Portsmouth News 24/7Writer: pompeyrug 
Date:Tuesday February 12 2008
Time: 8:00AM
UK time is: 17:40:58
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Lassana Diarra
The title was kept nice and simple, simply 'Lassana Diarra' not:
Or anything else - although this will probably cover most of those areas and more to be honest.
Diarra is the name that we are all pretty much talking about after every game, with us positively drooling over the fella and just how good he is, the media are also doing this and almost everyday Harry Redknapp is mentioning him.
However Redknapp has started to express his concerns about being able to keep him, although his concerns - when reading between the lines - do not seem to be as short lived as ours...
Many of us fear we could well lose him in the summer, but Redknapp's concerns seem slightly longer as he says that if he can get the kind of performances out of him that we have seen so far over the next couple of years before he inevitably moves on he will be pleased - if we can keep him that long I will be delighted!
It might appear negative, but my thinking is we will do well to see him return next season, I think that it is quite probable that the premier league might also do well to see him return as some of Europe's finest could come calling - particularly if he excels for France at Euro 2008. He has already done Chelsea and Arsenal, so that only leaves United and Liverpool - and only United would be a big enough draw if you ask me.
To have any chance at all of retaining him we must gain entry into the uefa cup minimum, and even then this could not be enough - even if we made the champions league again it might not be enough...
A real concern that I have is the thought that 'a release clause' has been put into place in his contract, as this was something that was hinted at when he signed.
If this is the case I just hope that this is at a level that is fitting to the player of his quality and was put in at £10m minimum! However just because there is a release clause - if there is - it does not mean that he will leave, you never know the admiration that he already has from the Fratton Faithful and respect he is shown by the players and Redknapp could be enough to sway him in staying for a while yet?
After only a handful of games Diarra is already being spoken about as possibly 'one of the greatest players to ever don the Pompey shirt' and 'a candidate for player of the season' - is one, or both of these thoughts fair at this stage of his career?
How good do we think Diarra really is, and how long in all honesty do you think that we can keep the fella at Fratton Park?
This is something that each and everyone of us that read Vital Pompey should have an opinion on, so I hope that we all share it...
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Your Comments
Morning Rug; a bit unfair to award him player of the season when he'll only played a maximum of a half. However, I know what you mean. If we can hang on to him next year, then yes a real contender. Don't underestimate HR getting another 12 months out of him.
UKTony
Sorry to but in here but have you heard this toss? Portsmouth will launch a £2.5m raid for Nottingham Forest striker Junior Agogo. (The Sun) Smashing - another African - Should fit in well with us seeing as he can't hit a cows aars with a banjo.
Et_tu_Pompeii
Ahem. Diarra will stay with us if we are in the Champions League, so it's simple, Pompey, take 4th place and no problemo.
Et_tu_Pompeii
A good read Rug, and I can only hope we're all being a bit pessimistic with regards how long the lad'll stick around....I mean, we pretty much have good players throughout the squad now, so it's not like he's being made to show his skills with idiots around him. I'd like to think he'll be here for at least the whole of next season as well.
As for Junior Agogo.....the lad's top heavy! Far too many weights, and he's slower then he should be because of it....not to mention that he's played for Forest for years for a reason.
Tantona
morning fellas, the 'one of the greatest players to ever don the Pompey shirt' and 'a candidate for player of the season' thoughts are not exactly mine, just some words being spoken abouth im apparently, altho in all fairness if he continues his early form then i think he will be our player of the season wont he? at this point in time i reckon we should just all enjoy the ride - if he goes he goes, if he stays that would be fantastic... i do think that he is starting to 'fall in love' with pompey as so many players do, so that could also play a part in where the future of 'the littlest hobo' lies - i cannot take credit for that nickname, that was paultsmouth...
pompeyrug
junior agogo? surely just the papers putting the fact that we have 'a few' african players in our squad and he is a team mate of muntari's together and getting their answer... agogo - to me - in all honesty seemed to struggle at the african nations tbh, so he wouldnt have a chance in the premier league!
pompeyrug
Well all I can say is best not build a team around him....
ChrisW
Why does everybody talk in terms of Diarra LEAVING US.The last guy to receive "HR" plaudits was missing flights at the airport and in total bewilderment. Its not always the players decision.
007
what do you mean 007? we are simply going on what Diarra said himself...
ChrisW
Diarra will go in the summer. The money on offer will be too good for Sasha , Storrie and HR to refuse. Also Sasha wants to get as much from transfers and TV rights etc into his pocket before he sells. Corporate Raiding is the polite term. I've never actually seen anyone hit a cows arse with a banjo. Do they use an 8,10 or 12 string banjo? We won't see another African player at Pompey while Sasha's the owner unless the player has a non african citizenship. It won't matter what HR wants. It's a change of direction for the club and that was more than likely one of the main reasons for letting Benji go. Expect to see 2 more of the Africans go in the summer.
frattonaussie
If DL has a great 3 months with us, we will benefit big time. If he goes to the euros with France & is a star, the big,big fish of Europe will dangle their carrott. He could be worth £15-20m & would be hard to turn down. Of course it would be great to keep him but I think we should be grateful for having him at all.
storagematt
ChrisW, what I mean is that "HR" could sell him tomorrow, it will not be when Diarra wants to move.
007
007, Reading between HR's comments which are often writ large with irony and intended misdirection, I reckon Diarra's exit has been contractually bound in - there'll be some formula which states that if any of the following teams [...] bid more than £xxxx then PFC are obliged to a/ accept and b/ notify the player. Besides even if that is not there then who's to say Diarra won't down tools and sit on his hands...
ChrisW
£17 million worth of good. Amazing business but it'll be a huge shame to loose him.
stillthewhizz
I meant lose. It's early...ish.
stillthewhizz
whatever anyone says - as much as i have not always supported what 'arry does, but in fairness how much of this is 'out of his hands?' - 'ary will not be wanting to lose diarra this summer, we might lose him but this is not something he will want... tbh fellas i reckon we 'could' and 'should' be asking £15m + for him by todays standards but jugding by diarra's own comments he has a 'release clause' written into his deal, and i doubt this release is for as much as £15m... so even 'if' he goes - we cannot say for sure he will - i dont think we will get what we really 'should' get by todays standards...
pompeyrug
i really hope he stays because next season with the squad we have got and maybe a few shrewd redknapp signings we could push the top 4 all the way. for the first time in my pompey life i go into games actually thinking we are going to win its only taken 20 years!! diarra is class and if europe is secured i hope we can hang on to him if not get the big money and re invest to push us further foward
knocker
Lassana Diarra is without doubt a world class player. Whether he is Pompey's best ever we will need to wait and see but he has certainly hit the ground running in terms of performances. Getting in the Actim Team of the Week proves that. How the hell did we get him?
eastneydave
He is a class player and I would love to keep him, but with the 15-20 million fees you are all talking about I dont think we should be bitching and whining. If he does indeed have a release clause I doubt it would be set at such a high price because then it would not really be needed because that kind of offer the board would accept anyway. I think it is probably set around 10 million or so, and that is the worrying part.
whitestones
if the money is too good, then we cant really say no, id like to keep him, the fact that we are mentioneing this after 4 games pays tribute to this, but we have to consider that if he is sold, will it ACTUALLY be for a high price, or will it end up being one of these benjani deals or gary o'neil deals, where we decided we just wanted the money for someone else, so decided to sell him for what we could get. and agogo??? wtf, he hasnt exactly been prolific in leagues one and two, and scored a tap in that anyone can score in the african cup of nations. now hes premiership quality? give me a break. we've already got one lower league striker trying to prove his worth
jbaker
either way, its win win for us...unless we do what we did to benji, and sell a player at the peak of there career who didnt want to leave, for initailly less money than we paid for him.
pompeycarpet
that is exactly the point i have said several time whitestones, if 'a clause' is in place we'll get considerably less than we 'should' when the day comes...
pompeyrug
I think the littlest hobo needs some roots, he has bounced from club to club for the last 3 years, you need to settle to produce your best form, if or when he leaves, it will be for one of the elite clubs
paultsmouth
If we establish ourselves as a top ten side, get to Wembley and continue to buy good players then i am sure he will stay for a while, he wants to play regularly and he will play every game for us, as he is pure class.
Owenspompey
Well on the plus side, I can finally see a good thing about the Defoe signing. At least HR won't be able to flog Diarra off for a fraction of his worth in order to get Defoe in this summer.
I don't know if it's HR, Peter Storrie, or Sasha, but when it comes to letting players go, it always feels like a car boot sale with Pompey. You guys are probably right, there probably is a clause in the contract and we probably will lose him for a fraction of his worth, but hopefully it will at least be enough to bring in a replacement who doesn't feel second rate by comparison, which isn't always the case.
I'd like to see him stick around for a couple of years though. I think despite his age, he could help fellow youngsters Muntari and Krancjar really develop into an intimidating midfield combination. That's assuming they don't also get sold off by Lorne Spicer in a BBC Summer Special.
PhilTaglia
The report I read was that the release clause is for any offer over $10 million and then we have to give a cut to Arsenal. I don't know what the cut is to them.
frattonaussie
hopefully we wont be seeing a 'car booty' this summer PhilTaglia... welcome aboard mate, yet another new face :-)
pompeyrug
I think the Diarra transfer may well have Benitez looking for a summer job on the Costa L'ot, £18m for Mascherano against £5m for Lassie - what planet is the guy on?
ChrisW
PhilTagiia, fair comment, perhaps it would be a good time for Vital members to list who will be featured in the summer "Car boot sale" and at what price they will be sold. A good competition, do not forget to use the Benji saga as a reference point.!!!
007
Don't know what the sell-on clause would be, but if we paid 5m for him and then sold him for 10m giving Arsenal 10%, that would be very poor dealing
paultsmouth
i assume you mean anything over £10m frattonaussie? if it is anything over £10m then technically we could be offered £15m plus, but clubs and agents arent stupid are they, they'll not offer more than they have to...
pompeyrug
we should have never sell this lad.
kaybee
i agree, but i dont think we'll have the luxury of that being an option will we...
pompeyrug
yes rug, 10 million or more. theoretically we could be offered 20 million but as you said they will try and buy him as cheaply as possible. My information is that the pay out to Arsenal is more like 20% of the profit and that is why they let him go for 5 million. Potentialy they could end up getting 7 million or more for a player they didn't want.
frattonaussie
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