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Christian Benteke

If ( and I appreciate that it is a big if) we are persuing him hard, then surely he must be one that Poch really wants.

On that basis, should DL back Poch to the hilt? - even if it means paying somewhat over the odds to land him.

Same argument as for MS.

If we want Poch to succeed, as I am sure we all do, then we must give him the tools HE wants.

Not sure what you mean by "backing Poch to the hilt"?

I've long been of the opinions that for a manager/head coach to place one player on a target list and say "this is the guy" should only be acceptable in rare circumstances. Considering what was said about Pochettino when he signed for us (developing young talent etc), and that we've hired one of his Southampton colleagues to help with player identification, and our pretty clear looking transfer strategy I would hope Pochettino doesn't expect a "this guy or the highway, back me or sack me" kind of attitude to be appropriate.

If Pochettino really wants them I would expect him to also have a reasonable estimate of what the players are worth to the club, what our pain threshold for cost is. And to be on board for other targets should his first choice targets not be gettable for the club.
 
Not sure what you mean by "backing Poch to the hilt"?

I've long been of the opinions that for a manager/head coach to place one player on a target list and say "this is the guy" should only be acceptable in rare circumstances. Considering what was said about Pochettino when he signed for us (developing young talent etc), and that we've hired one of his Southampton colleagues to help with player identification, and our pretty clear looking transfer strategy I would hope Pochettino doesn't expect a "this guy or the highway, back me or sack me" kind of attitude to be appropriate.

If Pochettino really wants them I would expect him to also have a reasonable estimate of what the players are worth to the club, what our pain threshold for cost is. And to be on board for other targets should his first choice targets not be gettable for the club.

Some interesting comments by Klopp's agent today:

"In Germany there is a clear separation between manager and sporting director and I think in principle this is very good.

"Jurgen does not like to speak to player's agents or to carry out a transfer. So we have to see which is the most useful arrangement."
 
Not sure what you mean by "backing Poch to the hilt"?

I've long been of the opinions that for a manager/head coach to place one player on a target list and say "this is the guy" should only be acceptable in rare circumstances. Considering what was said about Pochettino when he signed for us (developing young talent etc), and that we've hired one of his Southampton colleagues to help with player identification, and our pretty clear looking transfer strategy I would hope Pochettino doesn't expect a "this guy or the highway, back me or sack me" kind of attitude to be appropriate.

If Pochettino really wants them I would expect him to also have a reasonable estimate of what the players are worth to the club, what our pain threshold for cost is. And to be on board for other targets should his first choice targets not be gettable for the club.

If (if, and it's a pretty big if) Stambouli gets sold to Watford or whomever, I'd be very interested in hearing what you make of that: after all, there's a player that was apparently within our absurdly, pathetically-low 'pain threshold' for cost, and who was signed as a replacement for a player Poch most definitely did want. And yet, lo and behold, he gets packed off to Watford or whomever with nary a look-in after just a year at the club. Surely that doesn't fit your idea of how Poch should ideally behave (evil man, shipping out what he possibly sees as a stupidly cheap attempt at 'backing' him), so, again, I'd be very interested to see how you'd fit that into your expectations of the man.

Needless to say, I heartily disagree with the rest of your post. :p It seems almost sadistic to force a manager who already plays and develops youth-teamers more than his contemporaries at other PL clubs to also accept the cheapest, most low-cost signings possible in lieu of the few high-class players he desperately does want (so we can make a healthy profit in the window, as per usual these days), and then expect him to be gleeful about that arrangement just because we picked up a scout he liked and employed him.
 
Nacer Chadli hopes Christian Benteke will "choose" Tottenham Hotspur
aston-villa-christian-benteke.jpg

© Getty Images
By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter
Filed: Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 07:15 UK
Last Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 07:17 UK

Tottenham Hotspur's Nacer Chadli is hopeful thatChristian Benteke will leave Aston Villa this summer for a new challenge at White Hart Lane.

The 24-year-old has been heavily tipped to join a new club, with both Spurs and Liverpool thought to be interested in the striker's signature.

Villa chief executive Tom Fox recently revealed that the club will offer Benteke a new contract, but Chadli believes that his Belgian teammate should snub the deal and sign for Spurs.

"I hope it's going to happen but first they have to attract him and there are a lot of clubs who want him, and Christian has to make his choice," Chadli told Sky Sports News. "Hopefully he's going to choose for us."

Benteke scored 15 goals in 34 games last season.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...dli-hopes-benteke-will-join-spurs_227468.html
 
If (if, and it's a pretty big if) Stambouli gets sold to Watford or whomever, I'd be very interested in hearing what you make of that: after all, there's a player that was apparently within our absurdly, pathetically-low 'pain threshold' for cost, and who was signed as a replacement for a player Poch most definitely did want. And yet, lo and behold, he gets packed off to Watford or whomever with nary a look-in after just a year at the club. Surely that doesn't fit your idea of how Poch should ideally behave (evil man, shipping out what he possibly sees as a stupidly cheap attempt at 'backing' him), so, again, I'd be very interested to see how you'd fit that into your expectations of the man.

Needless to say, I heartily disagree with the rest of your post. :p It seems almost sadistic to force a manager who already plays and develops youth-teamers more than his contemporaries at other PL clubs to also accept the cheapest, most low-cost signings possible in lieu of the few high-class players he desperately does want (so we can make a healthy profit in the window, as per usual these days), and then expect him to be gleeful about that arrangement just because we picked up a scout he liked and employed him.

I don't see what the problem is with signing an affordable stopgap, who might develop into more, if your primary targets are either unavailable or unaffordable.
 
I don't see what the problem is with signing an affordable stopgap, who might develop into more, if your primary targets are either unavailable or unaffordable.

As you say there is nothing wrong in doing so, however with some fans whatever Levy does is usually wrong no matter what.
 
Nacer Chadli hopes Christian Benteke will "choose" Tottenham Hotspur
aston-villa-christian-benteke.jpg

© Getty Images
By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter
Filed: Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 07:15 UK
Last Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 07:17 UK

Tottenham Hotspur's Nacer Chadli is hopeful thatChristian Benteke will leave Aston Villa this summer for a new challenge at White Hart Lane.

The 24-year-old has been heavily tipped to join a new club, with both Spurs and Liverpool thought to be interested in the striker's signature.

Villa chief executive Tom Fox recently revealed that the club will offer Benteke a new contract, but Chadli believes that his Belgian teammate should snub the deal and sign for Spurs.

"I hope it's going to happen but first they have to attract him and there are a lot of clubs who want him, and Christian has to make his choice," Chadli told Sky Sports News. "Hopefully he's going to choose for us."

Benteke scored 15 goals in 34 games last season.

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/footbal...dli-hopes-benteke-will-join-spurs_227468.html

I find this post funny because we all know how Spurs fans would be up in arms if it were a Real Madrid player talking about our best player, but nobody seems to have a problem with Chadli's comments
 
well you're the first person to comment on it ;)

it's how football works; we poach smaller clubs players, bigger clubs poach ours. i accepted our place in the food chain a long time ago - makes my summers a lot less stressful.


besides Sherwood was practically touting him around not so long ago, making everyone aware of the release clause - would be different if they were taking a not for sale stance
 
I find this post funny because we all know how Spurs fans would be up in arms if it were a Real Madrid player talking about our best player, but nobody seems to have a problem with Chadli's comments

I think some people may have issues, but for different reasons
 
well you're the first person to comment on it ;)

it's how football works; we poach smaller clubs players, bigger clubs poach ours. i accepted our place in the food chain a long time ago - makes my summers a lot less stressful.


besides Sherwood was practically touting him around not so long ago, making everyone aware of the release clause - would be different if they were taking a not for sale stance

They know they need the 30m for new signings, otherwise they'll have to flog him next season after he just got relegated
 
I find this post funny because we all know how Spurs fans would be up in arms if it were a Real Madrid player talking about our best player, but nobody seems to have a problem with Chadli's comments

Since the Keane/Benitez and Berbatov/Ferguson summer, I've taken a simple view on this.

It is a rule that you are not allowed to "indirectly" approach a player - including saying you want them to join in the media.

However, as it is not a rule that is enforced, in my eyes it is a legitimate tactic that can and should be used to sign players. Others have done it to us many times and will do so again in the future. Nice guys finish last I'm afraid.

The only issue I have with this, as monkeybarry says, is that Benteke is not even nearly worth £32.5m.
 
The worry is that the huge transfer fee would always hang over him and the fans would be unforgiving when he may be struggling to find his feet.

not just fans, the media too latches onto the fee when things go wrong............ive said it before it takes a special mentality to cope with the added pressure of a huge transfer fee, not many players can
 
The worry is that the huge transfer fee would always hang over him and the fans would be unforgiving when he may be struggling to find his feet.

Can't see him struggling more than Lamela - and fans have been anything but unforgiving; if anything the opposite, I think they have been too forgiving...
 
Can't see him struggling more than Lamela - and fans have been anything but unforgiving; if anything the opposite, I think they have been too forgiving...

Player's perceived attitude goes a long way, Lamela & Soldado have been given a lot of forgiveness because you can see the effort, the emotion and even the anger sometimes when it's not going right, they are also both reasonably good on social media.

Benteke still splits opinion (and he's not even here) on if his form patches are based on just form, or does he give a brick. I've seen him play, and when he's up for it (sounds familiar? ala Ade) he can be damn near unplayable, I've also seen him completely uninvolved for most of game, and it can appear he just doesn't give a brick (not saying its true, just appears).

I would gamble 20-25M +Ade, anything more would have to mean he replaces Kane as our #1 choice (Spurs is not in a position to pay 30M for a #2), which makes no sense to me.
 
I don't see what the problem is with signing an affordable stopgap, who might develop into more, if your primary targets are either unavailable or unaffordable.

A) An uncertain designation to make at the best of times: ten million pounds for Schneiderlin being the absolute maximum price we could pay before we went into 'unaffordable' territory, in a window where we made a profit on player trading, as per usual? Who decided that, and was it reasonable?

B) A whole team full of dirt-cheap stopgaps won't make a pretty sight, even though our profits in the windows will probably be eminently pleasing to look at to a few select people.

C) The problem arises when you already have a manager who does his utmost to develop the youngsters already present at the club: how fair is it to him or to the club itself to label even the few first-choice players he does want as 'unavailable and unaffordable', preferring instead to throw bargain bin replacements his way and laugh as the profits pile up? Again, if the same bargain bins aren't played at all and then flogged off by the manager, can anyone really blame him for taking that course of action? I can't: the chairman's been grossly unfair to him, I wouldn't expect any different from the manager's side.

Anyway, returning to the initial point of this entire thread.....

If ( and I appreciate that it is a big if) we are persuing him hard, then surely he must be one that Poch really wants.

On that basis, should DL back Poch to the hilt? - even if it means paying somewhat over the odds to land him.

Same argument as for MS.

If we want Poch to succeed, as I am sure we all do, then we must give him the tools HE wants.

Yes. Absolutely. Exactly. This all the way, and no hogwash about picking up a scout for 40k(?) pounds in compensation fees and then crowing about that being evidence of Poch being backed to the damn hilt.
 
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