Last week, multiple reports claimed that Liverpool had agreed a first-look option to sign Derby midfielder Will Hughes, but what are the chances that he'll leave the club for Liverpool or Manchester United during the January transfer window?
According to Derby County chief executive, Sam Rush, 18-year old Hughes is going nowhere. He told The Independent today:
"I don't feel commercially it is the right time [for Hughes to leave]
“Is it right for the player? Has he maximised his contribution to the club?
"Is he at the height of his potential in income you can generate? The answer to all three is no.”
Liverpool are definitely interested in Hughes; Reds boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed this in his pre-Everton press conference a couple of months ago:
"I read that we’d put in an offer [for Hughes], but there’s nothing further from the truth. He’s a wonderful talent. We’re always looking for talent, and he along with many others is one that we’ve looked at".
I watched Hughes in Derby's FA Cup defeat to Chelsea over the weekend, and he looked totally at-ease against Mourinho's mega-stars. He constantly wanted the ball; seemed very comfortable in possession, and it was clear that his team-mates had immense trust in his ability to keep the ball and make things happen.
The €14m-rated midfielder didn't influence the game a great deal, and he seemed a little lightweight at times (understandable given his tender years), but he most certainly didn't look out of place.
In my view, the ideal scenario is to buy Hughes and then loan him back to Derby for the rest of the season, and even perhaps for next season. He is still developing, and there is absolutely no point in signing Hughes and then letting him fester on the bench like Alberto, or languish in the reserves like Tiago Ilori.
With Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Lucas, and Joe Allen in the squad, there's very little chance that Hughes will get regular playing time. In all probability, he'll get the odd 10-minute cameo appearance every now and then, which is a world away from his current situation at Derby, where he plays practically every game.
Like Tom Ince - a player who left LFC precisely because he'd rather play than sit on the bench - Hughes is getting great experience at a good level of football, and if he has any sense, he'll stay at Pride Park for the foreseeable future.
One thing is clear, however: Rush sees Hughes as a financially viable commodity. Money talks in football, and if Liverpool, or some other club, comes in with a bumper offer, he will almost certainly sanction a transfer.
Author: Jaimie K
According to Derby County chief executive, Sam Rush, 18-year old Hughes is going nowhere. He told The Independent today:
"I don't feel commercially it is the right time [for Hughes to leave]
“Is it right for the player? Has he maximised his contribution to the club?
"Is he at the height of his potential in income you can generate? The answer to all three is no.”
Liverpool are definitely interested in Hughes; Reds boss Brendan Rodgers confirmed this in his pre-Everton press conference a couple of months ago:
"I read that we’d put in an offer [for Hughes], but there’s nothing further from the truth. He’s a wonderful talent. We’re always looking for talent, and he along with many others is one that we’ve looked at".
I watched Hughes in Derby's FA Cup defeat to Chelsea over the weekend, and he looked totally at-ease against Mourinho's mega-stars. He constantly wanted the ball; seemed very comfortable in possession, and it was clear that his team-mates had immense trust in his ability to keep the ball and make things happen.
The €14m-rated midfielder didn't influence the game a great deal, and he seemed a little lightweight at times (understandable given his tender years), but he most certainly didn't look out of place.
In my view, the ideal scenario is to buy Hughes and then loan him back to Derby for the rest of the season, and even perhaps for next season. He is still developing, and there is absolutely no point in signing Hughes and then letting him fester on the bench like Alberto, or languish in the reserves like Tiago Ilori.
With Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Lucas, and Joe Allen in the squad, there's very little chance that Hughes will get regular playing time. In all probability, he'll get the odd 10-minute cameo appearance every now and then, which is a world away from his current situation at Derby, where he plays practically every game.
Like Tom Ince - a player who left LFC precisely because he'd rather play than sit on the bench - Hughes is getting great experience at a good level of football, and if he has any sense, he'll stay at Pride Park for the foreseeable future.
One thing is clear, however: Rush sees Hughes as a financially viable commodity. Money talks in football, and if Liverpool, or some other club, comes in with a bumper offer, he will almost certainly sanction a transfer.
Author: Jaimie K
Hughes is a must buy spurs and arsenal have benefited from these kind of deals in the past and Henderson price tag looks justified now, like you said the loan back option for a year would suit everybody.
ReplyDeleteYup, buy and loan back would be a good option I think.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt a Prem team will sign him at some point. So why not us.
These Championship chairmen make me despair sometimes. How many times have they kept their star asset beyond the natural time for him to leave, only to see his form decline?
ReplyDeleteInce is a good example. Blackpool could have got, what 6 million for him a year ago. Would they get half that now? Would anyone be interested? Ince looks like he's phoning it in sometimes; and he struggles to impact games when he looks to do so. It'll take time for him to recoup his game, and by then he won't be a promising youngster anymore but rather a player shaped by Championship football; another quick forward with half-a-trick, a cross, and an eye for opportunities to apply pressure with pace -- but no more than that.
The Championship is so competitive that a team can slide from the top six to the bottom ten in the second half of the season in the blink of an eye. Suddenly your star player looks ordinary as those around him lose form, get injured, the striker's goals dry up. Your mini-Messi loses value, he loses confidence, and suddenly his development is derailed, his promise broken.
The window in which a player can push on from exciting talent to the first step on the ladder to becoming an elite performer sometimes closes very quickly, and moving at the right moment is crucial; it comes too late equally often as too soon. Derby, and Hughes, can't afford to miss the chance. Southampton didn't restrain Walcott, Chamberlain, and Bale. Derby should upload Hughes while there's still a buzz about him, while his form is still good, give him something to use as he makes the first difficult steps towards establishing himself as a top-flight midfielder.
In other words, give us Will Hughes you tight bastard. This week please!
Oh, and what did you think of Wisdom's performance, Jaimie? He seemed to be enjoying himself, looked fit and strong. I was interested to see him get so narrow against Oscar, too; seemed to work pretty well and he had the discipline to keep the ploy up.
ReplyDeleteYes, agree with you re Wisdom. He looked comfortable and strong against Oscar et al. Playing regularly is clearly doing him good. I reckon we've seen the last of him, though. He'll probably go there full time, or be included in a deal for Hughes.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I think he'll be a very, very good player in five or six years time, given the right experience. He's probably the best of the English defenders I've seen in his age group -- not saying much, but there it is.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we might keep loaning him out for a season or two longer. See if he can secure a premiership loan next season, then bring him back to LFC to compete for a first team spot in 15/16. We're yet to see much evidence of how Rodgers intends to use the loan system -- I do hope it's not just as a shop-window. We'll know more this summer.
I know its a period when the magazines love to write and speculate and make up stories but really its disgusting. Every TW lfc is linked with hundred players or even more and we end up signing two or three, thats a disgrace to the media. I would never eat from those money that people been lying for. Six days the tw started and were linked to: salah, hughes, badu, kalou, bertrand, mata, rakitic, delle alli, alonso, mascherano, tello, montoya. Thats all I can remember, im sure there are more tho. This is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIt's that time isn't it?! After all the fuss they made with Mhyktaryan, I can no longer trust football news sources. They said it was all done and dusted but alas, we didn't even speak to him.
ReplyDeleteSalah is the most likely probably.
So he's being played as a RB?
ReplyDeleteWe should have bought Walcott and Chamberlain!
ReplyDeleteI see your point. At the same time I do understand what their coach is saying.
ReplyDeleteThe best deal would him going back on loan, especially if they get promoted. For now he is definitely a talent.
At time though, player make the step to soon and get lost. At the same time others have done really well given time, Walcott and Bale.
My thoughts exactly! Remember Stewart Downing at Middlesborough!!!
ReplyDeleteHe may be lightweight now but he looks to have a decent frame to build upon. How did Wisdom do in the game?
ReplyDeleteWe all know what Bale was like when he joined Tottenham don't we? He wasn't that great and some Tottenham fans even wanted him to leave. It goes to show what few years learning at a top club can do for you. Lucas anyone?
ReplyDeleteDid you see the picture of Mhyktaryan in a hotel in London a few days before is signed for Dortmund? That added even more to the heartbreak for me.
ReplyDeleteThat would be my first choice. If Deby gets promoted then makes sense extending his loan with them. If everyone is happy that can only help.
ReplyDeleteFor me your all missing the point of buying Hughes in the first place & that's to replace Gerrard. In order to do that he needs to learn from the man directly, by playing along side him & seeing how he does it 'in the flesh' so to speak but we all know Stevie's on his last legs & if we reach his retirement without someone ready as his successor, you'll all be screaming blue murder!! So imo Hughes should be put straight into the squad now just to train with the man & benefit from all the words of wisdom that only come to light in the moment!! As long as Brendan gives him game time here & there 6 months of training with a top Prem 1st team will benefit him & us more than the hustle & bustle of the Championship. Next season (if Derby get promoted & Gerrard retires) he should be loaned back to them for the season but if they don't, we should loan him to a club in the Prem & once completed, Hughes should be put back into the squad to find his feet & compete for the first team. At the moment though, i'm not sure we'll even bid for him!
ReplyDeleteYNWA
Yup!
ReplyDeleteBut the interesting thing at the weekend was that he went very narrow when Chelsea were attacking, taking up a spot pretty much where you'd expect the right-sided centre back to be. I don't know if that's Derby's usual tactic, to pack the centre of the box, but it worked quite well. It meant that Wisdom could come out carefully to push the player attacking the box with the ball at his feet, usually Oscar, out of the penalty area and back up the pitch. It also meant he avoided getting turned or cut out of the game early in the move. It was hard for Oscar to shoot or cross early with Wisdom still in front of him and no obvious bodies to aim for in the box.
Anyway, Andre looked comfortable doing that, and I was impressed with his cool-headedness. Hard for most defenders not to try and rush the winger in order to brutalise him in that situation, and to resist getting tight, as mostly they are told to do from when they are kids.
He made one (that I can remember) big surge forward into the box when Derby were in need of a goal, beat one player for pace, then one with a change of feet, and won a corner. Like a boss, as they say. He's a class act.
You know, for years I've been reading that we need to replace Gerrard at some stage and for years I've agreed with that. But the reality is, you cannot replace Gerrard. Just like you cannot replace Carragher. Like Man United can not replace Best, Charlton or Cantona. Like Everton cannot replace...errrr...well anyway. What we need to do is make sure we have a good team. With a couple of fantastic midfielders. They don't need to be a copy of Gerrard. Only Gerrard can make a copy of Gerrard and even that won't work because they'd be half Alex and he can only make girls anyway. We have to move away from the idea that our best players, or even the best players in the world, are so unique that only a year long quest can lead to finding a player just as unique. At some stage, not too long ago, we rightfully claimed we had the best midfield in the world. Now there are a couple of other clubs that can claim they do and none of those clubs have Gerrard in their midfield. Gerrard is unique to our club for his loyalty, his roots and his meaning to the club far beyond what he does on the pitch. When he retires, we need to make sure we bring in someone sensational. A big name. A big money signing. Not to replace him, but to maintain the high quality of our first eleven.
ReplyDeletebusiness seems slow :((
ReplyDeleteI just hope we don't miss out on Salah because of being cheap again. Just sign players FSG.
ReplyDeleteWe should have signed Bony instead of Aspas. I'm having a bad time at the moment with the club. We need 3 new quality players at the moment.
ReplyDelete'Like Everton cannot replace...errrr...well anyway'- made me laugh
ReplyDeleteI don't know who will Hughes has for an agent but he's doing a great job. I thought we was pretty poor to be honest. Kept giving the ball away, went sideways and backwards, he looked very very ordinary. As for wisdom, again I must have been watching a different game to other comments, but he was still giving the ball away, still getting himself cornered whilst in possession, and still dreadful with his reading of the game.
ReplyDeleteAnd where is Tom Ince now?
ReplyDeleteYes JK I watched that game also. What impressed me was the other Derby players deferred to Hughes and were happy for him to dictate play. Their confidence in him speaks volumes. More so than what any scout may say. He is definitely one for the future and LFC have done the right thing by getting a toe in the door on any future purchase. IMO Derby will not sell him if they are promoted. They can build a team around him. If they fail to get promoted he will be coming to LFC. I think it's Derby who don't want to do business on him at this time and LFC to their credit have at least got some agreement on him. It will all depend on whether Derby get promoted.
ReplyDeleteYes it's the transfer fee that's holding this one up.
ReplyDeleteYou're missing the point. Derby are not going to sell him right now. It's not a failure on LFCs part he's just not for sale. LFC have done what they can to at least have an option. Think logically if you're a Derby Manager or fan there is no way you would let Will Hughes leave now. Wait until the end of season if Derby aren't promoted he will come to us 100%.
ReplyDeleteWisdom started well but ended up very average.
ReplyDeleteBuy Hughes this January with an automatic loan back clause. Then we can decide to renew at the start of next season or extend six months at a time. In the meantime, still need a mid with pace and box to box mentality and skill set.
ReplyDeleteWisdom got loaned to derby and there were extensive talks about agreements between the clubs. I reckon Liverpool will be the club he goes to.
ReplyDelete