Player Suggestion Ollie Watkins

[FriethBlade]

As some have said I'd rather spend big money on someone like this lad than Gregory who to me looks no better than Billy or Ched and will have no resale value.

I've got a feeling that the lad Bradford signed from Carlisle is going to be a top centre forward and wouldn't mind us going for him. He's tall and strong and looks to have the nack of being in the right place at the right time. He stepped up one league no problem and could do it again.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Well, that's a first for me. It's the first time I've ever seen a player (supposedly) linked with us and then reviewed the YouTube video to find out that I was totally unimpressed by it.

All I would say is this...

This kid isn't a striker - he's a midfielder. And he's nowhere near as good as what we've got - and I don't mean the ones in the first team - I mean the ones we've sent out on loan!

Any comparisons made with Brian Deane based on that video must be based on the colour of his skin only - as nothing else in that video resembles anything to do with Brian Deane.

£4M is a ridiculous figure - but it's not surprising because it's suggested by that ridiculous click-bait "Football League World" webshite. Anyone who believes anything on there, or it's sister webshite, HITC, needs therapy.

The good news is - it's pure fantasy and speculation and we are not interested in the slightest.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

As some have said I'd rather spend big money on someone like this lad than Gregory who to me looks no better than Billy or Ched and will have no resale value.

I've got a feeling that the lad Bradford signed from Carlisle is going to be a top centre forward and wouldn't mind us going for him. He's tall and strong and looks to have the nack of being in the right place at the right time. He stepped up one league no problem and could do it again.

Do you think so Frieth? I watched a few clips of him at Hartlepool and thought he looked a bit of a handful - but I thought he was poor against us at the Lane and I watched the play-off final v Millwall and thought he was poor in that as well. Let's see what he does next season, but tbh - I've not been impressed with what I've seen of him lately and another season in League 1 with Bradford might be the best thing for him.

 

[Grizzly blade]

Well, that's a first for me. It's the first time I've ever seen a player (supposedly) linked with us and then reviewed the YouTube video to find out that I was totally unimpressed by it.

All I would say is this...

This kid isn't a striker - he's a midfielder. And he's nowhere near as good as what we've got - and I don't mean the ones in the first team - I mean the ones we've sent out on loan!

Any comparisons made with Brian Deane based on that video must be based on the colour of his skin only - as nothing else in that video resembles anything to do with Brian Deane.

£4M is a ridiculous figure - but it's not surprising because it's suggested by that ridiculous click-bait "Football League World" webshite. Anyone who believes anything on there, or it's sister webshite, HITC, needs therapy.

The good news is - it's pure fantasy and speculation and we are not interested in the slightest.

Not sure what you saw on the video to form that conclusive opinion.
I saw a big strong lad for his age, clearly having benefitted from being ahead of his peers in terms of physical development.
I saw one particular moment of skill, strength, balance and vision that was top class,a couple of moments where he released the ball at the right moment with the right weight for a team mate to score.

I saw him getting hold of the ball with his back to goal, and also running with it and shooting.

So for me, he has shown there he has all the attributes to be a good player worthy of a much bigger assessment, and delves into his personality. He at least has shown he can handle pressure and perform when it matters...half the battle with kids and the reason most fail!

£4m as I said before is just plain silly. Roofe was a million, this kid can be that much tops.
And you can't blame a club like Exeter for wanting to make the most of a once in a generation player for them.

750k up front...250 k on appearances, 500k more if he signs a new deal and 500k if he ends up going to the Prem. 25% sell on of the profits from any sale. Potentially a £2m deal. That would be fair to me.

 

[FriethBlade]

Cerebus apart from a couple of local teams where I live all my opinion of players is based on TV highlights ! However I ve just got a gut feel about Wyke and he's the right age. I'm desperate for us not to sign another late 20s early 30s striker to add to all our others (Sharp, Clarke,Hanson, Evans) so any youngster is going to be a gamble

 

[Mouth of the South]

It would certainly be a coup if Utd were able to land him. Where he ends up however will very much depend on what he wants and how his agent guides him. If they are chasing £ he'll probably go to a more established Champ side (e.g. Derby, Leeds) or even a lower Prem side and spend at least a year in their U23 squad. If however he's keen to play the longer game in terms of £ and is prioritising development and his chances of playing first team games then Utd have a better chance, unless they're priced out.

Personally I'd be keen to get him. Whilst every signing is a risk to some degree and a young lad from L2 even more so, there is also the possibility he'd do extremely well and end up being an excellent investment.

 

[John Street]

What that lad can do with a tennis ball, I can do with an egg.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Haven't we just offloaded a young hungry striker to Everton for 1m?

He's playing regularly for them too, probably worth 8m now and banged one in at the U20 World Cup v Argentina at the weekend.

 

[Houso]

Haven't we just offloaded a young hungry striker to Everton for 1m?

He's playing regularly for them too, probably worth 8m now and banged one in at the U20 World Cup v Argentina at the weekend.

I'd say he's worth about the same that Everton paid for him. For all the Premier League starts, new contract, faith shown by Koeman and goals for the England youth side, he baffles Everton supporters and has looked massively out of his depth.... just as he did in League One.

Let's start wetting our knickers when he actually does something for Everton...

 

[Ricky]

Well, that's a first for me. It's the first time I've ever seen a player (supposedly) linked with us and then reviewed the YouTube video to find out that I was totally unimpressed by it.

All I would say is this...

This kid isn't a striker - he's a midfielder. And he's nowhere near as good as what we've got - and I don't mean the ones in the first team - I mean the ones we've sent out on loan!

Any comparisons made with Brian Deane based on that video must be based on the colour of his skin only - as nothing else in that video resembles anything to do with Brian Deane.

£4M is a ridiculous figure - but it's not surprising because it's suggested by that ridiculous click-bait "Football League World" webshite. Anyone who believes anything on there, or it's sister webshite, HITC, needs therapy.

The good news is - it's pure fantasy and speculation and we are not interested in the slightest.

There's no way you can definitively say he's 'nowhere near as good' as what we've sent out on loan.

You have absolutely no idea whether we're interested or not.

The £4m figure has come from The Sun/Daily Star, not FLW - it even says it in the first line of the article.

FLW simply report what's reported elsewhere, and write shit 'opinion by numbers' articles. HITC seem a bit more legitimate.

The one thing I agree about is skin colour being the basis for any Brian Deane comparison.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

I'd say he's worth about the same that Everton paid for him. For all the Premier League starts, new contract, faith shown by Koeman and goals for the England youth side, he baffles Everton supporters and has looked massively out of his depth.... just as he did in League One.

Let's start wetting our knickers when he actually does something for Everton...

The fact he's a Premier League player now, young, and English instantly inflates his price to stupid levels.

 

[Houso]

The fact he's a Premier League player now, young, and English instantly inflates his price to stupid levels.

I think when all they show is that they can fill a shirt and little more, it's unlikely anyone would want to part with any cash for them.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

I think when all they show is that they can fill a shirt and little more, it's unlikely anyone would want to part with any cash for them.

I agree with you regarding his ability. I didn't see anything in him the few cameo appearances he made to suggest he'd be playing regularly in the Prem.

However, they must have seen something in him to be willing to part with 1m - quite what I don't know, perhaps youthful exuberance is enough for Premier League clubs to fork out the equivalent of pocket change.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Comparing this kid to Dele Alli based on:

a ) A semi final 2nd leg game
b) an unflattering youtube video.

Priceless.

750k tops...and that's based on our selling prices for young talent.

 

[Lee Baxter]

Comparing this kid to Dele Alli based on:

a ) A semi final 2nd leg game
b) an unflattering youtube video.

Priceless.

750k tops...and that's based on our selling prices for young talent.

Having the ingredients to be successful vs making the most of them are very different things. Dele Alli's improved at a ridiculous rate since signing for Spurs, being pushed further up the pitch and playing with better players. Odds are this guy is more Che Adams than he is Dele Alli but I've no doubt Exeter look at what Alli's done since leaving MK and are placing a value on Watkins accordingly.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Having the ingredients to be successful vs making the most of them are very different things. Dele Alli's improved at a ridiculous rate since signing for Spurs, being pushed further up the pitch and playing with better players. Odds are this guy is more Che Adams than he is Dele Alli but I've no doubt Exeter look at what Alli's done since leaving MK and are placing a value on Watkins accordingly.

Maybe that's true, also they know how much money is flying around in the championship. Alli was an established and well known league one player way before Spurs bought him. This guy has a valuation based on a couple of decent strikes in a televised game.

 

[Lee Baxter]

Maybe that's true, also they know how much money is flying around in the championship. Alli was an established and well known league one player way before Spurs bought him. This guy has a valuation based on a couple of decent strikes in a televised game.

Agree with you in general but a bit harsh on Watkins to say it's purely the televised games responsible for his valuation. Just looking through the list of previous EFL young player of the year winners:

Gareth Bale
Dele Alli
Nathaniel Clyne
Wilfried Zaha
Tom Ince
Will Hughes
Conor Wickham
Michael Kightly
David Nugent
Fabian Delph
Lewis Cook
Ollie Watkins

Given the sort of company he's in over a seasons worth of performances I can see why they'd want to hold out for the silly money. Time will tell if he can forge a career anything like the other names on that list, mind.

 

[Teddy]

What am I missing? Nathan Thomas' YouTube clip was far better (granted that often means very little) and he's only one year older than this Watkins lad? Why the difference between approx £300k and £4m?

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Agree with you in general but a bit harsh on Watkins to say it's purely the televised games responsible for his valuation. Just looking through the list of previous EFL young player of the year winners:

Gareth Bale
Dele Alli
Nathaniel Clyne
Wilfried Zaha
Tom Ince
Will Hughes
Conor Wickham
Michael Kightly
David Nugent
Fabian Delph
Lewis Cook
Ollie Watkins

Given the sort of company he's in over a seasons worth of performances I can see why they'd want to hold out for the silly money. Time will tell if he can forge a career anything like the other names on that list, mind.

and of all them, he's the first from the bottom tier. Most of those players won the award playing in the championship.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

What am I missing? Nathan Thomas' YouTube clip was far better (granted that often means very little) and he's only one year older than this Watkins lad? Why the difference between approx £300k and £4m?

Aren't hype machines great....

 

[Weasel]

Any comparisons made with Brian Deane based on that video must be based on the colour of his skin only - as nothing else in that video resembles anything to do with Brian Deane.

Do your know, i hadn't realised that the kid shares the same colour of skin as Brian Deane when I made the point of him reminding me of BD.....thanks for pointing that out as I must have missed that....

In my earlier post, I mentioned that he reminded me of a young BD in that the lad looks naturally two footed, has a bit of pace and power, but looks very raw. A bit like what BD did when we got him from Doncaster back in 1988. The point i was making was that he looks a bit raw around the edges but seems to have plenty of potential to become a really good player. Don't recall mentioning the colour of anyone's skin in my original post as I simply dont care. I judge footballers on their footballing ability alone. Perhaps you should read people's posts before jumping to any sort of illogical conclusion.

You also mention that 'as nothing else in the video resembless anything to do with Brian Deane'. Well in your opinion maybe not. But in my opinion yes there are 'footballing' similarities there hence my comment. Entirely your perogative to disagree with my initial comment but your opinion does not invalidate mine, nor does it make yours correct.

 

[Weasel]

The one thing I agree about is skin colour being the basis for any Brian Deane comparison.

Another one who completely missed the point I was making...read my original post again about the lad being naturally 'two footed' but 'raw' in ability.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Another one who completely missed the point I was making...read my original post again about the lad being naturally 'two footed' but 'raw' in ability.

This tends to happen a lot. It's as if the rush to make a point clouds the ability to read clearly and without prejudice, but I guess the only thing you can do is to continue writing plainly, without an agenda, and leave it up to whoever chooses to read your posts to draw whatever conclusions they think you're making. That's not your responsibility, so continue writing such welcome opinion, it tends to offset some of the 'informed' opinion that stems from nothing more than a passion for the same team, that's all it actually amounts to, a single, solitary opinion that lacks gravitas and insight. Being passionate has it's place, but it shouldn't be confused with having an awareness of how things really work.

 

[Pinchy]

I'd say he's worth about the same that Everton paid for him. For all the Premier League starts, new contract, faith shown by Koeman and goals for the England youth side, he baffles Everton supporters and has looked massively out of his depth.... just as he did in League One.

Let's start wetting our knickers when he actually does something for Everton...

They just get better and better. David Cotterill is now officially the greatest player of all time. Nick Blackman is closing in on Pele's 1000 goal record.

 

[adebo]

Aren't hype machines great....

They sure are!! That's why charlton got 11 million for lookman and we got 1.1 for calvert Lewin. And dom has played more and is better thought of at everton as you say HYPE

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

They sure are!! That's why charlton got 11 million for lookman and we got 1.1 for calvert Lewin. And dom has played more and is better thought of at everton as you say HYPE

I personally think Maguire is better at doing what Guardiola wants than John Stones.... but he will fetch a quarter off the fee if Hull are lucky (and us).

I bet if young Ramsdale was at Southampton 7 years ago, they'd have got 5m for him.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

and before anyone says Ramsdale hasn't played... Walcott hadn't played half a season, had zero football brain and went for 13m.

 

[Weasel]

This tends to happen a lot. It's as if the rush to make a point clouds the ability to read clearly and without prejudice, but I guess the only thing you can do is to continue writing plainly, without an agenda, and leave it up to whoever chooses to read your posts to draw whatever conclusions they think you're making. That's not your responsibility, so continue writing such welcome opinion, it tends to offset some of the 'informed' opinion that stems from nothing more than a passion for the same team, that's all it actually amounts to, a single, solitary opinion that lacks gravitas and insight. Being passionate has it's place, but it shouldn't be confused with having an awareness of how things really work.

Thanks for the considered comments IIYB - appreciated. After reading some posts on here, I sometimes have to re-check my previous posts to see if I have unwittingly put stuff in them which I wasn't aware of at the time!

 

[itsinyerblood]

Thanks for the considered comments IIYB - appreciated. After reading some posts on here, I sometimes have to re-check my previous posts to see if I have unwittingly put stuff in them which I wasn't aware of at the time!

That's ok mate. As I wrote, passion has it's place, but sometimes it seems hogtied to a point of view that won't tolerate anything that differs from their own position.....it's as if being a minority of one takes precedence over everything else, so perhaps it's just best to allow the blinkered to go their predictably combative way while the more sober and considered amongst us accept the world the way it's meant to be.

 

[Ricky]

That's ok mate. As I wrote, passion has it's place, but sometimes it seems hogtied to a point of view that won't tolerate anything that differs from their own position.....it's as if being a minority of one takes precedence over everything else, so perhaps it's just best to allow the blinkered to go their predictably combative way while the more sober and considered amongst us accept the world the way it's meant to be.

Are you referring to me by any chance?