Victory at Sunderland, No Bids on KJH

The match against Sunderland may not have been pretty, but it certainly bodes well for the future for a multitude of reasons. First, the grand total of goals conceded on this trip stands at zero. Who knew that Ajax would go to the UK and show them how to defend? Especially after last season. Second, Miralem Sulejmani made his debut. Subbed in during the second half as a replacement for KJH, Sulejmani looks healthy enough if also a little rusty. So, there are encouraging signs long before you consider the 1-0 scoreline. But there is even better news straight from the mouth of MvB. No official bids for KJH.

That’s right, all that talk and gossip and rumor has yet to produce an actual bid. So that cannot be bad, right? KJH can’t be sitting there in the dressing room grumbling about wanting to play somewhere else. And if everything proceeds like this, KJH will be around this season. This news also casts an interesting light on that whole aborted contract negotiation. We all thought KJH would not sign the deal with a 25 million release clause because there were teams willing to pay already. We can say now, “Where are they?” I guess KJH has some explaining to do.

But, as I have written before, I seriously doubt all will remain quiet at Danny Blind’s desk. For all the love and respect due to KJH, he is a second-tier target. The big clubs are going to take a run at Adebayor and Eto’o and Berbatov, or even Robbie Keane. For KJH to move, one of two things need to happen. First, the big targets need to move. If Adebayor and Eto’o hope on a merry-go-round this week, KJH will be the hot commodity next week. If this does not happen, the second scenario applies. As the deadline creeps closer, the pressure rises on clubs looking to buy. Their second-choice can begin to look better and better. They eventually buy just before the deadline.

So, either KJH goes to an Arsenal who lose Adebayor or a ManU who cannot land Berbatov or a Roma who cannot seal a deal on Mutu/Baptista or even a Barca looking to replace Eto’o. I am pleased along with Marco that nobody has made a move yet. But the absolute worse-case scenario is still in play: an eleventh-hour deal that leaves us with no chance of finding a replacement before the window closes. For now, however, let’s enjoy the possibility of a Suarez-Huntelaar-Sulejmani attack and a defense that continues to keep those sheets clean.

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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