By Tony Attwood
So, Vardy is another Higuain, the sort of transfer that everyone is so sure is on, that he actually signed a week ago, that it was kept secret, that he had a medical last weekend, but didn’t, that he was going to tell the club his decision on monday but didn’t. Either this is all fantasy, or Vardy is a very rude young man, or else it was a gigantic set up by the media so that it could run the headline…
Of course unravelling these matters is always something of an problematic issue because we don’t have all the facts. But what we can do is consider what reasonable people would do in such circumstances, and then see whether that line has been followed.
Let’s start with Leicester. Apparently there is a clause in the Vardy contract that says that Fleetwood get a percentage of the sell on fee. 25% has been quoted. And we are told that Vardy’s contract has a clause in it that says that any offers over £20m, (or maybe £22m) mean he has to be given a chance to listen to and possibly accept the new offer.
It is also widely quoted that his salary under the new contract is £45,000 a week. £2.34m a year.
Now those figures on their own are not particularly interesting but put together they are. And yes, I know I’ve said “quoted” etc, so these are just what people are saying – but my suspicion is that they are not that far from the truth.
Arsenal therefore could make an offer of £20m for the player. Only £15m of that would reach Leicester – a small amount of money for a player who did so well last season, even though he is 29 and probably only has a couple of years left at the highest level (he is not, after all, Bergkamp).
So the outcome could be that Vardy would go, and take the higher salary and a chance for experiencing a bigger club. But Leicester could have avoided all this by doing any of several things…
a) Going to Fleetwood and saying, look because of this sell on clause fee, we are going to put a very high buy out cost in his contract, which will probably stop a sale. So you will get nothing… unless you agree to re-write the deal. So instead of a flat rate 25% to you, the percentage will go down as the money goes up. You’ll still get more money, but not the 25% all the way through. If you don’t agree, we won’t sell him, and you won’t get anything.
b) Putting his buy out fee much higher. Why £20m? Why not £30m? That wouldn’t cost them anything.
c) Putting up his salary. If they had offered him £100,000 a week to carry on with them, that would have cost them £2.86m a year, which within the context of the transfer fee is not much especially if it is dependent on the number of games played.
Of course all three are subject to negotiation with the player’s agent, and the player might object to a higher buy out fee – but then the higher salary could have been dangled as a compensation. Fleetwood too might well have jumped at the notion of a £30m buy out clause and accepted a reduction in their percentage if the retail value of Vardy went up over £20m.
These are back of an envelope calculations – and yes they all need negotiation, but because one can come up with them within the amount of time it takes to type this, it suggests that by and large anyone in the business ought to be able to think these things through and get them arranged. It doesn’t really say very much for Leicester that it appears (and I stress “appears” – we can only work from the generally accepted numbers) to have screwed up their negotiations with Vardy big time.
Of course giving him more could have had a knock on effect with other players – but did Leicester really think they would keep a top goalscorer – even an elderly top scorer in football terms – on £40,000 a week and a sell-on clause of £20m? It seems unlikely that one club or another wouldn’t come for him. Remember Man U going to RVP with his terrible injury record, but one brilliant season. They took the risk and gave him a four year contract knowing that really they were only after him for one year.
But there is further damage along the line. Other players seeing the fuss will have checked what their buy out clause is, and noted the instant offer of double the salary. The queue of agents at the club’s chief negotiator’s door (if they have a chief negotiator that is, and with this muddle, I wonder if they do) probably stretches back to the Tigers ground.
And what of Arsenal?
Arsenal transfer plans face disruption as striker delays decision until after Euro 2016.
That was a typical headline, but I somehow doubt it. More likely the muddle has caused a lot of problems for Leicester. If Vardy can multiple his salary 2.5 times over night, then why not the next player and the next. A club that screws up one set of simple contract terms will probably have made a mess of the rest of them, so I suspect they are going to be rushing around like headless chickens trying to rework all the contracts now that they have woken up.
But as for Arsenal, no club that is seeking to develop its squad, and which has the money, goes into the summer transfers with just one player in mind for a position. Judging by Mr Wenger’s comments to the effect that “of course he is worth it” the club saw the muddle Leicester had made and jumped in with an offer. Get the player and that’s a bonus, as £20m for a top scorer is cheap, fail to get him, and Leicester has been thrown into turmoil – with not only Vardy unable to make up his mind but also the agents of other players now all pressing for renegotiation.
I wouldn’t suggest that Mr Wenger is Machiavellian in his make up but everyone in football knows this is what goes on all the time – disrupting players to cause problems for a rival club – and it would be extraordinary if Arsenal was not part of the general approach of the industry. After all, Arsenal are constantly under assault from without, and I don’t think I’ve heard of a screw up in contractual terms at Arsenal of the type there almost certainly is at Leicester.
Indeed just in the last few days we have “reports” that both Liverpool and Barcelona are going behind Arsenal’s back and seeking to talk directly to Bellerin. It’s illegal of course but the rules have been broken so many times, it seems that direct contact is becoming more the norm than obeying the rules.
This doesn’t mean that Liverpool and Barcelona don’t have reasons to make noises about going for Bellerin. He is an astonishingly brilliant player, having made his debut after injuries to Debuchy, Chambers and Monreal, on 16 September 2014 in a 2–0 defeat away to Borussia Dortmund. And each has a good reason to talk up such a transfer. Liverpool because their transfer record in recent years has been awful, and Barcelona because they seem bedevilled by court cases – getting banned from transfers for a year, now having their star player embroiled in a tax fraud case.
But back to Vardy. The whole case has been odd – starting with the suggestion that he had already had a medical and signed, then being told he was having a medical the week later, then being told he has not had a medical at all, then being told that he would decide on Monday morning, and now it is after the Euros…
If he does want to come to Arsenal then after the Euros is a good time for Arsenal, because player after player will get injured this summer, and if Vardy suffers an injury that keeps him out of football for a while, that will change his value. Better to know when signing him.
But if it is true that he agreed with Arsenal to let them know for sure on Monday morning, and then didn’t, that changes things. If someone won’t keep their word and behave in a decent manner at the very start of arrangements, how do you expect them to behave later on?
Certainly as an employer I have on a few occasions offered a job to a person who then comes back and tries to renegotiate either the starting date or the salary or some other part of their terms and conditions. My personal answer has always been to withdraw the offer of the job at once on the grounds that my company offers a job at a salary and on certain terms. The individual can ask questions or seek to negotiate before or during the interviews, but to go through the whole process, accept the job and then negotiate has always seemed to suggest this is exactly the sort of person I don’t want to employ.
Even if the individual then drops their new demands I still say no – because I don’t want to employ someone who tries that trick. (And just in case you are wondering, it is perfectly legal to withdraw an offer of a contract under UK law for any reason other than prohibited reasons such as race, religion, sex…)
If it were me I’d drop Vardy like a ton of bricks and move on to other players content in the knowledge that I’d given Leicester a bit of a hard time, and that the Great Arsenal Transfer Index currently has listed 57 players that we are apparently signing, including several forwards, so there’s no shortage.
But of course it isn’t up to me, and if Vardy does become an Arsenal player then of course I’ll support him, as I always support the team members.
- José Mourinho walks free from court as Chelsea apologise “unreservedly”
- Does having top league scorer help you win the league? Here’s the stats…
- The Ivan Gazidis interview, what happens when a successful manager leaves, and do injuries determine success?
From the anniversary files
8 June 1925: The Football League voted to change the offside rule to two men behind the ball rather than three, leading to Chapman’s variant “WM” formation in his first year at Arsenal. The tactic helped Arsenal come second in 1925/6
The full list of anniversaries of the day appear on the home page each day, and a full index of around 5000 Arsenal anniversaries appears here.
The current series appearing on the Arsenal History Society site is Arsenal in the 1930s. We’ve just published episode 10 – March 1931: hope, defeat, hope
Vardy if proving a bit of an unexciting prospect for me. If he comes, then I’ll be happy, but if it doesn’t then I’m not that bothered.
The thing about this whole “Arsenal-esque” affair, that stands out to me, is that Arsene hasn’t come out and said if he is interested in Vardy or not. Normally, when media speculation reaches frenzy point, AW comes out and says if he is NOT interested in signing a player. So by not saying anything, the story is in the same place as was the case with both Mesut Ozil and Alexis. With Ozil, it was most comical, because the major sports media had a reporter at the hotel where the player was having his medical, and everybody knew who he was and that we were getting him, hours before any statement from the Manager.
So, if as Tony alludes to, the messing about is coming from Vardy, then forget him, and move on.
Arsenal Football Club is much bigger than any individual – especially one who isn’t our player.
I would look elsewhere. Vardy should not keep a club like Arsenal waiting. Later if he refused ,Arsenal may end up on quality forward.
Tony
Good article – as you point out “transfer dealings” are never as simple as the newspapers and blogettas make out.
Though harking back to recent pieces in Untold on Concretia, the make-believe world of football transfers is very fertile ground for the many AWOBs in the “media”
I read this piece this morning:
http://paininthearsenal.com/2016/06/08/arsenal-reaching-crisis-stage-with-pierre-emerick-aubameyang/
Apparently having royally screwed up the Vardy transfer, AW is now being castigated for not signing Pierre-Emerick Boomerang from Dortmund. The writer’s twisted logic is if AW loses out to Man City he’s slow and useless, and if he is not even in the bidding then AW is even more useless and should GO. Let’s face it any idiot could go out and buy/build a team to win the Prem., couldn’t they??
And to think we have almost 3 months worth of such erudite logic to come before the new season.
I have followed the comments made in previous pieces on this possible transfer. Those considering the football aspect of the transfer, playing a long side or alternating with Giroud and other possibilities.
The age factor.
The money.
The reaction of the fans and seemingly countless others.
I haven’t commented because whilst there is most of the time an exception to the rule I considered this transfer one of those I think you describe as ‘ghost transfers’.
Arsenal and Arsene do not do public transfers.
They specialise in surprise tranfers.
Yes the wall of secrecy can be broken but it is a rarity with Arsenal. Then when I read that the player was going to make his decision after the Euros I laughed. It is never going to happen.
In all seriousness if Arsene wants a player and the deal is made or not made and not left dangling.
The media ballooned up their self importance with this one. Ballooning up their self importance is about the only act of professionalism known to them.
Maybe Vardy is angling with other clubs too, that could be or is probably the cause for delay.
Vardy seems perfect, almost too perfect, but if he wants to come to Arsenal, then cool but if he is keeping Arsenal as a 2nd or 3rd option, then not.
So many unknowns.
Until we get definitive statements from Arsenal or Leicester, all we have is the ramblings of the media.
It’s likely Arsenal did make the offer. It’s likely the buy-out clause is there. What’s happened from then on is media waffle. Did some bright journo spot that Hodgeson had a policy of no agents/reps in the England camp, and decided that Vardy must be on a deadline to decide?
And if he was, how do we know he hasn’t already decided and something else is holding up the announcement.
Transfer time requires patiences, and 10 barrels of salt so you can take a pinch every time you read a “DONE DEAL” story.
I think it’s too hasty to jump all over Vardy. Let’s see what happens.
Vardy is well within his rights to take his time over this decision. He is at a club who gave him a chance, I loved by the fans there and has just won the PL. It is a huge decision for him
It may be his only chance in playing for an elite club. His wages would be huge for a man who has not been playing pro football for long and these wages would see his family set for life
He may have emotional ties to Leicester. We don’t know , he may have made his decision, we don’t know. Is he waiting to see what Kante and Mahrez do ? Is he waiting until Leicester get a replacement ? We don’t know.
All I hope is that we have a plan B and C. With Welbeck out for a long time it is essential we get another striker in to compete with Giroud with a different set of attributes. A fit and fresh Giroud is a handful. When he’s fatigued and needs a rest his performances tend to drop off. He needs someone to share the huge workload with.
re the reports of Liverpool & Barca illegally tapping Bellerin up: is it illegal for a player’s agent to be tapped up on behalf of his/her client? I know he/she represents that player, but is there a law to prevent this? I would expect there to be be something in place, but have never heard it mentioned anywhere.
Yes, and I would also tell Vardy to eff off. If he decides not to join us it must have a negative impact on the remainder of our business in the current transfer window.
I did wonder as to how unimpressed Arsenal would be if Vardy has kept them waiting without at least requesting more time.
I also saw something about the buy-out clause having an expiry around now? I also read that it could only be triggered by a CL-qualified club, which reduces the risk somewhat.
I suspect the relatively low buy-out clause was agreed under pressure from the player/agent. At the time, there was no guarantee that Leicester would win the League or even qualify for the CL.
As with Norman, I am somewhat indifferent about this one. Pretty sure we are working on several targets in that position. If Vardy prevaricates for too long he may find that someone else has come in ahead of him.
Pete
Who are the other targets we are working on ? There arevery feww quality CF around or available.
I’d prefer certain other players but once someone lik man citynot even we with funds avilable can compete with them
I’m hoping than rather than spend £60 million on a player we buy 3 or 4 new players to strengthen the team where it’s needed. Some of our players have been in a bit of a comfort bubble. With Arteta, TR7 and Flamini going, Jack and Santi back fit and the talk about 3 or 4 players coming in then competition for places will be fierce
Our squad would strengthen considerably and our bench would be ridiculously strong
Vardy is an average player in a lucky situation.I would not be shocked if he came and sat on the bench. There are certainly better options especially in the French team and the Belgian squad.
We should do better.
It is probably I like to see the goodness in people.
I personally think Arsenal did make a bid. However, seeing how Arsenal have always taken care of players’ well being, I would not be surprised if Vardy did ask for an extension and the Board or Wenger allowed it. In a funny sort of way, Wenger might take a liking to that attitude because Vardy is showing signs of loyalty/thankfulness to Leicester who gave him his big break over money.
That said, I am sure other negotiations are in place if Vardy cannot make up his mind by the extended date.
I think it would be best to move onto other targets if Vardy is not willing to announce when he said he would like Ibrahimovic then it will be perfect for Wenger to sign under players under the radar whilst the whole media is focused on Vardy and the would he move hype.
Also I think Wenger is back in France to do the commentary so no one has had the chance to ask him about Vardy yet.
Vardy – not excited, but, Bellerin being unsettled by Barcelona is kind of understandable, however, why would the red tramps from Merseyside try to chase him!
As Ivan Gazidis has said, Arsenal does its transfer business behind closed doors – as far as possible. Until we hear from Arsenal, everything is speculation. The club also will certainly be looking into a number of different transfer options, given how many factors come into every transfer.
Could it be that an agreement is made but not made public till after the euro’s?
Vardy playing for England at the Euro’s is nice publicity for Leicester. If the announcement would be made now before the Euro’s Vardy would still be a Leicester player on paper but everyone will refer to him as the new Arsenal player.
So maybe Arsenal are letting Leicester have this “moment in the sunshine” before they return to the dark side of the moon. 😉
No facts and much speculation by Tony and the other blogettas.
I agree with you 100%..Drop him now and get someone who WANTS to play for Arsenal..Get Janssen before the spuds do and kill two birds with one stone. Now that would really make my day…
If this happens or doesn’t happen I’m not too fussed. Personally I’d prefer someone else to Vardy, and if it has to be someone with PL experience then someone like Lukaku could do for me; a player I rate better than Vardy but sure he has a much higher buyout clause. But as Tony says, whoever Wenger signs I throw my full weight behind, that’s what I do as a supporter.
Oh, and it’d be naive to think Wenger would be looking at Vardy only. Something also tells me Giroud is going to have a brilliant Euro 16, and that’ll make things very interesting.
I mistakenly touched the stop button while I was done with comments sometimes ago. And all my typing got depleted. But I am going to try a fresh.
Let me guess 3 likely reasons why Vardy has delayed his signing for Arsenal.(1). Maybe he’s trying to squeeze Arsenal for a more higher weekly wages haven been offered an initial £100k. If it’s so, I don’t know if Arsenal will give him a £110k/w. Let him take that or leave it.
(2). It could be another Ucl playing club have gone behind us to tempt him with a better wages than Arsenal have offered him and to sabotage Arsenal. As we all know, many powerful forces don’t want us to win the Premier League again as long as Arsenal are being managed by the Boss.
(3). Lastly but not the least. Leicester could actually have matched Arsenal offer to Vardy with an improved offer of their own. But not actually to keep Vardy at the club but to later during this summer window sell him on for a far better transfer fee than Arsenal have offered them. They may not necessarily alter his release clause, but can get a better bid for Vardy than his release clause of £20m.
However, Arsenal are quoted to have said, they are still confident of signing Vardy. I believe Arsenal. They wouldn’t have said so if they are not confident.
I hope Jack Wilshere in the England camp has been doing a ambassadorial job for Arsenal by talking to Vardy to convince him to sign for Arsenal. That is Wilshere’s charge he has to do for Arsenal.
Nonetheless, if Vardy failing to sign for Arsenal in the long run will be like a bullet missing to hit Arsenal, let God stop this transfer from coming to pass. Amen?
Tony
Messing up with contract clauses is something Barcelona are very familiar with.
As you might have known, players in Spain have to have a minimum fee release clause. The procedure of triggering can be found on internet but I read that it goes like this: Bayern paid 40 million euros to Javi Martinez who then paid those 40 millions to Spanish FA who then paid those 40 millions to Athletic Bilbao. I may have misread or misunderstood it so I apologize in advance.
Anyway, Barcelona have lost two best footballers in the world due to poor management of release clauses. In 1997, when the clauses were introduced (I think), they put a release clause in Ronaldo’s contract thinking nobody would never pay that amount of money for the player. Inter Milan didn’t balk at 48 billion liras clause and Ronaldo was free to sign for them. Real, for example, put much, much higher amounts to keep Raul et al. Then, in 2000, Barcelona lost Figo to Real Madrid for the record breaking fee but it was a major blow for Barca and they didn’t recover for five years. Again, they thought nobody would pay over 60 million dolars for a player. Well, think again, Tax-h(e)aven-wannabes!
I mistakenly touched the stop button while I was done with my earlier comments typing sometimes ago. And all my typing got deleted. But I am going to try a fresh.
Let me guess 3 likely reasons why Vardy has delayed his signing for Arsenal. (1). Maybe he’s trying to squeeze Arsenal for a more higher weekly wages haven been offered an initial £100k. If it’s so, I don’t know if Arsenal will give him a £110k/w wages. Let him take that or leave it.
(2). It could be another Ucl playing club have gone behind us to tempt him with a better wages than Arsenal have offered him and to sabotage Arsenal. As we all know, many powerful forces around don’t want us to win the Premier League again as long as Arsenal are being managed by the Boss.
(3). Lastly but not the least. Leicester could actually have matched Arsenal offer to Vardy with an improved offer of their own. But not actually to keep Vardy at the club but to later during this summer window sell him on for a far better transfer fee than Arsenal have offered them. They may not necessarily alter his release clause, but can get a better bid for Vardy than his release clause of £20m.
However, Arsenal are quoted to have said, they are still confident of signing Vardy. I believe Arsenal. They wouldn’t have said so if they are not confident of doing so.
I hope Jack Wilshere in the England camp has been doing an ambassadorial job for Arsenal by talking to Vardy to convince him to sign for Arsenal. That is Wilshere’s charge he has to do for Arsenal.
Nonetheless, if Vardy failed to sign for Arsenal in the long run will be like a bullet has missed to hit Arsenal, let God stop this transfer from coming to pass. Amen?
Lets see what happens.
I tend to think he’s already made his mind up but that the timing of it has got in the way of the Euros. After all if he’s staying at Leicester that’s not as complicated as leaving unless a new contract at Leicester is involved there.
If he doesn’t come we’ll get somebody else.
Picking Nits
At Arsenal.com, we are greeted with:
_Euro 2016 looks more open than usual_
This is dumb. It is probably as dumb as medja saying that something is historic (everything that has happened, is part of history).
Euro 2016 only happens once. It cannot be open more than usual. It doesn’t have a usual, it only has a once.
UEFA-Euro happens many times, and Euro-2016 could be more open than UEFA-Euro usually is.
I would be surprised if Wenger said that headline. I bet you someone paraphrased something Wenger said, to come up with that brilliant bit of English. And I am an engineer, not even someone who is supposed to know English.
I agree with you Colario.
When this story first broke my initial reaction was disbelief, typical media nonsense. Nothing I’ve heard since that day has changed that opinion.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the story was a complete fabrication. What purpose would such lies serve?
Headlines like ‘Vardy rejects Arsene’.
Cue the WOB…
Tony
Belerin is a very good player and I know you like to bull our players up a bit ,but to call him “astonishingly brilliant “is just wrong.You could use that phrase for defenders like Maldini because they could defend better than anyone else and could do it constantly on the big stage for over a decade.Although belerin has good potential his defending part of the game needs improvement.
Can’t get too bothered over this.
1)I am not yet convinced that Vardy is what we need. He fit in particularly well in a system that favoured a counter attack and a long ball. That is a good plan B or plan C for us but that is generally not how we play, and;
2)This is all speculation that there are even negotiations going on, so:
3) meh
Until a player is pictured signing his contract or stood next to his new manager holding up a shirt then I take all transfer news with a pinch of salt. Today one paper said Arsenal are after Mahrez while another said Arsenal weren’t interested. Go figure.
As you say, this one is strange, in fact everything about it is strange.
I think he probably does want to come, but maybe does not want to be seen to let it intefere with the Euros, perhaps with the pretense of giving Leicesters offer time.
Maybe he is holding out for an offer that keeps him in his favoured part of the world?
Then, we are reportedly looking at Mahrez, who we are told has a surprisingly low buy out clause.
If Vardy comes, he will get my support at least, as long as he refrains from his divey racism thing, but if he doesnt, life goes on and I sleep well
Paul Merson in his usual inarticulate manner was spot on for a change. Vardy will not fit Arsenal’s style.
Leon
When does Merson ever say something positive about Arsenal/Wenger, ever?
My point is, he hasn’t said that because he believes it, but simply because it is negative.
Agreeing with Merson is tantamount to admitting you haven’t got a brain.
Only joking, but honestly who can take anything that dumb arse says seriously?
@ Tommy – I know you like to criticize at every opportunity, but unfortunately for you, your conclusions about Bellerins defensive game are completely wrong. Here’s a link i just quickly did, to compare Bellerins defensive attributes, with arguably some of the best RBs in the world. As you will see, he is right up there with the best of them (and that’s without even getting into his offensive stats).
http://www.squawka.com/comparison-matrix#premier_league/2015/2016/héctor_bellerín/165/165/3832/0/p|la_liga/2015/2016/dani_alves/176/176/1571/0/p|bundesliga/2015/2016/david_alaba/169/169/2167/0/p|la_liga/2015/2016/daniel_carvajal/176/176/2062/0/p#tackles_lost/tackles_won/total_duels_%/interceptions/blocks/clearances/defensive_errors#90
According to most sources Vardy is on £80K per week and not £45K.
Also, given the almost unprecedented rise to stardom from a relative obscurity by Kante and Mahrez, it’s hardly a surprise Vardy might want to see what happens with these two before making his final decision.
If both Mahrez and Kante leave Leicester this Summer, there might be very little incentive for Vardy to stick around, even if the Leicester’s improved package( allegedly) betters the one offered by Arsenal by a few million, due to a four year deal vs the three year deal Mr Wenger has proposed.
I don’t think Vardy’s indecision has anything to do with his lack of respect for Wenger or Arsenal, but rather with timing, money and the posible movement of other two Leicester City standouts, Mahrez and Kante.
Jambug
Perhaps I should have prefaced that with “even”(Paul Merson)
?
Excellent article Tony, like I said in 1 of the past articles, I’m rather indifferent to Vardy joining the club. He joins, will support him like all players, if he doesn’t join, won’t lose any sleep over it.
OT: Our newest signing Granit Xhaka had some good things to say about our manager:
“It was madness, he’s a legend for me, he suddenly is on the mobile and wants me. I will never forget his first sentence. He said: ‘If you want to enjoy football, you have to join us. Here is the paradise.’ He has an incredibly calm but convincing manner. It makes me proud to work under such a coach.”
Another signing crediting our manager for bringing them to the club. How important Wenger is to the club doesn’t get much clearer than that statement by Xhaka!
I have to agree partly with what Walter’s comments. But I think a major part of the business is done. But they are called “The Foxes” and I am sure Rainieri the leader of the pack would have asked his top striker to with hold his intentions until after the Euros to ensure the team morale and spirit is not eroded by the announcement. And also prevent other star players like Mahrez and Kante from jumping ship and discussing offers elsewhere.
There are few truly world class strikers in the world today. They are at Madrid, Barcelona and Munich.
The ones that could be available:
Lukaku
Higuain
Aubameyang
Morata
These will all cost at least £40million plus
Having already spent £30 million on the excellent Xhaka to purchase one of the above would finish our budget. I would rather Vardy for £20 million and Mikhtaryan to play with him. Better business imo
Note we have signed a very good young CB. Holding from Bolton. A lot of clubs were looking at him apparently.
Vardy would be perfect for some games. CL away. He’dalso be good in away games in PL and against the big teams at home and those that like to play a high line and pressing game. With Ozil and now Xhaka’s ability to pick a pass from his runs he’d be a handful.He has insane energy like Alexis and he’ll make run after run
I wouldn’t under estimate his ability when sides park the bus. His first 5 metres are electric and he’s adept atwinning penalties in packed penalty areas.
Jammy
You might of misread my post.one good season for arsenal doesn’t make you astonishingly brilliant .those words are used too freely these days.
There is no specific legal or binding law on approaching a player of another team. The rule is made by FIFA & the football associations. It prohibits players or agents approaching another team or its officials without express consent of the contracted club. The clubs must talk to each other and agree prior to approaching an employee or his/her agent of the other club. All these ‘sporting’ rules are protected by Contract Law. I am not a lawyer but this information is in the public domain.
A lot of this remains within the integrity of the people involved. RVP did not extend his contract having been spoken to by Arsenal for over 2 years. He kept delaying contract talks probably because he had been tapped up. Arsenal knew but ‘played’ the game until the club to club approach was made.
The Vardy story stinks of media hype & player arrogance.
@ Tommy – So that fact that he’s only 21 and in his first full season for the first team, has stats comparable (and in some places better than) people that are considered to be some of the best RBs in the world; that isn’t astonishingly excellent to you? And I didn’t misread your post; you said that his defensive game needed improvement and i showed you that that’s a load of nonsense, as was your last post.