Libor Kozák (confirmed post #190)

[eastie]

Did you trust the tweets of HHodgson? Strange Eastie. I post tweets as rumour for conversation, but should not take them as the truth.

I didnt trust them as gospel but looking at his track record he seems a genuine enough guy and i have no reason to doubt him in what he said regarding faulkner - derby i believe would take £6m for will hughes and i would have been happier to take that option .

[KevinGage]

If the price is anywhere near £7 million, that would indicate that PL sees him as more than a back up option.

He had two big forwards up top for Norwich, so perhaps he sees him as a partner for Benteke. Or it at least increases our options and gives us the scope to go that way, maybe even with Helenius behind that pair as a traditional no.10.   Giving us just about the biggest front three in world football.

I agree, it doesn't seem an area where we need to be distributing what bit of money we have.  But we thought the same about our forward line last year - bigger priorities, and all that.  And that didn't turn out too bad in the end.

[Dave]

derby i believe would take £6m for will hughes and i would have been happier to take that option .

Why exactly do you believe that?

[Mister E]

He probably deems Albrighton and Bowery as not up to it, Helenius and Tonev as back up for Gabby and Weimann and therefore needs a back up for Benteke.

The  quotes H. hodgson put out from his faulkner chat suggested the signing would have a first team impact and make a difference , a back up reserve striker for around £7m doesn't fit into that bracket .

He may well be a good signing but i would have liked an attacking midfielder for a similar price who could make a bigger difference.

Who's saying this fella is a back-up for anyone? If he's an international and has a good scoring record in the Europa then I'd like to think he'll be playing regularly; perhaps Weimann's slot is under threat from Kozak.
I believe we have some great options up front; I'd like to see some more options when not in control of the ball

[rooboy316]

Maybe we're not looking at an attacking midfielder because Grealish is more in Lamberts plans than we think?  He's certainly got the skills we need in there.

There are carr-others.

Not at the club right now though.

Gardner?

[eastie]

derby i believe would take £6m for will hughes and i would have been happier to take that option .

Why exactly do you believe that?

Because thats the minimum figure Nigel clough mentioned - he wouldn't consider less than £6m but i think would be tempted at that price - although this late in the window there would be no chance to spend the cash so its not going to happen in any case .

My main point being that if we have paid £7m for  Kozak i would rather have used that cash for Hughes .

[paul_e]

I thought we'd done with strikers who didn't score when Ivanhoe left.  Very strange transfer.

He scored 10 goals in 8 starts in the Europa League including a hatrick against Stuttgart. Are you intimately aware of his performances in Serie A were? Did he start all of his games or was he struggling to find the net in sub run outs? His all competitions goal record was 10 in 30 last season, which is not far off Weimann's 12 in 38 and we have no idea about the sub/start balance of those and what kind of player he is (outright striker or someone who gets assists).

I find it interesting that people seem to think they know a player better than Lambert who hasn't really dropped many clangers in the transfer market. Especially when its a player nobody on here had heard of until yesterday and the limit of their scouting expertise is looking at YouTube and Wikipedia.

Stats

I don't know if that link will work exactly but:

5 starts - subbed off in 2 of those after 56 and 78 minutes.
14 subs appearances - 7 of which were 17minutes or less.

[paul_e]

derby i believe would take £6m for will hughes and i would have been happier to take that option .

Why exactly do you believe that?

Because thats the minimum figure Nigel clough mentioned - he wouldn't consider less than £6m but i think would be tempted at that price - although this late in the window there would be no chance to spend the cash so its not going to happen in any case .

My main point being that if we have paid £7m for  Kozak i would rather have used that cash for Hughes .

I don't think it would be an either/or situation, i get the impression that the money is there if Lambert wants to spend it.  Hughes would be a superb signing but it won't happen in this window, maybe in Jan, I think he'd definitely interest Lambert as he'd really work in our side.

[sirlordbaltimore]

I hope to god Lambert isn't thinking of trying a two man midfield with four strikers again ...

But i'd welcome a change of tactics and this over reliance on playing two forwards out wide for sure

[PeterWithesShin]

Just like Benteke, he will be the new Bosko Balaban. You'd really think some folks would have learnt from what some said about Benteke a year ago that it is very daft to write off a player before he has had a chance.

[Clampy]

But i'd welcome a change of tactics and this over reliance on playing two forwards out wide for sure

I wouldn't want to change what's working for us to be honest. The front three we have now are fine.

[pauliewalnuts]

Just like Benteke, he will be the new Bosko Balaban. You'd really think some folks would have learnt from what some said about Benteke a year ago that it is very daft to write off a player before he has had a chance.

Usually.

[eastie]

Just like Benteke, he will be the new Bosko Balaban. You'd really think some folks would have learnt from what some said about Benteke a year ago that it is very daft to write off a player before he has had a chance.

I'm not sure many are writing him off , I'm certainly not , just expressing a surprise that we signed another forward rather than an attacking midfielder - i hope Kozak does well for us and he gives us another option .

[paul_e]

Maybe we're not looking at an attacking midfielder because Grealish is more in Lamberts plans than we think?  He's certainly got the skills we need in there.

There are carr-others.

Not at the club right now though.

Gardner?

Possibly, he really needs a run out on loan though for me, 2 injuries like he's suffered is mentally damaging as much as anything, I'd like to see him prove to himself he's ok at a championship side before being  put into a premier league midfield (the games are so tight in midfield that you get no time to find your feet).

[TheEgo]

We're paying nowhere near 7m for Kozak, closer to 4m tops.