Bridcutt Readings radar

[Ninja Elephant]

Bridcutt is a Premier League player, and if we don't go up this season I would like him to go to a Premier League club. It would massively weaken us and I'd be gutted to see him leave, but he's such a good player and he deserves to be in the Premier League asap. He would be better off doing it with us, and I really hope he agrees with that sentiment. But if we don't go up, realistically I think it would best for his career to move on and I wouldn't begrudge him leaving.

Naturally, I want him to stay, but this is a guy with the potential to play for a top 4 club in my opinion and as a club I think we'd be wrong to hold him back for any reason.

 

[Steve.S]

Bridcutt is a Premier League player, and if we don't go up this season I would like him to go to a Premier League club. It would massively weaken us and I'd be gutted to see him leave, but he's such a good player and he deserves to be in the Premier League asap. He would be better off doing it with us, and I really hope he agrees with that sentiment. But if we don't go up, realistically I think it would best for his career to move on and I wouldn't begrudge him leaving.

Naturally, I want him to stay, but this is a guy with the potential to play for a top 4 club in my opinion and as a club I think we'd be wrong to hold him back for any reason.

How much do you think he is worth? 5/6 million

 

[MattBackHome]

Wot no Alexis Bertin.

 

[James Bond's body double]

How much do you think he is worth? 5/6 million

Yes don't think we should entertain anything under 5, and if he is going to leave letting bidding war begin an get as much a possible. But think he will stay until the summer unless we go up.

 

[Steve.S]

Yes don't think we should entertain anything under 5, and if he is going to leave letting bidding war begin an get as much a possible. But think he will stay until the summer unless we go up.

I agree he will not go in this window, if we want to challenge for playoffs we need him.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Bridcutt could have had longer at Chelsea but wanted regular football. They told him they thought he might be a little small to hold down a regular place in the Premiership. He and his partner are very happy in Brighton and don't want to go anywhere. He visits family and friends in Reading quite regularly ( understandable, he was born and brought up there in the same area as Mullins, Soares x2 and Bartley )
He lives in Brighton. ( Reading are not sniffing...Norwich are. )

 

[Lady Whistledown]

he was born and brought up there in the same area as Mullins, Soares x2

Ah yes, those well known third rate footballers (Birmingham reserves, Bury & Aldsrshot, no?)

 

[Monkey Man]

Amazing how many headers he wins for a small guy, and how strong he seems against much bigger players. Some players are hampered by a lack of height, but in Liam's case it just isn't an issue these days.

 

[u'vebeenamexed]

Bridcutt is a Premier League player, and if we don't go up this season I would like him to go to a Premier League club. It would massively weaken us and I'd be gutted to see him leave, but he's such a good player and he deserves to be in the Premier League asap. He would be better off doing it with us, and I really hope he agrees with that sentiment. But if we don't go up, realistically I think it would best for his career to move on and I wouldn't begrudge him leaving.

Naturally, I want him to stay, but this is a guy with the potential to play for a top 4 club in my opinion and as a club I think we'd be wrong to hold him back for any reason.

Can't agree with you on this Ninja. That's a bit of a Palace mentality.

We need to be convincing players like Liam that he can achieve Premiership status with us. The remaining games of this season are so important for us as a Club as success (reaching the playoffs or better) will enable us to hang onto our better players. If we put in great performances and don't achieve promotion then players will be happy to stay & give it a go next season but if we slip away meekly like last year then holding onto players will be very difficult.

 

[Triggaaar]

No chance he'll go to Reading. What's the point spending all the money we are on the rest of the team if we're to let the centre go.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

How much do you think he is worth? 5/6 million

I would say £5million. He is worth that to us, and he is worth that as a player. He WILL be a top midfielder, there's no doubt about that at all in my opinion so there's little risk involved for the buying club. He's a fantastic investment. I just hope we go up, because then we don't need to sell him. He'd be better off staying here if we go up, he'd play every game, he'd gain valuable experience and then he could progress up the league. He is CLASS.

Can't agree with you on this Ninja. That's a bit of a Palace mentality.

We need to be convincing players like Liam that he can achieve Premiership status with us. The remaining games of this season are so important for us as a Club as success (reaching the playoffs or better) will enable us to hang onto our better players. If we put in great performances and don't achieve promotion then players will be happy to stay & give it a go next season but if we slip away meekly like last year then holding onto players will be very difficult.

It's a difficult one for me, because I'm torn between wanting to keep him as he's the best holding midfielder in the league by a country mile and also not wanting us to be greedy and block his career. Sometimes you can justify it, if it's in the best interest of the player and the club combined but I honestly feel that in this case, the player has outgrown this level of football. Like Zaha at Palace for a comparison, he is too good for this level and in that case, he would probably be too good for the club even if they did go up.

I wouldn't dream of selling him now though, just to clarify, but if we don't go up this season I think he's going to have a decision to make and I wouldn't hold it against him if he felt in order to keep progressing he needed to move on. I think he's Premier League class right now and I think our best chance of keeping him is to go up this season, smple as that. Anything less and I doubt he'd be here next season.

 

[Betfair Bozo]

Bridcutt is a Premier League player, and if we don't go up this season I would like him to go to a Premier League club. It would massively weaken us and I'd be gutted to see him leave, but he's such a good player and he deserves to be in the Premier League asap. He would be better off doing it with us, and I really hope he agrees with that sentiment. But if we don't go up, realistically I think it would best for his career to move on and I wouldn't begrudge him leaving.

Naturally, I want him to stay, but this is a guy with the potential to play for a top 4 club in my opinion and as a club I think we'd be wrong to hold him back for any reason.

Well, if you are correct in your assessment then he has to be worth circa £10m. No-one will pay anything close to that. So I hope he stays. Regarding his career, he didn't really have one when Chelsea released him and the likes of Palace rejected him so one would like to think that he feels some gratitude towards Gus and the club. He is only 23 so it's not like he is in the last chance saloon for that big money move.

 

[MattBackHome]

it would be terrible for the team if he were to go anywhere. As well as being our best player, I'd say he's also our 'most irreplaceable'. Having said that I wouldn't begrudge him a move to the Prem if we weren't to go up. Provided, that is, that he'd go somewhere better than Reading or Norwich.

If an Everton came in for him I think you'd have to be a pretty hard-hearted Albion fan not to say "Thanks for everything & all the best".

 

[Betfair Bozo]

It's not a question of hard heartedness, it's commerce. If Everton (or anyone else) offered £3m then the answer should be no. Just as the answer should have been no to Norwich for Bennett at £1.5m as we may then have got nearer the £3.5m they paid for Pilkington, post broken leg and all, to Hudds. Gus has stated that we have been a soft touch in the recent past and this can't go on. And he is right, especially with FFP.

 

[The Camel]

I've been thinking about this, Bridders is in a tough spot, assuming he's enjoying life with BHA.

- He wants to play at the top level.
- He wants to do that with Brighton, why would you leave when things are this good.
- He's contracted to do that (2015)
- But he can have it now and Tony gets big wodge of cash.
- Chances are he'll still have offers in 2015, but no Albion cash.
- Any move now and he won't be the fulcrum of the new team.

It's not like most transfers, what with his importance to us.
All the time he stays his actual value to us will decrease, while his physical value is likely to increase.

Can you explain what you meant by the bolded point?

 

[MattBackHome]

It's not a question of hard heartedness, it's commerce. If Everton (or anyone else) offered £3m then the answer should be no. Just as the answer should have been no to Norwich for Bennett at £1.5m as we may then have got nearer the £3.5m they paid for Pilkington, post broken leg and all, to Hudds. Gus has stated that we have been a soft touch in the recent past and this can't go on. And he is right, especially with FFP.

Yeah - I agree with that. Everything I posted above is dependant on us getting an appropriate price for him.

 

[SockMonster]

I just cant see him going in this window. As good as he is- and I do think he is our best midfielder for many years- I don't see him as enough of a "short term fix" type of player for a premier league club. For me that tends to be the type of player clubs look for in January. A striker, a winger that's maybe gonna give you another option etc. In other words the type of player who is going to turn your season around. Bridcutt is brilliant but with the type of position he plays he needs time to knit into a team and also how many teams play with his type of position? A move in close season seems much more likely to a team who want a player that plays just in front of the back four and who then can give him the time to establish himself.
Basically if we get promoted he will stay. If not then for the right money he will move but only in August.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Well, if you are correct in your assessment then he has to be worth circa £10m. No-one will pay anything close to that. So I hope he stays. Regarding his career, he didn't really have one when Chelsea released him and the likes of Palace rejected him so one would like to think that he feels some gratitude towards Gus and the club. He is only 23 so it's not like he is in the last chance saloon for that big money move.

He's not worth that now, no. Not in the Championship. He will easily be worth that but you can't justify it at the moment. Bigger money is paid for attacking players, that's how the market works. I honestly think £5million would be the right price for him at the moment and I think if we were offered that, we should do as we did in the Noone situation and sell the player with our best wishes. I wouldn't sell to Reading, they wouldn't pay that much and it wouldn't be a big progression overall. It would be Premier League experience, no question about that and I can see it being attractive should Bridcutt WANT to leave. I don't think he would want to jump at the first opportunity anyway.

 

[Betfair Bozo]

He's not worth that now, no. Not in the Championship. He will easily be worth that but you can't justify it at the moment. Bigger money is paid for attacking players, that's how the market works.

It's difficult to make the case either way, primarily as I am struggling to think of a holding midfielder who has been sold from the C'ship to the Premier League recently. Anyone?

Joe Allen, who is a similar type of player but weaker defensively, went for £15m after 1 season in the Prem. Liam has shown he can cope against Arsenal and he utterly outclassed Newcastle's 2nd choice midfield. He is young and British. When talking comparative values, clubs have paid a whole lot more (than £5m) for a whole let less.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

It's difficult to make the case either way, primarily as I am struggling to think of a holding midfielder who has been sold from the C'ship to the Premier League recently. Anyone?

Joe Allen, who is a similar type of player but weaker defensively, went for £15m after 1 season in the Prem. Liam has shown he can cope against Arsenal and he utterly outclassed Newcastle's 2nd choice midfield. He is young and British. When talking comparative values, clubs have paid a whole lot more (than £5m) for a whole let less.

There aren't any I can think of either. Technically you could perhaps argue James Perch who went from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle for £1.5million. But he's DIRE. In SO many ways.

Joe Allen is a very different type of player, but quoting his price is extremely relevant because it really is top dollar and as you say, he's only had 1 season in the Premier League. I think it's a perfect example of prices being overinflated when you play in the Premier League and do reasonably well. He's about the same age as Bridcutt I think, and I certainly wouldn't say he's a better player in his position.

It's tough to put a realistic valuation on him because he is going to keep improving the higher standard he plays at. We need to incentivise a LOT I would think.