First off: thanks for the info, on a player I don't know Robby, much appreciated.
Genuine question tho': given that ^^^ high praise - why do you think it would be a mistake to pay big, for him, in January: surely (if he's that good) he won't be any cheaper come the summer?
(To be clear here; I'm assuming he'll be much sought after.) 😎
Fair question. I guess I'm operating under the belief that players are always more expensive in January than they are in the summer, because they often have some kind of "emergency" stigma" attached to them such as "needed to complete a title effort" or conversely "to lose him would greatly impact our current campaign."
If in fact, he would be just as expensive in the summer, then by all means we should go ahead and do it because he will become more coveted, as you mention.
I also suspect I have a slight doubt remaining about ownership's willingness to spend top dollar in a bidding war. I get not doing it for someone who only somewhat fits in to the overall plan, but I hope that for someone identified as a big part of future plans, money would actually be no object. I've heard this said, but it may be that this player will be the best test case (we spent on Gini and Mane, but we weren't really in a bidding war for either of them, I think we would be for Pulisic) as to how far we are willing to go for a top player who fits into the system/plan.
I like that our transfer policy under Klopp isn't to buy willy-nilly, because he is thinking about what the team will actually be like once the players we buy come here. Some clubs who have money clearly haven't thought that far ahead. BUT, I would never want that to become a cover by ownership for simply not being financially committed to the manager's plan. I think they are, mind, but this may be an opportunity to remove all doubt.
BTW, when I say "top continental player" I mean a leading figure at one of the better clubs i. European football.
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