Try as I may to shake the feeling, I’m still haunted by last summer and particularly Wilfried Bony.
This mood has fallen with the speculation that there have been talks between ourselves and Swansea City over Michu – who on last season’s form and injury problems looks a risk too far.
Bony, wasn’t, and has gone on to prove, that he was possibly the buy of last summer and a player on whom we had closed a deal at around £8 million
He now has a £19 million buy-out clause in his contract and if we are to believe recent reports, virtually every top club is looking at him with bidding likely to start at around £22 million.
In his first City season he managed 16 goals in 34 games which compares with two from 16 for Andy Carroll who cost twice as much as the Ivory Coast hitman.
It would be very easy to start a blast against those involved in deciding that the deal shouldn’t have be done but we’ve been there a million times and a new rant is pointless.
It would also be unfair to Carroll who is now best judged at the end of this season.
However, and although it’s easy to be wise after event, to me, Bony at around £8 million was an absolute ‘steal’ – a deal that should have been done pronto.
It’s not giving very much away to explain that there are many inside the club who feel the same way and that this was just one reason why the board are now taking a much closer involvement in the transfer market.
Sam Allardyce made it clear at the beginning of the summer that he wanted two more strikers in the squad – one has arrived in Mauro Zarate, the second is still being hunted.
And it’s fair to say that if we fail to find another who can score goals at Premier League level it will be entirely justifiable to question our scouting abilities in this area of operation.
Having failed miserably with Modibo Maiga, failed to clinch a deal for Bony, and seen AC struggle with injury there’s enormous pressure on the manager to identify the right front man.
The board will know too that they need to close the right deal at the right price.
A goalscorer who can cover for, or play with Andy Carroll, will undoubtedly be the key signing of the summer – such a shame it wasn’t Wilfried Bony!
If we are looking for a goalscorer then it cannot be as cover for AC, who is most definitely not a goalscorer, but for someone to play alongside or just off of him. If SA persists with AC upfront by himself and Nolan in behind then we are in for more of the same from last season and that is not acceptable. SA messed up badly taking AC over Bony better not make that mistake again or last season’s discontent will be but a piddle in a stream compared to what would be in evidence this one.
I seem to recall that Bony was an option after AC was signed and only as a second striker which Boney did not want . Thats water under the bridge now . A goal scorer to cover for AC or play with him is Silimani of Algeria . It was rumoured we have been interested in him for some time . He has proven that he can deliver at the highest level .
If we can afford the ‘ new ‘ price tag , I say go for it .
We mess up striker deals, look at demba ba, given away
I was under the impression the reason we didn’t sign bony was that his parent club due to financial pressures wanted the total fee up front. As apposed to the normal European practice of paying the transfer fee in instalments and this was why Karen Brady pulled the plug on the deal.
Another quick point, does anybody honestly believe that the board /owners of WHUFC or any other club for that matter don’t take an active interest in all transfer dealings? I would find this if it wasn’t the case simply impossible to believe!
For no other reason than it’s their money being spent and they control the purse strings!
BS will identify the players he wants, which is totally the correct procedure as he is the football manager.
The board/owners then try to sign said players after carefully considering whether they can afford them and whether they represent value for money. Again this is the correct procedure.
This is what happens at all clubs every year.
Where it gets tricky is when you don’t have much money to spend and a small squad to improve.oh and there’s the little matter of premier survival to think about!
Gambles must be taken and compromises must be made. Almost inevitably loan deals feature highly.
Clearly we gambled badly last year and lost badly! Also a crippling injury list didn’t help. With a small squad mounting injuries always bight around Xmas time but we were partially devastated this year.
All that has changed concerning transfers this year IMO is that there has been a determination that what happened last year cannot be allowed to be repeated this. All the other hot air being expired on the subject is just that-hot air!
However, that’s not to say that not only is BS on trial this season then so are the board! For they must prove that they can deliver the football the fans and the club expect and deserve! COYI!
I’m not at all sure that’s how it was. A deal had been done for Bony at £8 million but the manager allegedly said no and decided he wanted Carroll. The rest of what you say is correct but the fact remains there is added pressure on SA from above because of some particularly bad buys in maiga and Diarra
Hi mate, whatever the final ins and outs concerning the bony deal, at the end of the day we didn’t sign him and it’s still a sore one!
As for Andy Carroll, I think the wheels were in motion over that deal even before the reading game! Although of the 35,000+ crowd I don’t think many would have believed how last season turned out!
I wholeheartedly agree that maiga and diarra have turned out to be disasters for us. But after last season I don’t think they particularly put anymore pressure on BS to improve next year.
After last seasons dismal performance the pressure on BS and the board was already there!
However when you have such a small squad signing two such high profile duds has a pressure all of its own!
Surely something can be done to cancel their contracts? Lol.