1. Ahmed Musa. He’s tracked by Walsh’s recruitment team and has been since 2014, identified because of his pace and lethal finishing as displayed against United in the CL when he tore them a new one. Looks good, can’t really blame the recruitment team for identifying him.
In comes Rudkin in the summer of 2016. CSKA spot him a mile off and ask for £18m upfront. Rudkin negotiates this down to a reasonable £16m (including instalments) with £80k per week wages for the player.
Fast forward to the end of 2017. Musa is so rubbish he can no longer control a football, his confidence shot completely after being ruined by Leicester. Rudkin is desperate. Musa is desperate. Somehow, he manages to negotiate a deal whereby we loan Musa back to CSKA AND pay his wages in full.
So CSKA get £16m for him AND get their player back a year later without having to pay any of his wages. It’s literally deal of the century for them. Rudkin high fives Whelan in celebration
2. Adrien Silva. Spotted by Macia and scouted throughout 2016, Silva is Leicester’s no.1 transfer target in the late summer. Drinkwater on the other hand wants out, Chelsea are interested. Shakespeare doesn’t want Drinkwater to go anywhere - he insists on keeping him.
Rudkin knows far better however. He has a plan. A plan that involves the greatest transfer deadline coup of the century. He’s going to sell Drinkwater to Ghelsea right at the death and bring Silva in on the same day - seemingly without Shakespeare even noticing. He even talks to Whelan about giving Silva Danny’s shirt in the hope Shakey won’t know what’s going on.
Deadline day comes and we have less than an hour to go. Rudkin agrees a deal to sell Drinkwater before the final details of Silva have been worked out with Sporting. So technically we have lost Drinkwater and have no replacement. Sporting drag it out. Rudkin works through the night. He thinks he’s done it. But he hasn’t. He’s ballsed it up. The deadline has passed and the documentation. Is issued to fifa 14 seconds too late. Leicester lose Drinkwater and have a player who can’t even sit on the bench for 4 months. Nice one Jon
3. Kelechi Iheanacho. Before the Silva debacle Rudkin is watching Man City on TV. He sees Iheanacho coming off the bench and scoring a goal. He phones the recruitment team. They have been watching him too. Just not as enthusiastically as Rudkin. Rudkin talks to Shakespeare. Shakespeare isn’t fussed. Rudkin doesn’t care - he’s going to sign him.
Man City have big grins on their faces as Rudkin picks up the phone to the Etihad. ‘Name your price’. £25m they say. ‘Is that all?! I’ll take him!’ Shakespeare doesn’t even know this is happening. Rudkin negotates another stunning deal - £25m for a player who has never played 90 mins in the PL with a £50m buy back clause for City. He’s sure that will be activated in no time. Rudkin, like Di Caprio from Wolf of Wall Street will have made a cool £25m.
Fast forward 12 months. Iheanacho can’t control a football and is devoid of any confidence. Rudkin thinks about ringing Man City to lower the buy back clause. Puel stops him. “It’s over Jon"
The best of Jon Rudkin
posted on 25/1/19
comment by Merseysidefox (U4842)
posted 18 minutes ago
I expected that response BS. And in many ways I agree with you.
I think Whealan is the bigger consideration here. I think she calls the shots. I like her. I think Nev does too. Not like that Nev.
If Rudkin is her puppet master then fair enough. I think she’s doing a good job.
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Puppet master in the sense that she gives him a budget basically - it’s ultimately up to him where and how that gets that gets spent.
Let’s put it another way - £73m spent on Musa, Slimani and Iheanacho alone is nowt to do with Susan Whelan.
There’s a difference in my mind between the commercial side of the business (Whelan has done brilliantly there) and the footballing side. The footballing side (recruitment, managerial appointments, contracts, direction to the club) is where the problem is
posted on 26/1/19
So BS your saying the DOF has nothing to do with football matters? Just the budget-well thats can not be true. Whelans will set the budget with the board as CEO.
The DOF will be responsible with his team to approach the players identified or requested by the coach.
Rudkin has sold players at a profit overseen the best and worst of times at our club to say he has just has the ear of the owners sounds like sour grapes from those within the club who are jealous.
Theres a long term plan for the club based on youth a world class training facility the fact thats where players spend most of their time. A extension to the stadium and a desire to challenge the top six and he is charged with all this.
posted on 26/1/19
The DOF will be responsible with his team to approach the players identified or requested by the coach.
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To be fair Nev, I this is perhaps what people are discussing. Whilst he can’t necessarily be held accountable for identify the players at scouting level (both success stories and failures) it’s the issues with lengths of contracts, wages, Silva saga, missed targets, etc that is being criticised.
Basically it can’t all be blamed on Rudkin but perhaps within the scope of his role, there are areas to learn from and hopefully in the summer, with a new manager and fresh targets, contracts to negotiate, players to try to retain etc, we will see him build on this experience.
posted on 26/1/19
I think you’re right Nev. I like the overarching plan for the club. I guess BS is discussing the merits of whether Rudkin is the right man to lead it.
I’m fine with Rudkin if we have a strong manager with a clear strategy as to how we can build the playing side up from top to bottom. I’m not sure Puel is this man, and not Shakespeare before him. As a result I feel our transfer policy is drifting a little bit.
Despite this, we’ve still had a decent hit rate once we sorted ourselves out after he shambolic attempts to step in after the title win. Which I understand in many ways as we just weren’t prepared for it.
posted on 26/1/19
Ps I’m not sure I’m as confidence in this long term plan you advocate. The new training facility is the improvement of a resource implemented by the owners and organised originally prior to Puel and the development of youth is something in all clubs infrastructure. I still await specifics about the manager’s long term plan because it seems to contradict itself at times or be completely abstract on occassions.
posted on 26/1/19
I think our sports science, player recovery techniques and scouting were excellent, genuinely top class (of course not faultless); peaking through the latter stages of Pearson’s time at the helm and as Ranieri came in. I think it was always going to be affected by big changes and a fair bit of transition so from this perspective you feel for Rudkin somewhat but I guess the buck does stop with him with regards to some decisions and is why he gets paid hundreds of thousands of pounds
posted on 26/1/19
The sport science guys are still here and pointed out the over training of CR thats not changed as for the long conracts and pay rises as we know how close the players are to the owner who has showered gifts and cars etc this might be there instruction to the DOF not the other way round.
posted on 26/1/19
Isn’t that the point I’ve just made Nev, that for one reason or another things have changed or been affected and you can feel for Rudkin because although the buck stops with him from a fan’s perspective it’s not always his fault ?
posted on 27/1/19
Mersey - don’t forget who engineered the removal of Shakespeare and recommended the appointment of Puel in his place. Yep - the same guy who wanted Neil Lennon after Pearson.
Rudkin holds a lot of influence at the club - ultimately the DoF takes responsibility for the footballing side of the club - that’s why he gets paid the big money.
posted on 27/1/19
Not saying Rudkin makes the final decision on managerial appointments - he doesn’t but he’s very influential at Leicester. Puel was very much his recommendation