[Albion] Napoli interested in Billy Gilmour **Sold 30/08/24**

[sussex_guy2k2]

Its the best thing to do in some situations. Allowing Pascal to go home was one of those.

PB has explained a million times that we don't let players go just because they want it, but it also needs to be right for us (which in most cases means a big bag of money).

How is this deal right for us? What do we get? Napoli gets a good player, Billy gets a big fat paycheck and to be a key player in a big club. Mats Wieffer, if he is fit, which he hasn't been since April, gets to be certain of a starting role. But what the hell is in it for us? Declan Rice or Sean Dyche aren't going to win midfield for us every week.

Totally agree. And for £12m. You can’t get a young winger from the Danish league for that anymore. Let alone a home grown international midfielder with Premier League experience who’s 23/24 years old.

I honestly still don’t get it. I get why so many want to big the club up, but this deal still makes zero sense in my mind.

 

[Weststander]

Probably the fact that we only got £12m for Billy Gilmour when he played 30 Premier League games last season and 8 games in the Europa League, and the likes of Scott Mctominay, Oliver Skipp, Sander Berge, and Elliot Anderson went for considerably more.

His heart was set on Napoli over us, then TB would optimised the fee, £12m the most he could extract for the player.

These things happen. £20m plus add on's looks light for Trossard, a proven PL threat and scorer.

McTominay has scored a load of goals.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

Umm, at that point he thought the move was on didn’t he ? It was seemingly the O’Riley injury that changed things. And unless you were party to the negotiations what makes you think they were ‘poor’ ?

The outcome makes me think we negotiated poorly, as per my initial post. I don’t honestly know how anyone is trying to argue this is a good deal for the club. £12m for an international, home grown midfielder at Gilmour’s age is basically giving him away in the current football landscape.

In terms of him being disaffected, it’s all hearsay. The club have put out PR to suggest he wanted out to cover ourselves, but there’s two sides to every story.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

His heart was set on Napoli over us, then TB would optimised the fee, £12m the most he could extract for the player.

These things happen. £20m plus add on's looks light for Trossard, a proven PL threat and scorer.

McTominay has scored a load of goals.

Trossard’s contract situation, home grown status, and age profile were totally different to Gilmour’s though, no?

As was McTomminey’s, and they still got more for him despite him not being a regular starter for Man Utd and despite him having just a year left on his deal.

 

[Javeaseagull]

I think part of the problem may be that we got stupid money from Chelsea and we expect similar amounts from other clubs. Ain’t gonna happen is it. Most clubs are not trying to blow everyone out of the water with the big bucks approach. We need a touch of reality. here.

 

[Weststander]

Trossard’s contract situation, home grown status, and age profile were totally different to Gilmour’s though, no?

As was McTomminey’s, and they still got more for him despite him not being a regular starter for Man Utd and despite him having just a year left on his deal.

32 PL appearances for Manure last season, 7 PL goals. Scorers will usually carry a premium. Age 27 is peak.

This thread will run for many years to come, it'll have a life on its own. In a not dissimilar way to people initially making up stuff against Muzza in 2011 or portraying the club as baddies against Poyet in 2013.

The stages of grief.

Only the club's inner circle can tell us why the £12m fee .... a question for the next Forum?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Only the club's inner circle can tell us why the £12m fee .... a question for the next Forum?

Except the fee wasn't £12m was it? The fee was (as always) UNDISCLOSED

 

[Guinness Boy]

Probably the fact that we only got £12m for Billy Gilmour when he played 30 Premier League games last season and 8 games in the Europa League, and the likes of Scott Mctominay, Oliver Skipp, Sander Berge, and Elliot Anderson went for considerably more.

Literally only one bidder and the player apparently wanting the deal. There's no Liverpool to run them up. It's a take it or leave it. Assuming WBG was one of the players we were ambivalent about keeping and assuming he wanted the move himself, then the conversation is simply 'do we want a disaffected player or do we want 12 million smackeroos when we've had a big spending window'?

The fact no one else wanted him shows that he might not be as good as those you mentioned. Certainly Anderson is far better and still represents potential rather than a finished article. Newcastle fans were as gutted he left as Minteh. Skipp and Berge do specific jobs much like WBG. And McTominay plays a different role and scores goals.

 

[Triggaaar]

Its a mistake regardless of how much he wanted to leave.

Made 10 "progressive passes" against United. Our midfield against Arsenal playing with 10 men for 45 minute? Four from Baleba, one from Milner, one from Ayari. Against the utterly shite Everton? Four from Milner, three from Wieffer. Despite only 98 minutes on the pitch, he's still got the 2nd (behind Dunk) most passes into the final 3rd.

Maybe the manager wants our midfielders to carry the ball more than passing forward?
And maybe he wants the player in Billy's position to make more tackles?

Categorically saying it's a mistake is basically saying that Fab doesn't know what he's doing and is picking the wrong players. That's a bold claim.

People think you don't need this. You only need big boys who stop the ball from going in and boys who put the ball in the net. Simplez.

Doesn't work like that though.

Best you email our manager and coaches and tell them how it works.

Build up and attack yesterday was atrocious for 49 minutes - only three attempts during those.

With a weakened side away to Arsenal - you surprise me.

 

[Weststander]

Except the fee wasn't £12m was it? The fee was (as always) UNDISCLOSED

Them why the mass mourning over £12m?

 

[Han Solo]

These things happen. £20m plus add on's looks light for Trossard, a proven PL threat and scorer.

McTominay has scored a load of goals.

Ben White scored 0 goals and was sold for £50m

Caicedo scored one per season and went for £115m.

Clubs are not as obsessed about a player goal tally as some fans are.

 

[Weststander]

Ben White scored 0 goals and was sold for £50m

Caicedo scored one per season and went for £115m.

Clubs are not as obsessed about a player goal tally as some fans are.

Positions:
White - a brilliant RCB/RWB who started our attacks 80 yards back from goal, transitions started in a flash once we won the ball. Critical in modern football. Arteta/Edu spotted what we all knew.
Caicedo - a destroyer, incredible from the moment we saw him at the Emirates. Pace, power, nous, playing it simple and quickly to game changers. They possibly/probably paid £50m too much?

Both with pace.

With pace and assists, Gilmour would likely have stayed at Chelsea.

 

[GT49er]

Right, I'm utterly fed uo with this thread now!
FWIW, my view is, I didn't want us to sell him and I'd rather he was still here. I think we chronically undersold him (no matter how many people want to lecture me that of course we didn't, unthinkable, the club just don't ever get anything wrong, or whatever). If he wanted to go, I'm saddened that he didn't want to stay, but I wish him well and hope he has a smashing time out there.
And that's the beginning and the end of it for me - not interested in discussing it any more, let alone arguing. Thread ignore button pending, why clutter up the front page with threads I don't want to go into again?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Them why the mass mourning over £12m?

Because that is the figure that has been widely reported / regurgitated.

But IF somebody were to bring it up at the forum, they'd categorically be told by Paul Barber:

"the fee and terms are confidential and undisclosed"
"do not believe everything you read in the media"
"good deal for all parties"

 

[Freddo]

Literally only one bidder and the player apparently wanting the deal. There's no Liverpool to run them up. It's a take it or leave it. Assuming WBG was one of the players we were ambivalent about keeping and assuming he wanted the move himself, then the conversation is simply 'do we want a disaffected player or do we want 12 million smackeroos when we've had a big spending window'?

The fact no one else wanted him shows that he might not be as good as those you mentioned. Certainly Anderson is far better and still represents potential rather than a finished article. Newcastle fans were as gutted he left as Minteh. Skipp and Berge do specific jobs much like WBG. And McTominay plays a different role and scores goals.

I really can't fathom how anyone, including Leicester, could think Oliver Skipp is a better player than Billy Gilmour.

And regarding Anderson, you mention that the Anderson fee 'represents potential', but Gilmour is less than 18 months older than Anderson. As with Anderson, Billy Gilmour will continue to improve as a player.

If as you say we were ambivalent about keeping Gilmour then I think we gave up on him far too soon.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I really can't fathom how anyone, including Leicester, could think Oliver Skipp is a better player than Billy Gilmour.

And regarding Anderson, you mention that the Anderson fee 'represents potential', but Gilmour is less than 18 months older than Anderson. As with Anderson, Billy Gilmour will continue to improve as a player.

If as you say we were ambivalent about keeping Gilmour then I think we gave up on him far too soon.

I'm pretty sure we were, yes.

My point wasn't to say 'player x is definitively better than player y' because then they'd just have price labels on them like bottles of wine, loaves of bread or cars in a showroom. The point was each deal represents a value that the club will take or leave at that point in time. Ours was 115 mill for Caicedo and 12 mill (or so) for WBG. Does that mean Caicedo was seven times better? Of course not. It meant two top clubs with money to spend both wanted him.

Bottom line - we were happy to sell and Napoli were the only club wanting to buy. That should tell you something.

 

[Han Solo]

Bottom line - we were happy to sell and Napoli were the only club wanting to buy. That should tell you something.

 

[Hiheidi]

And regarding Anderson, you mention that the Anderson fee 'represents potential', but Gilmour is less than 18 months older than Anderson. As with Anderson, Billy Gilmour will continue to improve as a player.

Anderson only went for so much because he was part of a player swap type deal to help Forest and Newcastle navigate FFP pressures.

Forest sold £5m rated goalie Vlachodimos to Newcastle for £25 (Newcastle are trying to loan him out already) in return for Forest also paying £20m over the odds for Anderson.

 

[dazzer6666]

The outcome makes me think we negotiated poorly, as per my initial post. I don’t honestly know how anyone is trying to argue this is a good deal for the club. £12m for an international, home grown midfielder at Gilmour’s age is basically giving him away in the current football landscape.

In terms of him being disaffected, it’s all hearsay. The club have put out PR to suggest he wanted out to cover ourselves, but there’s two sides to every story.

He could have become disaffected had he stayed, not that he was disaffected. I honestly don’t know how anyone on here thinks they know more about how to negotiate player purchases and sales better than Bloom, Barber and Weir

 

[Freddo]

He could have become disaffected had he stayed, not that he was disaffected. I honestly don’t know how anyone on here thinks they know more about how to negotiate player purchases and sales better than Bloom, Barber and Weir

They’re excellent at what they do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get one wrong every once in a while…

Think it’s pretty patronising for you to imply we shouldn’t be debating this stuff.