Alex Scott - £25m to Bournemouth- Confirmed

[Major Isewater]

15 minutes ago, Ian M said:

Monday Morning Thought:

A lot of chat about not wanting this to drag on to the final week of the season but what if it does and we transfer our pre-season form into the League and sit there with wins over Preston & Brum at home and 4 points from the games at Millwall & Hull? Could Alex himself think “this could be worth a gamble”?

One thing I am certain of is that Alex has enjoyed and is enjoying his time at City. I am not sure that he’s itching to jump ship. 

[Ian M]

8 minutes ago, downendcity said:

£2,500 per week and championship football, or £30/40/50k per week in the premier league and being financially secure for the rest of your life, is one heck of a gamble for a 19 year old!

Would any of us take it?

Other factors come into play though, is his partner ready to follow him if she hasn’t yet moved in with him for example? And it’s not as if staying here for one year to give it a go means he’d never play in the PL.

[Kingswoodactor]

11 minutes ago, downendcity said:

£2,500 per week and championship football, or £30/40/50k per week in the premier league and being financially secure for the rest of your life, is one heck of a gamble for a 19 year old!

Would any of us take it?

Surely if it gets closer to season kick off, we would be looking to offer him a new extended contract worth around 20k a week but with a nailed on buy out clause of 25m inserted. No idea what the details are on the current contract offer he has on the table from us. 

Edited July 24, 2023 by Kingswoodactor

[Ian M]

1 minute ago, Kingswoodactor said:

Surely if it gets closer to season kick off, we would be looking to offer him a new extended contract worth around 20k a week but with a nailed on buy out clause of 25m inserted. No idea what the details are on the current contract offer he has on the table from us. 

I’d happily see him given parity with our top earner with a £25m non-promotion release clause built in.

[Port Said Red]

12 minutes ago, Ian M said:

I’d happily see him given parity with our top earner with a £25m non-promotion release clause built in.

Is that enough though when he has been playing U20 matches along side a Chelsea youngster with almost zero experience, who gets £40k a week? It must turn your head, even if you are as apparently level headed as Scott.

[johnbytheriver]

He is holding out for a saudi offer.With all the players they are buying in 5 years time the premiership will be weaker than the downs league .

[Merrick's Marvels]

1 hour ago, Ian M said:

Monday Morning Thought:

A lot of chat about not wanting this to drag on to the final week of the season but what if it does and we transfer our pre-season form into the League and sit there with wins over Preston & Brum at home and 4 points from the games at Millwall & Hull? Could Alex himself think “this could be worth a gamble”?

Even better than that - we won our first 4 league games and were top of the table at the start of 2020-21. Look how that season turned out.

So I admire your optimism but a few games in August are a poor basis on which to make potentially life changing decisions, imo.

Also, if someone offered to pay you 10 times your salary tomorrow, would you honestly be thinking "Is my partner ready to follow me" or "I think I'll give it another 12 months here and see how it goes" ? 

I agree it's not ideal this transfer is taking so long. But even if Scott left tomorrow and we signed someone asap, I doubt they'd be assimilated in time for our first game. So "we are where we are" and "it is what it is", whatever will be will be etc.

When all is said and done, the most likely scenario facing us is that, come Preston, Alex Scott will be history and either Weimann or Williams will be in midfield instead. Oh dear.      

Edited July 24, 2023 by Merrick's Marvels

[Pezo]

17 minutes ago, johnbytheriver said:

He is holding out for a saudi offer.With all the players they are buying in 5 years time the premiership will be weaker than the downs league .

I remember when they were all going to Italy, Spain and then China, now is Arabia.

[downendcity]

18 minutes ago, johnbytheriver said:

He is holding out for a saudi offer.With all the players they are buying in 5 years time the premiership will be weaker than the downs league .

Funnily enough, I've been thinking along these lines. I would have posted this earlier but various interruptions prevented me finalising it until now.

 

[Mr Popodopolous]

11 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

Even better than that - we won our first 4 league games and were top of the table at the start of 2020-21. Look how that season turned out.

So I admire your optimism but a few games in August are a poor basis on which to make potentially life changing decisions, imo.

Also, if someone offered to pay you 10 times your salary tomorrow, would you honestly be thinking "Is my partner ready to follow me" or "I think I'll give it another 12 months here and see how it goes" ? 

I agree it's not ideal this transfer is taking so long. But even if Scott left tomorrow and we signed someone asap, I doubt they'd be assimilated in time for our first game. So "we are where we are" and "it is what it is", whatever will be will be etc.

When all is said and done, the most likely scenario facing us is that, come Preston, Alex Scott will be history and either Weimann or Williams will be in midfield instead. Oh dear.      

That was a strange season for everyone tbh. Season begin mid September, little period from mid September to early October, International break soon after- no fans.

An injury list that hasn't been seen before, hasn't been seen since perhaps anywhere.

James-Williams-Knight midfield not too bad, assume we will strengthen a bit in other areas too if Scott goes.

[BCFCAL]

3 hours ago, downendcity said:

Just wondering what this week holds for Scott's transfer.

My best guess is an extra 25-30 pages on this thread!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of which about 3 posts are anything of note!

[Ecko]

Could be agents playing games to speed things up etc

[Mr Popodopolous]

Or maybe nobody yet is willing to pay £25m or £25m the way we would like it and are trying to bounce him out for a bit less.

Market moves quickly too, I expect Doyle and or McAtee will be on varied wish lists this summer.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Mr Popodopolous

[Roger Red Hat]

36 minutes ago, Pezo said:

I remember when they were all going to Italy, Spain and then China, now is Arabia.

I don't think the Saudi teams can compete in European Champions League, so there'll be some reluctance for players who have their career in front of them as opposed to it being largely behind them. Hasn't Mbappe said he wants to stay in Europe?

[Monkeh]

4 hours ago, CyderInACan said:

Who bids £30m for a player who's price is £25m?  

Peter Risdale's Leeds United

[Monkeh]

14 minutes ago, Ecko said:

Could be agents playing games to speed things up etc

It's probably more to do with making up homegrown numbers for European football 

[soultrader]

49 minutes ago, downendcity said:

Funnily enough, I've been thinking along these lines. I would have posted this earlier but various interruptions prevented me finalising it until now.

 

 

Everyone has their price.  The Saudis have the money to make it happen

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, BCFCAL said:

Of which about 3 posts are anything of note!

and they were about what position we will finish in

[Merrick's Marvels]

56 minutes ago, Mr Popodopolous said:

That was a strange season for everyone tbh. Season begin mid September, little period from mid September to early October, International break soon after- no fans.

An injury list that hasn't been seen before, hasn't been seen since perhaps anywhere.

James-Williams-Knight midfield not too bad, assume we will strengthen a bit in other areas too if Scott goes.

The point I was really making was - "a few games in August are a poor basis on which to make potentially life changing decisions"

As for midfield without Scott, I think your phrase "not too bad" sums it up. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

9 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

The point I was really making was - "a few games in August are a poor basis on which to make potentially life changing decisions"

As for midfield without Scott, I think your phrase "not too bad" sums it up. 

Yeah agree, can easily win a few in August and be a false dawn..or lose a few in August and come good later.

It'll be okay and I would hope we would go back into the market too if Scott goes.

[milo1111]

1 hour ago, downendcity said:

Funnily enough, I've been thinking along these lines. I would have posted this earlier but various interruptions prevented me finalising it until now.

 

It would be hilarious if this came to fruition. I would be laughing my head off. As the premier league has treated the EFL like dog sheet to see them in financial turmoil would be so sweet.

[Monkeh]

24 minutes ago, milo1111 said:

It would be hilarious if this came to fruition. I would be laughing my head off. As the premier league has treated the EFL like dog sheet to see them in financial turmoil would be so sweet.

Problem is, it would cause even bigger problems in the EFL as the little money that trickles down now would dry up, sending countless clubs into the brown stuff

Think ITV digital collapse and the effect that had 

[Simon bristol]

47 minutes ago, Merrick's Marvels said:

The point I was really making was - "a few games in August are a poor basis on which to make potentially life changing decisions"

As for midfield without Scott, I think your phrase "not too bad" sums it up. 

 Our midfield, with no scott, and having to assume joe williams plays every week is bottom third of the championship, unfortunately! And thats assuming knight comes in and immediately becomes one of our top players,, which he might hopefully do?!

 

[GrahamC]

3 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

 Our midfield, with no scott, and having to assume joe williams plays every week is bottom third of the championship, unfortunately! And thats assuming knight comes in and immediately becomes one of our top players,, which he might hopefully do?!

 

Are you seriously suggesting that if Scott is sold that in squad terms he won’t be replaced?

That scenario is far less likely than either him leaving or him staying, as we would for the first time in years actually have decent funds to do so.

[Simon bristol]

9 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Are you seriously suggesting that if Scott is sold that in squad terms he won’t be replaced?

That scenario is far less likely than either him leaving or him staying, as we would for the first time in years actually have decent funds to do so.

I dunno? But we will be replacing a 20 odd million once in a generation midfielder with a 2/3 million midfielder? It fundamentally must be weaker?

if/ when he leaves I would expect mahmeti to take scotts attacking midfield place, which hopefully he grows into. Its a shame in a lot of ways about what’s happened to benarous, that could have been his role, perhaps it might still be?

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, soultrader said:

 

Everyone has their price.  The Saudis have the money to make it happen

 

 

 

 

And isn’t it sickening that all this money is theirs simply because of luck? 
 

[Mr Popodopolous]

22 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

 Our midfield, with no scott, and having to assume joe williams plays every week is bottom third of the championship, unfortunately! And thats assuming knight comes in and immediately becomes one of our top players,, which he might hopefully do?!

 

Not quite convinced by the bottom third argument. You could also have a Naismith-James double pivot wirh Knight in front for one. Fitness however..another consideration for Naismith and hopefully not anymore but Williams.

I believe we would go back into the market if Scott goes in any case. Perhaps  we could look at loan kptions again finally to round off the squad. One more GK, CB and CM of a good level wouldn't go amiss.

[Monkeh]

26 minutes ago, Simon bristol said:

 Our midfield, with no scott, and having to assume joe williams plays every week is bottom third of the championship, unfortunately! And thats assuming knight comes in and immediately becomes one of our top players,, which he might hopefully do?!

 

Can't agree with that, Williams seems to get a lot of un deserved stick,

Is he this seasons scapegoat? 

[Merrick's Marvels]

12 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

Can't agree with that, Williams seems to get a lot of un deserved stick,

Is he this seasons scapegoat? 

He's not remotely in the same league, technique-wise, as Scott and James. 

So if we're serious about changing from a counter-attacking team to a possession based one, we need an upgrade and next summer, when he's out of contract, is the time to do so.

Of course, every team needs its upbeat characters and perhaps Pearson will take a leaf out of Terry Cooper's book who, on signing Trevor Morgan a second time for City, explained that the big man was "good for the dressing room". 

Personally, I'd not recommend it.  

Edited July 24, 2023 by Merrick's Marvels

[Simon bristol]

26 minutes ago, Monkeh said:

Can't agree with that, Williams seems to get a lot of un deserved stick,

Is he this seasons scapegoat? 

Not really a new scapegoat, but hes clearly had major injury issues and cant have a consistent impact for a top half championship team who are hoping for the playoffs in my view? Without the power to his game hes limited to what he offers in my view?