It's all over the papers today that we've put in a bid of £4 million for Jenas. It seems a lot of money for an 18 year old. Is he that good?

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Answers

Approaching Players

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

I've only seen him play once. Wasn't very involved in the game but every time he got the ball he appeared to create a goal scoring opportunity ! Still seems a lot of money though.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

I'd prefer to pay £4 million for Jenas who may go on to have the impact that Dyer has made than the circa £4 million we paid for Bassedas...

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

but only with hindsight

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

If we're splashing £4 Million on Jenas I don't think we can afford this Hindsight bloke as well, where does he play anyway?

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

You never know until after each game.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

and then opinions differ

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

I saw him captain the England U-19's in a couple of games recently, in the same team as Michael Chopra. In that age group Jenas was the outstanding player on the field in both games. He is quite tall, and a box-to-box type of m/f player with bags of energy - tackles, passes and shoots.

IMO, this is just the kind of m/f player we need to sign, even though it might be expecting too much for him to come straight into a top PL team and make an immediate contribution. The good thing is that we don't need him to do that, and could introduce him gradually.

He is undoubtedly a bit of a gamble at £4-5million, but imo a gamble worth taking, and at just the right time to take it.

Go get him Freddie!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

To be honest, even though Jenas is a good player, I'd be more excited if we'd put a bid in for DeCanio. He'll go for around 2.5 million I reckon. I know he's what? 33 years old now, but he's still got a couple of seasons left in him.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Echo Clarky's sentiments entirely on this one and sorry Mick, but feel throwing 2 and a half million on a 33 year old would be folly. Manure perhaps can view this as small change in light of a champions league final - but to us right now that kind of money is about all we have to play with.

Recent transfer actvities/ gossip suggest Bobby sees one of his aims as being to reduce the age of the squad, and so leaving a legacy of long term sucess, aswell as redirecting his attentions away from cheaper South Americans.

I really hope we pull this one off as young Jenas is just the age/ability of player we should be looking to bring in. And as Clarky points out a perfect time to introduce a young lad into the club.

Backing Bobby and Freddie on this one 100%

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Forgot to add that the Chronicle(ok dont laugh) report that our bid has initially been rejected but seem to recall that the Forest board are to hold an EGM on Friday to discuss serious finacial problems.

Jenas will be off - and likely as not they want to start an auction. In this event no club will risk a fortune and in terms of attracting the lad he just may see our current positon, together with an increasingly younger squad AND the chance to get first team opportunities far earlier than at other likely bidders as an attraction.

Thats what I would tell him

Could someone negotiate in Freddies place as he is away?

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

They conclude that Jenas will becaome aToon player in the near future!

Hardly enough evidence to warrant his name on your shirt mind!

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

According to the Express, the Board won't even give Bobby £2 million to make a bid for Jenas. ...

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

.com reported a 4 mil bid on Monday

I'd give them more credence than the Express

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

So would I. I revere Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.Com.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

So we'd have Robert (26), Dyer (23), Jenas (19), Solano (27), Bellamy (22), Hughes (22), O'Brien (22), Shay (25), Dabs (28), Distin (24), Elliot (28), Shola (20), Lua2 (21), Cort (24) and bloody Shearer spoiling it all at 31 :0)

Distinctly better than the top heavy Lee/Barton/Speed/Shearer scenario. A team that should be added to with youth from within for the next 5 years without needing to spend any more money ??

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

5 million good according to Forest! 4 Million rejected.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2002

Apparently Leeds are in for him now.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002

Perhaps we could start a rumour that we're after Bassedas and Marcelino. Then Leeds'd make offers for them within 24 hours.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002

Jenas would be the perfect type of signing, and hopefully we are now in a position to offer him top class football including Europe, and a decent chance of first team opportunities. What we need to be careful of, though, is overburdening the lad with expectation, so we need to keep Speed and probably Acuna and be prepared to be patient. It all pre-supposes we'll actually get him of course, but it must be in his interests to join someone like us rather than Leeds, who have only just bought Johnson and already have Batty, Dacourt, Bakke, Bowyer etc.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002

Received this about Jenas from a Notts Forest season ticket holding mate of mine:

Young (18) first full season. Will be good. Wouldn't hold down 1st team place in Premiership side. Lost form & looking knackered right now. Can't rest him - no one else (Andy Gray ?!). Worth 4m - you tell me. A gamble I would say. Best to come in at end of next season - another season & a better chance to evaluate him. We have to sell, mind as we are insolvent.

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002

Teamsquawk quote: 'Nottingham Forest are set to demand Newcastle full- back Andy Griffin in part-exchange for United target Jermaine Jenas. Forest sent a scout to The Magpies' reserve-team game against Blackburn last week to run the rule over England Under-21 international, whose time on Tyneside has been marred by persistent injury problems. Griffin impressed against Rovers and Forest are now considering making his move to the City Ground a part of any deal which takes their star midfielder Jenas to St James' Park. Although Forest are coy on whether they have actually received an official bid from Newcastle for 18-year-old Jenas, United's interest in him is genuine. And with Newcastle facing cash constraints, a part-exchange agreement including Griffin could be the key to a deal for Jenas, who Forest rate at £5million'. Is this more TT hot air. If not, seems like a good deal to me.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002

See my comments on the other JJ thread. I think it would be worthwhile.

-- Anonymous, January 22, 2002