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Safri or £1.5m?

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That could be the choice.

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1781_2463972,00.html

But Baggies boss Tony Mowbray only wants players who are ''totally committed'' to playing for the club, and is planning for life without Koumas by lining up a move for Canaries star Safri.

Norwich boss Peter Grant would be loathe to lose Safri''s services after selling Rob Earnshaw to Derby - but a bid of around £1.5million for the 30-year-old midfielder may be too good to turn down after they signed him for £500,000 from Coventry in 2004.

Which would you rather have and why?

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£1.5m everytime because we could then buy someone who would hopefully stay injury free and could be so much more consistent for us.

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Much as I rate Safri I think I would (in the words of Bullseye) take the money and run because:

a) this new Frenchman looks as if he could be promising and do a similar role

b) Safri''s fitness is pretty questionable

c) His Morocco committments are a big burden on the club

d) £1.5 million straight into another one or two players seems a good deal.

Not for less though - especially not to another Championship side like the Baggies.

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it sounds good  1.5 mill, sepicially since we''ve only spent 800k ? on cureton, and that would cover the marshall transfer leaving 5 or over to spend on another, midfiledeer and defender or two, and mabey a couple more free players

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If it was possible to bring in more cheap / free transfers like Brellier, players near the end of their contract, 1.5 million is a lot of money for a 30 year old who will miss 5 weeks due to African Nations Cup action.

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No question - settle for the money if it''s £1.5 m!At his best he is outstanding, but he is missing so often. We need someone who is reliable.

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Take the money & use some of it to entice & pay Lee Hendrie''s wages.

I believe Hendrie is still a free agent at this time, and just the kind of ballsy & experienced player we need in midfield along side Brellier.

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Definately 1.5M

For the reasons said above really; inconsistency, overpriced, african duties, Breilleur, injuries.

With all player sales apparently being reinvested, another 1.5M would go along way i believe.

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I''d keep Safri. Is 1.5 million really that much for a quality midfielder with several years of Championship experience? If we are going to replace him with 2 players for 750k how does that help improve our starting 11? We need an experienced Championship midfielder in the centre, alongside signings from Scotland / lower leagues. Maybe Hendrie could do the role - I''m sure he''d have a similar valuation if he wasn''t on a free.

If we are going to sell him then do it now so we don''t start the season with a team that has never played together.

Bellier sounds like a good signing, but from the Heart''s fan''s description he sounds like Safri, but without the quality passing. Also we could have a pretty good 4-5-1 for away matches with the two of the in the team:

 

Chadwick -- Safri -- Bellier -- Huckerby

----------Ethuhu

-----------------Cureton (can he play as a lone striker?)

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[quote user="Salopian"]At his best he is outstanding, but he is missing so often. We need someone who is reliable.[/quote]I can''t disagree with this. I''d be really sad to see him go but only because i know how good he can be and how rarely we have seen it since he signed.  On the other hand, if he stayed and we had both the new French fella and Saf, that might take the pressure off him and allow him more of a chance to perform.

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safs is classy - but his commitment to morocco leaves him knackered and/or losing form at times over the course of a season.   he''s a great bench player for me - playing better when fresh, if he''s prepared to accept that.  if not - ta, ta we''ll have the dosh please.

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It doesn''t even have to be £1.5m imo - quite a bit less and we should sell, but if anyone''s daft enough to offer that much then fine.  I think he only has one season left on his contract and the crucial thing for me is the African Nations Cup which takes a month or so out (and he''s bound to get crocked at/come back ''exhausted'').   We have a ready made replacement in Brellier, and he was free so any extra ££ would be pretty useful for building up elsewhere in the squad, or getting another combative m/f to add competition. 

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If that kind of money is on offer then we would be daft to turn it down.

Spend the money on a youger version.

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I would have said go for it - but at this rate half the team will never have played together come August. We need some continuity. Keep him for now then flog him at Christmas.

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The African Nations cup is from the 20th of Jan to Feb 10th.

Our fixture list at that time is:

Sat Jan 19Leicester City

H
 
Tue Jan 29Southampton (7.45pm)

A
 
Sat Feb 2Preston North End

H
 
Sat Feb 9Cardiff City (12pm)

A
 
Tue Feb 12Hull City (7.45pm)

H

So he will miss an absolute maximum of 5 games, assuming Morocco get to the final, and he has to leave a few days before the tournament begins. This is out of 46 games for the season, so around 10%, and possibly as little as 3 games. I assume there are no other qualifiers next season, so at least his absence will be in a run of games, giving someone else the chance to establish themselves.

I don''t think it will be easier to find a younger version for less than 1.5 million..

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But if he''s only got one year left on his contract, wouldn''t he be able to sign a pre-contract with another club by Christmas? Then we run the risk of losing him for nothing, and having him in the squad for the second half of the season when we know he''s going to be off at the end of the season anyway. I''ve always loved Saf, but he''s not going to get any better, and £1.5 million is fair old whack to turn down...

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Julien Brellier ain''t gonna be going for the African Nations cup....

...Give me the £1.5 Million, i''m sure Julien can do a better job than Safri!

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Its another take the money from me.

If we could re-invest it (plus some) in Lee Hendrie then I would be over the moon.

Brellier and Hendrie sound like a pairing that could get us to the Prem, Safri and Etuhu certainly wont.

 

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I''d bite WBA''s hand off for £1.5m! Injured or just not fit, probably going to African Nations and really isn''t the player we saw in the Premiership. Yes, Saf has moments of greatness, but that''s all they are, moments. Now that Brellier is in, we should definitely take this offer for Safri (if it''s real!)

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If needs must, we could always play Spillane in midfield. Take the money and bring in younger, more hungry players...

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1.5M every time, if someone wants to pay that much money for an ageing midfielder who misses half the season through one reason or another then adios! We can buy a much better player than safri for that kind of money.

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[quote user="Derby Canary"]I''d bite WBA''s hand off for £1.5m! Injured or just not fit, probably going to African Nations and really isn''t the player we saw in the Premiership. Yes, Saf has moments of greatness, but that''s all they are, moments. Now that Brellier is in, we should definitely take this offer for Safri (if it''s real!)[/quote]

 

Lets not get too carried away about Breilleur yet. He may turn out to be a Jarrett, Robinson, Hughes or Fotheringham. I''d rather see the board spend the balance of the Earnshaw money (not to mention the Green and McKenzie receipts) before we sell another player. Safri has his faults but lets not be too hasty to offload him. Emperor''s new clothes anyone?

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If you read this forum currently anyone would think that Safri gets regular injuries, suspensions and international absences  cant tackle or pass and simply doesnt have an influence on the side and is over the hill at 30. On that basis why would any professional club value him at anything like £1.5m (if that quote is correct).  

Perhaps Mowbray sees the real Safri whocan dictate a midfield with tough tackling (Safri has done everything in these lauded videos of Brellier) and crisp passing, and whose side has rarely won a game when he was NOT in the side for the last 3 seasons. Mowbray knows that for £1.5m THERE IS NO ONE ELSE AVAILABLE WHO CAN DO HALF THE JOB HE CAN!!! 

Safri has been stretched to inconsistency while covering ineffective colleagues in central midfield over the last 12 months (his partners have been Hughes, Robinson and Etuhu and filling Hux left wing void), 

If there is a better player out there for that money dont you think WBA would be trying to sign him instead?  And that is why the quoted figure seems so high - in central midfield there really are very few proven performers out there.

   

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[quote user="Tom NCFC"]

[quote user="Derby Canary"]Yes, Saf has moments of greatness [/quote]

Remember the goal against Newcastle in the prem!

If not, lets recap!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu4uHQtK93M

[/quote]

Anyone else think that his second touch let him down slightly so he had to take a shot before he lost the ball? Still when he did hit it was world class! People really think we can replace that easily?

Anyway do we "have to take the money" at the moment? We don''t seem to need the cash to get our targets, anyone in the high price range doesn''t seem to want to come anyway..

Is selling out best central midfielder to play off contenders really a sensible move?

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