Berbatov or new signings?

[JackyFulham90]

Obviously I would prefer both but if offered Berbatov commiting until the end of the season but no business in or out or Berbatov going but a couple of decent signings being made what one would people prefer?

For me I would want to keep Berbatov as although we do need new signings we would struggle to bring in a match winner who is as good as him

[Craven Mad]

To be honest it completely depends on who the transfers are..

Ridiculous example, but would you change your answer if the option was Berbatov out, Ronaldo transferred in?

Nonetheless, if the option were Berbatov out (sold for £2mil) then we reinvest the £2mil in transfers; we won't get better than we have with that budget.

[Deanothefulhamfan]

Agreed.... Keeping Berbatov is pretty key for us. We do need to address other area's as a matter of urgency, but feel Berbatov is irreplaceable when on his game.

[TonyGilroy]

The issue may be salary rather than the transfer fee. Aren't we limited to a cap of £4M in salaries over last season's figures in which case losing Ruiz and Berbatov may be necessary to allow us to bring in players.

[Bedford White]

The media are determined to sell Berbatov for us.

As good as he is, for me, there's a niggling doubt regarding his commitment. If he were to agree a contract extension would he go back to his old ways?

I would suggest that if there are suitable replacements available we would do well to move him on now and reinvest, otherwise without extention he'll leave on a free in June.  

Shane Long is a possible target for us - A real grafter who may not have Berbatov's flair but his work rate is far superior, and perhaps an additional striker in Danny Ings.

[cottage cheese]

How about changing the title to Ruiz or new signings? You may get a heavy debate started!

[Bassey the warrior]

Berba's vital no doubt but id we keep shipping goals so regularly even he can't save us. We need to shore up our defensive options above all else.

[Brede Butter Pudding]

I would 100% say keep Berbatov - the maximum price we'd get for him now would be £2.5 million and even that would be pushing it - in the time it would take to get that transfer completed and invest the money elsewhere, we would be running out of time to replace him and even if we did, the calibre of player would not be available for our budget.

I read before on here somebody posing the question, would you rather have £2 million for Berbatov sale or lose the £50 million or however much it is in revenue due to relegation? It's an extreme scenario, and not one that is necessarily accurate, but to say that Berbatov is not crucial to our staying in the Premiership would be false, in my opinion. Whether we love him or hate him, generally we play better football when he's on the pitch, and what is often taken for granted is the fear factor for opponents that he brings. I was reading the West Ham forums before our New Year's Day match with them at the Cottage, and on a number of occasions they commented that 'If Berbatov plays he'll tear us apart', or 'Hopefully Berbatov is injured so we actually have a chance'.

Whether we, as Fulham fans, agree with those sentiments, it can not be denied that he brings more to the team than simply a link-up player. He does seem to dominate opponents mentally as well as technically, and I think that he will play a massive part in the rest of our season, and for this reason selling him now would be reckless.

[Humbled]

I would swap out Berba for a pacey, decent striker preferably under 28.
I understand Berba is a very good player. I like nothing more than to see him have 2 players trying to tackle him and he casually comes away with the ball after showing good strength with sublime skill. However it just doesn't suite what we need IMO.

[Chopper]

I think we desperately need some defensive reinforcements. I agree if we lose Berba we'd struggle for goals but at the moment we're shipping too many at the other end.

Bottom lines is we need him to stay but we need some new players too.

I'm going to have to pick the have my cake AND eat it option  049:gif

[Humbled]

Have I missed something. Has Berba scored a shed load of goals or maybe he is one of the top assists in the prem???
I like watching Berba (at times) but I don't understand some of the comments about goals. Sidwell is our top scorer isn't he? And I know he took a peno last season, has he took any this??

Edit - I wouldn't get rid without a decent replacement (preferably one with pace) but I don't think he has scored enough for us to say we would struggle for goals without him. We have struggled with him lol

[Brede Butter Pudding]

Have I missed something. Has Berba scored a shed load of goals or maybe he is one of the top assists in the prem???
I like watching Berba (at times) but I don't understand some of the comments about goals. Sidwell is our top scorer isn't he? And I know he took a peno last season, has he took any this??

Edit - I wouldn't get rid without a decent replacement (preferably one with pace) but I don't think he has scored enough for us to say we would struggle for goals without him. We have struggled with him lol

Maybe we wouldn't struggle on the goals front, but he certainly brings to the table many variables that other players can only dream about.

While not being his biggest fan, I would say we are a weaker team without him. On his day he is unplayable, and although those days are not particularly consistent or entirely regular, they are crucial to the team.

What I've never really understood is why we don't make the best of both worlds, and pair him up front with someone with pace. For years I have felt our team to be far too static, lacking in pace and flair that other teams appear to often have in abundance. I think Berba paired with someone with genuine pace (and by pace I mean somebody quicker than Bent, Rodellega, Kasami etc.), allowing him to drop deeper into the role he often finds himself in but with nobody ahead of him, would be a far more effective way of using him.

[Riverside]

Which Berba ?

Motivated Berba who works and links and shows that he is the most talented play in the squad
Or Berba the sulk who not only does little but also poisons the team with his abuse of team mates

A motivated Berba I would keep for as long as possible . And largely that is the Berba we have had under Rene.
Berba the sulk ( all of this season under Jol ) I would pay to get rid of whether or not we get new signings .

[Vinnieffc]

I think we desperately need some defensive reinforcements. I agree if we lose Berba we'd struggle for goals but at the moment we're shipping too many at the other end.

Bottom lines is we need him to stay but we need some new players too.

I'm going to have to pick the have my cake AND eat it option  049:gif

Joleon Lescott ?

[Count Berbatov]

You won't get anyone better for the missarable 2 mil. Even 4-5 isn't going to buy you anything. Hold on to him. Invest in midfield, youth etc

[Chopper]

I think we desperately need some defensive reinforcements. I agree if we lose Berba we'd struggle for goals but at the moment we're shipping too many at the other end.

Bottom lines is we need him to stay but we need some new players too.

I'm going to have to pick the have my cake AND eat it option  049:gif

Joleon Lescott ?

Yes please.

[Lighthouse]

Not sure Berba has done enough to be called a match winner this season. I would sell him for a couple of good players who would work hard and look to help the team. Berba is a genius no doubt. But an either/ or situation would leave the team needing good quality not brilliant quality one in three or four games.

[David Allen Crankshaw]

I wouldn't be disappointed if Berbatov was to leave. Only two league goals from open play isn't a great return for the money he is paid and I don't think his presence will in any way determine our fate as regards Premiership survival. The only other player who I can remember being offside as much as Berbatov was perhaps Collins John.

[kdjr100]

We need to keep Berbatov and sure up around him, he hasn't scored much this season but we all know his quality and with some defensive security and the fact that under Rene we are taking more than 2 shots a game add to that with Kaca, Dejagah etc... putting more balls into the box now he could quickly start to show how good he is.

[Bassey the warrior]

I would swap out Berba for a pacey, decent striker preferably under 28.
I understand Berba is a very good player. I like nothing more than to see him have 2 players trying to tackle him and he casually comes away with the ball after showing good strength with sublime skill. However it just doesn't suite what we need IMO.

I think he clearly does suit our style as he links play really well. A pact striker as a back up is vital though.