Undercover agent, I like it!

Watching Rashford and others shuffle around the pitch with disinterest for them, I don't think Edouard would be too out of place there actually!

Edited by Nicholas91 (05 Mar 2024 1.10pm)

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

The arguments why are there from both buying club and player perspectives.

1) Why take a risk when you have the money to buy a complete player who can fit straight into the first team.
2) Why buy a player who is one level down in ability from what you currently have? Doucoure was a solid defensive midfielder who we did well to identify. Andersen had a great season at Fulham but before that he was pretty average and on a par with numerous other centre half’s.
3) There is of course a maximum number of players you can have. In Guehi’s case everyone (fans included) could see he was an excellent player however Chelsea had no room for him. You could see Chalobah moving on for the same reason.
4) Why go to a club when you’re likely to finish out on loan at some obscure club and disappear into the ether. You can bet your life this is Dougies big selling point whenever he speaks to players. Come and play for us or sit on the bench at a club that might win a trophy.
5) on many occasions career progression goes better starting at a smaller club and building a reputation. Zaha couldn’t make the step up, who is to say Wharton would. It goes back to the point that when you have billions to spend why take risks (unless of course you are Todd Bohely who buys anyone who scores two games on the spin).
6) Eze and Olise both won awards for best player etc etc and were tipped for bright futures. I think we quite simply took the chance of paying fairly substantial fees (for us) and trusting they would come good (which they have). All the top teams will be interested in them now we have turned them into seasoned top tier players.

Dougie has done ok, but I agree with the OP on the centre forward position. It’s the ones that got away that irritate the most. We could have signed Mitrovic, Watkins and Toney and at the time we were connected to them with more than a passing interest and yet they transferred elsewhere for small sums (by centre forward standards anyway).Bamford, Batshuayi, Sorloth, Edouard and Mateta tick the just about PL standard box, but literally only just and in a league that has at any time say 40 plus centre forwards all of ours since Murray would have appeared in the lower mid to bottom quartile performance wise (except perhaps Benteke’s first season for us).

It will be interesting to see how effective Mateta is under Glasner, I think Edouard doesn’t have the determination to make it at this level. I would guess he might be moved on in the summer.

Dougie's job is more than just finding players, it's actually convincing them to join us, among other things. My concern if he went is that we wouldn't have any idea who to replace him with. If United gave him a similar position there to the one he enjoys at Palace then he goes, no doubt in my mind. He'd be mad not to if he has any ambition. If he goes then we have to hope his team already know his summer plans so we're not starting from scratch again.

Glasner strikes me as someone who wants to be in control, he must have contacts and I’m sure he’d love to put someone he knows in that role

I can’t recall on this one, was it lack of funds, lack of interest from us, the player or disinterested seller? Our connections to players seem to be mostly click bait and they do rather blend into one another.

Stats certainly look good at the moment but probably missed the boat on price.

agreed. I reckon DF & his signings have better statistics than average. EVERY club signs a few lemons & failures.

But by and large DF can identify a diamond in the rough and turn them into Palace legends.

Kayla did Anfield & Old Trafford