The Will Hughes debate

[rad1919]

Most of us agree an overhall of the squad is required. Most of us would also agree we would like Will Hughes to stay at the club.

However, with this in mind, assuming we may get between £10-15 million for Will Hughes and Steve would get all of it to reinvest, flip things around slightly and consider the 2 options:

In Derby's current position and with a budget of £10-15 million would you:

A: Buy Will Hughes

B: Buy a new defence, a couple of quality attacking midfielders and a new striker

Time for a change?

[cosmic]

Always B. We've proven how useless it is having a Will Hughes in the team if the rest of the players can't contribute. 

[RedSox]

Not quite that simple though, as their combined wages will be somewhat higher than our Will's.  This would be a major consideration in what we could do with the money. Ince or Bent will probably draw at least double (maybe more) than will does, so it would leave us a little light in the budget. 

[Duracell]

I'd sell Hughes and Hendrick and buy enough players so we can have a Plan B should Plan A be ruled out by injuries again.

We can keep Bryson as long as we sign the right players to suit him. That means having at least another CDM who have protect the back four and allow him to do running about everywhere thing without it costing us.

We certainly need some new defenders. I hope Buxton's just an injury and we get to keep him, but even if we do, this season proved we need better players waiting in the wings for when he isn't available. Whitbread probably is good enough as back up, but he's barely ever fit.

We also need a new RB. Christie and Shotton have too many compromises to be first choice. I'd like us to have another Wisdom-type player. In 2013/14, Forsyth could go on his Baggins-esque adventures, the CBs would shift to the left and Wisdom would almost become a third CB. That system worked far better. We don't necessarily need someone any better than Wisdom going forward, but Shotton isn't assured enough.

Forsyth is fine, although Warnock's the answer to a question nobody asked. Probably keep him though. Pretty much every LB at this level is atrocious, no back up in that position will be good enough.

Still, the biggest thing for me is to sort out the spine of the team. We have a decent one already, but we need more players who can keep themselves fit and are more adaptable. Sort that out, and everything else will come to us. I'd be happy to sell Hughes to make it happen.

[Ramarena]

Most of us agree an overhall of the squad is required. Most of us would also agree we would like Will Hughes to stay at the club.

However, with this in mind, assuming we may get between £10-15 million for Will Hughes and Steve would get all of it to reinvest, flip things around slightly and consider the 2 options:

In Derby's current position and with a budget of £10-15 million would you:

A: Buy Will Hughes

B: Buy a new defence, a couple of quality attacking midfielders and a new striker

Time for a change?

​B: However I wonder how much Omar would cost. He would not be a bad replacement for Hughes (similar style if played as long as not played asa CDM), and the rest of the money could be spent on defence and a defensive midfielder.

[Carl Sagan]

In all threads, it's hilarious how much Rams fans undervalue our players. Just because our own transfer record is now paltry, doesn't mean the reast of the football world didn't move on many years ago.

Talk of selling Hendrick for £5m; talk of selling Hughes for £10m. In the modern world, we're not going to be able do much of a rebuilding job for that. It would be a proper Hughes debate if the amount was, say, £25m.

[YouRams]

If we are serious about promotion next year, keep Hughes, lose the deadwood to free up some wages and rob blind the likes of Villa throwing 5mil for Hendrick.

 

Add to that a chunk of Mel Morris's millions and you don't really need to sell Hughes.

[Day]

I have no idea what a club would pay for Hughes, I have no idea what Derby would want for Hughes, after all every player has their price. When you look at other young English midfielders, Rodwell very highly rated at the time with Premiership experience only went for £12m to Man City a few seasons ago, with Henderson going to Liverpool the season before for £20m. 

Hughes has played more first team football than both when they moved however only mid to top Championship football. 

Who knows with the new TV deal maybe clubs will splash out more, but if I was a Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City fan etc. who will have the kind of money some are talking about on here I would hope that my club would be looking abroad where better value could be had from La Liga or Bundesliga.

If we can keep Hughes and strengthen the defence let's do that, if it's a choice between selling Hughes or strengthening the defence it really depends on a) how much we were offered (not fantasy numbers) and b) what percentage would the club put back in for transfers, until we know these which we never will as it will be undisclosed and between club and manager I'm backing out of the debate.

 

 

[Shaftesbury Street]

Keep Hughes, Play Hanson, Rawson and Roos.

Buy RB, Winger, ST.

[CheltenhamRam]

I see 10m as the absolute top end. Wouldn't be surprised to see less than that, maybe with add ons. 

[Mostyn6]

Keep Hughes, Play Hanson, Rawson and Roos.

Buy RB, Winger, ST.

​just cos Hughes has been a success from our academy, don't assume that every youngster we have is going to integrate just as well as he has!

[Shaftesbury Street]

​just cos Hughes has been a success from our academy, don't assume that every youngster we have is going to integrate just as well as he has!

​Of course, but its hardly an outside punt is it? Hanson could easily slot in when Thornes not fit. Rawson has proven he can play at this level and Roos is pushing Grant who had a poor end to the season.

[EastKentRam]

In all threads, it's hilarious how much Rams fans undervalue our players. Just because our own transfer record is now paltry, doesn't mean the reast of the football world didn't move on many years ago.

Talk of selling Hendrick for £5m; talk of selling Hughes for £10m. In the modern world, we're not going to be able do much of a rebuilding job for that. It would be a proper Hughes debate if the amount was, say, £25m.

​So you would only consider selling Hughes for £25m?

I struggle to get my head around some peoples views on here at times. One of us is living on a different planet.

I'll probably get shot down for this, but I think a lot of our fans severely over rate Hughes. And I think he's our best player quite comfortably. 

Part of me thinks he'll make it at a big club eventually, another part of me thinks a big club would have gone out of their way by now to take him if they rated him highly enough. 

[mwram1973]

​So you would only consider selling Hughes for £25m?

I struggle to get my head around some peoples views on here at times. One of us is living on a different planet.

I'll probably get shot down for this, but I think a lot of our fans severely over rate Hughes. And I think he's our best player quite comfortably. 

Part of me thinks he'll make it at a big club eventually, another part of me thinks a big club would have gone out of their way by now to take him if they rated him highly enough. 

​I think they over rate his value, anything near 10 mill is good business.

[EastKentRam]

​I think they over rate his value, anything near 10 mill is good business.

​Probably a more accurate statement.

I'm not really sure on the consensus on what standard Hughes will reach. 

I get the impression some people believe he'll be winning Champions League and Premier League titles, is that accurate?

[Duracell]

​So you would only consider selling Hughes for £25m?

I struggle to get my head around some peoples views on here at times. One of us is living on a different planet.

I'll probably get shot down for this, but I think a lot of our fans severely over rate Hughes. And I think he's our best player quite comfortably. 

Part of me thinks he'll make it at a big club eventually, another part of me thinks a big club would have gone out of their way by now to take him if they rated him highly enough. 

​I think the reason why he's gone is partly his position. He's an 8/10 central midfielder at this level, maybe 8.5/10. 8/10 English wingers at this level of his age go for £193982398 million gazillion pounds because journalists at the Mirror and the Sun stay up late sometimes and watch the Football League Show, slap the "highly-rated wonderkid" tag on the tricky young winger who just scored a belter against some disgusting team like Barnsley to fill some space in the next day's paper. Before you know it there's a bidding war between the big clubs to a.) make a statement to the fans and b.) make sure no one else gets him. That's how Zaha ended up at United.

Players like Hughes in that kind of position are underrated in this country. How many times have you heard fans saying he needs to "baulk up"? Wtf? That has nothing to do with his game.

There are dozens upon dozens of players similar to Hughes' ability in Spain and Germany, and they'll be much cheaper. In fact he's the sort of young player the big Spanish and German clubs would pass over, which then Arsenal and Liverpool go for, and they wonder why they're being left behind.

That's the problem with Hughes. He's not a "type". He's not been described as the next "__________" by the papers, so we've had no bidding war from clubs run by clowns who make their decisions based on what the papers tell them to do. £25million? Not a chance.

 

[mwram1973]

​Probably a more accurate statement.

I'm not really sure on the consensus on what standard Hughes will reach. 

I get the impression some people believe he'll be winning Champions League and Premier League titles, is that accurate?

​I don't think so, he's a spurs, everton maybe Liverpool quality player. I very much doubt he'll play for the top 4.

[RamNut]

Yet another selling-will-hughes fantasy thread........it must a week now.

[Anon]

If Will Hughes wasn't already our player there's no chance I'd want us to pay 10-15 million pounds for him. That's a highly unrealistic hypothetical scenario anyway. The reality is that we have a local lad, who is one of the most talented players our academy has produced in decades. Unless he forces a move I wouldn't sell. I want to see Hughes play for Derby for years. I want him to help us get promoted to the premiership and I want to see him play for England as a Derby player.

[MuespachRam]

​I don't think so, he's a spurs, everton maybe Liverpool quality player. I very much doubt he'll play for the top 4.

​I just like that post for the sly dig at the victims.. ha ha