young lad, as well. He’s just broken into the USA team and has scored 2 in 2.

 

( no, not the old Plymouth guy!)

Edited 29 January by MPH

[Ric Flair]

42 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

But then you're paying money now, in a PSR period in which we still risk relegation, for someone that isn't helping us avoid that fate. 

 

And you're paying a premium to jump the queue and have Wycombe sabotage their season. 

 

It'd be terrible business. 

 

If we get relegated and think he's the man to get us out of the Championship and we want to back him to be our star for the future then we almost certainly can have him. We'll likely be by far the biggest club willing to take the risk on him. The last club to bid for him was Luton, no? 

 

Any scrap of cash we have to spend in this window is going to be to try and save us. Can you imagine the look on Ruud's face if we told him we're dropping 7-10m on a striker for next year so he can't get any reinforcements this window? 

 

 

£6m would be £1.25m on PSR for 24/25 which is less than a quarter the boost we've got from selling Cannon. I'd have liked to see us get both Kone and Aasgaard (gone for £3m) as they cost absolutely nothing on PSR and if we go down we've got two players we'd see as perfect signings in the wake of potential transfer embargo.

[notnow john]

19 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

Think you kinda need to trust RVNs judgement on Edouard. He clearly doesn’t rate him, so I guess that’s that

He must be terrible in training for Ruud to have zero faith in him, another terrible sgning!

Not only blocking another possible loan but relieving us of a reported £7 million in fees and wages.

Glover really isn’t very good.

[Lesta Legend]

29 minutes ago, FoxinNotts said:

Think you kinda need to trust RVNs judgement on Edouard. He clearly doesn’t rate him, so I guess that’s that

Exactly, there is a reason he isn't getting picked (two managers) and due to our own incompetence and foresight in planning we're stuck with a player who is completely useless and i'd rather throw Evans in the mix than to give him any game time.

 

Whether Akpom is the answer as a back up or the 2nd striker up top, i'm not sure it is, but he's better than Edouard IMO. Our issue is we have 6 days to get players through the door in a difficult window to sign anyone other than players not wanted and then those players are expensive too. And player's that you want that will make a difference, not sure I have any trust that we've planned that far ahead and are within our clearly small budget.

[suffolk fox]

1 hour ago, kingfox said:

Good looking striker. 
 

Was very prolific at Man City away if I recall  

If I recall can take a hell of a freekick can that Robert Huth.........lethal.

Edited 29 January by suffolk fox

[JimJams]

Brobbey is linked to West Ham on loan, so surely they haven't got the cover if he goes.  That deal seems to be stalling at the moment.  Maybe that's cos of supposed interest in Evan Ferguson.  But if Brobbey leaves, then is Akpom likely to follow him out the door?

If not, then us getting Akpom relies completely on whether or not Brobbey gets his loan.  And adding to that, if her doesn't get his loan, then why not go for Brobbey over Akpom?