If the likes of Luke Shaw are supposedly worth £35m+ then Harry is easily worth into eight figures/£10m+. He's been head and shoulders above everyone else in his position at this level for 3 seasons now, has England U-21 caps and during this cup run has had world class talent like Christian Benteke and Clint Dempsey comfortably tucked away in his back pocket; and he's still only 21.
We are under no pressure to sell and he doesn't want to leave (I hope anyway). If Stoke or Norwich or whoever were to come in for him then tell them £10m plus add ons, or do one. He is virtually irreplaceable.
I understand your assessment of Maguire
Mack, but as good as his performances are, and have been for a good part of this season, I take a more trusting view of our manager's ability to handle situations that are meat and drink to any club with decent players.
Firstly, all this talk of Maguire being linked to Prem clubs tends to become contagious, the word spreads like wildfire and before anyone knows it we're letting go of Harry any time soon. It may well happen, I doubt the lad will want to spend too much time in this division when he can fast-track his career with an established Premiership club. I certainly think he could emulate someone like Dawson at Spurs, Harry has developed into a mature defender with good attacking instincts. There's nothing we can do if other clubs come calling, but in my book that's a positive, it says we're doing something right. It happens to the majority of clubs, whether they're Everton, Stoke, Southampton, or Newcastle, and even with the Prince on board there will be times when we are forced to confront the unthinkable.
I don't think it's wise to refer to someone like Clint Dempsey as world class. In his prime a good player, but not top drawer. I only mention this because it's not fair to Dempsey or Maguire. Harry has talent and potential, and I hope he proves to be a player who is worthy of the Premiership, but it's a circular discussion until he's had a couple of regular seasons at the top level. Which brings me back to what may or may not happen. I hope Maguire's got good people around him, that they'll advise him about what's best for him, and if he's receptive to this advice he'll have much to consider. We all want the best for this club, but players who attract attention have far more to consider than where we might be in three or four year's time. If anyone has read Coady's latest interviews in the Liverpool press he seems determined to make an impression there, so another player we might have to learn to live without.
The jewel in our crown in all of this is our manager. Just as his dad created teams with players who were regarded as ordinary, mediocre, or even suspect, Brian Clough was able to conjure up teams who played with desire, great skill, and with a tactical fluidity that brought them success on a grand scale. I'm not going to sink into the genetic possibilities of Nigel emulating his father, but he certainly seems to possess very similar footballing traits. Where Nigel and United will end up who knows? But I sense our manager is determined to build a club from the bottom up, with good foundations to support the first team.
Sorry this has turned into a lengthy response to your post
Mack, once I began to consider your comments I added one point followed by another. If we are forced to sell Maguire then I hope we can get something close to the figure you quoted, although I doubt it. I recall the young player that Palace sold to Man Utd, Wilfred Zaha. I think he was sold for an initial £10million rising to £15million depending on the number of games played. The same press talk of the next big thing surrounded Zaha and he was touted as the future of the English game. Now he's on loan to Cardiff without a clue as to where he'll eventually play. The point I'm making is that Harry will need to think carefully if he's to avoid the same black holes that some young players seem attracted to, the grass is greener with all that this implies.
Good luck Harry, I hope you make good, positive career decisions, but think long and hard before you act, and don't let money be the deciding factor in whatever decision you arrive at. If you are determined to be a good to great centre half, listen to wise football heads, not to the money men.
