[Standaman]

If QPR won't budge on £10m I think we should forget him. I know relative values in the transfer market can often be a bit out of whack but it implies he is twice the player that McMannaman is. Really ? good but not that good there has to be better value elsewhere.

Unfortunately this is a problem with focussing on the British based market there is very few players we can realistically target and other clubs know this and dig their heals in on price. I hope we still have a sufficiently broad scouting network to come up with some alternatives and Pulis is not fixated on the few players that are known to him.   

[lewisant]

Could be ready to move onto other targets, not willing to pay the £10M QPR want

Hey because. Reading between the lines of that story tell me Express and Star have no story and Madeley doesn't either. Only earlier he said he will likely end up here (i'm paraphrasing). Nobody seems to have a clue!

[baggie38]

If QPR aren't willing to show compromise on ten million then I would prefer us to look elsewhere. Matt Phillips Is a good player but no way is he worth ten million.

[RedHead_Baggie]

So this has now gone from:

A fee being agreed
An offer being declined
Optimistic a deal can be concluded this week
Seeking alternatives as selling club won't budge on transfer fee

Journalism at its best here! Another bang your head up a brick wall excercise.

[baggie38]

So this has now gone from:

A fee being agreed
An offer being declined
Optimistic a deal can be concluded this week
Seeking alternatives as selling club won't budge on transfer fee

Journalism at its best here! Another bang your head up a brick wall excercise.

No disrespect but a journalist hasn't claimed we are now seeking alternatives as selling club won't budge on transfer fee. That was posted by another forum user who didn't provide a link to any solid news articles or claim where he heard it from.

[RedHead_Baggie]

No disrespect but a journalist hasn't claimed we are now seeking alternatives as selling club won't budge on transfer fee. That was posted by another forum user who didn't provide a link to any solid news articles or claim where he heard it from.

Both local papers have changed their tune and now running with this. It will be something different again tomorrow.

Depends which way the wind blows.

[Aixelsyd]

E&S correctly state that we won't pay 10 mill for him...

the rest is just speculation to pad out the text.

[IrememberJohnny Nicholls]

No disrespect but a journalist hasn't claimed we are now seeking alternatives as selling club won't budge on transfer fee. That was posted by another forum user who didn't provide a link to any solid news articles or claim where he heard it from.

See:

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2015/07/06/west-brom-wont-pay-10-for-phillips/

[Dan]

I don't think it'd be the worst thing if we did move on (Phillips hasn't really done anything to warrant being a significant investment) but it concerns me who we'd go for next, with Pulis you know its going to be someone British based but there's not all that many winger options around who would actually improve us and be available.

I wouldn't be surprised if we moved on to Routledge who may well be available now Swansea have Ayew. Maybe Sako too if he lowers his demands to half way reasonable which is presumably going to have to happen as no one's signed him yet.

[boing_boing68]

£10million for Matty Phillips is way too much, if that is what they are after then we should move on, he isn't that good

[Standaman]

Looking specifically at right wingers with British experience that might be available there aren't many

Townsend:  Possibly surplus to requirements at Spurs would cost more than £10m but a loan deal could be possible
Lennon: As with Townsend but going into the last year of his contract Spurs are keen to sell might be a deal to be done at less than £10m
Gnarby: Highly rated at Arsenal but path to the first team blocked possible loan deal although reported to want to return to Germany
Jota: Possibly a bit under the radar part of a very successful Brentford side worth a shot at half the price of Phillips
N'Zogbia In his last year at Villa (I know I can hear the laughter form Witton already)
Gradel Started out in England playing well for Saint-Étienne.

If we extend the search to include players with no English experience then we could easily add three or four names all of whom would cost less than Phillips be technically as good if not better but the obviously the concern would be whether or not they could adjust to the English game. 

[AlbionFan]

Matt Jarvis???

[divinewind]

Trouble is now, now that it has been leaked that we may have new owners,clubs will hike the price.

I would prefer Phillips or Townsend out of those mentioned by Stan.

[BobTaylor]

Trouble is now, now that it has been leaked that we may have new owners,clubs will hike the price.

I would prefer Phillips or Townsend out of those mentioned by Stan.

Good point, maybe the bulk of our business will be done in August after the takeover has happened ?.

[SmethDan]

£10million for Matty Phillips is way too much, if that is what they are after then we should move on, he isn't that good

Although I believe Phillips has the potential to be a decent signing for us, I very much agree with your point.
JP has made a reputation of screwing the last penny out of opposition clubs when buying our players, but I do not like the idea of opposing chairmen doing the same to us. I still shudder at a combined £12,000,000 going on Sessegnon and Anichebe.

While I appreciate the selling club often has the upper hand in negotiations, QPR are in financial poo alley.
They are relying on the insanity of football finances which they themselves are breaking down on.
Don't give in to their  demands, drive the hardest bargain possible or move on to other targets.
Pay their rumoured asking price and other clubs will see that we are there to be taken for a ride.

Thanks but no thanks.

[Astle1968]

The fact that it was reported at least that our initial offer was rejected and the clubs were continuing to negotiate suggests it's pretty close. If QPR had no intention of selling or more likely no intention of selling for less that the originally stated £10m you just state the players not for sale.

I reckon he will end up here for around £7m plus add ons taking it to £10m so both clubs are happy enough. Wec an say intial £7m deal and QPR can say they got £10m for him.

£7m I'd be happy enough although that is top end. Fans tend to over value their players slightly but if you look on the QPOR forums most think £7m is a fair price so it would suggest we are paying top price for him.

I'd be tempted to look at Lennon instead. Wages would bring him in line with our top earners like Lescott so not out of our reach and could probably be picked up for around £4m-£6m

[The Black Pearl]

The fact that it was reported at least that our initial offer was rejected and the clubs were continuing to negotiate suggests it's pretty close. If QPR had no intention of selling or more likely no intention of selling for less that the originally stated £10m you just state the players not for sale.

I reckon he will end up here for around £7m plus add ons taking it to £10m so both clubs are happy enough. Wec an say intial £7m deal and QPR can say they got £10m for him.

£7m I'd be happy enough although that is top end. Fans tend to over value their players slightly but if you look on the QPOR forums most think £7m is a fair price so it would suggest we are paying top price for him.

I'd be tempted to look at Lennon instead. Wages would bring him in line with our top earners like Lescott so not out of our reach and could probably be picked up for around £4m-£6m

Put it this way, if he flopped and we had paid £10 million, imagine the breast beating that would happen on here!

[stokelad84]

It does sound expensive but £7-8million is a fair price in the current inflated market. He cost QPR £5million when he was labelled a good Championship player with potential to improve. Since then he's shown he can be a game changer at the top level.

I remember the discussion on a Sessegnon thread where somebody said Sessegnon had 6 goals and 4 assists in his last 60 odd appearances.

Matt Phillips managed 3 goals and 8 assists since fully returning to playing on New Years Day. That's a really good return in a poorly performing team. So there's no reason why he shouldn't get more assists in a full West Brom season than Chris Brunt managed: 10.

[BobTaylor]

I like Phillips looks very handy to me and was dangerous for Blackpool and qpr, I imagine it would be a big miss for the club if he was our number one target.                 
Would it be worth trying to get him for 8 million plus ad ons absolutely if you ask me that is about the going rate unfortunately, Jarvis, Sako or Phillips no brainer for me.                 

[BobTaylor]

It does sound expensive but £7-8million is a fair price in the current inflated market. He cost QPR £5million when he was labelled a good Championship player with potential to improve. Since then he's shown he can be a game changer at the top level.

I remember the discussion on a Sessegnon thread where somebody said Sessegnon had 6 goals and 4 assists in his last 60 odd appearances.

Matt Phillips managed 3 goals and 8 assists since fully returning to playing on New Years Day. That's a really good return in a poorly performing team. So there's no reason why he shouldn't get more assists in a full West Brom season than Chris Brunt managed: 10.

Agree we also should be able to get 3/4 million for sess to.

[Standaman]

It does sound expensive but £7-8million is a fair price in the current inflated market. He cost QPR £5million when he was labelled a good Championship player with potential to improve. Since then he's shown he can be a game changer at the top level.

I remember the discussion on a Sessegnon thread where somebody said Sessegnon had 6 goals and 4 assists in his last 60 odd appearances.

Matt Phillips managed 3 goals and 8 assists since fully returning to playing on New Years Day. That's a really good return in a poorly performing team. So there's no reason why he shouldn't get more assists in a full West Brom season than Chris Brunt managed: 10.

Couple of points firstly with QPR doing the buying they almost certainly paid too much at £5m and of course now they are doing the selling that is their reference point rather than the £3m he probably should have cost and aside from a few patches of decent form he is not markedly improved as a player since his Blackpool days. £7m is pushing it but okay anything more and we really need to rethink. Ultimately he is an average Premier League player and as such cannot be the only avenue open to us.

I have just read that the player is keen on the move maybe he will drive to our training ground and wait in the car park until we agree a fee

[smethwickw]

Couple of points firstly with QPR doing the buying they almost certainly paid too much at £5m and of course now they are doing the selling that is their reference point rather than the £3m he probably should have cost and aside from a few patches of decent form he is not markedly improved as a player since his Blackpool days. £7m is pushing it but okay anything more and we really need to rethink. Ultimately he is an average Premier League player and as such cannot be the only avenue open to us.

I have just read that the player is keen on the move maybe he will drive to our training ground and wait in the car park until we agree a fee

It seems that any half decent British player will command an unrealistic fee. Look at Shane Long for example. We either pay the going rate or shop around for the unknown foreigner and hope to strike lucky. I'm not sure that there is an in between. We've had very little success either way over the last few years.

[DaveWBA]

I have just read that the player is keen on the move maybe he will drive to our training ground and wait in the car park until we agree a fee

Player and agent keen to get the deal done. Expect a compromise somewhere about £8m I would have thought.

[BobTaylor]

Qpr paying 5 million isn't to much from what I have seen one of there stand out performers last season.

[Webby]

This is why until someone signs and is holding up the shirt I couldn't give a flying F about what local journos who "know" things say