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Utaka to go back to Rennes...

John Utaka is 'apparently' interesting Rennes - and the side that sold him to us for £7m in the summer could be looking to take him back to France already.

After an indifferent 6 months at Fratton Park the suggestion is that they want to take him back and will give us back the amount that we paid them.

I do think that he could still be a big player for us, but he has done little or nothing for several months to justify a place in the side on the whole, yet he retained his place regardless, which wound me up - and many of you - more than once.

So although I am not saying that I want him to go I must admit that I might not be that unhappy if he did go back to France so long as we get a player of equal or better quality to replace him.

PLAY UP POMPEY!

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Writer: pompeyrug

Date:Sunday January 27 2008

Time: 4:20PM

Your Comments

that would be big mistake for pompey.

kaybee

If they offer us what we paid, then byeeeeeeeeee. He started well but never did enough to justify the GON position week in week out. If the story is true then I would think for everbodys sake we take it.

storagematt

like i say as much as much as i think he 'might' be a star for us in the future i think i would also accept him leaving now if we replace him and get what we paid...

pompeyrug

Bye Bye John, wouldnt be unhappy myself, needs an attitude change to make it here.

pompey4me

I think they'd rather get rid of Nugent and use Utaka as a striker when he comes back from the ACN. Would be a better move all round if you ask me. Harry was doing his pieces with Nugent yesterday.

stillthewhizz

Yep, cant say i'm overly enamored with him either. i was one who was saying he needed a run, well, i've seen him play enough now so that i think he just isnt gonna do it for us.

pompey4me

He has played well in a few games. In fact at the Emirates (his last really good performance) Gooner fans were raving about him. As i've said before I don't think sticking him on the right is his position, he wants the ball at his feet and head to goal. I think he could still do something for us, unlike Nugent who hasn't really sparkled at all.

stillthewhizz

one name-DROGBA-sometimes foriegn players find it hard the first season, however, i can see the frustration he causes fans

plymouth graham

He frustrates because we know he has quality, he just isn't achieving it. We shouldn't let him go, he could be really dangerous if we get him on form.

stillthewhizz

thats the key thing 'if we can get him on form' he's been given a run beyond the kind of run many others would get and hasnt delivered... i dont think he will go this week, but i think he could in the summer if things dont improve? im prepared to give him a massive benefit of the doubt and hope that he comes back and plays like the player we saw in his early games - which ironically he thought he struggled in!

pompeyrug

Kaybee i assume you saw the two games he played quite well this season

russellm

Plymouth graham, one name-BENJI-!!! whilst i wont be too disappointed if he leaves like Nugent i think he would be worth keeping another season just to see.

russellm

To quote another name Henry, 14 games it took him to even score, the rest is well known

paultsmouth

I dont think we should get rid of him, I know he hasnt sparkled but he is played out of position, I think if we gave him a run of games at the striker position it would be a different story. Besides, Nugent (although i do like him) has been a much bigger bust but everyone has been a lot less critical of him

whitestones

The fact is he is played out of position and become disorientated and disillusioned. Without a playmaker to exploit his pace he is lost in his current role. HR had Benji and then signed Kanu, Utaka and Nugent. He made a position for Utaka, otherwise he would have had £13 millions worth of signings sitting on the bench. Could not understand it then or now, and we are still trying to sign a striker!!! HR got it wrong in a big way.

007

You all know I have said from the start that Utaka is a streak player and he has not had enough good ones. But he definitely prefers to play up front.

eastneydave

nope, dont sell him back! dont sell nugent! I would be very dissopointe dif either of them left, as i think they could be great players. please dont sell them! (and i dont think we will either)

pompeycarpet

He is a decent player who will prove to be a good squad player, and we are not blessed with many wide right players are we? The goals he has scored have been quality and once he knows what formation we are playing he will be ok i am sure.

Owenspompey

I am not keen on buying or selling players mid season unless the club is in dire straites. I agree Utaka needs to be played in his correct position but with Baros coming in it seems unlikely. I am out on Nugent. My gut feeling is he can become a top player but Harry doesn't seem to be able to get the best out of him. Until he went off injured, I was backing him to leave this week but now the injury may put clubs off. I said in another post that Utaka hadn't done well in the African Cup because many of the teams had adopted the EPL more physical style of play and I have always maintained that it is this style of play that scares Utaka. He is more worried about being injured than playing. If we can sell him quickly and get the money and then quickly buy a good winger with it then I would say do it. It is against my thoughts on mid season transfers but I don't think Utaka has a future at Pompey.

frattonaussie

You say that aussie but so far Diarra has been an inspired signing.

stillthewhizz

Whizz, I didn't say that I think mid season transfers should be stopped; I said I wasn't a fan of them . Sometimes they do work and sometimes there is a valid reason for them but I also think that sometimes manager transfer players in and out just because they can and because fans expect it.

frattonaussie

Take Utaka back to the shop and get our money back ?.. Yeah I think i would, I accept he's been played out of position but that is where Harry wanted him to play and he's hardly covered himself in glory.. It he was a £2-3 million signing I might feel different but have we seen anything to indicate that long term he is 'consistently' gonna be worth £7m... I'd say no..

Chix

.... mind you if I say that I must also be consistent and say that Nugent should go if we could get our money back... ummm I'm not so sure I agree with myslef now..

Chix

At the moment we couldn't swap Nugent fpr Havants mascot (if they have one) or the 100,000 pounds Liverpool splashed on the after match binge for them. Half their luck. I think Nugent will become a top player but Harry can't get the best from him. Wenger can't get the best from Walcott so maybe we should swap them between the clubs and see what happens.

frattonaussie

Aussie I didn't say that you said "mid season transfers should be stopped". I was merely proving that despite you not being a 'fan' of them we've managed to pick up a top player.

I love the optimism some of you have with Nugent. What do you see that I don't? I see a boy who despite looking like he's trying hard, runs on a tilt with his head down and seems to laugh at himself on the pitch during every game. He's rubbish in the air, his finishing has been abysmal and every time someone puts a ball through to him he either runs the wrong side of it or is too late on his run.

I'd take Walcott. Right wing or striker. Wenger's standard of not getting the best from players is far from our standard. At least we know Walcott has quality.

stillthewhizz

What would Wenger want with Nugent, dont they have a groundsman at the Emirates? He is not Premiership quality and we all have seen that, he appears to be a nice lad, but he is not going to cut it at Fratton so let him go and invest in another player, win some lose some, but move on please.

Owenspompey

Whizz, i watched Wenger in the last games. He was poor as well. I don't think there's much between them, certainly not an extra 6 million.

frattonaussie

sorry i watched Walcott.Geez Wenger would do both of them.

frattonaussie

im still not giving up on nuge - im willing him to succede, like we all are and think he still will...

pompeyrug

Agree with the Whizz...keep him around and bring him on as a front man for a change. He's out of position as is...and if Rennes want him back, there's a 2 mil pound surcharge.

Toronto4Pompey

As for Nugent, I like the guy as a prospect but do we have deep enough pockets to keep him around long enough to realize his assets ? - I doubt it. I'd sooner keep Utaka if forced to choose.

Toronto4Pompey

Utaka has the potential just he's not the man we need for consistency that is quite clear..

brewster39

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