Can Nugent or Anelka score 15-20 goals for Portsmouth, or will they be better off at Bolton?
The Beeb reports that Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is willing to let Nugent go in order to raise funds for a bid for Nicolas Anelka. In my view it could be a swap deal with Portsmouth offering cash plus Nugent to secure Anelka’s services.
However, if Harry’s looking for a striker that can score 15-20 goals in a season for Portsmouth, isn’t Nugent the right man for it?
Given time on the pitch, even if he’s going to be coming on as a sub like Peter Crouch did for Liverpool last season, Nugent can easily score 10+ goals – he has the talent to do so and to be honest if he didn’t, Portsmouth wouldn’t have signed him. So as things stand, Harry is willing to let a 22-year old promising striker go for a 28-year old striker whose wage demands and fervent desire to play in the Champions League has put off most suitors.
With or without Anelka, Portsmouth aren’t going to be in the Champions League in the next 2-3 years (unless that cup deal that Platini is proposing goes through, but even then it’s going to be a long shot) AND Bolton are playing in Europe this season. With his stated ambitions Portsmouth doesn’t give him a step up this season, although he’s likely to do a lot better with Portsmouth than he is with Bolton (personal opinion).
Nugent, on the other hand, will undoubtedly benefit by going to Bolton where he will most likely get more playing time than at Pompey and as a result a good full season with Bolton will help him in establishing himself as a Premiership striker.
Anelka is a better striker than Nugent, no doubt, but the opportunity cost of getting him onboard, plus the long-term value that Nugent offers, makes Harry’s pursuit of Anelka a bit unreasonable, unless he’s under pressure to qualify for Europe this season, in which case breaking the bank and ditching a promising striker would make more sense.
Comments are welcome.
Also Read: The Premier League 2007 Summer Transfers Page and our transfer news section.
Topics: Bolton Wanderers, Football Transfers, Portsmouth
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Nugent to United?
August 29th, 2007 @ 18:40News just in!
Nugent to retire from football to become a tree hugging hippie!!!!!!
(He’s either going to Derby on the back of a deal with HR and BD, before pompey bought him to get round prestons objections of dealing with BD, or he’s stayin put!)
Pompey to be in champions league within 12 months + winners of Prem and Champs within 4 years.
ManU to be relegated to league 1 in successive seasons by 2010, Glaziers to wind up business and turn ye old trafford into a waste incinerator (made sence to go with the original intended use)
Sven to pull Alex ferg following one to many glasses of red wine after next years game, and gay marry end 2009. Man C to change kit to pink with glittery name and number patches
Bolton to play attractive football
Liverpool to lose entire first team in teen gun fight which spills onto pitch in 2009, with the club and city nuked shortly afterwards in a vain attempt by the government to reduce crime figures.
West Ham rename club in memory of sheff united (Folded)in one final pisstake, promptly deducted 15 points and relegated.
Leeds return to top flight, win champions league + FA cup and Carling Cup (Now called the Durex Cup) +dennis wise sacked for coming second to pompey.
2020, Spain changes name to England following Expat lobbying, and England Changes name to Mongrel, when its realises that only 5% of the country is made up of English born citizens (including 3rd, 4th generation others), and they are only still there coz they are either too drugged up to know whats going on/or care, or too stupid to find the ferry. of the remaining 95%, 10% made up of Indian communities unwilling to leave their businesses and the remaining 90% are unemployed traffic wardens from whereever the hell we keep shipping the tossers in from.
who knows what is gonna happen?, but its gonna be an exciting season this year,
As a wise man once said kick racism out of football, but by all means kick a traffic warden.
August 29th, 2007 @ 19:28no need to comment , talk about nail being hit firmly on the head. excellent succinct article. I’m a pompey fan and would love to keep Nugent. Anelka has a little more talent but in 2 years time i believe Nugent will be a far better player.
August 29th, 2007 @ 20:41Interesting comment pjhaahl, anyway…
I agree with you Ahmed, from comments Nugent has made he clearly wants to stay at the club and fight for his place which is the sort of player pompey want. Whereass Anelka has a reputation for being lazy and arrogant.
Nugent got his first goal yesterday, hopefully he’ll be able to build on that and go from strength to strength.
August 29th, 2007 @ 22:17