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Post by gladstoneparkranger on Jun 2, 2018 23:33:58 GMT
And who could we cope with losing?? ..
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Post by sharky on Jun 3, 2018 2:57:13 GMT
Most salable asset - Smithies. Class keeper who wouldn't be disgraced in the Prem
Who could we cope with losing - again Smithies as we have plenty of back-up in the keeper department
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Post by terryb on Jun 3, 2018 11:19:36 GMT
Like Sharky, my answer is the same for both categories.
Smithies & Luongo.
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Post by Ashdown_Ranger on Jun 3, 2018 13:27:46 GMT
Saleable - in terms of who actually be wanted by other clubs AND get some decent money for - Smithies, Luongo, Manning, Smyth, Eze, Furlong and Osayi-Samuel - maybe Smith.
The youngsters aren't developed enough to command a high fee yet, so not worth 'cashing in' (if we really are becoming a selling club.
Saleable in terms of who we should be thinking of offloading - well, possibly Washington - though I'd like Schteev to give him a fair chance. Maybe he can do something with him - not least give him back some confidence.
As for coping without departing players, well I think we could cope if we lost 2 or 3 of the above - youngsters/cover is available to a greater or lesser extent - and their departures would see replacements coming in. Our more recent transfer experience would seem to suggest they could be pretty good...
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Post by bowranger on Jun 5, 2018 9:50:33 GMT
I think our most sellable player, taking in a lot of the factors Ashdown laid out and considering who's most likely to go for decent money, would probably be Luongo.
If you're an oppo scout, you can see development and growth there and he's still at a good age to go further. He's always been a decent midfielder with an engine, but in the last few years his interceptions and tackling stats have been amazing and this year he's finally added goals to his game (which isn't an issue at international level). Factor in a good World Cup, the fact he's got a good attitude and has been trusted with the captaincy now and again all spells value to me.
And for us, while Smithies is the more obvious one in terms of us having replacements in the wings, it's partly true for Luongo too. If we're developing kids and sticking with a back four (obviously we switched early this year and McClaren tends to favour a back four), we do have a tendency for producing number 10s. I'd hate to lose Luongo and don't think he's easily replaceable - but a lot of our best talent are attack-minded midfielders. Players who aren't strikers but aren't defensively minded either. We've got to consider how we can regularly integrate the likes of Bright, Eze, Chair, Smyth, Wheeler and Manning - the latter in particular being a player who has greatly improved but found regular games hard to come by. We've shaped our team around our best three players (Scowen, Luongo and Freeman) being on the pitch at all times and that's the right move - but the opportunity that comes from Luongo being sellable is freeing up space in positions we have young talent in. Arguably, talent that may look elsewhere if we can't integrate them more fully next year.
Point being that we've been so focused on the sheer importance of a Luongo-Scowen-Freeman midfield that it's easy to forget about the potential that could come without the pressing concern of having them all on the pitch at the same time. Luongo leaving would close a door, but it would also open a window.
So in terms of being a selling club, Luongo is the near-finished article and think the Club would think in terms of cashing in when the trade off is potentially developing even more sellable assets in our young attacking midfielders. You sell Smithies, you potentially turn Lumley into a valuable young keeper. You sell Luongo, and in two years time you're looking at potentially four very sellable players who now have their chance to shine and grow. Ironically, Luongo staying means less chances for all those competitive kids.
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Post by supercat on Jun 5, 2018 20:07:38 GMT
i think as much as i love him ,luongo is the obvious choice to sell hes now 27 so hes at his peak but i would hope for 6 million pounds half of that money can be used to buy two center halfs and two strikers and the other half we can keep to help run our club this is so painfull to lose a player i love but we have so much strength in midfield i think that furlong could also be moved into midfield
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jun 6, 2018 5:21:22 GMT
I'd be hoping for at least 10 Million. Remember more stupid prices being paid for players with a lot less talent.
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Post by bowranger on Jun 6, 2018 8:43:24 GMT
i think as much as i love him ,luongo is the obvious choice to sell hes now 27 so hes at his peak but i would hope for 6 million pounds half of that money can be used to buy two center halfs and two strikers and the other half we can keep to help run our club this is so painfull to lose a player i love but we have so much strength in midfield i think that furlong could also be moved into midfield Feel he could and should be worth much more. Bit of a balance really - Luongo has already openly said he wants to play at the top level so it's not like he wouldn't listen to a Prem offer. Though while we need to sell, we've also shown we won't be bullied on transfer fees because it's got a negative knock-on to the value of our other players. I agree though, I would genuinely hate to lose him but he's still the one that makes the most sense if we have to sell someone for good money. I wouldn't want Furlong to move up to midfield though. Asides from us having plenty of options as it is, it would pretty much just leave Kakay to cover the RB position. He's decent but not quite there yet. Would love Furlong to truly make the RB slot his own next season.
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Post by rickyqpr on Jun 7, 2018 12:13:17 GMT
Much has been written about Holloway's devotion to a back 3 to accommodate Freeman, Luongo and Scowen and how that has restricted several of our other players, i guess that it leads one to the conclusion that if we have to lose anyone then it should be one of those three. Luongo would be worth more than Freeman, but luongo is more important to our team than Freeman. Prefer not to lose anyone, but needs must!
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Post by bowranger on Jun 8, 2018 9:50:27 GMT
Much has been written about Holloway's devotion to a back 3 to accommodate Freeman, Luongo and Scowen and how that has restricted several of our other players, i guess that it leads one to the conclusion that if we have to lose anyone then it should be one of those three. Luongo would be worth more than Freeman, but luongo is more important to our team than Freeman. Prefer not to lose anyone, but needs must! I agree with that and I suppose the way I try to think about it is less about the players as individuals but more in terms of the individual qualities that make the most of our squad and formation. To me, Freeman, Scowen and Luongo work because it combines a bunch of exciting, compatible attributes over a big chunk of the pitch. The Freeman role - ability to pick a pass, take players on, attacking creativity, set piece delivery. The Luongo role - box to box 'engine', speed for interceptions and tackles in dangerous areas. The Scowen role - high fitness, positional awareness, ability to recycle the ball positively, a bit of edge/cynicism to know when to break down oppo attacks. The 'rat' mentality. So one set compliments the other. Freeman wouldn't have the freedom he does without the work of Luongo and Scowen. Scowen wouldn't have a positive outlet without Luongo's willingness to drop back to receive and then travel with the ball etc etc. On that basis...I'd agree that Luongo is probably worth more but is likely the hardest to replace. Freeman's role seems to be the one where we've perhaps got the most similar players (i.e. someone who can sit behind the striker) and make stuff happen. Scowen is crucial (and a big reason why we managed to get things back on track after losing Hall to injury) but also seems the least likely to go. Quite a headache for McClaren but as you say, needs must. Any decision is more likely to be based on the strength of any bids we receive.
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Post by sharky on Jun 9, 2018 7:04:46 GMT
Jude the Cat - mascot kept us up for 2 consecutive seasons so must be worth a fortune to someone like Sunderland. Seriously our most saleable asset, regardless of name, is the one we should be most trying to keep. The question really should be who is our asset who we can let go without weakening the squad and can we get any money for him?. Only one name springs to mind. Smithies?!
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Post by gladstoneparkranger on Jun 9, 2018 14:56:13 GMT
Jude the Cat - mascot kept us up for 2 consecutive seasons so must be worth a fortune to someone like Sunderland. Seriously our most saleable asset, regardless of name, is the one we should be most trying to keep. The question really should be who is our asset who we can let go without weakening the squad and can we get any money for him?. Only one name springs to mind. Luongo? ..
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