[Albion] Where is Alexis going? (Liverpool - for an undisclosed fee...)

[Uh_huh_him]

Naylor says £55m and his Liverpool counterpart says £45m.

Both clubs will be briefing to make it seem like they got the better of the deal.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Both will be correct £45m up front, rising to £55m with add ons.

We still refer to Cucurella fee as £63m, whilst it was widely reported as £55m up front + £8m add ons (which we probably won't see much of)

 

[Greg Bobkin]

It’s sad really.

Yes I know who we are bla bla bla but it’s such a shame to see him go, and not even to a team playing in the CL next season…

Call my cynical or fickle but I think his dad has been playing the strings in the background for ages wanting this move and he’s got his wish, Alexis is a very humble and decent human being but his dads actions have been poor throughout, it was rumoured in December time he was meeting with reps from Liverpool.

The competitor in me finds it hard to be magnanimous about this move, I get it, but we’ve probably got the best squad we’ve ever had right now and it feels like we are ripe to the picking of the vultures, losing Mac and Caicedo risks the whole underpinning of the way we play, yes we can sign replacements but nothing is guaranteed.

Football eh….

It was only last season that Liverpool were in for a (albeit very unlikely) quadruple! Yes, last season was bad, but look at how they finished it and where they ended up.

I have no doubt that they will be strong again – possibly title contenders? – and Ali Mac has the chance of being a part of that. Put it this way, he's more likely to play in the CL sooner with Liverpool than Brighton.

As with all of these superstars in the making, enjoy them when they are here and wish them well when they leave (unless any toys are thrown out of prams, obvs).

 

[Bold Seagull]

It says much that about Alexis that we’re ‘happy’ to let him go… destination is largely irrelevant, I’m just glad it’s not Chelsea to be honest.

He’s clearly one who genuinely attached himself to the club, unlike a Cucurella for example, his emotion at Villa was about as genuine as it gets - especially these days. Yes money talks etc. but I suspect this has been reasonably tough decision for our World Cup winner :/ but he deserves to play at a ‘bigger club’ and there’s no denying that’s where he’s going.

I’m not sad as such, it’s the way our model works … it’s become a kind of numb experience of grim yet realistic acceptance.

I wish him luck and I’m pretty sure he’ll not be getting booed by anyone when he does return. Speaks volumes.

Good luck Alexis.

I doubt we’ll see another player of his quality or person of his calibre for a while

Kind of softens the blow when one of your 19 year olds gets goal of the season against the champions.

Feels like we have a lot more excitement breaking through than we potentially have departing.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Good luck to him but the discussion was around one poster claiming they only get their transfer news from Romano the facilitator, a very one sided and less than impartial outlet indeed.

Yeah, that’s obviously daft as Romano is only one side of a deal. He is employed by clubs and the players though. He wouldn’t exist without those commissions. There is no point though in people criticizing the role of agents if they are happy for their football club to to negotiate with them (on behalf of players) to attract those players away from their existing clubs and that particular outrage never appears as a thread on NSC.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

A correct mouthpiece though. He has got the sequence of events right about MAC. If he's correct nearly all the time I regard him as credible.

The problem is that if he reported we were signing an 18 year old wonderkid from Outer Mongolia that was the best left footed striker on the planet who had fallen under the radar, then folk would be all over it. Tells the truth about one of our players leaving and he is the devil incarnate.

It's important to remember that the majority of the Q source reports on players movements are either from agents or just made up. I'm not interested in the sources, I'm interested in who is right most of the time. Romano is the best at this, and the only one I follow now.

Sky has printed rubbish recently, Andy Naylor is very after the event (and wasn't aware of the clause in the contract a few weeks back, suggesting that MAC and Caicedo would net us £160m)

Who actually gives a shit though? Deep down, we all knew Ali Mac was going to go to Liverpool. What difference does it make knowing that at 9:28am he had his medical and met with representatives before having a spot of lunch at 12:30pm and then trying on a new kit at 2:15pm?

 

[Kosh]

Kind of softens the blow when one of your 19 year olds gets goal of the season against the champions.

Feels like we have a lot more excitement breaking through than we potentially have departing.

Indeed - the future is still bright, it’s just hard to accept the annual or even biannual reaping of our talented squad… like I say, it is what it is () but it’s a hard swallow at times.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

You're being fed a pro-agent and pro-transfer agenda where the leaks are often intentional with the goal of moving players and profiting from transfers. He's in the transfer business itself rather than "journalism".

I agree with this. Agents have a vested interest in getting their player a move, (that interest being an often massive cut of the fee). Because of this they unsettle the player, like with Caicedo statement in January, seeking to drive a wedge between the parent club).

Self appointed insiders like Romano are tailgating on this interest. Often it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Indeed - the future is still bright, it’s just hard to accept the annual or even biannual reaping of our talented squad… like I say, it is what it is () but it’s a hard swallow at times.

I feel exactly the same. Especially when we're selling to direct competitors. What's the betting Mac scores the goal that knocks out out of the Europa League. Ouch!

 

[Kosh]

I feel exactly the same. Especially when we're selling to direct competitors. What's the betting Mac scores the goal that knocks out out of the Europa League. Ouch!

Oh yes, it’s got the air of inevitability about it… it feels like we’re looking at a bit of a glass ceiling… this season we were so near to smashing right through it … will we be allowed to get near it again ? The dice are loaded, we all know it, but here’s hoping we continue to spring brilliant players from Tony’s magic algorithmic hat

 

[Weststander]

You're being fed a pro-agent and pro-transfer agenda where the leaks are often intentional with the goal of moving players and profiting from transfers. He's in the transfer business itself rather than "journalism".

Imho many buying clubs have for a very long time unsettled players too, plus calculated titbits to the media for the cause. Agents are part of that.

 

[Curious Orange]

I feel exactly the same. Especially when we're selling to direct competitors. What's the betting Mac scores the goal that knocks out out of the Europa League. Ouch!

Or maybe a John Byrne style wink to the North Stand.

 

[Gabbiano]

I feel exactly the same. Especially when we're selling to direct competitors. What's the betting Mac scores the goal that knocks out out of the Europa League. Ouch!

Problem is now that the only teams who can afford our players are our direct competitors.

None of this “not to a relegation rival” stuff anymore.

 

[brighton_tom]

Both will be correct £45m up front, rising to £55m with add ons.

We still refer to Cucurella fee as £63m, whilst it was widely reported as £55m up front + £8m add ons (which we probably won't see much of)

Yep I’d imagine the difference in this detail that we’re seeing is exactly that. £45m now & but £55m including add ons.

Yes it’s a little lower than we might have hoped, was thinking more like £65m, but it sounds like this is all based on a contract details that was signed pre World Cup & who could have predicted how well he has done since? Overall £55m is absolutely fine & if there was ever a player that I would allowed to leave slightly easier than others with a reasonable fee then it is him.

£55m means £48m in profit.

 

[Sheebo]

Selling MacAllister doesn't prove there was any release clause.

It proves we are sticking to our model of not standing in the way of players moving to bigger clubs.

As Naylor has confirmed there wasn’t a standard ‘release clause’ as most of us who know the club and how they work knew all along. It was something different but not an out and out ‘release clause off you go’ - very rare in England let alone BHA.

I’ll go with Andy’s £55m - although worth noting, that contract with this ‘clause’ was done before the WC win so that’s prob why it’s low or lower then we’d have liked.

The kids on Twitter abusing Naylor for saying ‘nothing was agreed at this point’ yesterday are pathetic & very thick!

 

[Dirty Dave]

Disappointed to see him go but we've got such a good set up and we'll run model, no individual is bigger than the club.

Managers and players will come and go, that's football, but I'm fully relaxed about how we look after our transfer business, ins and outs

 

[Napper]

the club always ( with exceptio of trossard ) get it right.

It wouldnt surprise me in a years time if we look back at this 50m as bloody good money.

He's good but It could all go a bit Bissouma. He works in our system.

Caicedo a different matter

 

[GloryDays]

We've played a blinder here. Amazing what a bit of Messi tax can do. Granted, a good player, but a little bit of hype has gone a long way. All IMO obvs.

Good luck to him at Liverpool, he might need it. Did really well for us.

I really, really hope Moder can get fit and back to his best. Can you imagine what RDZ can do with someone of his positional agility and speed of thought?

 

[brighton_tom]

Pearce saying rising to £55m but more details maybe known later.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

the club always ( with exceptio of trossard ) get it right.

It wouldnt surprise me in a years time if we look back at this 50m as bloody good money.

He's good but It could all go a bit Bissouma. He works in our system.

Caicedo a different matter

How did the club get it wrong with Trossard?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

How did the club get it wrong with Trossard?

I was about to ask the same question.