Speculate to Accumulate.

Posted on August 7th, 2010 | 120 Comments |

Fancy a gamble Mike?
Fancy a gamble Mike?
The Ben Arfa saga rolls on with no end in end in sight, and still there are no clues as to where the player is likely to end up.

Marseille have slapped a £6 million price-tag on the player, which Hoffenheim look like they are willing to meet, but the player would apparently prefer to move to Newcastle.

The problem with that is our apparent reluctance to meet the asking price, which makes me wonder what the game is at St James’ Park regarding transfers. Apparently we have had a loan-to-buy bid and a £4 million transfer fee rejected, which is fine, playing hardball in negotiations and that. But should Ben Arfa be a player that we should just stump up the asking price for?

I would say yes, but then it is easy for me to say that as a fan. As a fan I want to see the best players, the most skillful, exciting players strutting their stuff at St James’ Park. I think it’s what most fans want to see isn’t it? Ben Arfa would fit into that category for sure.

You know something else Ben Arfa would fit? That bit in the statement about developing players for the future at Newcastle. At 23-years old, Ben Arfa may need more focus on attitude coaching rather than football coaching, but there is still room for development there.

You see, the way I look at it is we are being offered the chance to sign a young, exciting player who wants to play for us, for a knockdown price. In fact it was only last summer when Ben Arfa was linked with an £18 million move to Manchester United, and we could get him for £6 million.

Hughton would like him aswell, he even called him “a fabulous player”, so now we have a player that wants to come, fits the criteria of the club, a manager that thinks he is a good player and a fanbase who would love to see him at Newcastle, so why the dithering?

To me, negotiations seem to be becoming rather protracted. If our hierarchy looked at the bigger picture then surely they would be able to see that they have a player they could double their money on? The gain could be massive, which makes me question the motives behind the club.

Ok, I’ll give you an example. Take James Perch or Mike Williamson, who were both signed for roughly £1 million or so each, correct? It is very unlikely that the club will lose money on those purchases, fine, great, fandabidozi, but it is also very unlikley that they will rise by more than a few million pounds if we are lucky.

Now take Ben Arfa, who could be our player for £6 million. It’s a bigger outlay, but in 12 or so months time, and if Hughton can do what he is good at and get the best out of him, the club could have a player that has doubled in value. The risk is greater, but so are the potential gains.

That is what I am trying to get my head around. The opportunity to make some money is there, in fact it is being almost gifted to us, yet we dither. Are the motives of Mike Ashley to limit his exposure to potential losses by signing £1 million players, or does he want to speculate to accumulate and perhaps make a bit of money?

NUFCBlog Author: toonsy toonsy has written 643 articles on this blog.

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120 Responses

  2. Arfa has an awful attitude, makes Bellamy,Dyer and NZog look like saints but for talent there aint much better out there, as for 6 million pounds, get him in well worth the risk and a steel if thats all he’s going for!

  3. I still like to fink this cud happen, now hoffenhiem arnt the biggest club so that’s why there shoutin there mouths off to make it look like there in the driving seat, were as really I fink we will b I wouldn’t b suprised if he’s been for talks already, my fear is its gonna b harder to finish deals wit them internationals next week

  4. Toonsy, I understand where yer cooming from fella but look at it the other way, we fork out £6m for this guy & he’s a complete flop… what then, we’ve wasted £6m on a unproven player who could turn out to be worse than Viana, Luque, Boomsong, etc etc…

    So in understanding what you’re saying, you have to understand that £6m is a lot of money for any player, yes he may turn out to be the next Cantona or Giggs but he may also turn out the worse player in history, no one knows until he plays in the PL do they!!!

    The PL has had some of the best european footballers, at the top of their game come into it & gone away the worse players ever, I mean, look at Kezman, the top eurpoean goal scorer but could hit the post for Chelski, same with Shevchenko etc, it doesn’t always work out in the PL for these super skilled european players… :(

  5. Personally, I don’t want him unless he plays on the right, although I don’t think he would be willing to do that. I don’t want to wreck the enrique-gutierrez partnership, and although I like routledge, I’d rather give ben arfa a chance down the right.

  6. I agree Cyprus. Thats why I said that the risk is greater, but so is the reward. It’s a gamble, but I thought Ashley liked a gamble ;)

  7. Always money talk from Ashley. We know that but ball on his court and we cannot do anything about it. However even we can’t get Ben Arfa for whatever reason, I think we did quite well in transfer market (include last Jan) but hopefully if we can sign another quality players like Ben Arfa, I’ll over the moon.

    Howay the lads !

  9. id rather play him in the hole behind carrol wit jonas on the left n routledge on the right with either barton nolan n guthrie in the middle

  10. I’m not a gambling man Toonsy, so I’m not sure I’d be willing to chance losing £6m on a player who isn’t proven in the PL, a bit like the £5.75m we spent on Xisco & looks at whats happening there…. he’s supposed to be skillful, so why not use him as a winger or should I say whinger… lol

    It’s one thing the Toon are seriously good at is spening £5m-£8m on players who turn out to be duds, we’ve done it so often in the past, I think it’s about time we stopped…

  12. The most potent weapon we have at the start of this season is Team Spirit. Anything, or anyone, who comes in and disrupts that should be avoided. The squad, as it stands, is good enough to survive the first half of this season. Though I would like to do better than just survive, that is the reality of NUFC at this moment. I believe Ashley will resist spending any significant amount until January.
    As for Ben Arfa..if we miss out on him, so be it – there WILL be abother one next year, tryst me – there always is…

  13. ‘I think it’s what most fans want to see isn’t it?’

    Not this one, I think this is one player we could do without. Even if we land him my bet is he won’t get 15 games in, and probably only score 2 or 3 goals. I know you have it bad for Arfa, but don’t roll us all into the trophy signing bandwagon those days have gone. His value is sinking every season, ever wonder why?

    CT@10 is spot on – at £6m we’re getting stiffed. Walk away, Chris.

  14. I can see his point, this is a player that’s had bust up’s with 2 managers & a couple of players. It got to the point we’re he was forced to leave his original club, that’s the reason why no big club has signed him yet. There’s no questioning the lads talent & i’d love to see him here, but is it worth that kind of risk with that record?

  15. Shame OM not interested in the loan to buy deal would have been perfect for us at this stage! Can’t belive how quiet it’s been in the last few days,we always seem to drag transfers out I kno it’s a gamble but one I would take if I was a so called billionare,as for not buying him cuz he might keep jonas out the team…would it not be a good thing having our players fighting to get in the team??

  16. I’m not sure it’s the fee thats the concern here, Chris has said he has money to spend (maybe not 6 mil)& he has called him a “fantastic player” but a loan with an option to buy would be the ideal option for us. It lets us see if the player is right for us & can play in the epl.It might also let us spend some money elsewhere.

    What if the ben afra fee is all we have available, should we buy him in the knowledge that it meant we couldn’t get anybody else?

  17. ‘fandabidozi’
    any piece is worth writing if you can fit that word in ;)
    personally, we need more flair in the squad – be that arfa or not – and i think with time running out CH needs to pull something out of the hat if we dont up the bid on arfa.

  18. Can’t see wor Mick spending 6M on a player-if he does fair play-if he doesn’t then it’s business as usual at SJP.

    Another Boring window is coming to a close let’s hope this team spirit thing holds itself together over the next 9 months…get ready for “choppy waters ahead” a quote from Stuart :lol:

  19. The postie has just delivered my season ticket, he’s got no transfer tips today tho.

  20. I agree with you about getting this guy, Toonsy. I think he’d be worth the gamble.

    Didn’t we get offered Arshavin for 6-7 million a few years ago? Didn’t take that one up and now couldn’t buy him for 3 times that.

    And on the other side of the no PL experience, well, even players with a history in the Premier League can be duds = Owen, Duff.

    So do we stick with the million quid Championship players and complain about our lack of ambition?

  21. I dont think his ability is in question but clearly his attitude is but in fairness arent most flair players a bit moody so there be nothing new there. It be down to if Hughton feels he can handle him and it will be a real test to CH man management if we do sign him.

  22. And he’s different from everthbody else we’ve got, so adds some variation to our options.

  23. I think we should let the German side buy him for £6m & then in 6 months time, when he’s fallen out with all their players & manager, we say we’ll loan him off them for the rest of the season with the option to buy him for £3m :) sounds like a plan to me :)

  24. sometimes you just need to take a chance… Someone said that we’ve had our fair share of flops and should stop, but disagree… Look at some of the young talent manure have invested in: macheda, ronaldo, etc… And as for is attitude problem, lets not be soft, our current number nine isn’t exactly an angel is he?

  25. Toonsy I don’t know if anyone else as mentioned it but I can’t be arsed reading every post, But Wigan are a fine example of “speculate to accumalate”.They have taken risks with Palacios,Valencia, Chimbonda and dare I say N’zogbia(now rated at 10- 12m)and Bramble etc.They have made a small fortune and this as enabled them to keep their heads above water with crowds of about 14000.Perhaps Mr Ashley should have a word with his old mate Dave Whelan.

  26. Every signing is a gamble,a player can do it at one prem club then move to anotherand be hopeless.Jonas,Colo,Enrique and Routledge are all gambles and still are as none have done it or done it consistently in the EPL.I think and hope they will but we don’t know yet.My point is I think most agree we need some pace and flair and unfortunately that doesn’t usually come cheap,these days £6m is reasonable tho quite expensive for us ;-)
    I am slightly concerned about his attitude but thats where we need to trust CH.Another thing is,does he really want to come to the Toon or is it the EPL he wants and we’re the only team in for him? for me who cares,take the chance.

  31. Mark G – Zogs was our signing, not Wigans & he’s only worth £12m if someone’s willing to pay that but it seems they’re not, so you can’t really use him as a example mate, soprry :)

    Yes we’ve taken chances on foriegn players in the past but our success rate isn’t as good as other clubs, I just hope that CH is a better judge of players than some of our previous managers ie Souness… lol

  33. Richie mate, thats changes the stpry completely in my book, if we get him on loan & his attitude stinks, at least we can say no to buying him :)

    So what happened to the Germans offering to pay the £6m that OM wanted or him or was that just the Crap-loids & his agent trying to get us to give in & pay the dosh???

  34. C-T ……….I think everyone of us is a better judge than Sourness ;-) …..or was he just dodgey? paying a fortune for a crap player to a club in which he had shares.Mmmmmm

  35. Thing is C-T he’s under contract so it doesn’t matter who offers what if the kid doesn’t want to go there which is the only thing keeping us in the race(if any of the story’s true)

  36. I’ve got to admit that the foriegn players we currently have at the club ie Jonas, Colo, Enrique, Kadar, Edmundson, Loverboy, Vuckic etc seem to be the best we’re had from abraod in a long time, saying that, lets just see how they all cope in the PL this season :)

  37. Rich – Yes it would. I haven’t read the link, but just going by the headline, a loan deal for Ben Arfa would be absilutely perfet for us. It enables us to get the player, see what he is like and benefit from his talents whilst allowing us to send him back if he ends up being complete tosspot :)

    Spotlight Kid – Fair enough. Crack on with your £1 million Championship plodders but bear in mind that ALL transfers have a risk of not working out.

  38. Rich – I was readin something about Souness a while back. He didn’t just buy players fom his old club for us, he has done it all over the place.

    Nowt dodgy in that is there, especially when you hold shares in the other company :roll:

    Remonds me of what Adam Crozier did at the Royal Mail a while back :lol:

  39. Toonsy mate, not all £1m players are plodders, I mean, Routledge cost us around that & he’s been awesome for us on that wing & I’d probably say the best we’ve had on that side since Milner was sold, so if you can find a diamond in the rough for £1m, I’d be happy with that too :)

  40. Excellent news, the Rangers game will be streamed :D

    Not that I am advocating having a look on Myp2p or anything Smiley

  41. “Excellent news, the Rangers game will be streamed :D
    Not that I am advocating having a look on Myp2p or anything”

    What the hell does that mean :?:

  42. Cyprus – I agree, but if £1 million players regularly turned out like Routledge did for us in the second tier of English football, wouldn’t everyone be doing it?

    The fact is we are in the PL now, not a sweet shop, and we must pay the going rate. There is business sense behind Ben Arfa, which Spotlight Kid seems to misinterpret as me having a hard on for Ben Arfa, so I’ll use another example.

    Cristiano Ronaldo, an untried, untested player that cost £12 million, was sold for £80-odd million? Pay peanuts and you generally get monkies.

    If people think that £6 million is so outlandish then there would have been no Shearer or Tino. I just can’t believe that people don’t see the business sense in it.

    I have faith that Hughton and the scouse underlords can knock the attitude out of him, which is why I can see us making a profit on him, and it would address a major problem within our squad – lack of creativity. Three if you include his left foot and pace aswell.

  43. I was just gonna ask about the match,I was gonna watch in the bar but might take wor lass out for a meal tonight so afternoon sesh not recommended……..not that I’d watch an illegal stream mind you ;-)

    Aye Souness dodgey like ‘arry imo.

    C-T yeah Routs has been great,but like all of them has it all to prove this season.How many promotion chasing teams would have took a chance on him? that’s why we need to trust CH’s judgement on signing’s,not all will work out but that’s the same for every manager.There are no sure things.

  44. CC – Seriously?

    The game will be on myp2p, but I can’t be seen to condone internet streaming ;) ;) ;) ;)

    It’s a joke :(

  46. Ben Arfa future will most probably be decided after the international friendly match. ;)

    Or Monday. :lol:

  47. What time ya at Mc’ds then Toonsy ;-)

    personally,I’m taking wor lass out cos I love her and not for what I can get ;-) :-)

  48. Dodgy character which concerns me but worth a gamble. Aren’t we all forgetting something, his wages? Sure $6 million does not sound that bad but if we match his wages then I am not too sure he is worth it.

  49. Depends what his wages are? I’ve read they are 100,000 euros a month or 300,000 euros a month.

    £20k a week or £60k a week?

  50. toonsy@38

    I don’t want plodders, but I don’t want night-clubbing wasters either. Is it one or the other in your book, you maybe need to widen your conceptual horizon?

    As I said the other day, if we can sort out out a sensible deal then I would be happy to see Arfa at the club, and by the sound of it we might have. However a £6m punt is not ‘speculating to accumulate’, as you claim, but simply speculating for speculations sake (like the banks in hedge funds, or our previous record with a string of useless expensive foreign imports that cost a fortune and left us deeper in debt). If it had gone tits up this blog would be the first to complain.

    I like the hardball tactics being employed by CH/MA, every gambler needs to know when to twist and when to walk away – we never sussed the second part. £800k seems sensible business, as long as we get more than 15 games out of him and we don’t end up with Pancake the Second.

  51. I’d say nearer the former Toonsy,the French league isn’t the greatest payer and It’s not like he’s an established international yet or a world class player.

  52. Oh a joke :| :| :|

    Sorry toonsy, Im sure i was funny to someone who has the slightest grasp on modern technology, But im that bloke who goes into phones4u and looks blindly while they tell me it has wi fi, bluetooth, infa red, air con ETC. When i just want a phone that i can call people with…

    Heres a joke for ya, Two old women sitting on a park bench, One says did you come on the bus again the other one says yes but i made it look like a sneeze…

  54. Spotlight Kid – So speculating £6 million to accumulate £10-£12 million, isn’t speculating to accumulate then? My bad.

  57. CC – Basically, most streaming is illegal, so I couldn’t possibly advocate anyone doing it ;) ;)

    That was the main point. Do you have ESPN? Will you be watching the game?

  58. looks canny Toonsy…………I havnt decided yet…………..burgerking or kfc :lol:

  59. Richie – I’m not paying for it, the table was booked for us :lol:

    If it wasn’t booked it would be pizza the action and a can of pop again :lol:

  60. Whey,time to go shopping :-(

    I think my girlfriend has had sixty-one boyfriends before me. She calls me her sixty second lover……..
    I’ll get my coat on the way out ;-)

  63. Cyprus – Do you have to pay a subscription to be able to watch it on Rangers TV?

    I’m assuming it will be the same as NUFCtv?

  64. I have ESPN i will be watching and on the subject of eating out where historical figures used to frequent, I saw Phil Taylor in spud-u-like last week… ;)

  65. “At this moment there is nothing on that,” Hughton said. “We do realise it’s being bandied around but there has been no progress.”

    Hughton on Ben Arfa

  67. ‘So speculating £6 million to accumulate £10-£12 million, isn’t speculating to accumulate then?’

    Which accountant do you use, toonsy, I could do with some imaginary capital gains myself? How on earth do you come up with accumulating £12m? That means increasing his value to £18m overnight (when nobody wants him at £6m, remember), and factoring in wages of even £2m per annum, means we have to sell him in 3 years for £24m to make £12m profit… Would bet your goldfish on it? Not me, mate!! Stay away from stocks and shares.

  68. toonsy – thanks for the link info.

    cc – I’m with u there about phones m8….what on earth is an android phone?

  69. loads of links for the match today on MYP2P site,another day and more ben arfa i see,do you not think we are putting all our eggs into one basket with this?it seems there are a lot of people desperate for this to happen,i’ll hate to see this blog if it doesn’t come off.

  73. richietoon – you’re at it again!
    Last night I dreamt I was asleep but when I woke up I wasn’t!
    My girlfriend’s called Pansy -“does well against walls and fences but poor in a bed”
    Baboom!

  74. Guys, it’s saying in the Chronical that CH is going to ‘audition’ player in the game against Rangers today… so it could be that we see some of our younger players on show, should be a good match, can’t wait to watch them play instead of just listening to them :(

  75. Spotlight – Cheers for being pedantic, but I am glad you get my point.

    Which is, buy him now for £6 million, and he could be worth £10 million at the end of the season, or £12 million, or £2 million.

    Every signing is a risk, but lets put things in perspective. These £1 million plodders that people are lauding.

    Simpson – Untested, looked ropey in fizzy although I will wait to see how much of that was down to his injury.

    Williamson – Steady, but have seen rigomortis move quicker.

    Routledge – The ine I think COULD make it. COULD being the opertive word. Fourth time lucky eh?

    Best – Started well in pre-season but has done nothing yet.

    Perch – Untried, unproven, untested bit part player from a Championship team.

    I would just like to see a bit of ambition. A loan deal for Ben Arfa would be ideal, but let’s face it looks unlikely. If we don’t get him, then what? Cleverley has gone. Wilshere won’t be anywhere. Who is going to create the chances?

  76. Noir 9 – There will be loads more that pop up closer to kick-off. I found a HD link the other which was superb! :)

  77. Guys, I’m after some info on the new strip if anyone has got one yet… Is it worth buying as I’ve read that its poor quality & not worth the dosh???

  78. toonsy spot on mate.i have said the same about cleverly should have bought him 1 year a go.made a bid and tested the waters. if ben arfa has a good season on loan for us. any1 who has a good season in prem the money doubles specialy for the player like him being young as well.we would lose him to the big sharks.

  79. he’s got evrythng we lack,a playmaker in th hole,who runs with th ball and gets defenders backpeddling opening space 4 d strikers.got an eye 4 a pass and goal.he can relieve pressure on our own mid with his running.imagine him,jonas and Rout runnin at opp defences,carroll wud get 15gols,loan with a buy option.hope we do it b4 d int.friendly coz he’s gonna catch alotta managers’ eyes in tht game wit laurent blanc’s expansive style of play.if we fail,I want jonathan de guzman(if he aint taken already)

  80. Cyprus – I won’t be buying it. It looks cheap and a mate of mine says the material on his has clicked already.

    My money stays in my pocket for this one I’m afraid, much like it will do for home match tickets again by the looks of it.

  83. £6 million quid !!! please god no – i couldn’t sleep at night with thought he may not fit in or that he fails in this mega rich league of ours.

    let’s just stick with £800k’sh type players please so i can rest easy.

    @ 77 not worth risking £40 is it – it may well turn out to be shite like..

  85. Roy Cropper – It’s slightly more than £40 for me mate as I live in Cyprus & would cost me at least £10 on top of that for the delivery charges, so I’d rather know what it’s like before I throw good money at it :)

  87. Alreet Crapper – where’s your mate Bobby Bullsh!tter? Not seen him round these parts for a while – have you managed to suppress him?

  88. Cropper – :lol:

    Cyprus – It’s more than £40 for us aswell, well it would be for me anyway, considering I don’t want to set foot inside one of his shitty sports shops!

  89. he is tall and fast cant realy fail in this over the top league.for the price it is cheap.. who can we get that good nobody..he is better then any off the wingers in this league.only thing we would be taken a risk on his his attiude.thats why nobody wonts him.

  93. You know what surprises me.. is that Arsene Wenger hasn’t gone for Arfa, as he like to bring in these young French players & turn them into awesome players!!

    I wonder what’s stopped him from bidding for this guy???

  94. if u dont take risks u dont get anywhere but stay the same.look at villa the manager talks shit and they will always stay the same.he lies about james milner why not sell him 2 months ago.and get more players then waiting untill now.season is 1 week away and celtic wont to sell their winger.becasue they do villa now wont to sell milner so they can get him.

  95. This is a good one…

    “Ignite the existing community and attract new members by amplifying the experience with relevant and engaging content.” :lol:

  96. I think 6mil is a fair price for him but it is if the club have the money or not to afford him ,

    I admit i havent watch very much of him but what ive seen i think ( like most on here ) he will give us that extra dimension going forward.

    I think toonsy u r been a little harsh on the players from your post on 75!

  97. toonsy – the link i posted has been sent to the naughty step – have a look when you can will ya.

  98. Man goes into a pet shop and asks how much the Wasps are, owner says, “We dont sell Wasps here you daft bugger”, man replies, “But youve got two in your window”

  99. Johno – It’s how I see it mate. The only one that I thing could be a success in the Prem is Routledge. Williamson will be solid in the air, but as soon as the ball is past him then it’s game over for him. Simpson, started well but carried an injury so unsure which is the real Danny Simpson. If it is the one in the first half of the season then great, if it is the one on the second half of the season then not so great.

    Perch? Best? I’m REALLY not convinced, but they’ll get their chances in the team I am sure, and if they prove me wrong then great.

  101. Or on the otherhand Toonsy (just seen yer post 75 lol) we could pay £6m & get another donkey ie:

    Luque £8m+ – afraid to break a nail!!

    Viana £9m+ – waste of time & space (sold for £3m was it?)

    Boomsong £8m – Barn door could play better

    Owen £17m – worse player ever brough by the Toon (cost £41m inc wages)

    Xisco £5.75m – Brough via youtube, not given a chance, not sure will make it either!!

    So it swings both ways but at least we wouldn’t be in debt upto our arseholes if we brought £1m flops would we :)

  102. We havent seen perch in the premier league so its very harsh to judge him when he hasnt played!

    I agree with you on best purely on the fact i seen him a couple of times for ireland n he is rubbish

  103. Johno – Like I said, Perch will get his chance, but a player that has spent 50% of his career in League 1, followed by the other 50% being a Championship squad player, doesn’t fill me with hope.

    Cyprus – So are we, a club that will again be in the 20 richest clubs in Europe this season, to settle for £1 million signings? If it was that easy wouldn’t everyone be doing it?

    £6 million is not a lot of money, Carlton feckin Cole is worth more than that FFS. Keep buying Championship players, and we’ll end with a Championship team.

  104. Every transfer is a gamble and we are not the only club to have flops, its just that the more you pay, the bigger the hit.
    Cyprus, your list above is small fry compared to Robhino and Kaka who cost a total of 74m and havent kicked a ball for their clubs, other recent big money flops that spring to mind are Pavlechenko, Shevchenko, Santa Cruz and Anton Ferdinand.

  105. but best has looked are best player in pre season so am gonna wait till bout 20 games in before i pass judgement on him i certainly dont fink i can b worse than shola how the hell is he still here

  106. u cant judge a player just on what league they play in other wise the likes of tim cahill n ashly young would of never got there, b4 u say they r quality yes they but when they were bought they werent proven at prem level

  107. cyprus toon! every thing is a risk.what u have pointed out.every club has been the same.just arsenal have done well in the transfer market and sell players coming throu from the ranks for big money.so if u are manager would u stay the same or would u try and make your business better.every1 moves on to better themselves.

  108. Hello all! New user here, finally glad I’ve registered!! :)

    I’m really not too sure what to make of this Ben Arfa saga; he has undoubted talent and could well provide that extra bit of flair we need; if the fee of £6m is accurate then I personally think that is a bargain, although his wages would be high, it would just be how much we saved from not renewing Butt.

    The problems I can see are his attitude – though Hughton has worked well dealing with Barton (is he now teetotal?) and the whole Taylor/Carroll disagreement. I would much rather he played in the hole behind Carroll like @9 Davey said. My reasons for this is although Jonas can be frustrating he has formed a great partnership with Enrique and to break that up would be stupid; I know people have said they’d prefer him to play on the right, I believe that Routledge will be our first choice right winger and I also believe he will have a great season – when you compare his premiership stats with Aaron Lennon, there isn’t too much difference.

    I think on the whole I would prefer Ben Arfa to come to us on a loan with the option of the transfer at the end. He could certainly do a job for us and I think we would be a great option for him – big stadium, big audience and less pressure. By taking him on loan we save the transfer fee and if he was to a bad influence we could just not take up the option at the end of the season. The only negative would be if he had a fantastic season and then Marseilles sold him to a big club for a big fee. Personally, I reckon with the club as it is at the moment forking out £6m for one player is too big a risk.

    If it happens, I’ll be happy but if it doesn’t I won’t be too disappointed. I’d rather have that Yannick Djano

    Just a quick word on transfers; I’m surprised we haven’t been linked to Paul Scharner – completely unattached, I know he doesn’t fulfil our new criteria but he is versatile, scores a few goals and I believe he is a far better player than Smith. If the Tuncay rumour is true then I should hope we’re interested.

  109. I’m just pointing out the opposite to Toonsy on post 75,

    What I’m trying to say is, you can spend big on players, doesn’t mean they’re going to be any good, thats all!!!

    Yes you can spend small & get a diamond but it’s better to pay a small amount & fail, than to pay a massive amount & fail…

    We’re talking about £6000000 here, not £6000 or £600,… when we brought Shearer into the club, he cost us £15m & that was the British record transfer fee at the time, we now talk about player worth £30m-£40m as it if’s nothing!!

    £6m plus his wages make £8m a year over 4 year, is £32m, that to me guys is a massive risk!!!

  110. Clubs can be divided into three groups: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened…….which shall we be?? :lol:

  112. C-T….there’ll always be an opposite side to the arguement…..we could buy 3 players for £2m,their wages would be more than one £6m player.All 3 could flop then the loss would be greater.As I’ve said every signing is a risk and we’ll always have differing opinions but the only 2 opinions that count are CH’s and more importantly and unfortunately MA’s.
    They’re all gambles sometimes the gambles bigger sometimes not,if everything was predictable would we love football as much?

  114. Agree Ritchie, lets just hope we don’t gamble too much & pay for it in the end :)

    Off to watch the match, catch yer all later fells :)

    HWTL!!

  115. Toonsy what has been happening with you lately I have noticed a shift in your stance ;) atlast you are starting to see the light regarding Fat Mike im likeing the new you soon you will be singing from Stuarts hymm sheet Amen.

  117. @ 14 just buy a cheap white t-shirt & paint some black stripes on.

    tight get – i bet if you dropped a penny you’d catch it before it hit the floor.

    pub.

  118. billynufc – welcome – and points well made. King Arfa would be a real gamble for £6 million – easy for Chelski or Citeh to do, they can write it off as their owners have probably earned that much in the time it takes for me to mis-type this post – maybe the sort of thing we used to do when we were living beyond our means but we’re not in that position now. Portsmouth anyone?

  119. magpie6699 our Owner would make that pretty quickly too as for living beyond our means I would agree with that But I dont think £6 million in this day and age is beyond our means

  120. mag6699………nobody wants to go back to the bad all days….£6m is a good price for a quality player(obviously if he does well) and is within our means.We spent that in January in the CCC.The loan obviously would be ideal but as I’ve said we have to trust CH,if he thinks he’s worth it then Ashley hopefully will give him the money.We’ll see.