If Balogun is willing to battle for his place, I wouldn’t.
He’s got a lot of natural ability, a good feel for the game, and the right athleticism. He’ll be worth more if he’s given the chance to contribute. (This is a case where I’d much rather see him loaned out again if management doesn’t see him at least being able to work his way past Eddie.)
I say this as someone who was fine with us selling Willock, Iwobi, and the Ox. All talented players, but not ones I saw being able to carry us over the top.
If Balogun wants promises we can’t make, I’d say push for a lower fee but include that buy-back clause.
And, if we find ourselves in a scenario where a buy-back isn’t a possibility, then take the 40m. I still think that’s too low for him but we’re still at a phase in our team development arc where team cohesion is too important and fragile to not be affected by a disgruntled player. (Although maybe I’m just scarred from our not-so-distant experiences with that!)
I wouldn’t argue with that, but I don’t see Eddie getting anywhere close to the same fee. And as Ron reminds us below, we can’t lose sight of the midfield as our biggest need. Gotta fund those transfers somehow!
If Balogun is willing to battle for his place, I wouldn’t.
He’s got a lot of natural ability, a good feel for the game, and the right athleticism. He’ll be worth more if he’s given the chance to contribute. (This is a case where I’d much rather see him loaned out again if management doesn’t see him at least being able to work his way past Eddie.)
I say this as someone who was fine with us selling Willock, Iwobi, and the Ox. All talented players, but not ones I saw being able to carry us over the top.
If Balogun wants promises we can’t make, I’d say push for a lower fee but include that buy-back clause.
And, if we find ourselves in a scenario where a buy-back isn’t a possibility, then take the 40m. I still think that’s too low for him but we’re still at a phase in our team development arc where team cohesion is too important and fragile to not be affected by a disgruntled player. (Although maybe I’m just scarred from our not-so-distant experiences with that!)
@gunnersaurus @ironeaglebird @ronsboy67 @poorlydrawnarsenal id prefer to sell Eddie and keep balo as back up to Jesus and still try to get a different profile striker
@WorldcupCSR @gunnersaurus @ironeaglebird @poorlydrawnarsenal Sorry, but that must not be allowed to happen, for one overriding reason
“Your defence is in trouble” is my notification ringtone 🤣
@ronsboy67 @gunnersaurus @ironeaglebird @poorlydrawnarsenal that’s an acceptable reason
I wouldn’t argue with that, but I don’t see Eddie getting anywhere close to the same fee. And as Ron reminds us below, we can’t lose sight of the midfield as our biggest need. Gotta fund those transfers somehow!
@gunnersaurus @ironeaglebird @WorldcupCSR @poorlydrawnarsenal Ringtone aside, this is the real reason I prefer selling Balogun. I think he’d raise more money than Eddie