Priority signing for the summer?

[Exiled_red]

Who's gonna pay £4m for Kyrgiakos, just after we bought him for £1m?

How's his value quadrupled?

Wont get £10m for Babel or even £2m for Degen.

[Shaggy]

Babel would fetch £10m easily I reckon. Birmingham were reported to have offered £9m and then £10m in the notoriously difficult January window, so I don't envisage a problem in the summer window.

[Exiled_red]

I'm not against the big greek but I think Carra, Agger and Skrtel are all better than him, we bought him on the cheap and can sell for a profit, bring in a left sided defender who's 2nd position is centre half or promote Ayala or bring back San Jose as the 4th centre half.
Completely seperate arguement but we are the only 'top 6' side who pick specific centre halfs for specific games.
The other 3 are internationals, we shouldn't need Kyriakos to head it against Bolton and Blackburn etc...

Realistically I can't see us getting anymore than we paid for him, Agger and Skrtel have had numerous injuries this year, and Carragher isn't getting any younger, and as Carragher is essentially our cover for RB aswell we need 3 other experienced centre backs given injury records

[Mike]

i'm unsure on a few players too - ie skrtel – i think he has the potential to be very good, has suffered injuries which haven’t helped along with a dip in form/loss of confidence which seemed to happen to everyone in the team at some stage this season other than reina.

Skrtel was just coming back to form before the injury and was very good, i wouldnt sell him.

[red g]

Realistically I can't see us getting anymore than we paid for him, Agger and Skrtel have had numerous injuries this year, and Carragher isn't getting any younger, and as Carragher is essentially our cover for RB aswell we need 3 other experienced centre backs given injury records

carra and agger with the greek, skrtel and Kelly as cover. more than happy with that lot.

[SK]

Outs:

Riera 3mil
Degen- 1mil
Aurelio - free (wage bill)
Plessis - 1mil
Spearing - 500k

that's 5,5mil and if we're a bit optimistic we have a couple of millions left from the sales of Doss and Voronin

a total of 12mil to play with

Ins:

Jovanović - free
J. Cole - free
A. Turan - swap for R. Babel or Kuyt+few millions
A left back for the money that's left

can someone explain to me please what's with cavallieri?

[dww]

Skrtel was just coming back to form before the injury and was very good, i wouldnt sell him.

The injury thing is part of the problem though surely. We have two injury prone young CBs who need more experience in Skrtel and Agger, Carragher who is getting on and Kyrigiakos who is useful but unlikely to improve and not good enough to be first choice. I'm not sure that is enough depth - especially if Carragher is also cover for RB.

Obviously we all hope Kelly progresses and helps the situation out. I think Craig has suggested it before but it would be good to see him used as a utility player - gaining experience across the backline. It helped develop Carragher for example and means that he can be given experience with as little risk as possible.

[The Birdman]

I'd forgotted about Banayoun, I would sell him as well for probably 5-6m bringing in 30m approx in sales.

I'd like us to sign someone like Heinze or Khaladze, obviously not those 2 as they are old and past it now but that type of player, solid defensively, decent in the air and can cover centre half.
Kelly would be my back up right back to Johnson as I think he will definately make it with us.
I have no idea who to sign, I don't watch enough football across other countries to comment on obscure players but if West Ham went down there would be a few of their players I would have to boolster the squad.

[The Birdman]

The injury thing is part of the problem though surely. We have two injury prone young CBs who need more experience in Skrtel and Agger, Carragher who is getting on and Kyrigiakos who is useful but unlikely to improve and not good enough to be first choice. I'm not sure that is enough depth - especially if Carragher is also cover for RB.

Obviously we all hope Kelly progresses and helps the situation out. I think Craig has suggested it before but it would be good to see him used as a utility player - gaining experience across the backline. It helped develop Carragher for example and means that he can be given experience with as little risk as possible.

I personally rate Kelly, in an ideal would we would have enough cover and send him out on loan to a PL club for the whole of next season then have him back after he has played 40 odd games.
When he went to Huddersfield on loan he played left back, he himself said in a recent interview he's a centre half and that Rafa see's him as a right back so he's happy to play anywhere
I fear though that because of his potential and the fact he's English we'll keep him which might mean a similar learning curve to Insua at times

[Craig_H]

I'd forgotted about Banayoun, I would sell him as well for probably 5-6m bringing in 30m approx in sales.

I'd like us to sign someone like Heinze or Khaladze, obviously not those 2 as they are old and past it now but that type of player, solid defensively, decent in the air and can cover centre half.
Kelly would be my back up right back to Johnson as I think he will definately make it with us.
I have no idea who to sign, I don't watch enough football across other countries to comment on obscure players but if West Ham went down there would be a few of their players I would have to boolster the squad.

So you think Kyrgiakos would fetch nearly the same as Yossi?

[Mike]

The injury thing is part of the problem though surely. We have two injury prone young CBs who need more experience in Skrtel and Agger, Carragher who is getting on and Kyrigiakos who is useful but unlikely to improve and not good enough to be first choice. I'm not sure that is enough depth - especially if Carragher is also cover for RB.

Obviously we all hope Kelly progresses and helps the situation out. I think Craig has suggested it before but it would be good to see him used as a utility player - gaining experience across the backline. It helped develop Carragher for example and means that he can be given experience with as little risk as possible.

Agree with what your saying - if i was rafa though i would keep skrtel - Carra and Zorba are both getting on, whilst Agger and Skrtel are both youngish, agger has spent longer periods out than Skrtel but no one suggets for him to go...

Its not like Skrtel's injury is his own fault, this injury is because he got tackled late which is just unlucky.

[dww]

Agree with what your saying - if i was rafa though i would keep skrtel - Carra and Zorba are both getting on, whilst Agger and Skrtel are both youngish, agger has spent longer periods out than Skrtel but no one suggets for him to go...

Its not like Skrtel's injury is his own fault, this injury is because he got tackled late which is just unlucky.

It's not the one injury though is it? It's his propensity to pick them up and the fact that when he does his form suffers for a fairly long period that is the problem for me.

I take the point about Agger but yesterday was a perfect example of what he offers that you couldn't find any other player under £15m, possibly even more to do. His quality on the ball is as good as any defender in the league and when he plays for a period the whole team looks better for it. That isn't true of Skrtel. I think they both have real issues in terms of taking responsibility at the back as well. I just wonder whether we can, mid to long term, carry two players who need to make steps in terms of both fitness and mentality to fulfil their potential. Obviously it depends on how much we were offered whether I would consider selling him, but I think that Skrtel is a player who fetch more than it would cost to buy a viable alternative.

[SK]

I'd forgotted about Banayoun, I would sell him as well for probably 5-6m

if West Ham went down there would be a few of their players I would have to boolster the squad.

i wouldn't mind getting Collison, and Noble might be a good option aswell.

[dww]

can someone explain to me please what's with cavallieri?

Do you mean why people are talking of him leaving? There were a lot of rumours around in January that he wants to play more and will be off in the summer.

[SK]

Do you mean why people are talking of him leaving? There were a lot of rumours around in January that he wants to play more and will be off in the summer.

that's what i meant yes, i don't seem to recall reading anything like that, but i don't pay much attention to things like that.

well i don't mind him wanting to play more, but i think it was obvious to him why he was signed, and that was to be cover to pepe. i think he's done his job well, been pretty reliable when called upon, not much more we can ask of him.