Poll Should we buy Willian for £30M?

[rurikbird]

Having watched Willian play on a regular basis for several seasons, I can say that in my opinion he would improve our team by giving us another attacking threat and a touch of real class and quality on the wing that we've been missing for a long time. However, I do believe that for a player who has not been a prolific goal scorer (averaged 8 goals in all competitions per season during the last 3 seasons), he is being overpriced at £30M, which is the amount we'll probably have to pay to match or beat Spurs' offer. I think based on his talent, past performance and potential to improve the fair price for him would be between £22 and 25M. Considering all this, should we buy him or rather save the money for other targets?

Vote away

 

[redhorizon2]

Having watched Willian play on a regular basis for several seasons, I can say that in my opinion he would improve our team by giving us another attacking threat and a touch of real class and quality on the wing that we've been missing for a long time. However, I do believe that for a player who has not been a prolific goal scorer (averaged 8 goals in all competitions per season during the last 3 seasons), he is being overpriced at £30M that it's probably going to take us to beat out Spurs for his signature. I think based on his talent, performance and potential to improve the fair price for him would be between £22 and 25M. Considering all this, should we buy him or rather save the money for other targets?

Vote away

What was your vote and why? If you've voted for option 3 who are those alternative's you'd want that would actually come?

 

[rurikbird]

My vote was for option 1. I think it's OK to overpay, within reason, if we are buying a genuinely good player who will improve our chances of finishing in the top 4. Mkhitaryan was also overpriced at £25M and Costa, I think, was grossly overpriced at £22.5M. Recently I asked a Russian journalist who specializes on Spanish football what he thinks of Costa, he said Costa is a good and versatile player, but £12M would be closer to his real value - that is if Atletico were willing to sell and we were not desperate to buy someone.

 

[Hansern]

Thought we had agreed a fee of 26 mill £?
Yes, its okay to spend that amount on a quality player.

 

[singlerider]

I think there are probably more important positions to fill, but if he's dead good (I know fuck all about him) then I don't mind spending a little over and above.

Problem is, all too often Liverpool transfers are like being stuck in a jam on the motorway - doesn't matter which lane you choose, it's always the wrong fucking one. Either we don't pay enough money, and they turn out amazing, or we pay well over the odds (and make a statement) and they're garbage.

Hopefully those days are over

 

[TSD]

My vote was for option 1. I think it's OK to overpay, within reason, if we are buying a genuinely good player who will improve our chances of finishing in the top 4. Mkhitaryan was also overpriced at £25M and Costa, I think, was grossly overpriced at £22.5M. Recently I asked a Russian journalist who specializes on Spanish football what he thinks of Costa, he said Costa is a good and versatile player, but £12M would be closer to his real value - that is if Atletico were willing to sell and we were not desperate to buy someone.

Of the same opinion. With Spurs throwing their hat in the ring, it'd be a huge coup for us to snag Willian now. Not only do we get a potentially great player on our hands, we deprive a direct rival of one while making a big statement -- watch out, everyone, we're back in business.

 

[Mystic]

Tbh, I'm so fed up of missing out on that potentially top quality attacker we need, that i just want him signed up. I don't know much about him, but the fact Chelsea were after him last year, City tried to sign him in May and that Spurs have a hard on for another of our targets says enough to me. We need someone like him.

 

[doctor_mac]

I have to say, I think we have a number of interesting attacking options now, including Sterling, Ibe and Alberto (we bought him to play, didn't we?) Suarez to come back in, Borini etc. etc.

If Steve Gerrard gets injured (not beyond the bounds of possibility) we are looking very stretched for midfield cover. I'd like us to buy a top quality, versatile midfield player to really make us competitive in there. Lucas and SG seem to be in by default with Allen and Hendo competing. We're one injury away from no competition for midfield places.

 

[Mystic]

Stephen?

 

[Hyena]

Sadly I'd rather be Spurs than Arsenal.

So. Option 1

 

[doctor_mac]

Stephen?

Well, same shit.

 

[Spionkop69]

No. Typical champ man type player and if we bought him, we'd be doing it to appease the "we must sign someone exotic and expensive" crew. Frankly that lot can fuck off.

We need to spend wisely and not just keep chucking money away to shut up a bunch of whining no nothing's on twitter and Internet forums, who seem to think buying players in real life is the same as on their computer.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I'd rather we spent the money elsewhere.

 

[Spionkop69]

I'd rather we spent the money elsewhere.

But, but but, look at be stepovers? And he's highly rated on Fifa...

 

[peterhague]

I voted to spend elsewhere. He just doesn't convince me at all.

The problem is though that it's getting late in the day and we probably need *some* kind of major signing if we're going to have a realistic chance of competing with Spurs and Arsenal for 4th.

 

[keniget]

It all boils down to whether he's good enough (duh!) and it would seem that on this forum only rurik has seen him enough to make an informed decision. The rest are relying on a mixture of stats, youtube vids and the odd appearance here and there. I've seen him a few times including live once but I don't remember much other than he looked exciting, lightweight and a bit raw. Not enough to base an opinion on!

We know for sure that teams like Chelsea have been sniffing about for years so there must be some potential there. The fact that they haven't signed him doesn't really put me off. Big teams were interested in Torres for years and it was left to us to sign him in the end.

We do need an injection of quality in a number of areas though. It's questionable whether attack is a higher priority than other areas but it seems pretty clear at this point that we're not going to spend serious money on the midfield / defence this summer so there seems little point banging on about it.

Generally speaking, I don't think we should make a marquee signing for the sake of it and certainly not to appease the fans (though I think that when the word 'marquee' is used it's more in terms of quality than star power so people might be getting a little too worked up about it). So yeah, boils down to whether he's good enough and I have to hold my hands up and say I don't know enough to call it one way or the other.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

You could have just said "I don't know" Kenny

 

[keniget]

Heh. That was Tomkins-esque, wasn't it.... Gah!

 

[ILD]

Did City bid for him in Jan?

 

[TSD]

Yeah, Willian is overpriced at £30M, but I'm backing the transfer committee on this, the same committee who got us Sturridge and Coutinho and identified Aspas. The price tag will only be prohibitive if it prevents us from buying other players in key positions.

 

[FoxForceFive]

I demand stepovers!

It is my right as a football fan to see stepovers!

 

[peterhague]

Stepovers are shit.

 

[Oncy]

I think our summer transfer dealings have been a bit of a shambles.
We are playing musical chairs and running through fucking treacle.

 

[FoxForceFive]

If it weren't for Arsenal being so shambolic & us handling the suarez situation so well we'd be a laughing stock.

 

[Spionkop69]

If it weren't for Arsenal being so shambolic & us handling the suarez situation so well we'd be a laughing stock.

Hmmmm.

Not sure if serious...

 

[Oncy]

He's right.

 

[Spionkop69]

Nah.

 

[the_khl]

If it weren't for Arsenal being so shambolic & us handling the suarez situation so well we'd be a laughing stock.

And it's not even over yet for Arsenal..

Bendtner could be in line for a comeback to the team because of their recent shortcomings on the transfer market as well as their current list of injured players.

He has done absolutely nothing to deserve such an opportunity but such is the mess at Arsenal these days, that even the rejected players that have been forgotten by most Gunners fans already looks set to return. Pure comedy.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Hmmmm.

Not sure if serious...

It's true.

The whole arsenal being dicks & Suarez being put in his place has hidden the fact we've bumbled round switching targets, or choosing multiple players without commiting, each time only to be beaten to the signature cos we've fucked around too long.

 

[doctor_mac]

It's true.

The whole arsenal being dicks & Suarez being put in his place has hidden the fact we've bumbled round switching targets, or choosing multiple players without commiting, each time only to be beaten to the signature cos we've fucked around too long.

I'm not sure that's true. We signed a number of players promptly with little fuss (Toure, Aspas, Alberto, Mingolet) and tried to sign another top target in Milkybalhblah but missed out because his agent refused to do business with us for whatever reason. If we had signed him we would pretty much have had our business wrapped up.