We absolutely, totally, utterly must not sell key players in January

[Jim Smith 2,317]

And by that I mean Max, Emi, Pukki or a returning time form Cantwell.

i don’t care how much the bid is. There needs to be a clear “not for sale” message sent out before the window opens.

our league position should mean we can fend off bids from those in the premier league relegation battle but I do fear a moderate sized bid from a bigger club might rock the boat. 

 

[Feedthewolf 4,846]

There is no such thing as "not for sale", only degrees of bid that might be acceptable. We need to place our bar higher than we ever have done before; but, as ever, if a big club come wandering in with £30m in a suitcase enquiring as to the whereabouts of Emi Buendía, you know we're going to need to talk.

This is our model, and it's got us into the strongest position we've ever been in financially. If the players and their agents decide they don't want to consider a move away, then brilliant, turn down the bids! But the footballing food chain is what it is, and if someone comes forward with good money and the players fancies a move, it's in all parties' best interests to make it happen.

 

[Gordon Bennett 783]

As always it will depend on how badly any players might want to go elsewhere in January....if any of them are hellbent on a move and keeping them here would be detrimental to them and the squad then they will leave for good money. 

Of course we all hope everyone stays. 

[Jim Smith 2,317]

19 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

There is no such thing as "not for sale", only degrees of bid that might be acceptable. We need to place our bar higher than we ever have done before; but, as ever, if a big club come wandering in with £30m in a suitcase enquiring as to the whereabouts of Emi Buendía, you know we're going to need to talk.

This is our model, and it's got us into the strongest position we've ever been in financially. If the players and their agents decide they don't want to consider a move away, then brilliant, turn down the bids! But the footballing food chain is what it is, and if someone comes forward with good money and the players fancies a move, it's in all parties' best interests to make it happen.

 

There is no scenario where it’s in the clubs best interests to sell Emi in January. Promotion this season preserves the future of the club. 

[king canary 7,605]

19 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

There is no such thing as "not for sale", only degrees of bid that might be acceptable. We need to place our bar higher than we ever have done before; but, as ever, if a big club come wandering in with £30m in a suitcase enquiring as to the whereabouts of Emi Buendía, you know we're going to need to talk.

This is our model, and it's got us into the strongest position we've ever been in financially. If the players and their agents decide they don't want to consider a move away, then brilliant, turn down the bids! But the footballing food chain is what it is, and if someone comes forward with good money and the players fancies a move, it's in all parties' best interests to make it happen.

 

Normally I agree but I think where we are now is kind of the exception.

I can't think of the last time a team top of the Championship sold a key player mid season. I think it is pretty easy to make the argument to someone like Buendia that if he wants to play in the top flight he only needs to hold on for 6 months.

[hogesar 9,665]

1 minute ago, king canary said:

Normally I agree but I think where we are now is kind of the exception.

I can't think of the last time a team top of the Championship sold a key player mid season. I think it is pretty easy to make the argument to someone like Buendia that if he wants to play in the top flight he only needs to hold on for 6 months.

Depends on the club doesnt it.

The OP feels like a desperate attempt to get a ridiculous comment in so that he can then criticise the board. 

If Arsenal come knocking for a championship player in January with an exceptional bid then no club holds onto that player.

[WD40 720]

I have a bad feeling the Emi to Arsenal link is on the mark and both player and buying club will push for the move. They are abysmal.

I’d like to think the returning Dowelldinho and Cantwell can push us over the line but Emi is such a talent we can’t replace with another talent. 

[king canary 7,605]

1 minute ago, hogesar said:

Depends on the club doesnt it.

The OP feels like a desperate attempt to get a ridiculous comment in so that he can then criticise the board. 

If Arsenal come knocking for a championship player in January with an exceptional bid then no club holds onto that player.

Leeds reportedly knocked back a bid from Spurs for Kalvin Phillips last season so it can be done.

I'd agree if we were talking about an Arsenal team from 10 years ago but Arsenal of this season are not challenging for anything. 

[Ekoku: The Ambassador Of The People 122]

We must keep at all costs. £30m in January or £100m come August. Think we can wait a few months. 

[Feedthewolf 4,846]

10 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

There is no scenario where it’s in the clubs best interests to sell Emi in January. Promotion this season preserves the future of the club. 

In the scenario where the player wants to leave and hands in a transfer request, it's in everyone's interests. It all depends on the size of the buying club, the fee/contract offered, and the will of the player and his agent. I agree we should seek to keep him at all costs; that's my personal opinion on the matter.

My previous post was a pretty objective analysis of the way modern football is.

[king canary 7,605]

10 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

In the scenario where the player wants to leave and hands in a transfer request, it's in everyone's interests. It all depends on the size of the buying club, the fee/contract offered, and the will of the player and his agent. I agree we should seek to keep him at all costs; that's my personal opinion on the matter.

My previous post was a pretty objective analysis of the way modern football is.

Not a dig but can you think of a single example of a team top of the Championship selling a key player in January? I can't.

[Bovril 219]

Had we been in the play-off positions or especially outside of them, I’d be worried but top of the league 6 points clear of 3rd and having played the vast majority of tough games away, I’m not worried at all.

As a poster above said, when was the last time the league leaders lost a player in January?

They all stay.

 

[WD40 720]

19 minutes ago, king canary said:

Leeds reportedly knocked back a bid from Spurs for Kalvin Phillips last season so it can be done.

I'd agree if we were talking about an Arsenal team from 10 years ago but Arsenal of this season are not challenging for anything. 

The likelihood of playing regular premier league football for your boyhood club was a much stronger tie for Phillips. Emi won’t have the same loyalty in that way. 

[Canary Wundaboy 1,359]

If he's happy here right now, and the way he's playing suggests that, surely he'd rather stay with this group and win the Champs, get another medal and play in the Premier League next season than join an Arsenal team in rapid decline, with a nice (but empty) stadium and have to relocate his wife and 2 young kids into London?

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

Just now, Canary Wundaboy said:

If he's happy here right now, and the way he's playing suggests that, surely he'd rather stay with this group and win the Champs, get another medal and play in the Premier League next season than join an Arsenal team in rapid decline, with a nice (but empty) stadium and have to relocate his wife and 2 young kids into London?

You don't really believe that, do you?

[PurpleCanary 5,558]

1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

And by that I mean Max, Emi, Pukki or a returning time form Cantwell.

i don’t care how much the bid is. There needs to be a clear “not for sale” message sent out before the window opens.

our league position should mean we can fend off bids from those in the premier league relegation battle but I do fear a moderate sized bid from a bigger club might rock the boat. 

 

No. The squad needs seriously refreshing. I hear good reports of our U12s. Trust in youth.

[Canary Wundaboy 1,359]

1 minute ago, Terminally Yellow said:

You don't really believe that, do you?

There's always hope!

[Terminally Yellow 2,448]

Just now, Canary Wundaboy said:

There's always hope!

More chance of Father Christmas being real than Emi Buendia turning down Arsenal.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,716]

Much as I don't want us to sell players I feel it may be out of our hands.

 

If the Arsenal Emi links are true and they end up offering us near or more than 40 million for him then he's gone

[Feedthewolf 4,846]

50 minutes ago, king canary said:

Not a dig but can you think of a single example of a team top of the Championship selling a key player in January? I can't.

Hmm... not off the top of my head, no. It's a fair point.

Even if there's mileage in the Arsenal link, they're not going to get relegated this season and neither are they going to get in the top six. One would hope that he'd be willing to stay here at least for another six months to help us get back up...

[sonyc 5,517]

Forget selling for a minute. Being top at Xmas will be a big draw for some really special NEW players, knowing they look like being able to play in the Premier League! Our position going in to January will be very attractive in terms of our marketability.

[Jim Smith 2,317]

13 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Much as I don't want us to sell players I feel it may be out of our hands.

 

If the Arsenal Emi links are true and they end up offering us near or more than 40 million for him then he's gone

Its not out of our hands though is it. We do not have to accept any offer. Arsenal are desperate. If they offer something ludicrous like £70m then so be it but promotion is worth more to the club than £30m or £40m.

[king canary 7,605]

37 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Hmm... not off the top of my head, no. It's a fair point.

Even if there's mileage in the Arsenal link, they're not going to get relegated this season and neither are they going to get in the top six. One would hope that he'd be willing to stay here at least for another six months to help us get back up...

It generally just doesn't happen- when you're close to promotion you can generally keep players happy for 6 months, especially if you promise to sell them in the summer if it goes to ****. 

Arsenal is an interesting one but say someone like Palace or Brighton came in for one of our players- would there be much point in making the switch and possibly not settling when you could be in the same division in 6 months?

[Haus 259]

1 hour ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

If he's happy here right now, and the way he's playing suggests that, surely he'd rather stay with this group and win the Champs, get another medal and play in the Premier League next season than join an Arsenal team in rapid decline, with a nice (but empty) stadium and have to relocate his wife and 2 young kids into London?

not to mention tripling his salary, playing for a big club on TV every week, more chance of his profile being raised to get into the Argentina squad.

[dylanisabaddog 4,920]

2 hours ago, Feedthewolf said:

There is no such thing as "not for sale", only degrees of bid that might be acceptable. We need to place our bar higher than we ever have done before; but, as ever, if a big club come wandering in with £30m in a suitcase enquiring as to the whereabouts of Emi Buendía, you know we're going to need to talk.

 

I think I'd just point out that they seem to have lost their second suitcase 

[rock bus 851]

36 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Its not out of our hands though is it. We do not have to accept any offer. Arsenal are desperate. If they offer something ludicrous like £70m then so be it but promotion is worth more to the club than £30m or £40m.

I know what you are saying, technically it's not out of our hands. But in reality it is VERY hard (near impossible) to hold a player against his will. If Emi really wants to go to Arsenal and they offer an amount which he considers is fair to the club (£40m+) then he will be extremely unhappy about staying. Inevitably that will see his performance levels dip and his attitude will be poor... so Farke will be forced to drop him so we will gain no benefit from keeping him.

Some players may just get on with it (like Aarons) but lets be honest as much as we love him we all know Emi likes a bit of a strop an can be quite 'passionate/fiery'.

That's not to say I want us to sell him or even think we will but the reality is that it will be very difficult  not to let him go if a BIG club (which includes Arsenal) come in with a huge bid .

Edited December 17, 2020 by rock bus

[Midlands Yellow 3,980]

9 minutes ago, king canary said:

It generally just doesn't happen- when you're close to promotion you can generally keep players happy for 6 months, especially if you promise to sell them in the summer if it goes to ****. 

Arsenal is an interesting one but say someone like Palace or Brighton came in for one of our players- would there be much point in making the switch and possibly not settling when you could be in the same division in 6 months?

None really but if the contract offered is juicy then you never know. 

[ron obvious 1,502]

10 minutes ago, Haus said:

not to mention tripling his salary, playing for a big club on TV every week, more chance of his profile being raised to get into the Argentina squad.

Yes, even when we get promoted (😊) we won't be paying Arsenalesque wages & we won't get players the same exposure. And a footballer's career is a short one.

[BigFish 1,986]

Just now, ron obvious said:

Yes, even when we get promoted (😊) we won't be paying Arsenalesque wages & we won't get players the same exposure. And a footballer's career is a short one.

Nice to be able to agree with you for a change Ron.

I think it is a mote point anyway, I don't believe there is a club who thinks Emi is worth the fee (fortunately).

 

[Ray 111]

If we get promoted we gain circa £100m +, so let's imagine we are offered £35m each for Max, Todd, Teemu and Emi, total £140m, could it be argued we would be in a better position if we sold them all and regrouped with £140m in the bank to spend if needed and could still be promoted, net gain £240m.  Worth the risk??