[Albion] Marc Cucurella *Signed For Chelsea 05/08/2022*

[Baldseagull]

Agreed... and I would add 4. Graham Potter. He's not going to be happy having the POTS wrenched away from his improving squad after just one season. Cucu's energy lifts the whole squad. One more season (with a replacement being developed) and GP would understand the letting go.

Ben White POTS, sold.
Cucurella and others bought with the proceeds.
Potter might get a bit pissed off if it happens every season, but I think he will manage to keep his toys in the pram. The model we have relies on selling players, it just needs to happen at the right price, so we have the funds to acquire the next POTS.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Pillock is still at it

[tweet]1530854888514666497[/tweet]

“Brighton will be expected to except the offer”

What a pain that guy is!

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Question - If Cucurella is sold, is it a given that we would definitely buy a replacement?

I think the answer is yes we should, but I can see a counter argument, that it would be tough to find one for a price we could afford who could displace Solly as a left wing back. Could GP even look at Trossard in the LWB position he sometimes features in internationally? Is a promotion from the academy out of the question? Cochrane as cover?

But I think the answer is that most of these potential answers assume we're playing a 3 at the back wing back formation, which wasn't what we've been doing for most of last season. I'm certain that GP will still want to retain a back 4 as an option and I don't see that it exists within our existing squad. He could even look at some sort of shove Webby out to left back, or re-invent Clarke out wide sort of option, but neither of those strike me as a long term sensible plan.

My guess is that we would be likely to try and recruit as like for like as possible, but i've misread what Potter is going to do plenty of times in the past, so who knows.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

The obvious answer is to sell Cucu for £60m but send Todd Miller instead.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

“Brighton will be expected to except the offer”

What a pain that guy is!

I see what you did there. Why would Man City offer Euros?

 

[Simster]

The interest proves it’s a difficult position to fill as we well know, can’t see him going this summer one more season of the same and then it might depend where we finish if he stays a third. I’m really hoping we have some ambition and not turn into Southampton.

You seem to think "ambition" means holding onto our best players regardless of who comes in for them and at what price. It doesn't. What you're describing isn't ambition, it's delusion.

I mean "turn into Southampton" FFS. I'm 50 and in all that time they've spent about 6 years outside the top flight, won the cup, reached another cup final and finished 2nd in the league. Until the last decade, they've operated on a completely different level to our club. We've literally only just caught up with them.

Our ambition ought to be to improve on a 9th place finish and possibly go balls deep in a cup competition. If that means making the tough decision of selling a quality, very likeable player and replacing him with one or two others who incrementally improve the squad, then that IS having ambition. And don't forget, it is so much easier to attract quality replacements if you can point to the likes of Ben White, Dan Burn and maybe Marc Cucurella and say "if you're so good that an incredibly wealthy / big / Champions League qualifying club wants you, we won't stand in your way"

 

[Silverhatch]

We won’t sell Cucurella. Not this summer. Not just about cash this ‘established’ top 10 lark.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Question - If Cucurella is sold, is it a given that we would definitely buy a replacement?

I think the answer is yes we should, but I can see a counter argument, that it would be tough to find one for a price we could afford who could displace Solly as a left wing back. Could GP even look at Trossard in the LWB position he sometimes features in internationally? Is a promotion from the academy out of the question? Cochrane as cover?

But I think the answer is that most of these potential answers assume we're playing a 3 at the back wing back formation, which wasn't what we've been doing for most of last season. I'm certain that GP will still want to retain a back 4 as an option and I don't see that it exists within our existing squad. He could even look at some sort of shove Webby out to left back, or re-invent Clarke out wide sort of option, but neither of those strike me as a long term sensible plan.

My guess is that we would be likely to try and recruit as like for like as possible, but i've misread what Potter is going to do plenty of times in the past, so who knows.

For large parts of our excellent end of the season Trossard has been playing the left wing back role, with March on the right and Veltman, Dunk and Cucurella as the 3 centre backs. What we'd lose if we sold Cucurella is the ability he has to play that centre back role but maraud foward as he does, becoming another wing back and overloading that side. It's where he scored his goal against Man Utd from. His speed and energy means he can get up and down the pitch to play that role, knowing he has cover as Veltman and Dunk become a centre back pairing. That is very difficult to replace.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

We won’t sell Cucurella. Not this summer. Not just about cash this ‘established’ top 10 lark.

I don't think it is that simple.

There is clearly a price at which we would sell so it is up to the bidders to put silly money on the table.

 

[Machiavelli]

For large parts of our excellent end of the season Trossard has been playing the left wing back role, with March on the right and Veltman, Dunk and Cucurella as the 3 centre backs. What we'd lose if we sold Cucurella is the ability he has to play that centre back role but maraud foward as he does, becoming another wing back and overloading that side. It's where he scored his goal against Man Utd from. His speed and energy means he can get up and down the pitch to play that role, knowing he has cover as Veltman and Dunk become a centre back pairing. That is very difficult to replace.

I'm not convinced that Trossard was playing the LWB role. He was far more advanced than that. Potter devises novel solutions and formations, many of which are not conventionally symmetrical. I think we finished the last c1/4 of the season with an unsymmetrical formation.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

41 million #pissrightoff

If Ben is worth 50 million, City are loaded, 50-60 million then we can start talking.

 

[nwgull]

Ben White POTS, sold.
Cucurella and others bought with the proceeds.
Potter might get a bit pissed off if it happens every season, but I think he will manage to keep his toys in the pram. The model we have relies on selling players, it just needs to happen at the right price, so we have the funds to acquire the next POTS.

Whilst he did have a fine season, particularly once Sanchez became first-choice keeper, I think it's fair to say that Ben White was only last year's PotS in the minds of love-sick Leeds fans. He'd almost certainly not have won without their hilarious intervention. Cucurella on the other hand was fans' and players' POTS, and probably won by a land slide. On the basis that he's got 4 years left on his current deal, it's going to cost City silly money for us to not get at least another season of massive hair.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

41 million #pissrightoff

If Ben is worth 50 million, City are loaded, 50-60 million then we can start talking.

Indeed.

It'll take silly money that blows the Ben White amount out of the water.

 

[spence]

Ben White POTS, sold.
Cucurella and others bought with the proceeds.
Potter might get a bit pissed off if it happens every season, but I think he will manage to keep his toys in the pram. The model we have relies on selling players, it just needs to happen at the right price, so we have the funds to acquire the next POTS.

Players like Lamptey, Cucurella, Veltman etc signed when Ashworth was here. Let's see how the recruitment goes in the summer. This is my only concern. Players come and go. We made excellent use of the White fee.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Didn't realise that Barcelona sold him to one club with a buy back option and exercised that buy back after 16 days.........

 

[METALMICKY]

Personally I think the big boys will want to see a little more of CuCu before they offer up the sort cash Tony would rightfully hold out for.

And sorry to dispel one myth but here I go. If we do get the right offer he will be off like a shot. Players are not fans of the club and will look after no.1. If he gets the chance to double or triple his wages you'll not see him for dust. The only consolation is that he will make the right noises as he comes across as a decent bloke.

 

[Justice]

You seem to think "ambition" means holding onto our best players regardless of who comes in for them and at what price. It doesn't. What you're describing isn't ambition, it's delusion.

I mean "turn into Southampton" FFS. I'm 50 and in all that time they've spent about 6 years outside the top flight, won the cup, reached another cup final and finished 2nd in the league. Until the last decade, they've operated on a completely different level to our club. We've literally only just caught up with them.

Our ambition ought to be to improve on a 9th place finish and possibly go balls deep in a cup competition. If that means making the tough decision of selling a quality, very likeable player and replacing him with one or two others who incrementally improve the squad, then that IS having ambition. And don't forget, it is so much easier to attract quality replacements if you can point to the likes of Ben White, Dan Burn and maybe Marc Cucurella and say "if you're so good that an incredibly wealthy / big / Champions League qualifying club wants you, we won't stand in your way"

I’m glad TB has more ambition than just taking the money otherwise we may not be in the PL if he took the offers for DS and AK. I’m not saying don’t sell ever but after one season I don’t think we will unless it’s stupid money which it probably won’t be for a left back.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

Didn't realise that Barcelona sold him to one club with a buy back option and exercised that buy back after 16 days.........

It was all part of a couple of loan moves. They loaned him to Eibar who had the option to buy him for €2 million which they took but Barcelona put a €4 million buy back option on the sale which they exercised after just 16 days, and then promptly loaned him 2 days later to Getafe with a €6 million buy out clause, in addition Barca also had a 40% sell on clause as well. Getafe made the deal permanent at the end of the season.

Spanish football transfers, you've got to love them.

 

[southstandandy]

41 million #pissrightoff

If Ben is worth 50 million, City are loaded, 50-60 million then we can start talking.

What they meant was £41m and Gabriel Jesus for Cucurella.

 

[Icy Gull]

What they meant was £41m and Gabriel Jesus for Cucurella.

I think Jesus would be crucified as a left back in the PL