Max Gradel

[Bryn]

I think Nicky Adams is harder done by.

I like Gradel, he's an exciting player and he's been through a lot, but he's about 5th choice now, and if we're looking at a 7 figure sum for him then that's hard to argue with.

[breadandcheese]

I like Gradel, he's an exciting player and he's been through a lot, but he's about 5th choice now, and if we're looking at a 7 figure sum for him then that's hard to argue with.

I think that in itself tells a story. If a player is so far down the ranks and wants to play first team football, we shouldn't as a club be demanding millions of pounds for him. It's not fair on the player, particularly when the first team choice wide players wouldn't go for those sums.

[crazylegs1984]

i would easily expect a 7 figure sum for him he may not be worth it now but he has the potential to be a very good winger he shows alot of flair and looks a good prospect for the future

[Thracian]

The £1m shows just how much they underrate him. ...........reply....................That was last season this season they asked aclub for £2 million for him.

Anyway thanks for the confirmation that Max has no emotional problems apart from the BS - it seemed plain to anyone who saw him. And for your view about covering the full-back. ................reply............................Not just my veiw but also NP.

N'Guessan won't cover the full-back either - he's no good at it anyway and it will cost him at the other end - so what's been applied is one standard for the newcomer and another for Max. ............................reply................................Dont you think this would upset MAX?

And how much did all that chasing back cost in terms of his cross delivery, sharpness in eluding a defender and how much has his "hugging the line" cost him in goalscoring potential while DNG seems perfectly free to get in the box? ............................................reply........................... yet if you read the lastest posts, people still do not understand how this affects a player

Max hasn't demonstrated he's a Championship player because he's hardly had the chance (others had stacks of settling in time) and because the dice of requirement have been loaded against him. .................................................reply........................Th

is is the big problem.

Leeds seem to have used him for what he's good at...attacking people, getting the ball in the box and shooting at goal.

WHEN Max leaves I will tell more of what has happen behind the scenes.

I do feel it will be like the Iain Hume story. When he did not want to leave but MM said he had to go. Yet people still refuse to believe this. I think Max will get the same treatment.

Right from the start I said Mandaric got the club on the cheap and that the crop of upcoming kids would effectively cover the cost of the purrchase. Stearman and Mattock have already gone and it is clear Gradel will be next (if not he will remain a significant saleable asset), covering virtually all that I imagine MM will have to pay for the club in the end.

In some ways I really admire his business sense because, frankly, the club was a golden nugget and for that reason I tried long and hard to get my oldest son to table a consortium bid (as I mentioned at the time).

Some of the potential has been wasted. We could have taken good money for Mattock much earlier than we did and developed Sheehan into a much more marketable asset.

Porter wasted himself but you still have to wonder why he became so uncaring as to fall off the mountain cos he too could have fetched a tidy sum.

Andy King would obviously sell on for an excellent fee - and I wonder, had we got Davids, if Mandaric would have been tempted (though I'd hope not) because he clearly sees "experience" as vital to winning things in football and combines that belief by also having the wisdom to bring in his own young loanees who can themselves evolve to be assets without the endless years and expense of guiding them through an Academy.

So why, given the above, might selling Gradel be a mistake? Truthfully it won't now. He was given a four-year contract just so this situation could develop and given that Gradel was so under-utilised as to seemingly make him wish to play elsewhere then there is probably no point now in keeping him...big pity though that is.

I do wonder, however, why Gradel might never have looked worthy of a first team place to Pearson this season. The evidence was briefly seen on the pitch at Macclesfield and Barwell but would might also have been apparent on the training ground. You have to wonder if Gradel became so pissed off he didn't see much point in trying to impress, just keeping himself reasonably fit.

I don't suggest he didn't try. Gradel loves football so much I can't ever imagine him not trying. But there was something missing. It was as if he was just going through the motions of what he'd been told to do rather than believing he could convince his manager of anything.

Cos he suddenly seems his usual positive and effective self again now and I an only imagine he feels there's some purpose to his football again and that he feels valued.

Without any doubt in my mind Leicester's loss will be Leeds gain because he's one of the most exciting impact players we've had at this club in recent years.

Two or three fairly recent first teamers described him as the most talented ball player at City and, if that ability can be fully realised, he'll be worth much more than a couple of million.

Gradel is the sort of footballer who can put bums on seats. He's far stronger than he sometimes looks, seemingly resilient, and if wise counsel can get the most out of him then his potential is enormous.

Bottom line though is the financial brilliance of Mandaric. To get a club like Leicester for the price of three Academy graduates would be some achievement. And if the price of the club goes up because of promotion this season it won't matter much anyway. Cos there'll be a financial windfall and the value of Kingy and other assets (Wellens, N'Guessan, Hobbs, Weale, Fryatt) will rise too.

Heads he wins, tails he wins. And that's the best kind of business you can get.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Right from the start I said Mandaric got the club on the cheap and that the crop of upcoming kids would pay for the purchase. Stearman and Mattock have already gone and it is clear Gradel will be next, covering virtually all that I imagine MM will have to pay for the club in the end.

In some ways I really admire his business sense because, frankly, the club was a golden nugget and for that reason I tried long and hard to get my oldest son to table a consortium bid (as I mentioned at the time).

Some of the potential has been wasted. We could have taken good money for Mattock much earlier than we did and developed Sheehan into a much more marketable asset.

Porter wasted himself but you still have to wonder why he became so uncaring as to fall off the mountain cos he too could have fetched a tidy sum.

Andy King would obviously sell on for an excellent fee - and I wonder, had we got Davids, if Mandaric would have been tempted because he clearly sees "experience" as vital to winning things in football and combines that belief by also having the wisdom to bring in his own young loanees who can themselves evolve to be assets without the endless years and expense of guiding them through an Academy.

So why, given the above, might selling Gradel be a mistake? Truthfully it won't now. He was given a four-year contract just so this situation could develop and given that Gradel was so under-utilised as to seemingly make him wish to play elsewhere then there is probably no point now in keeping him...big pity though that is.

I do wonder, however, why Gradel might never have looked worthy of a first team place to Pearson this season. The evidence was briefly seen on the pitch at Macclesfield and Barwell but would mostly have been seen on the training ground. You have to ask if Gradel became so pissed off he didn't want to particularly impress, just keep himself reasonably fit.

I don't suggest he didn't try. Gradel loves football so much I can't ever imagine him not trying. But there was something missing. It was as if he was just going through the motions of what he'd been told to do.

Cos he seems his usual positive and effective self now.

And without any doubt in my mind Leicester's loss will be Leeds gain because he's one of the most exciting impact players we've had at this club in recent years.

Two or three fairly recent first teamers described him as the most talented ball player at City and, if that ability can be fully realised, he'll be worth much more than a couple of million.

Gradel is the sort of footballer who can put bums on seats. He's far stronger than he sometimes looks, seemingly resilient, and if wise counsel can get the most out of him then his potential is enormous.

Bottom line though is the financial brilliance of Mandaric. To get a club like Leicester for the price of three Academy graduates would be some achievement. And if the price of the club goes up because of promotion this season it won't matter much anyway. Cos there'll be a financial windfall and the value of Kingy and other assets (Wellens, N'Guessan, Hobbs, Weale, Fryatt) will rise too.

Heads he wins, tails he wins. And that's the best kind of business you can get.

Thanks a lot for wasting 2 minutes of my life reading that absolute rubbish. I agree with a lot of what you write but you must have swine flu today or something because you are hallucinating.

[Babylon]

So MM sold youth teamers to fun his purchase of the club? You're suggesting he loaned money from banks to back his managers with big money signings like Howard, DJ, Clemence, Wellens. Yet when we sold youth players for considerably less, he took the money and put it into his own pocket?

As for the Alan Sheehan bit, seriously what planet are you on. Maybe we should go back through history and blame the club for not making other youth players better, or maybe just maybe... they weren't good enough.

What a crock of shit.

[Thracian]

Max Gradel must be easily our most overrated player.

Adams has looked impressive when he's come on, N'Guessan has adapted very well, he came from League Two remember, and we haven't got disastrous results when Oakley has played there.

MM may back us with a couple million in Jan and we could sign a new right winger if needed, lets just get rid of Gradel, NP clearly doesn't rate him and all this bollocks about him, or behind the scenes shit is pointless.

Maybe the problems are down to Gradel not the club.

Adams has had so few opportunities there's next-to-nothing on which to base an argument. He's simply never been given the chance to shine or otherwise.

He too must be so frustrated but from what time he has had on the first team pitch , there's not been much by way of goals and assists to make his case.

Oakley's not really used as a winger but much more as a central midfielder who makes some width at times.

And truthfully, now that Pearson has introduced some much-needed pace to the side, there's fair indication that the idea of a constructive midfield three in front of a slowish but defensively sound back four is quite effective...the sum of the parts being stronger perhaps than any individual.

It certainly seems to make us hard to beat and our closing down is looking quite exceptional now.

But none of this has much to do with Gradel who's great strength for now is his ability to make things happen particularly when our initial approach has either failed or been countered.

[Jimmy]

So MM sold youth teamers to fun his purchase of the club? You're suggesting he loaned money from banks to back his managers with big money signings like Howard, DJ, Clemence, Wellens. Yet when we sold youth players for considerably less, he took the money and put it into his own pocket?

As for the Alan Sheehan bit, seriously what planet are you on. Maybe we should go back through history and blame the club for not making other youth players better, or maybe just maybe... they weren't good enough.

What a crock of shit.

the amount Mandaric paid for the club itself was tiny (by comparison), most of the fee he paid went to creditors

[Babylon]

the amount Mandaric paid for the club itself was tiny (by comparison), most of the fee he paid went to creditors

And? That has bugger all to do with anything I said. Thracian is suggesting he is borrowing money against the club to fund purchases and selling players to line his own pockets. That is a BIG accusation.

[Thracian]

So MM sold youth teamers to fun his purchase of the club? You're suggesting he loaned money from banks to back his managers with big money signings like Howard, DJ, Clemence, Wellens. Yet when we sold youth players for considerably less, he took the money and put it into his own pocket?

As for the Alan Sheehan bit, seriously what planet are you on. Maybe we should go back through history and blame the club for not making other youth players better, or maybe just maybe... they weren't good enough.

What a crock of shit.

Mandaric knew the young players represented a financial asset from the off. Are you suggesting he didn't build it into his calculations because their value was referred to many times in this forum?

He would always have known what sort of money he could get for them and his investment in upcoming assets like Wellens, Hobbs, Fryatt (new contract), Weale, N'Guessan was money spent on constantly appreciating stock. So that money hasn't gone out for ever. Barring major long-term injury every one of those players represent a potentially excellent return on top of the already assured income from Stearman/Mattock.

What Mandaric does with the income is his own affair but he'll surely expect to have greater assets at the end of any year than he had at the start and I'm quite sure that would prove the case right now were it ever put to the test, especially as I never much rated Mattock in any case.

You and I will always disagree about Sheehan so there's no point going down that road.

[Thracian]

And? That has bugger all to do with anything I said. Thracian is suggesting he is borrowing money against the club to fund purchases and selling players to line his own pockets. That is a BIG accusation.

I've neither said nor suggested he's sold anyone to line his own pockets.

I said that he knew the value of our assets (including Academy players) when making his bid and would always been aware that any sales would cover the cost of buying the club.

Whether he chose to keep all or some of that money or re-invest it was his own business and it is perfectly obvious he has chosen to reinvest by whatever means.

In fact, what other option would he have in trying to secure his aim of taking the club to the Premiership? The trick has ben to invest in appreciating assets and that is what he is done. The bloke should be congratulated and I thought I'd conveyed that. As an exercise in turning a football club around it is starting to look brilliant.

My main question is whether Gradel, if sold, would be leaving before his potential has been fully realised or after.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Mandaric knew the young players represented a financial asset from the off. Are you suggesting he didn't build it into his calculations because their value was referred to many times in this forum?

He would always have known what sort of money he could get for them and his investment in upcoming assets like Wellens, Hobbs, Fryatt (new contract), Weale, N'Guessan was money spent on constantly appreciating stock. So that money hasn't gone out for ever. Barring major long-term injury every one of those players represent a potentially excellent return on top of the already assured income from Stearman/Mattock.

What Mandaric does with the income is his own affair but he'll surely expect to have greater assets at the end of any year than he had at the start and I'm quite sure that would prove the case right now were it ever put to the test, especially as I never much rated Mattock in any case.

You and I will always disagree about Sheehan so there's no point going down that road.

What money has he made on them in relation to the money he has paid out for transfers? You are talking absolute bollox with this.

[Thracian]

What money has he made on them in relation to the money he has paid out for transfers? You are talking absolute bollox with this.

As stated for the second or third time - the incoming transfers are ongoing and mostly appreciating assets. It's the way business works.

You sell something and with any money you choose to re-invest you aim to buy something that is of even greater value or potential value.

And in recent times, he seems to be doing that exceptionally well.

[Babylon]

As stated for the second or third time - the incoming transfers are ongoing and mostly appreciating assets. It's the way business works.

You sell something and with any money you choose to re-invest you aim to buy something that is of even greater value or potential value.

And in recent times, he seems to be doing that exceptionally well.

Thrac, it read more along the lines that you thought he had sold the players to fund his purchase of the the club.

I have no problem with your second explanation.

[Thracian]

Thrac, it read more along the lines that you thought he had sold the players to fund his purchase of the the club.

I have no problem with your second explanation.

[leftsideoverhere]

According to the BBC we've refused permission for Leeds to play Max in the FA Cup this week. Hopefully that's a sign we might want to play him ourselves in round three and beyond.

[Thracian]

According to the BBC we've refused permission for Leeds to play Max in the FA Cup this week. Hopefully that's a sign we might want to play him ourselves in round three and beyond.

I'd be interested to know what Gradel thinks about that.

[davieG]

From the Merc: http://www.thebluearmy.co.uk/bevanblog/Max...il/article.html

The Max Factor

Wednesday, November 04, 2009, 14:23

The news that Leeds United are interested in extending Max Gradel's stay in Yorkshire comes as no surprise given the eulogies he has been receiving from fans at Elland Road. There is certainly a sense of déjà vu from two seasons ago when Bournemouth supporters were queuing up to lavish praise on our young winger during his loan spell on the South Coast.

In between these temporary moves, Gradel struggled to show consistently good form for his parent club despite an excellent record of assists and one particularly crucial goal.

When his 20-yard free kick flew into the top corner of Willy Gueret's net to save a precious point against Milton Keynes Dons in February, there was a feeling that Gradel's time had finally come.

His season had started in promising fashion with a lively display on his full City debut against the same opponents on the opening day, but just a week later he was hauled off at Stockport after a frustrating performance that included a needless booking.

Those two games were to prove indicative of the season ahead, with Gradel struggling to demonstrate his obvious talent when it mattered. Despite this, he still created lots of goals during City's title-winning campaign, most notably when providing the corner that Steve Howard headed home to sink the side whose shirt Gradel now wears.

As with his strike six weeks earlier at the stadium: MK after which he set off on a mazy run to the bench and was mobbed by practically everyone employed by the club, there was seemingly an iconic image born when he turned to the Kop following Howard's header and sank to his knees with arms outstretched.

These are the sort of heroes all football fans crave and there are a few of us for whom it's disappointing to see such an exciting City player wearing a Leeds United shirt.

For those City fans who have not identified with Gradel as much as others, his inconsistency and failure to replicate form shown elsewhere is undeniably frustrating, and the vast majority will not worry while the team are showing such tremendous form as they are at present.

For some of us, though, the energy and passion displayed by players like Gradel is part of the reason football is so captivating. As you can see from the alarmingly obtrusive mug shot that accompanies this blog, I couldn't really pull off a vertical ginger stripe of hair or a pair of lime green football boots, but I still identify with Gradel because he plays with the same commitment that a fan would.

In this day and age, that is increasingly rare and perhaps attracts more young fans to the stadium than any supposed improvement to an increasingly desperate "match-day experience".

When all is said and done, however, you cannot argue with the decisions made so far by the man calling the shots, and Gradel may in time be cast aside.

For a youngster, Gradel has been through an awful lot in recent years and, if he is enjoying his football, then there are a lot of us who are happy for him, no matter what colour shirt he is wearing.

[SMX11]

According to the BBC we've refused permission for Leeds to play Max in the FA Cup this week. Hopefully that's a sign we might want to play him ourselves in round three and beyond.

Its very understandable, he would become ineligible for us if he plays for them. Max is still young, hopefully he can come back with a bit of form.

[davieG]

From the Merc

Leicester City have received an official approach from Leeds United to extend Max Gradel's loan stay at Elland Road.

City are still considering the approach, as well as a request from Leeds to allow the 20-year-old winger to play in the FA Cup at Oldham on Saturday.

It has been reported that City have already blocked the request, but a City spokesman said no agreement has been reached.

Leeds manager Simon Grayson has Gradel – who has already made a considerable impression at the League One leaders – on loan until November 14, but he wants to extend that to January.

The Ivory Coast winger, who is under contract at City until 2012, contributed to last season's League One title success, including a wonder free-kick at MK Dons.

But he has failed to break into the Championships side this season and has been resigned to a place on the bench. However, he has become an instant favourite at Elland Road, making an exciting impact as a second-half substitute in Leeds' last four games.

He was allowed a longer run against Yeovil on Saturday and responded with his first goal for the club, just 11 minutes after coming on in the 4-0 win.

His performances may tempt Grayson to make a move to sign him on a permanent basis during the January transfer window.

Grayson, a former City skipper, said: "He's got a certain something about him, that va va voom which can turn games.

"Give him the ball and he can run at people and create chances. He's an exciting player who can be anything he wants.

"Max gives us an extra dimension to our game, something that we have not had before.

"He's certainly contributed when he's come on in the games so far."

Gradel was recommended to Leeds by former City defender Patrick Kisnorbo, who joined the Yorkshire club when he was not offered a new contract at the Walkers Stadium.

Kisnorbo, who has just been recalled to the Australia squad, said: "I knew Max from my Leicester days and I knew he was available, so I put his name forward to the coaching staff.

"Luckily for us, they went to get him and he's been fantastic. He's made such an impact and changed the game every time he has come on. He's also scored a goal which is great for him and, hopefully, we can keep him here."

From a Yorkshire Rag

On-loan Leicester City winger Max Gradel has revealed that he is keen to extend his stay at Elland Road. Gradel's month-long deal will expire midway through November, but the 21-year-old would be happy to remain with Leeds for a second month, provided the club continue to involve him regularly in their League One season.

Gradel said: "That's what I'm looking for, first-team football. As long as I'm going to play I think it (an extension) would be a good idea."

[Jimmy]

If we refuse you'd have to think he's going to play for us otherwise there'd be no point

[Thracian]

If we refuse you'd have to think he's going to play for us otherwise there'd be no point

It's the sort of low risk game he might get but I wouldn't go assuming he'll play for one minute. The only reason he might be wanted back playing for us is if Leeds show us how we should have been using him and what we are missing.

But after the way he's been sidelined here, I still cannot imagine why he'd feel the same and that would be important. Given any chance to join Leeds I'd imagine he'd run up there in his bare feet if he had to.

[Guest]

If we refuse you'd have to think he's going to play for us otherwise there'd be no point

Could also make him more marketable in January?

JOKE.

[knowitall]

I'd be interested to know what Gradel thinks about that.

Shit!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dandannieldanok]

If he wants to stay then we can't really stop him, well we can but it would be pointless keeping an unhappy player. I want him to stay but I wouldn't be that disappointed to see him leave, he flattered to deceive big time last season after all the build up he was given. As someone has already said, 4th in the Championship without him, says it all really.