Albrighton Going to Leicester

[pauliewalnuts]

I agree with Chicago, who are you going to bring in better than Albrighton basically on a free who would be better value

That's not the whole story though, is it?

It's not just "who can we get who is better on a free", that sounds like the only influencing factor is the transfer fee. it isn't. We'd have had to make Albrighton a commitment to pay him whatever he earns - and by the sounds of it, it is quite a lot - for three or four years.

I appreciate we don't know precisely what he earns but you can not just ignore the wages aspect of it all. It is far from just a "keep him or let him go" decision, it's a multi year commitment to a player.

[malckennedy]

Agree with this, with the additional point that the player in question is not very good by Premier League standards.

[Chris Smith]

Another bad decision by that idiot Lambert,

So you're saying Albrighton is worth 35k a week?

No idea what he is being paid, if or what he was offered to stay. Just like every one else on here. As a footballer he is better than most of our current squad.

No, he isn't. He's a trier who is quite good at one thing, crossing the ball, and who is more effective as a sub against tiring defenders. He's also a liability in his own half as he can't tackle and gives away too many needless free kicks. If he was willing to take a pay cut and accept that he's not going to get many starts then fine. Clearly, though, at his age that isn't what he wants or needs.

[supertom]

Another bad decision by that idiot Lambert,

So you're saying Albrighton is worth 35k a week?

No idea what he is being paid, if or what he was offered to stay. Just like every one else on here. As a footballer he is better than most of our current squad.

No, he isn't. He's a trier who is quite good at one thing, crossing the ball, and who is more effective as a sub against tiring defenders. He's also a liability in his own half as he can't tackle and gives away too many needless free kicks. If he was willing to take a pay cut and accept that he's not going to get many starts then fine. Clearly, though, at his age that isn't what he wants or needs.

That is indeed one of the key things. Coming up to 25. He needs to be playing regularly now. There'd be no point in him hanging around here another couple of years and maybe getting a dozen starts a year (if he's lucky).

He's been offered a bloody good deal by Leicester and it would have been insanity for him to refuse it, even if we'd made him a token offer. Leicester also came in pretty early with their offer too, which I would imagine was part of the reason we didn't even bother formally putting an offer on the table for him. There'd have been no point with him getting offered (if the figures reported are accurate) around 35-40k a week for 4 years, of us then putting an offer of a year or two's extension on a 20k a week deal.
Good luck to him though. A trier and seems a good lad. I hope he does well for them.

[kippaxvilla2]

He certainly is not. Only Benteke and Delph are worth that out of the current lot.

And Delfoneouso.

[Legion]

He certainly is not. Only Benteke and Delph are worth that out of the current lot.

Guzan?

[silhillvilla]

I'm with lambert on this one, Albs was not worth £1.5m a year in wages . Think he will be in the championship before long

[N'ZMAV]

He certainly is not. Only Benteke and Delph are worth that out of the current lot.

Guzan?

if he can rediscover his better form, then yes. Started to be a bit Friedel like at times, where most things seemed to go past him. That's just the high standards his previous form has set. Good player.

[PaulWinch again]

Albrighton was ok, that's it. No great loss.

[Gregorys Boy]

I understand the reducing the wage bill argument, but there was far more dead weight which I would have shifted before Albrighton. 

[supertom]

I understand the reducing the wage bill argument, but there was far more dead weight which I would have shifted before Albrighton. 

Albrightons contract had run out though, so it was easy to shift him.

If we get any sort of offer for Bent, Hutton, Given, Zogbia, Sylla, Helenius, Lowton and perhaps 2-3 more, I would expect them all to be sold on. The trouble is...no one is making the offers.

[pauliewalnuts]

I understand the reducing the wage bill argument, but there was far more dead weight which I would have shifted before Albrighton. 

Albrightons contract had run out though, so it was easy to shift him.

If we get any sort of offer for Bent, Hutton, Given, Zogbia, Sylla, Helenius, Lowton and perhaps 2-3 more, I would expect them all to be sold on. The trouble is...no one is making the offers.

I'd love to know what happened with Helenius. That's a strange state of affairs all round.

[OzVilla]

We do seem to specialize in signing players and then  management deciding they arn't good enough with minimal first team appearances.

Can't think of many other clubs that have as poor a record as we have going right back to Balaban.

[MoetVillan]

Spurs dont look too great this season.  QPR anyone?  Sunderland?  I think they could give us a go at signing players that arent good enough.

The Helenius thing does look from the outset the most disappointing of all the signings.  All of Lamberts signings otherwise have had redeeming features, and some outstanding performances, just not always up to it consistently (downside of buying youth).  Helenius however appears to be a none starting non starter

[supertom]

Spurs dont look too great this season.  QPR anyone?  Sunderland?  I think they could give us a go at signing players that arent good enough.

The Helenius thing does look from the outset the most disappointing of all the signings.  All of Lamberts signings otherwise have had redeeming features, and some outstanding performances, just not always up to it consistently (downside of buying youth).  Helenius however appears to be a none starting non starter

There were rumours coming out of Denmark, or from his Agent IIRC, quite early that he was struggling to adapt. Lambert also mentioned it was taking Helenius a while to settle in England.
It's strange though. He had an okay pre-season and looked probably the most promising of our signings bar Okore.

Then he came on against Sheff Utd, did okay and scored a goal, which you'd have thought might have helped him kick on, but he hasn't appeared since.

I'd imagine he'll return to Denmark and end up doing well again, perhaps then ending up playing at a higher level like Holland, but probably never returning to a top level league like the Prem.