mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I'd forgotten about Benik, but took a quick look... Still only 28 years old, Benik's on loan at Trabzonspor this season in the Turkish top flight. He started well. He was a regular starter and scored 3 in the first 6 games. The team wasn't picking up too many points however, and the goals dried up for Benik. One big change was Eddie Newton, who knew Benik and brought him in, getting the boot. Next, Afobe went off injured with a neck spasm before a game in December and whilst it was only short term, his minutes became limited. In 2021 so far, Benik has only been granted an hour of pitch time in his accumulated cameos from the bench. This coincided with a big upturn in form for the team who are up to 4th and back in the title race. He says he wants to return to England and, with his loan ending in June, would we have him back? Source: there's an interview on The Beautiful Game podcast on Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanterne Rouge Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 8 minutes ago, mozo said: I He says he wants to return to England and, with his loan ending in June, would we have him back? Source: there's an interview on The Beautiful Game podcast on Youtube If costs allowed and NP fancied him then yes I would. The thought of him linking up with KP again makes me very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 1 minute ago, Lanterne Rouge said: If costs allowed and NP fancied him then yes I would. The thought of him linking up with KP again makes me very happy. He mentions in the interview that one of the highlights during his time at City was linking up with Kasey. He says it with a massive smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Rob Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Oddly, whilst playing in Turkey he has been less destructive for us than Lansbury. So yes, I'd welcome him back, if fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Not for me. Time to move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 3 minutes ago, JonDolman said: Agree. We have Wells who is the same type of striker. Would seem strange bringing Afobe back. A needless gamble Given the option, would you swap Wells for Afobe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unan Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I'd give him a year, as long as it's not silly money. I'm resigned to Fam leaving, Afobe/Wells isn't a poor strike force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ska Junkie Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 He has another year on his Stoke contract so a fee would probably be involved and isn't he on big bucks there? If he was on a free and costs were reasonable then maybe but that isn't gonna happen. sadly for Benik, his injury record will work against him IMHO, fine player though if he could just stay fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Just now, Ska Junkie said: He has another year on his Stoke contract so a fee would probably be involved and isn't he on big bucks there? If he was on a free and costs were reasonable then maybe but that isn't gonna happen. sadly for Benik, his injury record will work against him IMHO, fine player though if he could stay fit. This season Benik has only missed one game due to injury I believe. But yeah, it might be fair to put him in that higher risk category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spudski Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 48 minutes ago, mozo said: He mentions in the interview that one of the highlights during his time at City was linking up with Kasey. He says it with a massive smile. I get the impression it's more to do with friendship, beliefs and family rather than football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Rob Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 1 hour ago, spudski said: I get the impression it's more to do with friendship, beliefs and family rather than football. Also get the impression he is a lad who thrives on an environment where he is loved/appreciated - could work here, it might not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossi the Robin Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 It wouldn’t feel like a step backwards if he returned, like it can sometimes - more like unfinished business Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Why did he go and play in Turkey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiled Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 I would love to see Benik play for us again. We've all had a bad year but what that guy went through after his injury with us was quite unbearable. He's been a very good striker in the past, my heart says give him another chance to win a place in Bristol City's history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Afobe has unfinished business here. For me he is a top class striker who would easily fit in here. There are the inevitable question marks over his long term fitness but he was certainly not ready when he came back and played later in the season. Maybe with a more experienced Manager overseeing he would've seen things differently. He will be available cut price as almost certainly Stoke don't want him and he definately doesn't want to be there. He's a different type of striker to Wells. He can play as a lone striker or through the middle. Or run the channels and angles. A perfect foil for Kasey Palmer. I think a lot depends on the contract situation with Diedhiou but a top quality striker who loved his time here who is available . . . It's a no brainer for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 24 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? Have you ever been to Stoke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Just now, Swede said: Have you ever been to Stoke? Not on a rainy Tuesday night............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bris Red Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 27 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? Probably because trabzonspor were prepared to take on his wages are a fairly big club and there is the chance to play in either the Europa or Champions league with them.. Believe it or not there is actually a big wide footballing world outside of the English footballing pyramid you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 27 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? He said he'd always wanted to play abroad and this was a good opportunity. He knew Eddie Newton already and that was a factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 29 minutes ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? Money is my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozo Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 6 minutes ago, Robbored said: Money is my guess. He's contracted to Stoke until 2022. Do they have signing on fees for loans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 11 minutes ago, bris red said: Believe it or not there is actually a big wide footballing world outside of the English footballing pyramid you know! Eh? Nobody told me.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveF Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 1 hour ago, mozo said: He's contracted to Stoke until 2022. Do they have signing on fees for loans? Not that I'm aware of. More likely a fresh start that hasn't worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son of Fred Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 7 hours ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? To get to the other side ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 7 hours ago, mozo said: He's contracted to Stoke until 2022. Do they have signing on fees for loans? Yep and pay either all or a percentage of his wages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 No good moaning about injuries and then wanting to sign injury prone players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phileas Fogg Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 10 hours ago, Roger Red Hat said: Why did he go and play in Turkey? I get the impression that he might have wanted a fresh start. He'd had a difficult few years here, injury problems, irregular game time then a family tragedy. Maybe a complete change of scenery was what he wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 9 hours ago, Swede said: Afobe has unfinished business here. For me he is a top class striker who would easily fit in here. There are the inevitable question marks over his long term fitness but he was certainly not ready when he came back and played later in the season. Maybe with a more experienced Manager overseeing he would've seen things differently. He will be available cut price as almost certainly Stoke don't want him and he definately doesn't want to be there. He's a different type of striker to Wells. He can play as a lone striker or through the middle. Or run the channels and angles. A perfect foil for Kasey Palmer. I think a lot depends on the contract situation with Diedhiou but a top quality striker who loved his time here who is available . . . It's a no brainer for me How can it be a no brainer when he’s had so many injuries ? Cant keep signing players with bad injury records and just crossing our fingers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 13 hours ago, mozo said: Given the option, would you swap Wells for Afobe? No. I don’t want to curse Wells but availability is important and we have seen that ,unfortunately for Afobe , one is more often fit than the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 10 hours ago, Swede said: Have you ever been to Stoke? I went on a beach holiday there one year. Lovely place . People very friendly, cheap beer and plenty of sunshine or was that Turkey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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