Locked: Summer 2007 ins and outs

I don't have much to offer on this point, just thought I'd say that I really love the use of the word "manchild" here. 8)

 

Well, I will be the first person to get on Fulham about not getting the job done in the transfer market, but West Brom is having a major laugh asking 10 million pounds for two unproven players in the likes of Koumas and Kamara. Are they kidding themselves?

I would be okay with Fulham spending their initial bid of 5 million pounds for these two collectively, but anything more is just way too expensive.

I remember these two with West Brom when they were playing in the Premiership. Neither was even close to spectacular and while each has improved, I do NOT see how either one could have improved that much to warrant a 10 million pound price tag.

Fulham might be low balling some clubs, but part of being successful in the transfer market is to NOT succumb to the demands of a club in paying obscene prices for unproven talent like Koumas and Kamara.

Fulham would be better served spending that kind of money on some players from the French league or another such league outside of the UK. I do NOT have names for you, but I am sure there are some players out there that would love a chance to play in England in the Premiership. We just have to have a manager and a staff that is open to finding players like this rather than focusing all our time and money on overpriced domestic talent.

 

Agreed. As was mentioned in another thread (or maybe it was earlier in this thread): MONEYBALL. If we don't have as much money as a lot of other clubs, then we MUST spend it more efficiently if we want to compete.

 

Apparently West Brom also rejected a 4 mil bid for just Koumas by Wigan.

 

They are asking for too much and we need to focus on other targets. I agree with ChiTom and think it is time for us to search Europe for talent. Arsenal have spent less to nothing to get the majority of their players and that is because they buy cheap young players. For example Beasley might at the worst cost 3M maybe a little more, but probably less than that. These teams are being unreasonable and we should take our scouting network elsewhere.

 

SICK....and i mean SICK of this rejecting bids crap!!!!!!!!!

 

Fulham's scouting department seems to be a joke. In the past few years the scouting has primarily fallen on the manager's connections. They don't branch out and dig a bit for the talent. I by no means would like Fulham to be taken to the cleaners in the transfer market over prices, but if they don't scoure other leagues for talent then what other option do they have.

They went to Russia to find O'Connor, but he is Scotish afterall. Not that far fo a stretch when you think about it.

 

Rangers apparently want Beasley for 1.8million or something as low as 700,000. Fulham should scoop him up, just to have a left-footed winger option even Sanchez plays the long ball. This is cheap stuff and he's back in form.

I'm not sure Fulham isn't savvy in the transfer market. Nobody has done anything yet. West Brom has rejected everybody. Even Portsmouth has stalled in the market. Just because you got somebody doesn't mean you were savvy. It could mean you're stupid or foolish.

This whole deal should take until the last day of the transfer period. I mean Roy Keane totally changed Sunderland's fortunes with his last minute transfer deals in August, coupled with his moves in January.

 

Would rather not wait till the last minute though...Keane's case was the Championship not the EPL. A few players can change a side completely in the Championship while in th EPL you can improve but not go top of the table.

Shittu has been linked with Fulham from Watford and the Kamara deal still seems to be ongoing...blah blah blah...

Beasley please

 

The reason Keane waited until the last minute is because he did not get appointed as manager until the last week of August. He made some quick work.

I agree with TOC on the scouting at Fulham. I have saiud countless times that the club needs to get out and see players and leagues from around Europe. There are players out there that can and will succeed if given a chance that can be signed on the cheap from places like Russia, Holland, France, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, etc.

I am NOT saying every player in those leagues could succeed at Fulham, but if a bit of scouting was done in those leagues, I am sure we could find a few players that would turn out to be gems.

A perfect example is Papa Bouba Diop. Before Fulham had signed him nobody really had heard of him. Some had from his 2002 World Cup with Senegal, but he was a relative unknown. He was signed for around 2 million pounds and despite some shaky performances the last two seasons he has been a bargain. Fulham can and must find players this same way this summer.

The domestic talent, including the Northern Ireland players, is vastly overrated and far too expensive. Fulham will NOT get much bang for their buck if they continue to sign players from within the UK.

 

Beasley...1.8? What are we waiting for? Hell, go a little higher and snatch him up!

 

I totally agree. Like I wrote before... go out and find the man children of Eastern Europe who cost nothing. Continue to bring in cheap American talent because nobody respects the MLS... like Altidore as soon as he's 18.

Roy Keane was appointed late, but what he did shows that you can still be behind in the game and still catch up in the end if you're smart. Roy Keane is a savant though, I think... unlike Sanchez.

 

Roy Keane's name also carries a hell of a lot more notoriety than Sanchez's, especially in modern football. He is a legend and who wouldn't want to play for the hardest man football has probably ever seen.

Moving on...Tom was hit on scouting rather well, especially on the fact of talent being overrated in Ireland/surround areas. The reason young talented players are so expensive in England is clubs really don't need to work to find them. They can pluck them from their backyard and agents/players know that full well. It is a matter of convenience.

Fulham doesn't have a manager like Wenger who gets every bit of French talent filtered straight to him. Fulham needs to work to find those players. I am sure it can't be that expensive to hire a few scouts to find players...I mean for crying out loud you can at least watch highlights from smaller euro leagues to find a player who could peak your interest. Seems that Fulham is just settling for what is easy and not what is best.

 

Just read that Bothroyd is attempting to sign Radzinski. Would be great to see him catch on with a club still competing for a spot in the prem. Even at 33 believe he has something to offer.

Again, no news on any Fulham signings.

 

I have to disagree with you guys. Coleman pulled some obscure players from some obscure places.

N. Jensen from the Danish Leauge
John from Holland
Runstrom from Sweden
Dempsey from New England
Elrich from Australia
Drobny from Greek Leauge
Lustuvka from Checz Rep
Bocanegra from Chicago
Zukani from Leyton Orient
Christanval on trial
Elliot from Columbus
Bastia from Portugal
Diop from France
Rosienor from Bristol
and Montella is by no means obsucre but his signing was on no ones radar and ovbiously took some astute knowledge/connections

I'd argue that in recent years Fulham have been one of the better clubs at finding unknown players.

 

Not many of those players worked out and shows that it can be a gamble...Well put together group of foreign players you put together. That is a group of player gathered over just under 4 seasons. You could argue he could of went abroad for more players, but I was a fan of most of Coleman's signings.

I doubt LS will do so, which doesn't sit well with me.

 

Reading is a good example of a club finding good players in smaller nations

 

Examples off the top of your head?

 

I will give credit to Coleman for trying. Unfortunately, 75% of the players mentioned above are crap. Elrich, Drobny and Lastuvka are the ones that come to mind when I say the word crap.

The signings of the MLS players as well as Collins John, Papa, Christanval and perhaps Zakuani and Runstrom could turn out to be good. Time will tell at least with Zakuani and Runstrom.

I think Coleman gave it a go in some sense trying to find players in other countries, but I think Fulham would be wise to go the extra mile and work harder to recruit more French based players. I watch the French league enough to know that Fulham could use any number of center halves on most of the French teams. Most are strong, athletic and can defend well.

I know it costs money, but I would like to see Fulham start some sort of academy in France or even in a few countries in Africa. I have no idea the cost of doing something like that, but it would get the clubs name out there as well as giving the club some idea of the talent that is in those countries. It might cost some money up front to get it started, but it could save money in transfer fees if operated and run efficiently and correctly.

I am sure the above is a pipe dream, but I do think it is something that Fulham should look in to.

 

One thing that seems to bother me about Fayed is his lack of financial support in the transfer windows. There is no doubt that he has the money. He is after all the first of the "wealthy" owners to arrive in the prem, but he is content with just staying afloat. Why?

I by no means want Fulham to become one of the big four. I would just like to see them aspire for more than what they have in the past. A pledge of 10 million in a transfer window is quite honestly a joke. How can LS be expected to mold a winning side with such little support. Complacency may be lingering with Fayed.