I always rated this guy. Remember him as the key midfield driver in this game.
Not sure why he fell out of favour. Had more movement and quicker ball movement than Dembele has now.
He would have left if he made it big with us and the typical **** clubs came calling. I did rate him though, he will be a top player.
That being said, we can't have those type of players around no matter how good they are/can be. We need to cut loose players who see us as a stepping stone club if we truly want to be giants again.
Could not agree more. But was it common knowledge that his attitude was the problem. Always remember the players rating him very highly for his work rate in training and his win at any cost attitude. Was it money?
It was money, he kicked up a stink because he wanted a more lucrative contract when he was already tied down for a number of years (so it's not like he wanted the contract to stay here longer).
I think the club thought it would set a bad precedent to be giving into his demands so early in his tenure with us, a foreshadowing of what may have come probably. I think we made the right decision.
He would have left if he made it big with us and the typical **** clubs came calling. I did rate him though, he will be a top player.
That being said, we can't have those type of players around no matter how good they are/can be. We need to cut loose players who see us as a stepping stone club if we truly want to be giants again.
Could have been with a top 4 prem team or a mid level team in the Bundesliga. Clearly not the best choice from a professional point of view.