by bigmick » Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:25 pm
My opinon for what it's worth is this. I reckon we'll have in the region of 5 million quid to spend on a right-mid, once we've spent the rest on strikers.
Joaquin- I haven't seen much of him TBH other than the two Champions league games against us. I know Stu rates him as does Johnny Mac and one or two other knowledgeable people. I don't doubt he is a good player but I do doubt as with any player coming from overseas whether he would be able to adapt. If reports are to be believed he is well out of our price range anyhow so not really worth getting carried away about.
Wright-Phillips- Given the choice I would have him over Joaquin from what I know, which admittedly isn't much. He would be an absolutely cast-iron guaranteed certainty to improve our team, works the line all day long and is a top player in my view. He doesn't get injured over often, has a great attitude and is young. In my opinion, if you had the pick of the blokes frequently mentioned, I'd take Wright-Phillips. That said Chelsea wouldn't sell him to us even for a profit and whatever, he is now way out of our and everybody else's price range.
Pennant- Different type of player to Wright-Phillips making the comparison somewhat nulland void in my view. Overall though, I'd take the Chelsea man as he works the line forward and backwards better and scores more goals IMHO. Pennant does however knock a better ball in and I think given our budget, he is our man. For about 5-6 million (less if Brum go down) we could pick him up and he could be our right-mid for years to come. I don't think he is as good a player as Wright-Phillips but there shouldn't be 17 million quid difference in their value, get him.
Simao-well if he's worth 12 million quid based on what I've seen, maybe wright-Phillips is worth 23. There is no doubt he is a talented player, but he would have to completely change the way he plays the game to be a success over here. He would be hitting the deck left, right and centre in the Prem to hoots of derision. He would have to learn a completely different way of playing. I'm not saying he can't do it, but I am saying in his current guise he is totally unsuited to English Football. It would be like putting Morientes on the wing.
Conclusion-buy Pennant. BTW I still haven't given up on my wild-card of buying Glen Johnson and putting him right-mid. That's what he actually is in reality anyhow and the idea of buying a failed full-back off the special one and converting him into a top-class midfieder does appeal to my sense of mischief.
"se e in una bottigla ed e bianco, e latte".
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