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Murray would not go cheaply

8:20am Wednesday 10th June 2009


Albion may be prepared to sell unsettled striker Glenn Murray – but only for a high price.

Murray’s latest transfer request was discussed at a Board meeting in London yesterday.

The Seagulls have reiterated manager Russell Slade’s desire to hang on to the former Rochdale marksman but have not ruled out letting him leave if a club comes in with a big enough offer.

Managing director Ken Brown said: “The view is he is our player – we don’t want him to go. Russell rates him very highly, so we will see.

“Everyone has a price in football but the price on him is high.

“If someone comes in with an offer that seriously turns our heads then no doubt we will consider it but Russell doesn’t have to sell him and doesn’t want to sell him.”

Albion will want to make a substantial profit on Murray, who has scored 19 goals in 38 League starts since arriving from Rochdale for £300,000 18 months ago.

The Cumbrian-born 25-year-old, plagued by hernia trouble last season, also made a transfer request last summer which the club kept under wraps.

He is under contract until June 2011 but wants to return north after the mother of his baby son failed to settle on the South Coast.

Meanwhile, Albion have lost out to Danny Wilson’s Swindon in a three-way fight between League One clubs to buy 20-year-old striker Theo Robinson from managerless Championship outfit Watford.

The Seagulls made a six-figure bid for the former Stoke City schoolboy, who has two years remaining on his contract at Vicarage Road.

Southend were also in the race. They wanted to re-sign Robinson after a successful loan spell at Roots Hall last season, which included a goal against Albion at Withdean, but Swindon is closer to his home city of Birmingham.

Slade’s eagerness to strengthen his options up front has been hastened by Lloyd Owusu’s move to Australian side Adelaide United and the uncertainty surrounding Murray’s future.

He has been linked with Coventry's Robbie Simpson, although suggestions Albion have made a £400,000 bid are thought to be well wide of the mark.

Brown and new chairman Tony Bloom will be representing Albion at the Football League AGM in Portugal over the next two days.


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fretlessbass, Camberley says...
8:54am Wed 10 Jun 09

Not surprised the lad from Watford didn't want to join us. I'm afraid it's going to be the same every time we go for a quality player. We have no ground and can only offer the prospect of a hard fight to keep our league one status. How enticing is that?

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Towno, Worthing says...
9:23am Wed 10 Jun 09

Fretless, you don't know what you're on about. This lad was 20 years old? 22 by the time we move to Falmer which is hardly over the hill is it? I also don't think for one minute the Albion will struggle next year. I think the manager is too good for that without any improvement to the squad which I'm also positive will happen. This is a simple fact of young lad choosing Swindon as it's geographically closer to Brum. I dare say he would have made the same choice if we were kicking off at Falmer in 2 months time.

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Alan G Skinner, Brighton says...
9:26am Wed 10 Jun 09

While I have been bitterly disappointed with the laborious process and subsequent failure of trying to recruit the right players and indeed keep the players we want, I do not share your pessimistic appraisal of the situation. It's still early days and we will get knock backs, but RS has a list of players he wants and it would appear he has the financial backing to do this. Brighton to southern based players, is a draw in it's self; we a financially very strong which is more than can be said for most clubs at this level, just ask the Saints and we have a first class Stadium and training facility currently under construction. For younger players, especially ones without families, our club is extremely attractive. I'm confident RS and TB will bring in quality and in sufficient quantity that we can push for promotion this season. Don't panic yet. We have had a major clearout which was absolutely required and we have an ambitious manger who will be given the financial backing that no other Albion manager has had in decades to build his team. I am envisaging an extremely exciting season ahead. Keep the faith.

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ShorehamBeachcomber, shoreham says...
10:24am Wed 10 Jun 09

So Murray signed a 3 year contract & put in a transfer requet after just 6 months and now after 18 months. Just illustates that all who thought his heart has never been in it were right all along

security word adios

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Towno, Worthing says...
10:35am Wed 10 Jun 09

I don't think 19 goals from 38 games shows his heart wasn't in it? If you wanted a move wouldn't you try even harder to get noticed? Glenn gave it a go, his missus (and now mother of his baby) have returned north as they couldn't settle. A perfectly acceptable human right and if I was Glenn I would have done exactly the same thing? Why knock him for this? Time to not see everything through blue and white striped glasses - what would you do?

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bigbilly, london says...
10:50am Wed 10 Jun 09

lets get rid of him - there's no point keeping a player who doesn't want to be there

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pitor, brighton says...
11:30am Wed 10 Jun 09

When you have a troublesome woman who maybe you are not compatible with there will always be a problem. To avoid the real issues she will latch onto anything as a problem like missing Rochdale!! When Glenn gives in to her on that she'll probably find another problem. But there is a baby to consider so he cant win

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johnashdown, brighton says...
4:25pm Wed 10 Jun 09

Football is not the same as a lot of jobs as it depends on the team trying to buy a player for them to move. Wags have to accept it is their husbands/ boyfriends job to be playing in a different part of the country at times in their short careers.Glenn is a class player and i would hate to lose him, but its about time the Albion stood up to these players like Lynch Murray who are under contract .Not it appears Whing , although slightly different as AW is out of contract but should be given a date he signs or forget it we get a replacement.

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Petewizard, Brighton says...
5:39pm Wed 10 Jun 09

johnashdown wrote:
Football is not the same as a lot of jobs as it depends on the team trying to buy a player for them to move. Wags have to accept it is their husbands/ boyfriends job to be playing in a different part of the country at times in their short careers.Glenn is a class player and i would hate to lose him, but its about time the Albion stood up to these players like Lynch Murray who are under contract .Not it appears Whing , although slightly different as AW is out of contract but should be given a date he signs or forget it we get a replacement.
What an outstanding post johnashdown.You got it spot on.The player should have thought about these things before he signed.The club needs its money back on this boy full stop,or he should be made to see out his contract.As you point out John its about time the club stood up against these players,or they will all see the club as a soft touch.

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