Should we worry about losing Leon ?

[tomtheblade]

Good job we have Brooks to step into his shoes

 

[Harry's Game]

I seem to recall us considering sMegson a few years ago ?!!!

That was in the Upside Down.

 

[Maidenhead]

As much as I agree that selling our best players is sheer lunacy at this point, there are two sides to this coin, whether people choose to see it or not.

The facts are that Leon will be ten days off 33 at the close of the transfer window. That means that, realistically, barring injury, we've probably got between 8-10 months left of him unless he is just blossoming and goes on to play at this level of consistency until he's 36, which seems unlikely.

He is almost invaluable to us with his goals and I only see him getting more when we've got a fit RWB playing. His goals could secure us Premier League football, which would make any £3 million figures seem like pocket change anyway.

If we were to sell him we'd need to do so to improve the squad, but when you think that you're taking your top goalscorer and biggest goal threat out of the team, it's going to take a significant amount to cover that. Factoring in the fact that most teams are going to hike up their prices if we've just got £5 million coming in.

To replace him and be a better, stronger squad, we'd have to:

- Loan a quality Premier League striker who isn't playing regularly to directly replace Clarke. A type that can hold the ball up, score goals, at a mature age and is proven. (Troy Deeney, Shane Long, Ulloa type) He'll be on big wages so that'll be cost us say 40k a week for 6 mths = about £1 million.
- Sign an exciting up and coming striker out of the lower leagues, like Dembele from Grimsby. That'll probably be around £1 million.
- Sign someone with a bit of spark in the final third like Maddison from Posh, he's set up shit loads of goals from attacking left midfield area, would give us a different option and a chance to change shape of an excellent option from the bench. £2 million.

That by my reckoning is about £4 million if we bought them in at the start of the window before cashing in on Leon. I'd also wait right until the end of the window to sell Clarke to drain every last goal out of him. As much as I love him and as much as he's proved me wrong time and time again, I do see this recent form as a spark right at the twilight of his career and I think his value will be about 200k again in a year's time.

However, we could just not sell him and i'd not be unhappy in the slightest.

OR get this..... Buy those players AND keep Clarke.

So what did Kevin Phillips have that Leon hasn't got?

 

[Moan? Nope-I saw Longhorn]

That was in the Upside Down.

Afraid I'm not smart /sharp(e?!) enough to 'get' the reference - sorry
Care to elucidate / elaborate/ educate a buffoon ?
Ta

 

[UnitedBlade]

So what did Kevin Phillips have that Leon hasn't got?

92 Premier League goals, went on to 280 plus career goals. They are different types of strikers, very different builds.

I like Leon a lot and want to keep him but he isn’t as good as Phillips was.

 

[Maidenhead]

92 Premier League goals, went on to 280 plus career goals. They are different types of strikers, very different builds.

I like Leon a lot and want to keep him but he isn’t as good as Phillips was.

I wasn't comparing them as strikers, merely wondering why Phillips could play 246 games after his 33rd birthday but Leon will only have a few months left?

 

[UnitedBlade]

I wasn't comparing them as strikers, merely wondering why Phillips could play 246 games after his 33rd birthday but Leon will only have a few months left?

Ok, Leon now looks super fit so barring injury he can play for years yet. Certainly Championship for a couple of seasons and he’ll never be short of lower league offers until he wants to pack it in.

 

[The Crab]

I seem to recall us considering sMegson a few years ago ?!!!

I heard that too, just before Warnock.

 

[I should coco]

The facts are that Leon will be ten days off 33 at the close of the transfer window. That means that, realistically, barring injury, we've probably got between 8-10 months left of him unless he is just blossoming and goes on to play at this level of consistency until he's 36, which seems unlikely.

So what did Kevin Phillips have that Leon hasn't got?

Not sure why once he hits 33, he has only 8-10 months left.

I and MANY others thought he was washed up when we bought himand he has proved us all wrong. It's a big 'if', but if he can play like he is now then we could get at least another couple of seasons from him. It would be a silly risk to assume that and not bring in anyone else at all, but he could still be a majot part of our strike force for a couple of years, if he carries playing like this.

Of course he could get injured and go back to 'old Leon' but equally a meteorite could strike the Earth tomorrow, so let's just plan to supplement him, rather than replacing him due to him reaching some arbitary age.

 

[I should coco]

equally a meteorite could strike the Earth tomorrow

BTW, I'm not claiming to be ITK on this......

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I wasn't comparing them as strikers, merely wondering why Phillips could play 246 games after his 33rd birthday but Leon will only have a few months left?

I wasn't comparing them as strikers, merely wondering why Phillips could play 246 games after his 33rd birthday but Leon will only have a few months left?

Indeed, and Teddy Sheringham played 196 games from age 36 - 39, mainly in the Premiership and scored 78 goals.

The way Leon is playing at the moment suggests to me that he has several good years left in him and plenty of goals to boot.

 

[Berlin Blade]

Not sure why once he hits 33, he has only 8-10 months left.

I and MANY others thought he was washed up when we bought himand he has proved us all wrong. It's a big 'if', but if he can play like he is now then we could get at least another couple of seasons from him. It would be a silly risk to assume that and not bring in anyone else at all, but he could still be a majot part of our strike force for a couple of years, if he carries playing like this.

Of course he could get injured and go back to 'old Leon' but equally a meteorite could strike the Earth tomorrow, so let's just plan to supplement him, rather than replacing him due to him reaching some arbitary age.

I agree, and if you'd never seen him play in his career and saw the last 5 or 10 games objectively with no stigma about age or previous form, you'd be wondering why he isn't playing for a top 4 club. I do get that.

Hypothetically though if we did get a bid or 4 or 5 million it'd be stupid not to take it. Keeping him would, in hindsight prove to be a 'short term' move, as we'd look back at it and think.. ''Why didn't we take that money and invest in a few younger players with a view to the next few years to be sustainable.'' Especially when you look at the age of our forward line.

Good shout re: Kevin Phillips. He did enter my head when writing. I think the difference was that he really looked after himself throughout his career a bit like Defoe which Leon can't really say the same. Players like that are the exception to the rule.

Overall, there would be a way of making the sale work for the good of the club but it wouldn't be easy. There'd also be the huge stigma and general bad feeling entering the club that we'd 'sold the family jewels again' which we'd have to overcome.

Basically... I don't want us to sell him because I have sentiment BUT if we did, then please let's do it properly and turn around a bad situation into a really good one.

 

[I should coco]

Hypothetically though if we did get a bid or 4 or 5 million it'd be stupid not to take it.

"A pleasure doing business with you Mr Bruce and can I just say how handsome you are looking today and what a good player your son is.

Can we help you with anything else? We have another striker just like Leon but a bit lighter in colour, who is also on top form and recently won several headers against the mighty Fulham. We couldn't let him go for anything less than £2m though. We also have ex Villan Kevin Gage available as a match day ambassador and being as it's you, we'd take just £750k. We've also got a set of old posts, some nets and cricket stumps too and we'd chuck those in for nothing."

 

[snootyfenooty]

"A pleasure doing business with you Mr Bruce and can I just say how handsome you are looking today and what a good player your son is who managed to keep the England centre half out of the team for so long. How's he doing at Wigan these days?.

There, fixed it for you.

 

[DifferentClass]

There, fixed it for you.

He scored this weekend and Wigan remain on course for promotion.

Fancy that, Alex fucking Bruce playing an active part in a promotion side.

 

[Danny_Blade]

In fact, having re-read, it’s pretty much exactly what you did say

I was generalising between 1 to 2 million, but who knows if he continues this form into the JTW it could be anything up to 4 or even 5 million asking price. It's not like I said we should definitely accept only a £1m fee with a minimum of 13 goals scored.

But however the main point I'm trying to make here is that we should at least consider an offer if one were to be received, because whatever his valuation might be in January could decrease by some margin come the summer and I'd see it as an opportunity missed for some extra and unexpected cash for the club. The matter of his valuation is all ifs and buts though, he might continue this form throughout the season being a major part in securing promotion.

We signed him from Bury for a nominal fee so if we could sell him for a few million then it's a fantastic bit of business, especially as this is all unexpected as I'm sure most or all of us only saw him as a signing just to help us get out of L1 and nothing much beyond that despite his contract length being 2 to 3 years was it? But I understand that on the other side of the coin other people will have the view that if we don't cash in on him then it's no big deal as he's massively exceeded any of our expectations considering the low fee we paid for him in the first place.

 

[tomtheblade]

I was generalising between 1 to 2 million, but who knows if he continues this form into the JTW it could be anything up to 4 or even 5 million asking price. It's not like I said we should definitely accept only a £1m fee with a minimum of 13 goals scored.

But however the main point I'm trying to make here is that we should at least consider an offer if one were to be received, because whatever his valuation might be in January could decrease by some margin come the summer and I'd see it as an opportunity missed for some extra and unexpected cash for the club. The matter of his valuation is all ifs and buts though, he might continue this form throughout the season being a major part in securing promotion.

We signed him from Bury for a nominal fee so if we could sell him for a few million then it's a fantastic bit of business, especially as this is all unexpected as I'm sure most or all of us only saw him as a signing just to help us get out of L1 and nothing much beyond that despite his contract length being 2 to 3 years was it? But I understand that on the other side of the coin other people will have the view that if we don't cash in on him then it's no big deal as he's massively exceeded any of our expectations considering the low fee we paid for him in the first place.

How is selling the top scorer in the division, in the middle of the season, good business. We don't have anyone else who can properly replace him, and no-one who would fit the bill with the amount of money that would likely be offered.

The nominal fee we signed him for is the exact reason why we shouldn't sell, rather than we should. There's no large monetary investment that we made to be recouped, so we can simply rely on his goals to 'pay us back'.

Players pay the club back in more ways than just the transfer fee they command when they leave. No way we should consider selling Leon in Jan unless it's an absurd offer.

 

[YES Blade]

Clarke is like when you have a ten year old plus car and you have paid the loan off. It’s worth a great deal to you and owes you nothing, but worth sod all on the market!

Clubs are only going to sign a nearly 33 year old lower league journey man striker if they can get him cheap and take a punt, so £500k at the very most. As we aren’t desperate for money, we aren’t going to take that kind of offer.

 

[Ranmoorblade]

Anyone who thinks selling Leon in January is a good idea wants to give their head a wobble.

 

[bladesmanluke]

We’re heading into an age where even bang average championship strikers cost £5m minimum. Let’s not force ourselves to replace Leon in January eh?

 

[Pollingtonblade]

Anyone who thinks selling Leon in January is a good idea wants to give their head a wobble.

There’s this bloke called Kevin who has some previous here....

 

[UnitedBlade]

Sounds like we’re going to offer better terms so it’ll be interesting to see if that is taken up quickly or if there is something in Villa interest.

 

[cahill]

Indeed, and Teddy Sheringham played 196 games from age 36 - 39, mainly in the Premiership and scored 78 goals.

The way Leon is playing at the moment suggests to me that he has several good years left in him and plenty of goals to boot.

He is looking particularly lethal at the moment. His awkward, shy demeanour just adds to the attraction ( blush, simper)

 

[DronnieBlade]

Right.

Here goes.

Leon has dumbfounded me (and others) by masquerading as the £5m striker we can’t afford.

With me so far ?

Righdo. HONESTLY, who expects this to continue ad Infinitum ??

Truth is, there will be a “Peak” where it makes perfect sense to move a player on. Wether it’s Leon, Bill or whomever.

I’m not saying our top scorer should be sold to the highest bidder. Far from it.

But some times the lure of the dollar, both from a club and player perspective is too good to turn down. And makes perfect sense.

If, for example Villa were to come in with say £2m +, and Leon fancied finishing his career in the area he was born, do you think we should hold him back ? What good would that do ?

His stock is high, it’s obvious eyebrows beyond S2 will have been raised, so expect the unexpected.

The good news is I would have complete faith in our management team engineering a situation that benefits the club in such a scenario. A comparable, if not better replacement.

And with that in mind lies the bigger problem.

Losing the gaffer.

UTB

UTB

 

[Ranmoorblade]

I still wouldn't sell him but it's time he had a rest.