on August 11, 2025, 5:26 pm, in reply to "There's a range of potential outcomes here from extremely positive to disastrous."
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Personally I'd have steered clear because we have a terrible recent track record on players whose star has faded 'and so will have a point to prove', and given limited resources I'd have looked elsewhere. That said, IF he can recapture his best form, and IF he can play within our system then he could be great. My biggest doubt is that if we set up to get the best out of him, he could have a great season but it may come at the expense of the overall team performance, whereas if we set up in a way to get the best of of the squad, he could end up as a square peg in a round hole. Really hoping my misgivings are proved wrong and he tears it up.
Opinion seems very polarised on this. Not every transfer like this is either Peter Reid or Andy Van Der Meyde/Dele Alli; most fall somewhere in between. Personally I think there's more risk than upside, but it's like saying there's a 60% chance of rain - nearly half the time the day will be dry.
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