Ian Hart gives his ideal transfer window verdict
With the season now well and truly over, but anyone who pictures either Fabian Hurzeler or David Weir holidaying in sunnier climes, feet up, is almost deluded.
Even before the summer transfer window opens, the Albion senior management team will be working hard, with the apparent Albion futures of five major players high on the agenda.
So it remains to be seen if come the closing of the window if Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul Van Hecke, Carlos Baleba, Karou Mitoma or Joao Pedro, will all still be on the Albion playing roster?
I say five, I’m fairly confident, reigning Albion player of the year, Van Hecke is a shoo in, he’s signed a contract extension, and with it being a World Cup season and he almost being now an automatic pick, another good season playing regular football in the EPL will only aid his international ambitions with the Netherlands.
His Dutch teammate, Verbruggen, is perhaps a different scenario, although rested in the latest Holland squad, he’s still perceived to be the Number One pick, is now the time for the Albion to cash in with his stock high?
Various footballing websites, both here and overseas, have linked him with a move to either Spain or Germany, and whilst there’s no doubting his talent, if the price is right the Albion have to sell, as perhaps replacing him won’t be as difficult as some of the outfield positions?
Both Barcelona and Bayern Munich have been rumoured as his next destination, ironically the same clubs mentioned as potentially Karou Mitoma’s next club, and of all the 5, perhaps my biggest concern.
The Japanese icon has never made any secret of the fact that Barca were his boyhood club, his bedroom walls back in Japan were plastered with Lionel Messi posters.
Never mind the wingers natural ability, commercially is also a no brainer for the Catalan giants, the Albion have shipped over 20,000 Mitoma shirts to Japan, how many would Barca sell in the Far East?
For Albion’s ongoing development I believe Mitoma is an integral part of that, but would the lure of his boyhood idols be too much to resist?
Another integral cog in the Albion set up is Carlos Baleba, still very raw at times, but a real talent, who will eventually end up surpassing Moises Caciedo as the Albion’s record sale, just not yet please.
And finally Joao Pedro, fresh from his alleged training ground altercation with van Hecke, his absence from the squad against Tottenham probably told us everything we needed to know.
He’s gone, no doubt his agent is already feverishly engineering his exit, the consolation being Tony Bloom will play hardball and wherever the Brazilian ends up, it will be on the back of the Albion receiving between £60-70million.
So come September 1, who do I think will still be a Seagull? Van Hecke definitely, almost certainly Baleba, hopefully Mitoma, and if the coffers are bolstered by near £100 million for the other two, everyone will be happy!
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