Plus I think there’s an argument in the idea that age of player can lead to them being undervalued as an asset.
E.g Walcott got 19 Goals last year, how much would Zaha go for if he got 19 Goals this year?
I am playing devils advocate a bit cause I’m trying to convince myself it’s not a terrible idea, but a goal scoring wide right forward is very difficult position to buy. Gamble on his fitness and production numbers. £20m and £120-£140k wages would be gruesome but not the end of the world.
I mean you can take each individual transfer and debate until whenever about it.
I do think we need a few more “big” fees for players who are 20-22 but then if they’re anyway established then they won’t come here.
If they’re half way to being established then say £40m for someone from France (or wherever) that isn’t good enough yet for a CL team carries its own risks of never working out.
Out of Stones, Lukaku and Barkley only Lukaku was fairly certain of being a top player and immediately ready (for us) to be a first team player.
Barkley was a youth player (no reason why we won’t find another at some point); Stones no different from many of our recent signings as in a hopeful punt from lower leagues.
But until we have a settled side(s) that even when we are poor, never look like dropping below 7th then we do need some players who will be good for 2-3 years.
Otherwise we’ll always be waiting for the next bus while in danger of poor performance dropping us way off the top 6 (as we have seen in 3 of last 4 seasons).
But as stated it’s the players we’ve signed rather than the profile mix for me.
Topic: Theo Walcott (Read 26005 times)
