Speculation - Zarate

[ElmParker]

The question, then, is: can you assess character beforehand?

[papereyes]

The question, then, is: can you assess character beforehand?

I think so.

Other businesses do it - why not football. I even think they are doing it, as the number of clearly nuts footballers being brought in seems to have utterly dried up. No more spunking £6 million on some raw talent to find he has the motivation of a snail and a massive appetite for junk food when you put 25 % of that fee straight into his pocket (true story that, as well)

[ElmParker]

Good point.

I guess we'll never see the likes of Mass Sarr again.

[Hoop Blah]

the settling in time, or the perception of it at least, is also affected expectations.

Drogba was purchased for 20 odd million and had performed brilliantly against English teams in European competition. His style of play looked perfectly suited to English football and yet it appeared that he took a season to settle into things. The reality is probably that he settled in much quicker but fans just expected too much of him too early.

He's an interesting example because he took a long time to flourish before his big move, so maybe he just takes a bit longer to fit into a teams play.

Has Zarate really settled in yet or has he just had a few good passages of play in a few games for a struggling side? How much more is there to come from him? I'd imagine if Utd or Liverpool had just paid £10-£15M for him people would still be saying he's settling in because they'd be expecting more of him.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

No.
We do not want him.
He will leave Birmingham when they go down.

[TomTheRoyal]

He'll go somewhere though surely, Qatari club basically holding him to ransom, but to be fair they paid him to go there and he did, his own fault really.

Also, middle east football is a joke. The saudi arabian teams etc, all the play things of oil billionaires, with nobody actually bothering to go and watch.

[papereyes]

No.
We do not want him.
He will leave Birmingham when they go down.

We could do with him though.

[Vision]

He'll go somewhere though surely, Qatari club basically holding him to ransom, but to be fair they paid him to go there and he did, his own fault really.

Also, middle east football is a joke. The saudi arabian teams etc, all the play things of oil billionaires, with nobody actually bothering to go and watch.

Yeah thank God English football isn't heading that way.

[Kes]

Source?

[rg6royal]

He would be a great signing and he is still young. But his price tag will be the thing what puts the club off IMO.