Just to add, he won midfield player of the year in Serie A this season, so we have been really stupid. It must really hammer it home to Pozzo seeing his penny pinching come home to roost in front of his own eyes in his native league. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/lewis-ferguson-crowned-best-midfielder-32747421.amp
This is the Chadi Riad thread - if you want to moan about whoever "Liam Ferguson" is then bump their thread.
He joined Bologna the year after we tried to sign him, so it's another way in which it's not comparable to Riad.
Nice swerve, but it’s a swerve none the less. You’re always quick to defend Pozzo as to why we couldn’t sign a player, the thread title isn’t going to protect you against that.
Considering the age, profile, fee, and that he joined a few weeks after we had been linked with Ferguson, then Imran Louza would be the more direct comparison and was probably who we actually chose to sign instead. Also not the most flattering comparison mind, but lots on here were delighted at the time.
This is false - you're posting as if I haven't spent 4 years slagging off the club for not signing Toney.
I did see it - the point is that yes we could have signed Ferguson at the time had we pushed for it as he wanted to join and there wasn't other competition from abroad yet. However, this is not the Ferguson thread and bringing him up is only deflecting from the point in this thread (titled "Chadi Riad") which is that we couldn't have signed Riad as we were in the Champ and a La Liga club went for him. Deflection is bringing up Ferguson in a thread on Riad to try and hide the fact the moaning post on Riad was a mistaken one. It is not deflection to talk about Riad in the Riad thread.
Wasn’t Louza £7m and would only pay £2m for Ferguson? The comparison therefore makes zero sense, and if anything makes the decision not to sign him significantly more idiotic.
Idiotic? I seem to recall you being quite excited at the Louza signing and being one of the main defenders of him in his first season once he'd joined, stating in November 2021 that "He’ll get used to the pace of the game". But besides, some of the Louza money has to be considered as for Bayat to squirrel away. There's also a caveat that Ferguson was still a year younger, coming from a weaker league, and also might have taken a season or two to adapt. Over the longer term of course Ferguson seems to have turned in to the better player, but at the time I doubt all those happy we signed Louza would have foreseen the extent of the differential.
Whatever I said about Louza (and you’d know better than me) was obviously not on the basis that it was a straight shoot out between signing him or LF. “But besides, some of the Louza money has to be considered as for Bayat to squirrel away.” Oooh riiiight, well when you put it like that then it’s all ok then, I take it all back, I’m glad we didn’t sign the best midfielder in Serie A this season so that we could line a dodgy agents pockets instead. Suddenly it all makes perfect sense, I retract all my previous comments on the matter.
I think it's fair to say, although Ferguson had done ok in Scotland nobody say "best midfielder in Serie A" coming. He has gone far beyond his potential
Well Bologna were at least willing to meet his valuation, which was an acknowledgment of his potential.
A year later but yes they did but I very much suspect even they wouldn't have thought he would be best Midfielder in Serie A at that point a year or so later. Clearly we've missed out though but not in the same league as missing out on Toney
While not to belittle the excellent season he seems to have had, and while he has been amongst the best midfielders, to be pedantic it is also not clear that he is actually the best midfielder. I'm aware that he was given that award, but it seems as if it could as much be a reflection of the remarkable season Bologna have had in seemingly over-achieving and reaching the CL spaces, with him being one of their talismen. Similar to how Kieran McKenna has just beaten Pep Guardiola to win the LMA Manager of the Year award - his achievement seems more remarkable, but not many would actually take McKenna as their manager over Pep. Statistically, Hakan Calhanoglu of title-winners Inter seems to have done more this season than Ferguson. Similar could also be said perhaos for Rabiot and Koopemeiners for example. But none of those players have seemingly over-achieved in the same manner. Again, this also isn't to say that he's not ended up seeming a better player than many would have predicted.
