Bob Sacamano wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 12:08 pm
We’re not paying a fullback £3mill a year to sit on the bench and then buying a first choice LB on more money.
Surely it's less likely that we release him and split £25m - £30m over 2 LBs and then also still have to pay the new backup LB wages too?
From a financial point of view releasing him costs more than retaining unless I'm missing something here?
Yeah, it is mad to me how Moyes had a top 4 attacking fb (and at least top 6 defensive fb) in Baines and a top 6 defensive and attacking fb in Coleman in his last stint, yet he seems fine with O’Brien and Mykolenko, who are both relegation level players in an attacking sense, and barely top half defensively.
I know we went after Tete initially, but after he decided to stay with Fulham that was it, and that suggests he thought that JOB was good enough at rb, which he absolutely isn’t.
TheRam wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 1:18 pm
We won’t be starting the next season with two left backs.
It’s either mykolenko goes and we replace him, or he stays and that’s it.
We’ll then have cover in garner and Brathwaite should we need it.
Maybe true, not sure it's good squad building to release a perfectly serviceable backup on a free, or re-sign him as a starter when he's clearly not good enough though.
We need a starter and an actual backup if we want to progress as a club. Same on the other side too, although I don't mind Garner doing the backup job for another year, he's pretty good there but not really comfortable on the left.
sam of the south wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 1:51 pm
Yeah, it is mad to me how Moyes had a top 4 attacking fb (and at least top 6 defensive fb) in Baines and a top 6 defensive and attacking fb in Coleman in his last stint, yet he seems fine with O’Brien and Mykolenko, who are both relegation level players in an attacking sense, and barely top half defensively.
I know we went after Tete initially, but after he decided to stay with Fulham that was it, and that suggests he thought that JOB was good enough at rb, which he absolutely isn’t.
He doesn't have the run of the show like he did in his first stint so his voice on transfers isn't the only one. I can't imagine he would have been completely onside with blowing a large proportion of our budget on Dibling when we had gaping holes elsewhere but he's had to suck it up and make do for now.
Bumble wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 4:59 pm
He doesn't have the run of the show like he did in his first stint so his voice on transfers isn't the only one. I can't imagine he would have been completely onside with blowing a large proportion of our budget on Dibling when we had gaping holes elsewhere but he's had to suck it up and make do for now.
Rumour has it he wanted Coufal and Soucek, though so
Bumble wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 5:05 pm
Yeh I can believe it. Positives and negatives to the new of working...
Although tbf, 75 year-old Coufal would’ve been better than poor JOB out there; I think he’s got a goal and 3 assists in the Bundesliga so far this season
Bumble wrote: ↑Mon Jan 05, 2026 4:59 pm
He doesn't have the run of the show like he did in his first stint so his voice on transfers isn't the only one. I can't imagine he would have been completely onside with blowing a large proportion of our budget on Dibling when we had gaping holes elsewhere but he's had to suck it up and make do for now.
Yep and I'm glad he didn't have carte blanche, he left West Ham in quite a poor state and long term we needed to give him some of these players and tell him to develop them.
Reckon he'd have been all over someone like Callum Wilson instead of Barry, which might have been better in the short term but definitely not in the long term.
