£10 million bid for Ryan Shawcross

[BurnleyPaul]

Is he a step up on what we have available at the club?
Is he available?
Is he going to cost a sensible (although this transfer window that's not saying much!) price?

For me he fits all three criteria so I'd be pushing hard for this deal to happen.

We HAVE to stay up this season- successive seasons staying in the Premier League will help us to attract better players next year and to move the club even further on; Shawcross would go a hell of a long way towards that with his experience; it'd also give us another loud voice at the back alongside Heaton and Mee to organise those ahead of them.

Here's to positive news from the club soon.

[CrosspoolClarets]

The great news for me is that the club appear to have researched why "second season syndrome" strikes and are actively avoiding it, i.e. not just hoping last year's bunch do as well again but instead shaping the squad into one that looks more like a long term Premier League squad made up of a core who have been there and done it.

Shawcross would tick that box hugely. He is a better leader than Dawson, distributes better, but is a bit slower and is less of a threat at the other end. I'd prefer him because its at the back that he is needed, not at our set pieces, which are just a bonus.

His back injury appears to be behind him (ahem) and I'm sure he wants to stay at Stoke if they offer him a 4 year deal. We may need to do that to grab him, it's down to Hughes ultimately. We won't have many competitors though, West Brom and Newcastle being two, but many sides will want more of a ball player.

[Vegas Claret]

The Shawcross decline has coincided with Mark Hughes being manager. I doubt you'll find a Stoke fan that thinks Hughes can set up a defence. Shawcross was being linked with plenty of big clubs when Pullis was manager and Dyche sets his defence up rather like the walking club shop. Him or Dawson would do very well here, I'd love both

[burnmark]

http://m.stokesentinel.co.uk/burnley-10 ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[UpTheBeehole]

http://m.stokesentinel.co.uk/burnley-10 ... story.html

Insiders at Burnley also say another centre half is not one of manager Sean Dyche's priorities before the window shuts.

FML

[Tall Paul]

FML

We're taking the Stoke Sentinel's word on Burnley's transfers as gospel now are we?

The same Stoke Sentinel that reported this ten days before this happened?

[Braindead]

This article also says that Burnley aren't in the market for another centre half which we clearly are.

Nixon thinks this is a goer.

[claretblue]

We're taking the Stoke Sentinel's word on Burnley's transfers as gospel now are we?

The same Stoke Sentinel that reported this ten days before this happened?

Hope that boil on Jons nose cleared up before his medical!

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/stoke-ci ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Colburn_Claret]

Stoke fans love Shawcross, but even they say his time is up. Too many injuries have taken their toll.
He isn't as good as he was, is unlikely to manage 38 games in a season, and at 10million we will have been well and truly rogered.
As experienced cover I'd love him, but still not worth that figure.

[Spijed]

Stoke fans love Shawcross, but even they say his time is up. Too many injuries have taken their toll.
He isn't as good as he was, is unlikely to manage 38 games in a season, and at 10million we will have been well and truly rogered.
As experienced cover I'd love him, but still not worth that figure.

The views of supporters can never be a good measure of what a player is like or is going to be.

Even we can't all agree whether Andre Gray will be missed or not!

[Colburn_Claret]

Difference being the popularity of Shawcross. You don't say a player you worshipped is past it, unless he is.
I'm big friends with a Stoke season ticket holder. Who worships Pullis and hates Hughes, he says it is the concensus of opinion at Stoke that they need a better player than Shawcross, they've even claimed one of their reserves is a better option.

[burnmark]

We're taking the Stoke Sentinel's word on Burnley's transfers as gospel now are we?

The same Stoke Sentinel that reported this ten days before this happened?

To be fair, one says we aren't interested in a player and haven't placed a bid whilst the report you linked comments on a bid we did make and then obviously improved at a later date.

[Stayingup]

Have to agree. Dawson at the very least offers a real threat in the opponent`s penalty area, even more so than Keane.

First priority of a defender is..... to defend.

[HiroshimaClaret]

First priority of a defender is..... to defend.

Dawson is versed in the art too!

[Spijed]

First priority of a defender is..... to defend.

Not these days it isn't, otherwise I couldn't see Trippier getting anywhere near the first team for Spurs if it was.

[ChubbsMcGee]

https://twitter.com/WilliamHill/status/ ... 5182731264
found this but not sure how reliable it is

[whiffa]

Sky Sports reporting Stoke have signed defender David Wimmer from Tottenham, does this open the door for Shawcross to leave?