Gassan Ahadme - Aug 2025 gone on a season long loan to Stevenage

Bailey said:

You would have thought a lesson would have been learned with the Chuk's deal. Everybody be it a footballer or us ordinary joe's are looking for long term security and a four year deal is as long term as you can get in the pro football world. Where I think it creates an issue is what does this length of deal do to the players mentality, 'I'm secure for four years even if I get injured or play like a dog' . I might be wrong but have we seen Chuk's make more appearances this season even though it has been from the bench ?  

redbuttle said:

wmcf123 said:

RC_CAFC said:

wmcf123 said:

fenaddick said:

There must be something in his numbers that's promising as that's two upwardly mobile clubs (us and Ipswich) who have taken a punt on him, it just doesn't translate onto the pitch where he doesn't look up to it really

Ipswich’s scouting was just as bad as ours evidently , given the dross we’ve acquired from them over recent years .  

What I’d give for Ipswich’s dross scouting over the last 3 years that’s lead to them climbing to the premier league.

Indeed, indeed.  But they’ve given us 5 duds, of which Fraser was the best, which says it all .  Admittedly they gave us Bent and Hreidarsson .  

You forgot captain clean shorts(Matt Holland).

Garrymanilow said:

Bailey said:

You would have thought a lesson would have been learned with the Chuk's deal. Everybody be it a footballer or us ordinary joe's are looking for long term security and a four year deal is as long term as you can get in the pro football world. Where I think it creates an issue is what does this length of deal do to the players mentality, 'I'm secure for four years even if I get injured or play like a dog' . I might be wrong but have we seen Chuk's make more appearances this season even though it has been from the bench ?  

The thing is any contract is always a gamble whether it's short or long. You know what would have been really great? Giving Lyle Taylor 4 years, or at least 3. We would have stayed in the Championship if we'd given him 3, but instead Roland didn't like to take the risk in case the signing failed and one good season from a player puts them in the shop window. Imagine if instead of signing Thierry Small on a short term deal we'd offered him 2.5 years. Josh Edwards also signed on a 4 year deal this year, from a Scottish Championship side; we're pretty chuffed about that though aren't we? We signed Coventry on a 3.5 year deal. Thank god for that. I don't think anyone would fault them for effort on the pitch either. The reality is that Ahadme was signed with the hope and the expectation that he would be good; if you pay a decent fee for a player then you are an idiot if you don't make the contract length long enough to protect your investment. If Ahadme had done what we'd hoped, been a good target man and been part of our push for promotion we would be fending off interest protected by a further 3 years on his deal, meaning that at the very least we'd get a good fee. 

As it is the signing hasn't worked out but if you get it wrong and offer too short a deal you end up in a situation where a player like Taylor, Ricky Holmes, CBT, or very nearly Lloyd Jones can be ripped out of your squad without you being able to do much of anything about it. Under Roland every contract was short so the good left quickly with the bad, under Sandgaard we somehow gave the better players 2 year deals and the likes of Kirk and Aneke longer deals, but we've got it mostly right so far under the current ownership. Not every transfer is going to work out but I'd rather have the investment protected on the expectation that it will work than get our best players nicked on the cheap like we used to every season under Roland.

Garrymanilow said:

Bailey said:

You would have thought a lesson would have been learned with the Chuk's deal. Everybody be it a footballer or us ordinary joe's are looking for long term security and a four year deal is as long term as you can get in the pro football world. Where I think it creates an issue is what does this length of deal do to the players mentality, 'I'm secure for four years even if I get injured or play like a dog' . I might be wrong but have we seen Chuk's make more appearances this season even though it has been from the bench ?  

The thing is any contract is always a gamble whether it's short or long. You know what would have been really great? Giving Lyle Taylor 4 years, or at least 3. We would have stayed in the Championship if we'd given him 3, but instead Roland didn't like to take the risk in case the signing failed and one good season from a player puts them in the shop window. Imagine if instead of signing Thierry Small on a short term deal we'd offered him 2.5 years. Josh Edwards also signed on a 4 year deal this year, from a Scottish Championship side; we're pretty chuffed about that though aren't we? We signed Coventry on a 3.5 year deal. Thank god for that. I don't think anyone would fault them for effort on the pitch either. The reality is that Ahadme was signed with the hope and the expectation that he would be good; if you pay a decent fee for a player then you are an idiot if you don't make the contract length long enough to protect your investment. If Ahadme had done what we'd hoped, been a good target man and been part of our push for promotion we would be fending off interest protected by a further 3 years on his deal, meaning that at the very least we'd get a good fee. 

As it is the signing hasn't worked out but if you get it wrong and offer too short a deal you end up in a situation where a player like Taylor, Ricky Holmes, CBT, or very nearly Lloyd Jones can be ripped out of your squad without you being able to do much of anything about it. Under Roland every contract was short so the good left quickly with the bad, under Sandgaard we somehow gave the better players 2 year deals and the likes of Kirk and Aneke longer deals, but we've got it mostly right so far under the current ownership. Not every transfer is going to work out but I'd rather have the investment protected on the expectation that it will work than get our best players nicked on the cheap like we used to every season under Roland.

ElfsborgAddick said:

Athletico Charlton said:

I doubt he is on that much money albeit he may not get the same elsewhere.  Depends how much he values a short football career. He is still young. If he backs himself he is better off leaving and starting fresh even on less money than rotting in the reserves here.  If he doesn't back himself he will sit around on his contract with us like Kirk and Fraser did.

A cracking post and a fair shout.  What is Kirk doing nowadays?

Redhenry said:

fenaddick said:

MarcusH26 said:

I'd love to know the scouting process here , it's obvious he wasn't the number 1 target as that seemed to be Theo Bair from Motherwell but we got outbid there by Auxerre. I just don't see what he really offers , isn't especially great in the air even if most of his goals for Cambridge were headers we've only seen it at the wrong end. 

I know Jones has always had physical powerful strikers in his sides but Ahadme just feels like a complete dud. 

I don't want to write him off completely but recruitment is always a bit of a lottery. Out of all the signings in the summer only he and Campbell could be seen as bad ones, that's a pretty good hit rate really. On paper I get why we signed him, on the pitch he hasn't lived up to it.

It shouldn't be...

carly burn said:

I think he's been a bit unlucky with the style of play Jones eventually went with. 
It means he's soley competing with Godden.
However, The fact we've got so many injuries up top and he's not even making the bench is telling 

NabySarr said:

AndyG said:

Does anyone seriously think he will be here next season ? Unfortunately we will end up paying his contract off and he will be off

Might be the eventual outcome but first we will subsidise some of his wages and ship him out on loan next season, in hope that if he scores a few goals again someone might take him off our hands 

sm said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

Athletico Charlton said:

I doubt he is on that much money albeit he may not get the same elsewhere.  Depends how much he values a short football career. He is still young. If he backs himself he is better off leaving and starting fresh even on less money than rotting in the reserves here.  If he doesn't back himself he will sit around on his contract with us like Kirk and Fraser did.

A cracking post and a fair shout.  What is Kirk doing nowadays?

Underwhelming Barrow.

ElfsborgAddick said:

Athletico Charlton said:

sm said:

ElfsborgAddick said:

Athletico Charlton said:

I doubt he is on that much money albeit he may not get the same elsewhere.  Depends how much he values a short football career. He is still young. If he backs himself he is better off leaving and starting fresh even on less money than rotting in the reserves here.  If he doesn't back himself he will sit around on his contract with us like Kirk and Fraser did.

A cracking post and a fair shout.  What is Kirk doing nowadays?

Underwhelming Barrow.

I believe he played 7 games for them and is to be out of contract again end of June.  You are soon forgotten in football.

If GA thinks he has the ability to make it, sitting for 3 years doing nothing with us will not help him further his career when his contract comes up; and Jones is the sort of manager that I could see giving him that ultimatum.. ie, we want you to leave, we won't loan you out and you won't play again for us so suggest, politely, you find another club.

Perhaps if we cut our losses on the transfer fee, he could make a few quid and we do not lose so much into the bargain.
Both parties happy?