Should we be receptive to cash in by possibly selling Miles now, whilst he is still in contract? He has so much potential but we need an effective striker this month and onwards. Should we be gambling potential against using the funds to buy an older finished product?.
Admittedly its all a bit theoretical currently as I wouldn't imagine we would be getting big offers while he is in a quiet patch, unless a big club is prepared to gamble to buy that potential.
I think he goes in the summer, I only realised recently that his contract doesn't expire until the summer of 2026. Personally think he has great ability in certain areas but also glaring weaknesses that will hold him back if he doesn't address them. If we can consistently get the Godden from Tuesday night I don't think Miles will get in the team often anyway so should a big offer come in I'd consider it IF we can replace him with what you described.
What do you see as Leaburn’s glaring weakness? I’d say he’s more well rounded than most young strikers, and it’s more a case of consistency with his hold up play and doing better in the air considering his height, and improving little things like getting that bit fitter, adding a bit more aggression at times, none of which is unusual for a young player.
It’ll be interesting to see if Godden can keep his place. I think there will be games when we need more physicality up front, and Leaburn at some point will grab a goal or two and show why there’s not much between them.
Strength and aggression are his glaring weaknesses and unfortunately they are a natural thing - his 'dimensions' are far greater than Chucks but he doesn't possess anything like the same power - if he did, defenders would be bouncing off him
Feels pretty unfair to compare a young striker still at the start of his career to one who's well experienced and well travelled in comparison. I fully expect Miles to blossom in the 'dark arts' over the next few years of his career.
Should we be receptive to cash in by possibly selling Miles now, whilst he is still in contract? He has so much potential but we need an effective striker this month and onwards. Should we be gambling potential against using the funds to buy an older finished product?.
Admittedly its all a bit theoretical currently as I wouldn't imagine we would be getting big offers while he is in a quiet patch, unless a big club is prepared to gamble to buy that potential.
I think he goes in the summer, I only realised recently that his contract doesn't expire until the summer of 2026. Personally think he has great ability in certain areas but also glaring weaknesses that will hold him back if he doesn't address them. If we can consistently get the Godden from Tuesday night I don't think Miles will get in the team often anyway so should a big offer come in I'd consider it IF we can replace him with what you described.
What do you see as Leaburn’s glaring weakness? I’d say he’s more well rounded than most young strikers, and it’s more a case of consistency with his hold up play and doing better in the air considering his height, and improving little things like getting that bit fitter, adding a bit more aggression at times, none of which is unusual for a young player.
It’ll be interesting to see if Godden can keep his place. I think there will be games when we need more physicality up front, and Leaburn at some point will grab a goal or two and show why there’s not much between them.
Strength and aggression are his glaring weaknesses and unfortunately they are a natural thing - his 'dimensions' are far greater than Chucks but he doesn't possess anything like the same power - if he did, defenders would be bouncing off him
They are but TC has shown players can work on their strength. On aggression players don’t change their entire personality, but I remember Parker and Stephens both adding more to their game and becoming better players because of it. Konsa wasn’t impressive on that side of his game in L1 but look at him now.
Academy games also lack that physical side, some players need time to adjust and hold up strikers often mature with age - there are plenty of examples of target men peaking in their late 20s/early 30s.
He will definitely get stronger but you can see that he just isn't naturally that powerful (better to have a small car with a big engine or a big car with a small engine??) - Thierry Small is a similar age but his main attribute is his power - if you could combine the 2 players attributes you'd have a prem player in waiting.
Miles has suffered from having to come back from injury and not having a proper pre season. I think that a summers rest and a full pre season programme will see him come back as one of the best players in league one. I’m accepting that at some point in the not too distant future he’ll be gone and why would we begrudge him that. This time next year as long as he’s fit I think he’ll be worth a lot of money and I don’t mean £3 million. I think him eventually departing could be the catalyst for our real promotion challenges. Of course that would depend on how much of the fee is reinvested, which I’d hope would be significant.
Unless he signs a new contract, the ideal scenario is that we sell this summer but to a club that agrees to loan him back to us
I think he’ll sign if for no other reason other than to give the club a chance of real money. I’m not saying he owes us anything but I think he’s a decent lad with good advice who knows having a contract won’t really prevent him getting the move he’ll eventually want.
Miles has suffered from having to come back from injury and not having a proper pre season. I think that a summers rest and a full pre season programme will see him come back as one of the best players in league one. I’m accepting that at some point in the not too distant future he’ll be gone and why would we begrudge him that. This time next year as long as he’s fit I think he’ll be worth a lot of money and I don’t mean £3 million. I think him eventually departing could be the catalyst for our real promotion challenges. Of course that would depend on how much of the fee is reinvested, which I’d hope would be significant.
Unless he signs a new contract, the ideal scenario is that we sell this summer but to a club that agrees to loan him back to us
I think he’ll sign if for no other reason other than to give the club a chance of real money. I’m not saying he owes us anything but I think he’s a decent lad with good advice who knows having a contract won’t really prevent him getting the move he’ll eventually want.
Pretty much how I see it. I'd give him a new contract with a clause that if anyone offered say 4 or maybe 5 million for him then he would be free to talk to them.
Should we be receptive to cash in by possibly selling Miles now, whilst he is still in contract? He has so much potential but we need an effective striker this month and onwards. Should we be gambling potential against using the funds to buy an older finished product?.
Admittedly its all a bit theoretical currently as I wouldn't imagine we would be getting big offers while he is in a quiet patch, unless a big club is prepared to gamble to buy that potential.
I think he goes in the summer, I only realised recently that his contract doesn't expire until the summer of 2026. Personally think he has great ability in certain areas but also glaring weaknesses that will hold him back if he doesn't address them. If we can consistently get the Godden from Tuesday night I don't think Miles will get in the team often anyway so should a big offer come in I'd consider it IF we can replace him with what you described.
What do you see as Leaburn’s glaring weakness? I’d say he’s more well rounded than most young strikers, and it’s more a case of consistency with his hold up play and doing better in the air considering his height, and improving little things like getting that bit fitter, adding a bit more aggression at times, none of which is unusual for a young player.
It’ll be interesting to see if Godden can keep his place. I think there will be games when we need more physicality up front, and Leaburn at some point will grab a goal or two and show why there’s not much between them.
Strength and aggression are his glaring weaknesses and unfortunately they are a natural thing - his 'dimensions' are far greater than Chucks but he doesn't possess anything like the same power - if he did, defenders would be bouncing off him
They are but TC has shown players can work on their strength. On aggression players don’t change their entire personality, but I remember Parker and Stephens both adding more to their game and becoming better players because of it. Konsa wasn’t impressive on that side of his game in L1 but look at him now.
Academy games also lack that physical side, some players need time to adjust and hold up strikers often mature with age - there are plenty of examples of target men peaking in their late 20s/early 30s.
He will definitely get stronger but you can see that he just isn't naturally that powerful (better to have a small car with a big engine or a big car with a small engine??) - Thierry Small is a similar age but his main attribute is his power - if you could combine the 2 players attributes you'd have a prem player in waiting.
Agree though part of it is also reading opponents, using his body well, confidence and belief, working on his touch in different situations etc, not just pure physical strength. I expect him to improve his hold up player over time as with his size it has to part of his game and something he’s always working on.
I genuinely don't understand people who are pissed off with us clearing out the dead wood this year and not throwing money at signings when we're finding form on the pitch.
Yes we have a gap in our midfield for someone, but the team is gelling and a quality midfielder isn't someone you just pick up at your local Tesco.
The club is damned if they do and damned if they don't with this fan base. We've had plenty of January's where we've picked up 5 or 6 players of dubious quality/fit. Seems a bit like people would prefer that to getting rid of dead wood and working with what we have?
The issue I have is that most of the dead wood being cleared out this month only joined us in the summer, these are players that should have helped improve the squad and they didn't. We're now light and a potential key injury or 2 away from derailing all our recent good work.
Only Allan Campbell joined us in the summer, we signed Tayo & Taylor previous season.
My point was that 3 of the 6 players moving on in January, where someone stated previously we're clearing out deadwood, signed for us this season. Short term contracts or not. 2 of those 6 moving on are out on temporary loans, so potentially back with us for next season anyway.
If Wycombe end up selling Kone for £7m I'd hope we'd get the same if not more for Miles.
I appreciate that it is all down to individual perception and I love Miles but not a chance he is worth anything like the value of Kone imo
I have zero experience or knowledge in how to value a player but why is Kone worth more than Leaburn? They are of a similar age, with similar records in the same league.
if Wycombe get £7m for Kone, I would say that’s a reasonable bench mark for leaburn.
I genuinely don't understand people who are pissed off with us clearing out the dead wood this year and not throwing money at signings when we're finding form on the pitch.
Yes we have a gap in our midfield for someone, but the team is gelling and a quality midfielder isn't someone you just pick up at your local Tesco.
The club is damned if they do and damned if they don't with this fan base. We've had plenty of January's where we've picked up 5 or 6 players of dubious quality/fit. Seems a bit like people would prefer that to getting rid of dead wood and working with what we have?
Because the holes in our squad are very clear regardless of whether we’re winning or losing. It’s all well and good saying this when we’re on good form, but as soon as we lose a couple on the bounce, which we will at some point, everyone liking your post will be decrying our lack of activity.
It’s great that we’re correcting some mistakes this window. But expecting a couple of good signings to fill those blatant holes in the squad is really not a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ situation in the slightest.
Spot on. Despite winning 3 in a row the weaknesses are still there and obvious to all. Great that we have moved some on but if we don't strengthen now in an attempt to address these weaknesses when we are 1 point off from 6th position, I would seriously question when would we. CM said last week they were aiming to add one or two attacking options, Jones is saying hopefully one, maybe two. As I said in a posting last week, I always prepare myself to be under-whelmed but if the SMT don't deliver on their own stated aims they surely can expect criticism.
If Wycombe end up selling Kone for £7m I'd hope we'd get the same if not more for Miles.
I appreciate that it is all down to individual perception and I love Miles but not a chance he is worth anything like the value of Kone imo
I have zero experience or knowledge in how to value a player but why is Kone worth more than Leaburn? They are of a similar age, with similar records in the same league.
if Wycombe get £7m for Kone, I would say that’s a reasonable bench mark for leaburn.
Kone isn't coming off the back of a long injury and signed a new contract in November, those things make a big difference. He's also scored 3x the goals Leaburn has this season. The main thing though is that Luton are willing to overpay for him because Bloomfield has worked with him before. Kone isn't actually worth £7m in my opinion
They don’t have similar records. Kone has been on fire this year and Leaburn has struggled with injuries the last two years which has hampered his progress. Any team looking to bring him in for a significant fee will want to see him starting regularly and see him performing like he did his first year. Not saying his fee can’t be higher than maybe the 1.7 -2 million that I am guessing might be his market value currently but no one is going to pay 5 million for him now. It is a moot point anyway as the club is not looking to sell him and we should be looking to help him get back to the run of form from his first year. It will only make us a better squad. Depending on how he progresses, this time next year might be interesting as he approaches the end of the contract but I certainly hope we don’t do anything this summer
If Wycombe end up selling Kone for £7m I'd hope we'd get the same if not more for Miles.
I appreciate that it is all down to individual perception and I love Miles but not a chance he is worth anything like the value of Kone imo
I have zero experience or knowledge in how to value a player but why is Kone worth more than Leaburn? They are of a similar age, with similar records in the same league.
if Wycombe get £7m for Kone, I would say that’s a reasonable bench mark for leaburn.
Kone isn't coming off the back of a long injury and signed a new contract in November, those things make a big difference. He's also scored 3x the goals Leaburn has this season. The main thing though is that Luton are willing to overpay for him because Bloomfield has worked with him before. Kone isn't actually worth £7m in my opinion
It’s a big fee and they are probably overpaying a little. But I still think if they sign him, they will end up selling him for a lot more than £7m to the premier league or abroad
If Leaburn was on a multi-year deal, he would be worth at least £5m and maybe nearer that £7m figure
Should we be receptive to cash in by possibly selling Miles now, whilst he is still in contract? He has so much potential but we need an effective striker this month and onwards. Should we be gambling potential against using the funds to buy an older finished product?.
Admittedly it’s all a bit theoretical currently as I wouldn't imagine we would be getting big offers while he is in a quiet patch, unless a big club is prepared to gamble to buy that potential.
When he isn’t knackered (which he clearly has been the last few games) he is one of the best strikers in this league. No guarantee we will buy a better striker than him with the money we get, just look at our big striker signing this summer! Much more of a gamble selling Leaburn and thinking we can buy a better player, that’s unlikely to happen. We should definitely be keeping him until the summer
Godden played very well on Tuesday, but Leaburn comes straight back in for me. He’ll be fresh again and was on fire before the fixture schedule caught up with him a bit
I'm not at all sure he's reached his complete match fitness level yet, I've no inside knowledge but it's one heck of a journey coming fully back from the injury and trauma he's had for the past year or so. I'm thinking and very much hoping there's even more to come from him this season and beyond and agree with you that he'd be very difficult to replace. I'm also reminded of hearing a talk from a sports scientist a couple of years ago, talking about the work to get one of the England women's team back from a cruciate injury. Everyone's different, but it took them several months (longer than they thought) to get her fitness back to normal. The longest part of the journey was with a sports psychologist, working to get her 'normal' playing head back again........ it was this that was holding her back at the end......... and I'm sure that any of us who have been injured/damaged/operated on can testify to how important the head confidence is.
I genuinely don't understand people who are pissed off with us clearing out the dead wood this year and not throwing money at signings when we're finding form on the pitch.
Yes we have a gap in our midfield for someone, but the team is gelling and a quality midfielder isn't someone you just pick up at your local Tesco.
The club is damned if they do and damned if they don't with this fan base. We've had plenty of January's where we've picked up 5 or 6 players of dubious quality/fit. Seems a bit like people would prefer that to getting rid of dead wood and working with what we have?
The issue I have is that most of the dead wood being cleared out this month only joined us in the summer, these are players that should have helped improve the squad and they didn't. We're now light and a potential key injury or 2 away from derailing all our recent good work.
Only Allan Campbell joined us in the summer, we signed Tayo & Taylor previous season.
My point was that 3 of the 6 players moving on in January, where someone stated previously we're clearing out deadwood, signed for us this season. Short term contracts or not. 2 of those 6 moving on are out on temporary loans, so potentially back with us for next season anyway.
so we should keep them whether they're good enough or not?
Allan Campbell got about 550 minutes. Terry Taylor about 500. Potts got 75. Hylton got 44. Edun and Asiimwe got 0 between them.
We need one midfielder to “replace” the minutes and ideally exceed the performance of Campbell and Taylor, hopefully by being a bit more attack minded on the ball than those two.
Otherwise I don’t expect there’ll be much else done.
Looking ahead, there's one international break in March, the Peterborough game, where potentially we could lose both Anderson and Coventry, if we can't get it postponed.
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I'd give him a new contract with a clause that if anyone offered say 4 or maybe 5 million for him then he would be free to talk to them.
Hopefully something like this will happen.
if Wycombe get £7m for Kone, I would say that’s a reasonable bench mark for leaburn.
Thank god for the form over the last few weeks. If we were on our 1 win in 9 form over January, then there would have been a full scale riot by now.
If Leaburn was on a multi-year deal, he would be worth at least £5m and maybe nearer that £7m figure
It’s happening I tell ya, it’s happening!
https://x.com/CAFCofficial/status/1885297797060026680
Pre season was glaringly obvious that we had no creativity in the middle of the park, along with a consistent winger.
IF we get those two additions now that would be superb!
I'm also reminded of hearing a talk from a sports scientist a couple of years ago, talking about the work to get one of the England women's team back from a cruciate injury. Everyone's different, but it took them several months (longer than they thought) to get her fitness back to normal. The longest part of the journey was with a sports psychologist, working to get her 'normal' playing head back again........ it was this that was holding her back at the end......... and I'm sure that any of us who have been injured/damaged/operated on can testify to how important the head confidence is.
We need one midfielder to “replace” the minutes and ideally exceed the performance of Campbell and Taylor, hopefully by being a bit more attack minded on the ball than those two.
Otherwise I don’t expect there’ll be much else done.