RUMOUR - Bertrand, Clyne and Zaha

[Mike Hunt]

Yeah after playing in the Champions League final and Olympics I bet he was dying to get back to Reading

Did Zaha move to Chelsea?

Play by my rules or GTFO my thread

+1

[urz13]

Met Nigel Howe a few days ago at a dinner party, said we were close to Zaha but are no longer interested. Was happy to quash a few few rumours but wouldn't give anything away on who we were looking at.

[peterroyal76]

I suspect with Zaha we've missed the boat now. Maybe at the start of the season we had a chance,but his form has made the big boys sit up again.

[sandman]

Met Nigel Howe a few days ago at a dinner party, said we were close to Zaha but are no longer interested. Was happy to quash a few few rumours but wouldn't give anything away on who we were looking at.

But was apparently perfectly happy to run his mouth off about his new bosses.

[lolwut]

Saw Zaha against Serbia u21 this week. Didn't seem too special, but I guess it is hard to shine against a team playing 7-2-1. Apart from Raheem Sterling, he was crazy good.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

Palace now saying they value Zaha at £20M. And we thought he was over-priced at £8M ....

[urz13]

Met Nigel Howe a few days ago at a dinner party, said we were close to Zaha but are no longer interested. Was happy to quash a few few rumours but wouldn't give anything away on who we were looking at.

But was apparently perfectly happy to run his mouth off about his new bosses.

As I said, it wasn't his opinion on Anton etc, but McDermott and his moans and groans.

[UTDSTEVE]

[quote="winchester_royal"
Is Zaha any better than Kebe/McAnuff/McCleary? Probably not, and definitely not to the extent to where we should push the boat out that far to get him.[/quote]

brilliant absolutely brilliant

[winchester_royal]

Is Zaha any better than Kebe/McAnuff/McCleary? Probably not, and definitely not to the extent to where we should push the boat out that far to get him.

brilliant absolutely brilliant

He still hasn't proven he's any better than them.

[SCIAG]

All three have outperformed Zaha at Championship level.

[peterroyal76]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

So Utd, City and Arsenal don't know good players when they see them eh? YOUR lack of football knowledge is showing again. Or are you going to try and cover it up by claiming you were being 'sarcastic'?

[SCIAG]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

But none of those clubs would consider signing Zaha for their first team. They would be signing him because he could be a really exciting player in a few years, whereas none of our wingers (with the possible exception of HRK, who isn't as good as Zaha) are going to get much better. We can't afford to sign players because they might be good in a few years, if we are going to sign a player for a ridiculous sum of money then he needs to be a serious improvement on what we have.

[skipper]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

But none of those clubs would consider signing Zaha for their first team. They would be signing him because he could be a really exciting player in a few years,

In the same way Liverpool signed Jon Jo Shelvy and Chelsea and City bought up all the decent youngsters etc, it's a no brainer really... But we can hardly afford for them not to pan out, but you got to believe that these kiddies would get more chances and playing time with us over any of those clubs, but probably get better training with those clubs than with us... Double edge sword...

[winchester_royal]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

A lot of bigger teams were looking at singing Church 3 years ago...

[winchester_royal]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

A lot of bigger teams were looking at singing Church 3 years ago...

We made a mistake in not selling him!

Think you're missing the point m8

[robinsfriday]

Presumably Man U, Man City and Arsenal ( All teams who do not know a good player when they see him), will now forget about Zaha and look at our players! It's always nice to know that other RFC fans know all about football! - NOT!!!!!!!!

A lot of bigger teams were looking at singing Church 3 years ago...

Wan't aware he had a song?

[under the tin]

But none of those clubs would consider signing Zaha for their first team. They would be signing him because he could be a really exciting player in a few years, whereas none of our wingers (with the possible exception of HRK, who isn't as good as Zaha) are going to get much better. We can't afford to sign players because they might be good in a few years, if we are going to sign a player for a ridiculous sum of money then he needs to be a serious improvement on what we have.

In fairness, though, you also have to factor in the realistic market that Reading are operating in.
We could offer ridiculous money for Messi, but there is no way he would come here, even if we could somehow afford him.
We simply do not have the resources or attractiveness to compete with the monoliths for the signature of players in their prime.
That leaves us with limited options, sign experienced pro's coming towards the end of their careers, (Roberts) or take a punt on improving an up and coming prospect. (and growing our own in the meantime)
The latter is what we have been doing for years now, starting with Long, Doyle, etc., and continuing with today's Noel Hunt, Alfie, etc.
It is fair to assume that both ALF and Hunty would give the club a profit on the original investment were they to move on, unlike Roberts, or Les Ferdinand.
One thing for certain in the Prem is that the stakes ARE higher. To obtain the services of someone who is considered good enough to make an impact at this level won't come cheap. The "punts" will continue, but the risk capital will be higher, because if the player blossoms, so will the return on that investment.

[Mr Angry]

At Championship level, the best player I saw live in recent years (bar Siggy) was Vistor Moses; he utterly destroyed us that night when Palace stuffed us, and you could see he was an absolutely class act. YET.......it has still taken him a number of years of serving a Premier League apprenticeship at Wigan to eventually end up at a top 4 club like Chelsea, and even then he still hasn't got past being an occasional sub appearance for them.

I don't think Zaha is as good as Moses was, and he certainly isn't worth £20M right now; he may be in 5 years time, but not now.

[under the tin]

£20M, £50M...?
It's just numbers, though, isn't it?
I can remember thinking "where will it all end" when Arsenal splashed out £100k to sign Alan Ball !
In the crazy Sky money driven universe, who's to say that £10M won't be regarded as peanuts a few years down the line?
How long before we see the first £100M footballer? I can virtually guarantee that when it happens, it won't be long before we see the next.

With all these inflationary pressures, prices are only likely to go one way.
Put it this way,
If we could somehow warp time, and were currently eyeing a young player at Cambridge called Kitson, does anyone think that we could get him for £150k today? Had we waited until next January, then approached Rotherham as a Prem club, do you think that they would take £300k for Alfie?

[Big Ern]

We could have bought Zaha in the last window. Whatever we paid, we would have made a huge profit when we sold him on - if we chose to. RFC are a business as well as a football club, to have a brilliant up-and-coming player in the squad In the sure knowledge that we will not lose should we sell him on, is a no-brainer!

No we couldn't. Far more to it then a straight transfer fee. You really struggle to understand how football works sometimes.