They also claim that Ritchie wants to go as he wants to be further south with his family (not sure if there is any mileage in that one)
I would be gutted to see him go.
Rumours circulating tonight on the web saying a deal with stoke has been agreed for mat Richie and that it will be made public next week when Richie comes back from his holiday. (Source: bear pit.)
They were the ones who broke Joselu news a week before anyone else.
There might be some legs in this story.
I wish they would take Joselu back as part of the deal.
They also claim that Ritchie wants to go as he wants to be further south with his family (not sure if there is any mileage in that one)
I would be gutted to see him go.
To finance rafas 3 main targets of kenedy , Townsend and Rondon.
Selling ritchie, merino and mitro.. To buy Townsend and Rondon .
Rondon was proper gash last season so was Townsend ,awful if true.
The Mag are reporting that it's a done deal, he's off to Stoke.
Ritchie, to be fair, was pretty poor for parts of last season but he brings a lot more to the team than what you might consider 'end product'. He fits Rafa's blueprint perfectly and is also central to not only our work ethic but also team spirit and ethos. If we lose him, I'd be more worried about the impact on the 'team' as a whole rather than, necessarily, his footballing ability.
I like Ritchie.. he's been a good solid player for us with plenty passion, but if Rafa wants pace in the wings then I'm not going to disagree with our best manager since Sir Bobby..
I'll criticise Rafa where I see fit but never on transfers if they're his choice
I'm not of fan of losing Ritchie for Townsend. Although both weren't great last season, I think Matt brings a lot of heart and determination to the team. Not sure Townsend has the same character. That being said, I though Andros was good for the short time we had him.
For me Ritchies attitude,play and contribution contributed to us staying up.His attitude can't be questioned.Hope he stays.100 percent.