Leeds "must pay £5m for Jonny Howson"

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="GJP"]But that''s your assumption or expectation of what the midfield should have been doing. We don''t know what AN''s instructions were or what the triggers were etc.[/quote]That''s my observation of what was happening on the pitch, clearly others may see it differently of course.As for AN''s instructions, do you actually think that they included telling Howson to leave the defending to the defence, the attacking to the attackers and for him to just sit in the middle doing little bits here and there???

[king canary 7,606]

The problem wasn''t really Howson, it was the god awful tactics. To try and play that attacking (3 attacking midfielders and both fullbacks bombing on) you need a very good holding player, which we don''t have. Tettey doesn''t have the positional discipline to hold and Howson just isn''t suited to that sort of game. A smarter manager than Neil would have worked that out and either bought a better holder or instructed the fullbacks to push forward less.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Maybe all hope is not lost with Farkes comments after the game?

[Hairy Canary 703]

Thought his comments were very encouraging Mr Jig. Both about the possibility of Howson staying (although the cynic in me feels that might be a way of getting Borough to meet our valuation) and also the comment about bringing in some defenders.

What I like is that there seems a real strategy to our transfer dealings - reducing the wage bill, moving on some of the deadwood, bringing in some youth and energy and looking to balance the squad in areas where we are weak.

All very positive. Personally I think we need to cut DF some slack as getting the team to gel after so many changes is going to be tough but for the first time in ages I get the feeling we are moving forwards.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

I agree but it would be a shame to completely cave and sell our best player for a small amount when we would likely still get a similar amount if we have it another season. Hoping with Dorrans going the need for howson is even greater. yes we have vrancic but he will basically slot in where dorrans went and we needed someone like reed last season when the other contenders went missing/ got injured like Thompson and mulumbu.

[westcoastcanary 173]

Why would selling Howson be "caving"? The question is not how good a player he is in the abstract, but whether selling him and bringing others in would produce a team better equipped overall to deliver results, playing Farke''s way. If Howson stays it will be because Farke judges him a more valuable asset to the team, in footballing terms, this season than any new signings made possible this season by selling him. If he goes, the inference is the opposite.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Pretty naive to think that we will be a better side for selling howson for £5m. Who are we realistically gonna bring in for that sort of money that will fill the void/improve elsewhere? Farke has openly admitted he is a fan of the player so it''s clearly not his idea to offload to the first bidder.

Add to the fact that he still has 2 years left, we have no reason to sell for such a pitiful fee. Cairney has been quoted at £20m and yes he is younger but is he really 4 times more valuable than howson?

We have a real shot at going up still as well at which point howson is proven premiership quality so we would either get him on a new deal, have another year out of him or sell for profit/similar money.

I''d think it sends out entirely the wrong message if we sell him for such a miserly fee, one that suggests we need the money more than his ability. I think we are vastly lowering our odds at promotion selling him, especially to a rival. Double the fee and sell to the prem and I''d understand.

People point to Huddersfield but they didn''t sell their best player, they in fact did the opposite. Us and plenty of other rivals tried to get nakhi wells last summer and they could have cashed in. they didn''t and he played a big part in getting them promoted. Remember when we let cureton go to Barnsley and then they pipped us for the last survival spot?

[westcoastcanary 173]

@Tetteys Jig

My post was questioning your claim that selling Howson would be "caving" (I presume you mean "caving in"). I didn''t say we''d be a better side for selling him; what I said was that Farke''s judgement about precisely that will decide whether he stays or goes. As regards Farke''s comments, there is a difference between saying Howson is a good player and saying he is a player we definitely need in our re-styled side.

[lharman7 39]

Tettey''s Jig wrote the following post at 07/07/2017 9:59 AM:

Pretty naive to think that we will be a better side for selling howson for £5m. Who are we realistically gonna bring in for that sort of money that will fill the void/improve elsewhere? Farke has openly admitted he is a fan of the player so it''s clearly not his idea to offload to the first bidder.

Add to the fact that he still has 2 years left, we have no reason to sell for such a pitiful fee. Cairney has been quoted at £20m and yes he is younger but is he really 4 times more valuable than howson?

We have a real shot at going up still as well at which point howson is proven premiership quality so we would either get him on a new deal, have another year out of him or sell for profit/similar money.

I''d think it sends out entirely the wrong message if we sell him for such a miserly fee, one that suggests we need the money more than his ability. I think we are vastly lowering our odds at promotion selling him, especially to a rival. Double the fee and sell to the prem and I''d understand.

People point to Huddersfield but they didn''t sell their best player, they in fact did the opposite. Us and plenty of other rivals tried to get nakhi wells last summer and they could have cashed in. they didn''t and he played a big part in getting them promoted. Remember when we let cureton go to Barnsley and then they pipped us for the last survival spot?

I think your expectations for this coming season are a little high and it''s allowing your judgement to be clouded regarding the sale of Howson. Please try take into account that the club is in a huge transitional period.

You are on the money when you state ''we need the money more than his ability''!

We actually do need the money more than his ability. It''s Howson''s ability and value which is in question.

In my opinion the board probably offered him a new contract which addressed his long term future rather than an immediate rise in wages to keep him. His age factors in enormously with both the clubs and player'' decision. Very similar to Martin''s new contract.

If this is the case Howson would have thought why bother as my wages are lower when i could command a similar contract closer to home.

I''d argue that Howson is proven premiership quality. If a premier league club came in for him and he fully established himself in the side then sure i would rethink my opinion.

£5-£6 million even in this inflated state is about right for Howson.

If this is what we get then it has to be spent wisely (of which i have faith in Webber and Farke) on a center back and left back.

After this we see how we fair. Exciting times!

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

Everyone is entitled to opinions. For me its boroughs gain and our loss. As for the moving up north thing I don''t buy it he will be back living around here in a few years like holty who was also supposed to be desperate to go back north. Its won''t be until we lose howson that we realise how big a player he was for us. For goodness sake we needed a few decent defenders not this trolly dash sale who next

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,557]

Who would you rather sell, Howson, Pritchard, Ja Murphy or Nelson?

You can only see who someone wants to buy and someone has to be sold.

It is crappy that Howson has to go, but that is the cost of not being promoted last season - it is a shame Norwich couldn''t get a bidding war going for him but that says something in itself.

I think he''s a cracking player, but at 29 he isn''t going to be getting any better while the other players I mentioned will be.

Hopefully Webber gets to play with the money made from the sale of Howson and Dorrans and we see some more Vrancic level signings.

[Mason 47 1,379]

Now that Boro have tweeted, it''s basically a done deal, and the sap about Howson on social media is reaching almost homoerotic levels.

I don''t remember this much mush for Redmond, or Snodgrass, or Fer, all of whom left for bigger fees to PL clubs. It sucks, sure, but it''s as Bethnal says- would you rather be selling Pritchard to keep Howson?

[crab man 164]

Deal agreed confirmed on sky sports just now. Utterly ridiculous decision selling one of our best players to a promotion rival for peanuts. What does 5 mill get you nower days, surely been better off hanging onto him with our improved management structure. Reminds me of the shocking decision selling BJ to Derby

[Ginja 26]

I''m going to look on the bright side for this outgoing...

Cost us £1 million, got the 5 years of his prime career time, patchy performance last season, doesn''t want to be here and at 29 I can''t see him getting any better so getting £6 million is great business, plus his high wages off the books just need to make sure we reinvest the money wisely.

[Andrew Spanton 1]

Supposed £7m for Wildschut and £5m for Howson just about sums up our player trading for me. Shocking.

I know that these figures are debateable and there are valid reasons for each case but we have put ourselves in this lose-lose situation. I just hope that the new management team learns from the mistakes of the old one.

[Branston Pickle 3,657]

Mail is reporting it as £6m - no doubt part of it is linked to promotion but I think it is a decent price. Howson is a good player, no doubt, but at 29 we may well have already seen the best of him and this value could only fall from here. I''d have preferred to keep him, but if it''s a choice of him or one of the guys Bethnal mentions, it is a bit of a no brainier. Hopefully Webber/Farke can produce a few decent signings to make up for the loss.

[Mr Apples 1,320]

Good business, he wanted to go so no point keeping him.Apples

[HertsCanary93 222]

We have been conducting mostly terrible business for the last few years now and these sales are us paying the price.

Howson is a superb player and he will be missed in our midfield. It''s not a great price, but from the sounds of it our finances do not put us in a great bargaining position.

If selling Howson allows us to keep young talent like the Murphys and Pritchard, then that makes it a bittersweet move imo.

We have some top quality young talent and we''ve been clamoring for a squad upheaval for years. Let''s give Webber and co the opportunity to invest this money before deciding if it is a good transfer or not.

[Highland Canary 76]

What a shambles

[The Bristol Nest 513]

It''s not a shambles. It is a planned sale of a player who wants to move on. Nothing more or less. Judge our transfer business in a month.

We have brought in some interesting players so far.

[hogesar 9,671]

Fingers crossed this doesn''t come back to bite us.

Obviously it looks on the face of it like a really bad move - one of our best players moving to a direct promotion rival for an insignificant sum. The reality is we don''t actually know if it''s a bad move until we''ve seen what we do with transfers our side.

[lharman7 39]

Great piece of business by the club. The price sounds about right too. Fingers crossed the sale of Howson will fund a decent new center back and left back.

[Indy 3,300]

I''m not sure we can be considered direct rivals for promotion to the likes of Boro.

We''re more like a possible top 6 team with very limited budget with need to sell, Boro and the other two relegated teams along with Villa are in a far stronger position in the transfer market.

It''s a pity Howson wants to move on as he''s been a key player for us, to lose him to Boro would be a blow but it''s what it is.

Anything around 5 million with the sale of Dorrans and the release of the not so magnificent seven must mean we''re at a point of balance for the coming season. Surely any further sales will mean more funds to Farke.

[Legend Iwan 30]

Doesn''t sound like much, if any, of the transfer fee will be given to Farke to bring players in. Most likely to be used to fill the gap - roughly £5m - in the clubs'' finances.

Importantly, Howson and Dorrans''s departure does free up a huge part of the wage bill, which will prove vital in enticing new arrivals to Norwich.

[Capt. Pants 4,234]

I would have rather balanced the books with the likes of Naismith, but if he doesn''t want to stay, then I guess we''ll have to take what we can get. I''m afraid this is the consequence of hanging on to Neil about 18 months too long. We are where we are.

[CDMullins 436]

Genuinely find it staggering that anyone thinks this is a good move for us.

We cant replace Howson and Dorrans (Who realistically could have been in our starting 11 on day one) with £6 Million.

[Baldyboy 0]

All this he wanted to go is garbage! Where has he actually stated he wanted to leave? Just spin from the club as usual

[CDMullins 436]

Agree,

Way I see it, is he doesn''t want to extend his contract (on probably reduced terms), if hes going to be playing Championship football, he might as well do it closer to his family,

However if we went up, he''d probably be happy to stay.

[Midlands Yellow 3,984]

Hope this isn''t a case of City wanting 5M but accepting 3M . Wouldn''t be the biggest shock if near the latter.

[Indy 3,300]

From what I can surmise from all comments coming out is that Gowson has been offered a new contract, possibly with much reduced wages, given the Naismith contract if correct and he''s still on 40k a week, why would a Howson agree to another cut to fund that deadwood? He''s said no and now the club are saying he doesn''t want to stay as he''s not signing a new contract. So in part Howson has to be considered to be moved on as he''s a saleable asset unlike Sicknote and Naismith.