Antwerp in for Defour

Dyched · Post by **Dyched** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:40 pm

He’s probably injured himself thinking about a medical

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:40 pm

ClaretTony wrote:I would not be surprised to see this stretch out to Christmas or even longer.

befour he's playing or sold?

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:41 pm

claretblue wrote:befour he's playing or sold?

Playing - it didn’t sound too optimistic from Dyche

AndyClaret · Post by **AndyClaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:42 pm

His agent says he wants to stay and get fit for Burnley.

GodIsADeeJay81 · Post by **GodIsADeeJay81** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:43 pm

It will be mixed feelings from me when he goes.

Gutted because he's clearly talented and was one of my favourite players before he rocked up at Burnley.
Pleased because he's not going to be fit for us regularly enough and we can't carry someone that injury prone.

jojomk1 · Post by **jojomk1** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 5:57 pm

AndyClaret wrote:His agent says he wants to stay and get fit for Burnley.

Not enough time on current deal to get fit unless we are going to offer another year - at least !

RalphCoatesComb · Post by **RalphCoatesComb** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:05 pm

A fit Defour I'd want all day long, but there comes a time when it's "Sayonara". That time has come for me.

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:06 pm

AndyClaret wrote:His agent says he wants to stay and get fit for Burnley.

I bet he does on his salary.

Burnley1989 · Post by **Burnley1989** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:06 pm

GodIsADeeJay81 wrote:Ha like that would stop me...

Both those comments cracked me right up

Firthy · Post by **Firthy** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:29 pm

tiger76 wrote:If this story has legs then great news,we've needed to get Steven Defour off the wage bill for a while now,how fit is he though?.

And any fee will be welcome even a couple of million.

Shouldn't that read if Defour has any legs?

FactualFrank · Post by **FactualFrank** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:31 pm

ClaretAndJew wrote:Imagine Drinkwater and Defour in midfield

I think you're just as likely to see Bernardo Silva and Dele Alli in the same midfield.

jrgbfc · Post by **jrgbfc** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:31 pm

Thing is if Defour is happy to sit tight until summer and run his contract down then there isn't much we can do about it.

No Ney Never · Post by **No Ney Never** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:43 pm

He should be placed on the list of gambles that didn't pay off.

BurnleyFC · Post by **BurnleyFC** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 6:52 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Simple answer to that is we'd be losing our finest footballer since Jimmy Mac.

Give over.

ŽižkovClaret · Post by **ŽižkovClaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:05 pm

AndyClaret wrote:His agent says he wants to stay and get fit for Burnley.

So do i

ClaretAL · Post by **ClaretAL** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:07 pm

Fantastic player and undeniable skill and vision, but he has been stealing a wage for far too long, he needs to get some motivation back rather than money, he needs to move.

Herts Clarets · Post by **Herts Clarets** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:23 pm

He won't play for Burnley again.

IanMcL · Post by **IanMcL** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:26 pm

Hope he stays and plays.
Dazzling Defour.

ewanrob · Post by **ewanrob** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:28 pm

Dont really get the Defour love in, yes hes decent...but clearly doesn't have the fitness levels or physicality required for PL or Championship football.

EarbyClaret · Post by **EarbyClaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:34 pm

The best solution for all concerned would be to get him fit for the January window - no risks in the meantime. Defour gets a decent move - almost certainly back to Belgium we free-up a significant salary so that we can sign a fourth CM - be that Drinkwater or someone else we identify between now and then.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:47 pm

jrgbfc wrote:Let him go on a free to get him off the wage bill. It's highly unlikely he's going to play for us again.

I'd happily wave him bon voyage,even on a free if needs be,however he has a contract and as on big bucks,so he can just sit on his arse for several months,and then he'll be a free agent,now if we could arrange some form of pay off,say % of his salary,that might be viable to get him out the door.

TBH i don't factor him into my thinking when considering the 1st team squad anymore,i'll be shocked if he plays for BFC again.

Giftonsnoidea · Post by **Giftonsnoidea** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:50 pm

Rick_Muller wrote:I'd be gutted too - if he were actually playing.

It's like being married to Rachel Riley but the decorators are always in...

Decorators wouldn’t be stopping me in that situation

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:59 pm

EarbyClaret wrote:The best solution for all concerned would be to get him fit for the January window - no risks in the meantime. Defour gets a decent move - almost certainly back to Belgium we free-up a significant salary so that we can sign a fourth CM - be that Drinkwater or someone else we identify between now and then.

Agree but we surely don't need to put off making a permanent signing for the sake of about £1.5m and I hope we did not do that recently. Especially when we just got £2m for Ings.

Blackrod · Post by **Blackrod** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:11 pm

Being fit for the Belgian league is a different kettle of fish than being fit for the PL. We are certainly not a team that can carry a player who isn’t 100% fit. Defour is clearly never going to be fit to play a full PL season without being taken off most games and perhaps never was. It’s a shame because he has real quality the likes of which we seldom see. I’m glad I’ve seen him play for us but I dread to think what we are paying in wages that could fund another good player.

bobinho · Post by **bobinho** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 8:42 pm

Speaking as a real fan boy of his, i'm gutted. He's absolute quality when fit, but he's never fit and because of that he's just a sponge.

The goal against Hull was superb, and the free kick v Manure is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my supporting life, but even for a fan boy like me, time's up im afraid.

bfcjg · Post by **bfcjg** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:17 pm

tiger76 wrote:If this story has legs then great news,we've needed to get Steven Defour off the wage bill for a while now,how fit is he though?.

And any fee will be welcome even a couple of million.

The story might have legs, alas Defour doesn't.

Pearcey · Post by **Pearcey** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:21 pm

I hope he gets fit and stays. He is so far ahead of what we have talent wise.

tim_noone · Post by **tim_noone** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:27 pm

ksrclaret wrote:I should think this would be an attractive proposition for both the player and the Club. Providing they can meet his wage demands and providing he would pass even the most basic of medicals.

He's out of contract next summer, and if we have any sense at all, we will not be looking to extend his contract with us.

TBH He shouldn't be in a position to Demand anything.

Belgianclaret · Post by **Belgianclaret** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:31 pm

EarbyClaret wrote:The best solution for all concerned would be to get him fit for the January window - no risks in the meantime. Defour gets a decent move - almost certainly back to Belgium we free-up a significant salary so that we can sign a fourth CM - be that Drinkwater or someone else we identify between now and then.

Indeed

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:33 pm

Realistically, how much could we hope to recoup? Perhaps we would be happy just to free up a wage and add a new squad member

jdrobbo · Post by **jdrobbo** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:39 pm

Oxymoron coming up....

Gutted-Relieved

Such a shame that we only had Defour at his best in small doses, but my God, they were just wonderful.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:43 pm

For me Defour has been one of our most technically gifted players ever but sadly his time with us has been blighted by injuries

Stayingup · Post by **Stayingup** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:49 pm

Tall Paul wrote:There's no such language as Belgian.

Haha. True. Flemish or Walloon?

Stayingup · Post by **Stayingup** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:51 pm

Blackrod wrote:Being fit for the Belgian league is a different kettle of fish than being fit for the PL. We are certainly not a team that can carry a player who isn’t 100% fit. Defour is clearly never going to be fit to play a full PL season without being taken off most games and perhaps never was. It’s a shame because he has real quality the likes of which we seldom see. I’m glad I’ve seen him play for us but I dread to think what we are paying in wages that could fund another good player.

Defour is injured not just unfit.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:56 pm

Pearcey wrote:I hope he gets fit and stays. He is so far ahead of what we have talent wise.

Sadly that's not going to happen,not at Burnley anyhow,so we have to cut our losses if possible,whether Defour goes in this window,or goes next summer when his contract's up,we will need midfield replacements,especially if Jeff doesn't sign a new contract soon.

Defour maybe talented but he's had a handful of appearances in the last 18 months,and he's bleeding the club dry wage-wise,when he's not contributing on the park.

Paul Waine · Post by **Paul Waine** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:58 pm

I don't get all this "stealing a wage" stuff. Steven Defour got his injury playing for Burnley - yes, on top of the long term one he's been carrying. Don't you guys appreciate someone putting everything into his claret and blue shirt?

We'd all love Steven Defour if he'd been, mostly, injury free. I'd like to see him fit again and playing for us. If this isn't to be, I wish him all the best and thanks for the good times.

UTC

Dark Cloud · Post by **Dark Cloud** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:58 pm

No Ney Never wrote:He should be placed on the list of gambles that didn't pay off.

True, but the extension to his contract wasn't a gamble, it was plain daft.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:02 pm

I really don't get all of the pi55 taking comments about Stephen Defour

You would think he was getting injured intentionally and stealing a wage!

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:13 pm

Quickenthetempo wrote:Trying to take him back to Belgium according to Kristof T on Twitter.
The Belgium journalist isn't often wrong on Belgian players.

We may be prepared to negotiate,

superdimitri · Post by **superdimitri** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:16 pm

A player who wouldn't be with us if he didn't have a bad injury record, yet if hes injured gets criticized for not wanting to play!

I hope he doesn't move and gets fit too, but best of luck whatever he chooses, his wages in the grand scheme of things is really nothing in todays terms.

In fact, even if we aren't paying Drinkwaters wages the percentage we are paying is likely higher than his.

He's a good man and clearly from his social media takes all the criticism to heart. Don't listen to the idiots Steven, every Burnley fan wants you fit and playing asap.

Dark Cloud · Post by **Dark Cloud** » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:45 pm

I genuinely don't think Defour has ever been "happy" to be injured, certainly not initially, but I do wonder and have done for quite some time now, if his time out and lengthy lay offs have affected him mentally and he just doesn't have the appetite for it or the mental strength to get back at it anymore. I'd suggest that may well be more common than we think among players and it will be exacerbated in his case by the fact that he's in a strange country, at a somewhat unfashionable club and pretty much the only foreign player.

Hipper · Post by **Hipper** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:45 am

tiger76 wrote:If this story has legs.....

You mean if it has more legs then he has.

edit. I looked through this thread in case someone had spotted this but as I now read it I see others have thought the same! Mind you it's still a good point.

Corky · Post by **Corky** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:09 am

Dark Cloud wrote:I genuinely don't think Defour has ever been "happy" to be injured, certainly not initially, but I do wonder and have done for quite some time now, if his time out and lengthy lay offs have affected him mentally and he just doesn't have the appetite for it or the mental strength to get back at it anymore. I'd suggest that may well be more common than we think among players and it will be exacerbated in his case by the fact that he's in a strange country, at a somewhat unfashionable club and pretty much the only foreign player.

That was along the lines of my thinking. More of a mental block.

mdd2 · Post by **mdd2** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 8:27 am

It does remind me of David Beresford's injury
I mean Bedford

wilks_bfc · Post by **wilks_bfc** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:06 am

Dark Cloud wrote:I genuinely don't think Defour has ever been "happy" to be injured, certainly not initially, but I do wonder and have done for quite some time now, if his time out and lengthy lay offs have affected him mentally and he just doesn't have the appetite for it or the mental strength to get back at it anymore. I'd suggest that may well be more common than we think among players and it will be exacerbated in his case by the fact that he's in a strange country, at a somewhat unfashionable club and pretty much the only foreign player.

His father also pass away suddenly last year as well which wouldn't have helped to mentality

claretcarrot93 · Post by **claretcarrot93** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:33 am

Some weird comments on here.

Defour has not been injured on purpose. He was probably the main factor when we got as high as 4th at Christmas and ended up in the Europa league. That first half of the season he was one of the best players not just for us but in the league.

Therefore he was a factor in giving me Athens. The best away day I have ever been on. He was worth it just for that.

Lord Beamish · Post by **Lord Beamish** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:37 am

claretcarrot93 wrote:Some weird cooments.

I had a weird cooment, once.
It took me ages to get it out of my hair!

claretcarrot93 · Post by **claretcarrot93** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:52 am

Lord Beamish wrote:I had a weird cooment, once.
It took me ages to get it out of my hair!

Ha woops

Fretters · Post by **Fretters** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:57 am

He's probably paid for himself in prize money for helping us finish 7th. And, if he comes back this season, I bet he'd help us finish a few places higher again.

He needs to stay if there's even a chance of him getting fit and playing.

thatdberight · Post by **thatdberight** » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:59 am

Quickenthetempo wrote:...it's written in Belgian.

It's really not.