- Oct 2, 2004
- 48,267
- 47,353
- Staff
- #221
It is not flawed to say that Albrighton keeps Gray out of the Leicester team. It's a fact.
The signing of Toby wasn't a pure scouting decision. I have no doubt that Verts would have been in Poch's ear constantly about how good his former Ajax CB partner was, and how well their games complemented each other. Southampton thought they could buy Toby after the season loan to the PL, and we hijacked the deal because we had the inside track.
Toby has made Verts a more effective player and vice versa. Their understanding on the pitch, crucial for a CB partnership, is exceptional.
There is no analogy to be drawn between the signing of Toby for around £11 million to play alongside his Ajax and Belgium colleage Verts, and the prospective signing of Gray for a ridiculous £30 million plus.
Not sure that's strictly true.
To start with, 30m is roughly the equivalent of 11m back then anyway.
And who's to say that Poch hasn't seen something similarly hidden in Gray's play? I think we'd all hope that Poch is a better manager than Shakespeare so it wouldn't be outlandish for him to see something that Shakey hasn't.
Personally I don't see it in terms of us trying to get a player ready to start and make an impact straight away, but I don't think the analogy with the Toby transfer is as far off as you suggest.