Darko Gyabi

[WTF11]

I remember some people on here going crazy when we signed Joe Gelhardt from Wigan for £1m - curiously you don't hear anyone complaining now !!!

FWIW, I was one of those who "went crazy", but quite the opposite of the reaction to Darko, Gelhardt was a "good bit of business" and steal at £1m given that by the time we acquired him he had been playing in the Wigan academy since the age of ten, and appeared 18 times in the Championship in the 19/20 season playing 1st team football. I've said consistently that he should have been given more 1st team time at LUFC, and continue to say so.

Gyabi has none of those attributes and done nothing to justify the £5m valuation (just two seasons after we paid £1m for a proven Championship professional!) and spent half of last season out injured (familiar story!). We need to invest wisely, not take inflated valuations for a player no-one had heard of before the Philips sale.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Think Gyabi could be good too - two footed, quick tall and strong and highly rated at each age group.

[Pacaman]

Unbelievable most on here. So negative most of the time. Really pleased you’re not in charge of the club we all love. One that’s in the Premiership and has circa £100m or will have to strengthen. What’s up wi ya?

[spaldy]

Not upset but do think we were chumped.

Think we received 10 million less than KP was worth. If we had gotten that then the 5 million we paid would not be so bad

We are going to get chumped on Raph. At least 10 million less than his market worth. The least we could get out of Barca is one their jewels in their development system. We won’t.

[WTF11]

Unbelievable most on here. So negative most of the time. Really pleased you’re not in charge of the club we all love. One that’s in the Premiership and has circa £100m or will have to strengthen. What’s up wi ya?

This thread relates to one player, offered as a "sweetener" to the Philips deal, with a £5m valuation having played zero 1st team football (even Man City fans haven't heard of him much before the Leeds connection arose). As CBW mentioned earlier, we paid £1m for Gelhardt, a proven Championship 1st team player, two seasons ago. At least he had some pedigree.

On your broader point about strengthening the squad, our record in identifying raw talent isn't great, we've had success in a half a dozen newbies over four or five seasons, and most recent newcomers have fallen in market value (James, 25m down to 16m, Rodrigo 27m down to 10.8m, Llorente 18m down to 16m, Firpo 13.5m down to 10.8m, Costa 15.9m down to 4.5m), plus all the "supermarket sweep" incomings that were a feature of Ortas first couple of seasons (have a look at Transfermarkt, the list for 2017/18 and 2018/19 is impressive in length, just not quality), gone and (mainly) forgotten but at a price.

[bathlad61]

He could be a good CM combi - Forshaw / Roca / an other, and gives some much needed height at both ends. We still need that quality DM signing.
5 mill not alot, but few years ago, we couldnt pay anything like that, so at least it progress.

[spaldy]

the issue from the "complainers" in not the money spent. They spend a lot.

It's value for the money and what we end up with. Even when we hit it big ( KP, Raph) we don't get market value and we've got a lot that are worth much less than we paid for them (Jame, Rodrigo, Costa, Kiko)

Harrison will likely be a big surprise this year and we'll end up losing him for 1/2 of his worth. worried about Meslier as well. I also think we've dropped the ball on Drameh, Sommerville and Joffy.

It's really not good club management. I really hope I'm wrong on the above.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

the issue from the "complainers" in not the money spent. They spend a lot.

It's value for the money and what we end up with. Even when we hit it big ( KP, Raph) we don't get market value and we've got a lot that are worth much less than we paid for them (Jame, Rodrigo, Costa, Kiko)

Harrison will likely be a big surprise this year and we'll end up losing him for 1/2 of his worth. worried about Meslier as well. I also think we've dropped the ball on Drameh, Sommerville and Joffy.

It's really not good club management. I really hope I'm wrong on the above.

I guess the club lost its baseline in the wilderness years and Radz has not real background d running a club, Orta is Orta and Kinnear is more commercial (as opposed player) orientated and what we can afford.

The only signings of recent times not convinced at all by Costa for how much we paid and Firpo (but with the benefit of hindsight) - for the money we paid for Firpo we could have got someone who has been playing top flight football.

Casilla filled a hole when we needed someone and JKA was always going to be a gamble.

Rodrigo seems to suit Marschs tactics more and I like Llorente.

Hard to compare with EFL days when we had to take more risks.

The thing that grates a little with Orta is he seems to think he is the biggest genius - think he is okay - and he increasingly has a go at dissenting fans - almost as if he thinks he is more Leeds than they are.

[spaldy]

Agree with you on JKA. that was a high risk gamble we lost. Might has just as well won it. didn't go our way.

I"m also lighter on Orta than many. Anyone that brings in MB will always get a whole lot of slack with me. One of my greatest sports moments in my life was MB coming in and turning us around while playing the most thrilling football in the FA for a couple of years.

we are really rolling the dice this year. It's basically all or nothing. If we don't make it we'll lose most of our team and could be in the wilderness for years and years. Not like a Burnley, Norwich or Fulham who prepare well to move back up. It's very scary when you think about it.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Agree with you on JKA. that was a high risk gamble we lost. Might has just as well won it. didn't go our way.

I"m also lighter on Orta than many. Anyone that brings in MB will always get a whole lot of slack with me. One of my greatest sports moments in my life was MB coming in and turning us around while playing the most thrilling football in the FA for a couple of years.

we are really rolling the dice this year. It's basically all or nothing. If we don't make it we'll lose most of our team and could be in the wilderness for years and years. Not like a Burnley, Norwich or Fulham who prepare well to move back up. It's very scary when you think about it.

Yep think Orta has done okay just needs to be publicly a bit more humble for me.

Think the squad is being improved just need to hope JM’s tactics work as not sure they will in this league but they may get us enough points v bottom 8. Will be an interesting season ahead