And so the Chuba rumours start

BoroMart said:
hmm, not really the correct calulation.

We risk having a total cost of contract of 7.2m (wages and transfer fee) or a total cost of -18m (profit).

18m + the 10m we didn't spend last summer on that striker + a little more investment from sales of Payero, crooks, Jones, Bola, McNair. We could be the big spenders. That kind of money invested well could be transformative for the club.
Click to expand...
There is a figure we can't turn down. What that is, only Gibson/Bausor know.

Just looking realistically at Chuba and comparing with Spence last season. Fans were going OTT about getting £20m......in the end we got £12m (and up front £4m?5m?). Same with Tav - £15m min.......goes for £10m......🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

Just saying there could be a bit of a shock to see how much we would sell him for, and our track record over the years of replacing proven goalscorers........
 
h_m_boro said:
There is a figure we can't turn down. What that is, only Gibson/Bausor know.

Just looking realistically at Chuba and comparing with Spence last season. Fans were going OTT about getting £20m......in the end we got £12m (and up front £4m?5m?). Same with Tav - £15m min.......goes for £10m......🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

Just saying there could be a bit of a shock to see how much we would sell him for, and our track record over the years of replacing proven goalscorers........
Click to expand...
The one big difference is that goalscorers come at a premium. Spence wasn't even going to be a first teamer so they weren't desperate for him but if you look at the ages of big money signings from the championship then there aren't many at Akpom's age either. Big money is spent on young players, usually English. Akpom would be too big a risk for anyone to be spending big money in the PL. Our best chance at a big money sale would be to one of the relegated teams.

I can't see us getting much for him, certainly not an offer we can't refuse or one the fans will be happy with. I suppose we have to ask the question whether it is worth hanging on and having him fire us towards the PL next season (like Gyokeres might have done at Coventry), or him flopping and him leaving for nothing next season (like Brereton Diaz at Blackburn) or cashing in and trying to find a 20+ goal striker for the £10m we get for him.
 
We should be doing all we can to get him to sign a new contract, even if it has a release clause in it. We shouldn't be in a rush to get rid of the first striker to get 20 odd goals in 30 odd years. We know more than most that goal scorers don't grow on trees!
 
He has a good pedigree with Arsenal and now he’s scored a bundle and not forgetting strikers who can score are in short supply basically he’ll be in demand.
 
TeaCider said:
Approaching 30?

He's 27.

He doesn't need to get better, he's been superb all season.
Even if he got half the return next season, 14 goals from number 10 is a great haul.
Click to expand...
I think you just have to look at another Gooner reject in Danny Wellbeck and age really is irrelevant if you’re fit and scoring.
 
Right footed Left winger said:
I do know that Akpom has given notice on his rental property, but that was a few weeks back.
Click to expand...
Once he heard about Burnleys interest, Chubs allegedly rang his ex boss for advice and:-

Chris Wilder said, I just love my super CV.
Oh oh words can’t describe
the fibs and lies thats written inside
Oh Chubs you’ll be fine
Like me, counting their money all the time
Loyalty means nowt to me
It‘s really all about my great CV


And then hung up 🤷‍♂️
 
I think it's the most complex puzzle to solve.
Akpom has been a brilliant player and goalscorer for us this season. Replacing him would be extremely difficult.
But we need a front 4 at least as good as we have had, which given the two other best players (Archer & Ramsey) are loanees and far from guaranteed to return, this will also be very very difficult to achieve.
Other positions also require replacing and strengthening. Howson has been immense this season but time marches on. The full backs need attention. The Goalkeeper situation needs resolving.

A low fee for Akpom would make fans annoyed, but he is older which may cap his value a little.
I could see the point in keeping him here and gambling his fee (as profit) on promotion next season.
I could also see the point in taking a huge fee - if one materialised - and using it to fill multiple gaps. We may not quite have the Chuba of this season, but we may have a much stronger overall squad that can get us over the line.

I wouldn't begrudge Chuba leaving to get a big contract and PL football - and I'd love to see him do well - but he's a major asset and above all else I want the squad to be stronger at the end of this window than it has been.

Some really tough decisions for Gibson/Bausor/Scott/Carrick, but they will have played the lines out already and have a strategy I'm sure.
 
indeedido said:
I think it's the most complex puzzle to solve.
Akpom has been a brilliant player and goalscorer for us this season. Replacing him would be extremely difficult.
But we need a front 4 at least as good as we have had, which given the two other best players (Archer & Ramsey) are loanees and far from guaranteed to return, this will also be very very difficult to achieve.
Other positions also require replacing and strengthening. Howson has been immense this season but time marches on. The full backs need attention. The Goalkeeper situation needs resolving.

A low fee for Akpom would make fans annoyed, but he is older which may cap his value a little.
I could see the point in keeping him here and gambling his fee (as profit) on promotion next season.
I could also see the point in taking a huge fee - if one materialised - and using it to fill multiple gaps. We may not quite have the Chuba of this season, but we may have a much stronger overall squad that can get us over the line.

I wouldn't begrudge Chuba leaving to get a big contract and PL football - and I'd love to see him do well - but he's a major asset and above all else I want the squad to be stronger at the end of this window than it has been.

Some really tough decisions for Gibson/Bausor/Scott/Carrick, but they will have played the lines out already and have a strategy I'm sure.
Click to expand...
I agree with all of that and hope you are right that we have a strategy
 
h_m_boro said:
Just looking realistically at Chuba and comparing with Spence last season. Fans were going OTT about getting £20m......in the end we got £12m (and up front £4m?5m?). Same with Tav - £15m min.......goes for £10m......🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️
Click to expand...
It was 12.5m for Spence plus add-ons. Tav was about 12m with add ons.

Up front is mostly irrelevant, it goes on the FFP calc straight away which gives us massive wiggle room, it's then just a case of financing, whether Gibbo loans the club up front, or he secures loans. But we will get a second payment for those players this summer for doing nothing, so circa another 8m on the account, and still another 8 to come next year.

But this happens with most transfers in and out the club, so it balances out. So the terms of payments are not a concern.

I don't think, cash is the issue, FFP is, and the sales we have had are all for decent base fees. If we sell Akpom for 25m, it's likely to be 9m up front and 25m on the FFP. 9m plus 8m (second payments for Spence and Tav), still gives us 17m income.
 
BoroMart said:
It was 12.5m for Spence plus add-ons. Tav was about 12m with add ons.

Up front is mostly irrelevant, it goes on the FFP calc straight away which gives us massive wiggle room, it's then just a case of financing, whether Gibbo loans the club up front, or he secures loans. But we will get a second payment for those players this summer for doing nothing, so circa another 8m on the account, and still another 8 to come next year.

But this happens with most transfers in and out the club, so it balances out. So the terms of payments are not a concern.

I don't think, cash is the issue, FFP is, and the sales we have had are all for decent base fees. If we sell Akpom for 25m, it's likely to be 9m up front and 25m on the FFP. 9m plus 8m (second payments for Spence and Tav), still gives us 17m income.
Click to expand...
I'll have to take your word for the FFP intricacies 👍

Absolutely no concern Gibson will back Carrick while keeping us compliant with FFP. Wonder if the initial payments for Spence and Tav were not given to Wilder due to the deteriorating relationship?

Would definitely gamble and keep Chuba, and if he leaves on a free in 2024 so be it.
 
I would be absolutely delighted if we manage to keep Chuba. I don’t think he’ll be a one season wonder but ultimately i think it’s down to the player if he wants to stay or not. I think there will almost certainly be offers coming in from Prem clubs and even though Chuba seems to love it here he may well think at his age this might be his only chance at a crack at playing in the top league. If he goes my guess is the fee will probably be in the £15m-£18m bracket with him being in the final year of his contract and only one season where he’s scored heavily. Finding a replacement would be quite a challenge but not impossible. It’s just frustrating we haven’t gone up because I’m sure he’d have loved to play here in the top flight for us.
 
h_m_boro said:
I'll have to take your word for the FFP intricacies 👍

Absolutely no concern Gibson will back Carrick while keeping us compliant with FFP. Wonder if the initial payments for Spence and Tav were not given to Wilder due to the deteriorating relationship?

Would definitely gamble and keep Chuba, and if he leaves on a free in 2024 so be it.
Click to expand...
RE wilder….very Possibly
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top