I have just found an interview with Delort that's just a couple of days old. My French is too rusty to translate directly, but this passage is relevant. He says he cannot go to France on loan, but I am not sure about the sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph. "Prete" (sorry no accents on this keyboard) Maybe somebody with better French and an understanding of the rules can take a look. But nowhere in this article does he discuss a loan anywhere, and certainly not to us. Nor does he mention any other club than Wigan in terms of the transfer. He says his personal choice was to stay in France another season, but with a Ligue 1 club, and to prove himself good enough for an FAPL club. Blatant stepping stone approach but probably not uncommon in truth. There is no evidence that he turned us down. There is no evidence that he even had that option. It was all about the Tours chairman, and what he wanted.
My only priority is to play . Many people do not seem to have understood yet, but I can not go back to France this winter , as I played with Tours in early season and Wigan . So I can not make more than three clubs with two movements abroad.
For simplicity, I can not be paid in England or French club can buy me for the end of season, but not now. The only possibility for me to come back in France is that I resign with Wigan .
I can translate this article for you, but since it's a quite a large one ... I'll start with the bit mentioning "for simplicity" 'cause it's not correct: It should be: For simplicity, I can only go on loan in England, or a French club can buy me, but only at the end of the season. Also, his coach states that his style is better suited for EPL, not Championship. He's someone who goes to find every inch of free space and is very technical. He even compares Delort with Wayne Rooney. But indeed Delort mentions again and again that he wants to play and not sit on the bench. He's used to play every match and now it's only now and then.
At the end of the day, what we must not forget that it was not Delort who did not want to come to us, but the Tours owner/chairman, (whatever), said he would not be released until the last day of the transfer window (making sure he got the best bid in). RD set his price but Wigan was willing to pay more, so the Tours bloke agreed to sell him to them. Delort could have said no, but would still be with Tours. If he does come to us, I hope supporters give him a chance, and I hope he is worth all the fuss
I don't mean to pick on you, Ross, but this bollocks has been going on for months.
What evidence do you have that RD made an offer? Anything, other than what you may have read on here?
I don't believe we ever made an offer, for reasons we discussed ad nauseam back in the summer. And I don't believe he is coming here now. I hope not. Because if he does, it means that our so called European scouting network can only come up with two ideas for a striker. One an existing flop with another network club, and the other a player who appears to have been offered to at least 16 clubs before finally pulling a mug buyer, where he duly flopped. I hope and believe that the network really is better than that.
We can all be certain the scouting network is better than that. Why? I give you Vetokele, Gudmundsson (what a goal) Buyens, Coquelin(albeit recalled) Bikey and Ben Haim as evidence plus a quote that they looked at 25 players over the summer. Commercial confidentiality means we don't get to hear the full story before or after, unless we actually sign a player so we can only judge on past performance. If we only land Ajdarevic and Watt from Liege next month and nobody else then we can draw our own conclusions about budgets and aspirations. This whole saga has been quite educational about the roles played by clubs and agents which is why it's great we have both a club network and a thriving academy (soon to be upgraded). This because it reduces our dependency on these people. Also makes it clear that getting business done early is a smart move to avoid last minute gambits, plus there's the small matter of getting back to winning ways, especially in the FA Cup.
At the end of the day, what we must not forget that it was not Delort who did not want to come to us, but the Tours owner/chairman, (whatever), said he would not be released until the last day of the transfer window (making sure he got the best bid in). RD set his price but Wigan was willing to pay more, so the Tours bloke agreed to sell him to them. Delort could have said no, but would still be with Tours. If he does come to us, I hope supporters give him a chance, and I hope he is worth all the fuss
I don't mean to pick on you, Ross, but this bollocks has been going on for months.
What evidence do you have that RD made an offer? Anything, other than what you may have read on here?
I don't believe we ever made an offer, for reasons we discussed ad nauseam back in the summer. And I don't believe he is coming here now. I hope not. Because if he does, it means that our so called European scouting network can only come up with two ideas for a striker. One an existing flop with another network club, and the other a player who appears to have been offered to at least 16 clubs before finally pulling a mug buyer, where he duly flopped. I hope and believe that the network really is better than that.
We can all be certain the scouting network is better than that. Why? I give you Vetokele, Gudmundsson (what a goal) Buyens, Coquelin(albeit recalled) Bikey and Ben Haim as evidence plus a quote that they looked at 25 players over the summer. Commercial confidentiality means we don't get to hear the full story before or after, unless we actually sign a player so we can only judge on past performance. If we only land Ajdarevic and Watt from Liege next month and nobody else then we can draw our own conclusions about budgets and aspirations. This whole saga has been quite educational about the roles played by clubs and agents which is why it's great we have both a club network and a thriving academy (soon to be upgraded). This because it reduces our dependency on these people. Also makes it clear that getting business done early is a smart move to avoid last minute gambits, plus there's the small matter of getting back to winning ways, especially in the FA Cup.
I wonder how many of those 25 that Charlton looked at were vetoed by Standard Liege !
Sorry to add to the madness but I just can't see why we would bring in both when they are relatively similar to Igor. One, certainly. And a target man.
Sorry to add to the madness but I just can't see why we would bring in both when they are relatively similar to Igor. One, certainly. And a target man.
Sorry to add to the madness but I just can't see why we would bring in both when they are relatively similar to Igor. One, certainly. And a target man.
I'm not sure if we're going to see much business done in the way we'd like to this January. Clubs don't like spending money in January and I think RD might employ a similar approach to the previous winter of loans with network players being the most likely to arrive and I don't blame him as the January window is difficult to do business in. Even more inflated price tags get thrown around. If that is the case, I'd take Delort and Watt. We're not pushing the boat out for promotion just yet and a couple of additions should see us remain safely in mid-table. Reassess in the summer. I don't think similar players can't play together. If they develop an understanding together and are good enough, there's no reason why it can't work.
As we saw last season, if you mess up in the spring you lose season ticket holders and whatever you do to try to make amends over the summer they don't come back. The club cut prices, brought in some better players, fixed the pitch and still lost fans.
Perhaps this doesn't matter much in grand scheme of things - at least in revenue terms - but if we don't put on a credible show in the second half of the season then we are not going to build support. It's not just about safety from relegation. It's about creating a credible narrative for the future.
I'd sell Igor if Watt and Delort came in and scored 25+ goals between them between now and the end of the season, but we all know that's not going to happen
I have just found an interview with Delort that's just a couple of days old. My French is too rusty to translate directly, but this passage is relevant. He says he cannot go to France on loan, but I am not sure about the sentence at the beginning of the second paragraph. "Prete" (sorry no accents on this keyboard) Maybe somebody with better French and an understanding of the rules can take a look. But nowhere in this article does he discuss a loan anywhere, and certainly not to us. Nor does he mention any other club than Wigan in terms of the transfer. He says his personal choice was to stay in France another season, but with a Ligue 1 club, and to prove himself good enough for an FAPL club. Blatant stepping stone approach but probably not uncommon in truth. There is no evidence that he turned us down. There is no evidence that he even had that option. It was all about the Tours chairman, and what he wanted.
My only priority is to play . Many people do not seem to have understood yet, but I can not go back to France this winter , as I played with Tours in early season and Wigan . So I can not make more than three clubs with two movements abroad.
For simplicity, I can not be paid in England or French club can buy me for the end of season, but not now. The only possibility for me to come back in France is that I resign with Wigan .
I can translate this article for you, but since it's a quite a large one ... I'll start with the bit mentioning "for simplicity" 'cause it's not correct: It should be: For simplicity, I can only go on loan in England, or a French club can buy me, but only at the end of the season. Also, his coach states that his style is better suited for EPL, not Championship. He's someone who goes to find every inch of free space and is very technical. He even compares Delort with Wayne Rooney. But indeed Delort mentions again and again that he wants to play and not sit on the bench. He's used to play every match and now it's only now and then.
Hi, @skywalker. Thanks for the translation. I got the bit about him being more suited to the Premiership and nearly choked on my truffle:-)
I would like to ask you, if you ever heard anything about Delort, apart from on this forum? I read some talk on the Tours fans forum, also in French, that seemed to suggest Duchatelet had spoken to Tours about buying the entire club, but that's' the only place I read it. how would you rate a striker who scores a lot of goals in French league 2? The Tours fans themselves seem to think its a level below the English Championship (div. 2).
Sahko has not done too bad at West Ham, and he scored less goals in league 2than Delort did.
I think he may be the exception rather than the rule. Looking at the other high scoring strikers from Ligue 2 last season (based on the info I can find in English);
Andy Delort - flopped at Wigan who it appears are now trying to get shot (which I presume is the genesis of the big national newspapers running a story linking him away)
Mathieu Duhamel - stayed at Caen who were promoted and now has a 1/3 ratio in Ligue 1
Sakho - moved to West Ham and has done really well so far
Christian Bekamenga - stayed at Laval in Ligue 2 and has scored only four times this season (although it looks like he may have been injured as has only played 10 games)
Emiliano Sala - went back to play for his parent club Bordeaux in Ligue 1 and has only managed one goal
I honestly don't see enough of the division to know what quality it compares to in England but by no means would I assume that someone whose had one decent season there will be able to compete at a higher level, particularly I'm another country. I definitely wouldn't be gambling £3/4m on someone from that division as a Championshp club.
It's a very lengthy article and I found it actually very interesting. He states that he wanted another year in France (French premier league) and then perhaps go to EPL which is his dream. It was Tours' owner/president who was deperate to sell him at the highest price 'cause of the financial situation of Tours. Also they interviewed Shaun Maloney (not his coach - my mistake) and it's in fact his opinion that Delort is better suited for EPL. He went to see Everton against QPR and he saw that (in light of Delort's techical capabilities) having more space was better for Delort. Not the very physical kick & rush foorball of the Championship. It's again Maloney who says, although Delort is slightly smaller, his style is best compared to that of Wayne Rooney.
RD actually said he wanted to buy Tours (July was it ?), but I've never read that this was something else then saying he was prepared to put a lot of money on the table for Delort. After Delort's transfer with Wigan, nothing was mentioned of Tours ever again. The reason in my opinion he's getting a lot of attention again now is he was not A topscorer last year, he was THE topscorer of French 2nd tier and he played EVERY match. Now he plays with the reserves, sits on the bench and is really unhappy (well we all now that's a classic story ... ). So, to put in Delorts words, French 2nd Tier is levelled below the Championship, but it's also a completely different style of football. Again another reason IMO why he would have been better off in The Valley. Something else I wanted to mention: RD doesn't only sit on 650 million euro's, he also owns several companies. We had one guy (he owns KV Ostend) who just sold his company and gained 1,2 billion euro's and there was some talk in the media that very very very rich people should have an additional tax on this kind of income. Turns out ... if RD would sell a certain company (IT related) he would gain about 2,5 billion ! So, one never knows, maybe in the future ... he'll be able to buy Messi for you guys ! And another thing ... (while I'm at it) RD will not get rid of BP. Karel Feye (who heard bells ringing) just has to come up with reinforcements now (that's his job). So, please cheer up !
As we saw last season, if you mess up in the spring you lose season ticket holders and whatever you do to try to make amends over the summer they don't come back. The club cut prices, brought in some better players, fixed the pitch and still lost fans.
Perhaps this doesn't matter much in grand scheme of things - at least in revenue terms - but if we don't put on a credible show in the second half of the season then we are not going to build support. It's not just about safety from relegation. It's about creating a credible narrative for the future.
I really agree with this.Lack of proper reinforcements could well see a continuation of the relegation form of the last 12 games. Crowds will shrink,the team will continue its downward slide and promises of summer reinforcements will be seen as cynical. You cannot treat supporters as fools any more. RD's regime is facing a major test over the next month.
@skywalker That's all very interesting, thanks a lot
Regarding RD, that is also very interesting, his potential personal wealth figure. We had understood that his €650m was the value of his personal stake in the companies he owns. You say that this figure is just a personal cash pile and that he has additional stakes in his companies too? That is indeed pretty impressive.
Mind you we also understand that he doesn't want to splash the cash on football like a Russian oligarch. He seems to be motivated to show you can be successful in football without using up your personal wealth; and it seems that like many very rich people, he can be a tight ass. Isn't it true that he refuses to own a dishwasher? Is this your impression too?
Well many people have said this, but we are going to learn a lot during January about RD and his plans for both Charlton and Standard
You are not yourself Standard, are you, if I recall?
I like that RD won't splash the cash stupidly, it's a disease in English football that money is the only answer. Rather not financially dope like Bournemouth
Nope, Royal Antwerp FC here (founded by British students as oldest club in Belgium, hence No 1 in it's crest). I really think (also in Belgian media) there's no such thing as SL as a "sister club" (Anyway I hope so, 'cause Liège to us, is as Sheffield to you I gather ). You never hear RD stating something in this regard. However, look at Wigan and Delort now. They kinda wasted all these millions on Delort, whilst RD would have a lot of other possibilities to find a perhaps better spot for a player. Also, you heard RD is/was also a politician. He's got some peculiar ideas, but he's certainly not the Russian- style oligarch, splashing money around on yachts and Italian sportscars. Anyway, if RD doesn't invest a little bit now in Charlton, that would surprise me a lot...
Basically, it says that he is rumoured to be joining us on loan, so nothing new or concrete and doesn't appear to qualify the rumours by citing a source. Looks like hearsay.
Basically, it says that he is rumoured to be joining us on loan, so nothing new or concrete and doesn't appear to qualify the rumours by citing a source. Looks like hearsay.
Rumour-hearsay-possibly.
I tend to switch off when I see those words, particularly on fans forums!
Comments
Also, his coach states that his style is better suited for EPL, not Championship. He's someone who goes to find every inch of free space and is very technical. He even compares Delort with Wayne Rooney.
But indeed Delort mentions again and again that he wants to play and not sit on the bench. He's used to play every match and now it's only now and then.
Commercial confidentiality means we don't get to hear the full story before or after, unless we actually sign a player so we can only judge on past performance.
If we only land Ajdarevic and Watt from Liege next month and nobody else then we can draw our own conclusions about budgets and aspirations.
This whole saga has been quite educational about the roles played by clubs and agents which is why it's great we have both a club network and a thriving academy (soon to be upgraded). This because it reduces our dependency on these people. Also makes it clear that getting business done early is a smart move to avoid last minute gambits, plus there's the small matter of getting back to winning ways, especially in the FA Cup.
Out - Igor?
Sorry to add to the madness but I just can't see why we would bring in both when they are relatively similar to Igor. One, certainly. And a target man.
Perhaps this doesn't matter much in grand scheme of things - at least in revenue terms - but if we don't put on a credible show in the second half of the season then we are not going to build support. It's not just about safety from relegation. It's about creating a credible narrative for the future.
I would like to ask you, if you ever heard anything about Delort, apart from on this forum? I read some talk on the Tours fans forum, also in French, that seemed to suggest Duchatelet had spoken to Tours about buying the entire club, but that's' the only place I read it. how would you rate a striker who scores a lot of goals in French league 2? The Tours fans themselves seem to think its a level below the English Championship (div. 2).
Andy Delort - flopped at Wigan who it appears are now trying to get shot (which I presume is the genesis of the big national newspapers running a story linking him away)
Mathieu Duhamel - stayed at Caen who were promoted and now has a 1/3 ratio in Ligue 1
Sakho - moved to West Ham and has done really well so far
Christian Bekamenga - stayed at Laval in Ligue 2 and has scored only four times this season (although it looks like he may have been injured as has only played 10 games)
Emiliano Sala - went back to play for his parent club Bordeaux in Ligue 1 and has only managed one goal
I honestly don't see enough of the division to know what quality it compares to in England but by no means would I assume that someone whose had one decent season there will be able to compete at a higher level, particularly I'm another country. I definitely wouldn't be gambling £3/4m on someone from that division as a Championshp club.
RD actually said he wanted to buy Tours (July was it ?), but I've never read that this was something else then saying he was prepared to put a lot of money on the table for Delort. After Delort's transfer with Wigan, nothing was mentioned of Tours ever again. The reason in my opinion he's getting a lot of attention again now is he was not A topscorer last year, he was THE topscorer of French 2nd tier and he played EVERY match. Now he plays with the reserves, sits on the bench and is really unhappy (well we all now that's a classic story ... ). So, to put in Delorts words, French 2nd Tier is levelled below the Championship, but it's also a completely different style of football. Again another reason IMO why he would have been better off in The Valley.
Something else I wanted to mention: RD doesn't only sit on 650 million euro's, he also owns several companies. We had one guy (he owns KV Ostend) who just sold his company and gained 1,2 billion euro's and there was some talk in the media that very very very rich people should have an additional tax on this kind of income. Turns out ... if RD would sell a certain company (IT related) he would gain about 2,5 billion ! So, one never knows, maybe in the future ... he'll be able to buy Messi for you guys ! And another thing ... (while I'm at it) RD will not get rid of BP. Karel Feye (who heard bells ringing) just has to come up with reinforcements now (that's his job). So, please cheer up !
You cannot treat supporters as fools any more. RD's regime is facing a major test over the next month.
That's all very interesting, thanks a lot
Regarding RD, that is also very interesting, his potential personal wealth figure. We had understood that his €650m was the value of his personal stake in the companies he owns. You say that this figure is just a personal cash pile and that he has additional stakes in his companies too? That is indeed pretty impressive.
Mind you we also understand that he doesn't want to splash the cash on football like a Russian oligarch. He seems to be motivated to show you can be successful in football without using up your personal wealth; and it seems that like many very rich people, he can be a tight ass. Isn't it true that he refuses to own a dishwasher? Is this your impression too?
Well many people have said this, but we are going to learn a lot during January about RD and his plans for both Charlton and Standard
You are not yourself Standard, are you, if I recall?
I really think (also in Belgian media) there's no such thing as SL as a "sister club" (Anyway I hope so, 'cause Liège to us, is as Sheffield to you I gather
Anyway, if RD doesn't invest a little bit now in Charlton, that would surprise me a lot...
Sign him now bob!
I tend to switch off when I see those words, particularly on fans forums!