RUMOUR - Iago Aspas

[Millsy]

But - is he allowed to do that?

He's Jimmy Kebe...he does what he wants

edit for you

Didnt want to take all the glory. Too obvious.

Jimmy Kebe can though. Because he's Jimmy Kebe...

[Mike Hunt]

anyone else pronounce his name as "A Spaz"?

[akranes]

anyone else pronounce his name as "A Spaz"?

Aspass...? no idea how it's pronounced

[Brianstorm]

it's pronounced like ass-pass with pass pronounced like a northerner.

[royaldownunder]

Post seems to think there's something in this too…

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... fer_record

[DOYLERSAROYALER]

Post seems to think there's something in this too…

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/footb ... fer_record

From the ever so reliable Jonny Fordham

[SPARTA]

They don't want to sell, that's the first thing. The second thing is they only have to sell if we pay the full £8m up front, and we wont. Third, he has to want to come here...

Stop building your hopes up, he aint coming here!

[Millsy]

They don't want to sell, that's the first thing. The second thing is they only have to sell if we pay the full £8m up front, and we wont. Third, he has to want to come here...

Stop building your hopes up, he aint coming here!

True. Why would he leave one relegation battle for another, sadly.

[UpNorth]

Looks like we are prepared to put all the money up front....

Mirror says

Reading are ready to smash their transfer record by paying £8.3million for sought-after Celta Vigo striker Iago Aspas.

Aspas, 25, has a release clause in his contract should any club meet his valuation.

Reading - currently second-bottom of the Premier League and facing instant relegation back to the Championship - have had an offer to pay that amount for the pacy front-man in three instalments rejected, but are now willing to shell out the full fee up front.

[Ian Royal]

If we spend £8m+ on signing this guy, I think I will, quite literally, be struck temporarily dumb.

[Royal91]

On the assumption we have £8.3m to spend I'd rather it went towards a CAM!

[Agent Balti]

MELTDOWN, I think is the word, Ian.

[Millsy]

Perpetual jizz I think are the words.

[royaldownunder]

Why the hell not, at least we'll go out with a bang, hopefully we'll take QPR with us all the way to league 1, at least it will stop people moaning that RFC have no ambition and the rest who say we'll never sign a player like that!

[Millsy]

Unfortunately it won't stop anyone likening us to Portsmouth or QPR the minute we spend a few quid.

[Ian Royal]

Unfortunately it won't stop anyone likening us to Portsmouth or QPR the minute we spend a few quid.

The problem is, doing it once raises expectation levels. Lets face it, we all know we aren't going to go the extremes of "doing a Pompey". But it wouldn't be that hard to gradually (well quite quickly) creep into having to play the only financial model that could keep us going once we've over spent for a few years. And that's chuck more money at it to stave off relegation today as if it happens and we don't bounce back we're buggered. All that does is make the situation worse and more and more spending to stay up necessary. And all it takes is one bad season and you're suddenly up poo park.

It will be very interesting seeing how the likes of Bolton cope with going down and not coming straight back up, like it would have been interesting seeing how West Ham coped if they'd failed to come up with us and weren't in the top 5 now. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bolton in League One within another 3 years.

[royaldownunder]

Unfortunately it won't stop anyone likening us to Portsmouth or QPR the minute we spend a few quid.

We'll have to spend a lot more than that to get anywhere close to doing a "Redknapp"

[Millsy]

Unfortunately it won't stop anyone likening us to Portsmouth or QPR the minute we spend a few quid.

We'll have to spend a lot more than that to get anywhere close to doing a "Redknapp"

Exactly.

[Millsy]

Unfortunately it won't stop anyone likening us to Portsmouth or QPR the minute we spend a few quid.

The problem is, doing it once raises expectation levels. Lets face it, we all know we aren't going to go the extremes of "doing a Pompey". But it wouldn't be that hard to gradually (well quite quickly) creep into having to play the only financial model that could keep us going once we've over spent for a few years. And that's chuck more money at it to stave off relegation today as if it happens and we don't bounce back we're buggered. All that does is make the situation worse and more and more spending to stay up necessary. And all it takes is one bad season and you're suddenly up poo park.

It will be very interesting seeing how the likes of Bolton cope with going down and not coming straight back up, like it would have been interesting seeing how West Ham coped if they'd failed to come up with us and weren't in the top 5 now. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bolton in League One within another 3 years.

Good post I agree.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

On the assumption we have £8.3m to spend I'd rather it went towards a CAM!

same!