14 Feb 2026 00:06:48
Starting to get the feeling that Konate might sign.
14 Feb 2026 06:36:58
God help us then. He is poor.
14 Feb 2026 07:06:58
Had a terrible season, but the last few performances have shown what he can do. I'd be all for Konate signing on, as I feel the less changes we have to make to the squad again this year, the better. And, to be honest, there's not exactly a lot of CBs out there we can realistically get who are better (when he's on it) than Ibou. I see us being linked to VDV, and you'd be talking about 100m for a player with horrific hamstrings who just isn't as good as Ibou in my opinion.
That would leave us with Virg, Ibou, Joe, Leoni and Jaquet for next summer. I've said loadsa times we should've moved Gomez on, but with one year left there's no point now. Keep him around for squad depth, and let him go on a free in 2027.
14 Feb 2026 07:10:32
Personally, I hope he does sign. We have quite a bit of work to do this summer signings-wise again, and if we keep Konate at least that's 1 less we need to buy. He has had a very poor season, but that possibly could be due to his father's health, who sadly passed away recently. VVD still has another season in him at the top, imo, and we've got the 2 young lads hopefully ready to go at the start of next season, so we definitely need somebody with experience in mid-20s in cb position.
VVD, Konate, Leoni, Jaquet + a utility defender who can cover all across the backline. Gomez is ideal but never fit to string any sort of period together, available fitness-wise, so I think he needs to be replaced. If Konate's form doesn't improve next season, at least we could sell for a fee, and u would get a decent fee as well. I also think a top-class defensive-minded no.6 solves a lot of our defensive problems and would leave our cbs less exposed.
14 Feb 2026 07:29:55
I think the signing of Jaquet was a proactive measure to deal with the loss of Konate. Don't forget we already have Leoni, and I think they both play in Konate's spot. I don't see us spending nearly 70m on Jaquet only to understudy Konate. For me, we really should get rid.
14 Feb 2026 07:47:37
I have seen lots of excuses on here for our poor season, be it fitness, Slot, grieving, etc. Crazy how the grieving one is never used in defence of Konate.
14 Feb 2026 08:24:37
I agree, JK23. I've been one of his biggest critics on here. But, over the last few games, he's been back to the player we bought. He's a beast of a man who goes to ground too much, but credit to him for his performance.
Who knows what he's going through in his head. Good luck to him. I hope he does sign. It will give Leone time to recover, and Jack to settle in. Then we could get a fee. Best all round. YNWA.
14 Feb 2026 08:35:15
Personally, I don't think anyone has much of a clue, really, be it new contracts, clubs wanting certain players, personal lives, etc., and on the back of that they talk nonsense. Yeah, he's been crap, but who hasn't this season? He's not on his own, that's for sure. If he signs, then hopefully he has competition; that's the important bit for me.
14 Feb 2026 08:38:32
Konate has all the tools to be a very good centre-back. For whatever reason, he seems to have misplaced them for most of the season. I hope he gets back to the required levels and signs a new deal, but I'm not sure if he will, or if he would want to be a squad player rather than first choice.
14 Feb 2026 08:49:28
If he signs, it is only because he'll be getting a crazy wage, given his previous wage demands. I'm not sure, with his inconsistent performances, he'd be worth the 150k to 250k a week he'd want, knowing our wage bill is already very high. I personally think Jacket was signed as his replacement, and we'll sign another defender in the summer.
14 Feb 2026 09:30:57
I feel mixed. He has been awful this season, but with Jota and his dad, I do wonder if his personal life has been part of this. On current form, he needs to go, and I have always thought he is hit and miss. However, we need signings, and we have two young cbs to bleed through.
It would make sense to extend his contract and protect his market value. It is then up to him whether he steps up; if he doesn't, and the youngsters play to their potential, then we can move Ibou on.
14 Feb 2026 10:29:33
Konate has been the worst player for us this year, and a lot of players have been poor, so that shows how bad he's been. He has had two very good games lately, but too little, too late.
14 Feb 2026 11:19:50
We know what he can be, but his lack of consistency across his entire time here is the worry. Forget two games, or even the entire season; overall, he's just too unreliable. He could be a rock, or he could do some random brain fade and gift a goal.
Nothing against him, he's ok, but I'd love an upgrade. The pickings are slim at the moment, so I wouldn't mind a team friendly shortish contract.
14 Feb 2026 11:24:46
If the choice is between, say, keeping Konate and signing Upamecano on a free, I'd take keeping Konate every day of the week. On form, he is a very high-level player, it's just that he has been off colour for much of this season, and now we have an intimation of just why that might have been.
If we let Gomez go, which is likely, we'd have to get another center half anyway. If we let Konate go too, we'd have to get two. That would be leaving us with too much to do if we also need to get a full back, another midfielder and a winger to replace Mo.
14 Feb 2026 11:34:20
You've hit the nail on the head, Ron. However, I wouldn't give him any sniff of a contract. He's a liability and an accident waiting to happen. There's plenty of better CBs available in world football as replacements.
14 Feb 2026 11:51:39
"If the choice is between, say, keeping Konate and signing Upamecano on a free, I'd take keeping Konate every day of the week." This. As for Konate, there is a chance he could be kept if, indeed, the club do not see a CB who can come in and do it right away as a replacement for a starter in Konate. That is very possible.
And let us not take for granted his father being ill and eventually passing, either. If we can apply Jota's loss to the players performing badly, we can apply that to Konate, essentially twofold, due to him losing his friend and battling the idea of his father being ill and eventually passing away. Just saying.
15 Feb 2026 10:38:20
I've criticised Konate before, like a lot of fans, but we don't know how long his dad was ill, how that affected Ibou, and then his dad's passing. I, like a lot of people, have lost a parent after a long illness, and Ibou looks like he's been released from that stress and worry, which is emotionally draining.
Maybe he won't sign again. But sometimes we don't know everything that's going on in players' lives.
15 Feb 2026 10:43:53
RE: cb. I can see the point in keeping Konate and us signing another cb like Guehi, mid-20s and experienced, to go with Jacquet and Leoni, in readiness for VVD leaving. Planning in advance needs to be better.