Martin Castrogiovanni anyone?

First topic message reminder :

The Toulon contract has fallen through and I doubt that Tigers can afford him under the cap arrangements.

He'd be a useful pack stiffener for a needy club.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22541849

Notch wrote:Could the Blues afford him- seriously?

With Jamie Roberts now off the wage bill we've got a bit of cash floating around, it's all pie in the sky stuff really. But if you think of the players leaving this year:

Tom James
Ceri Sweeney
Michael Patterson
Jamie Roberts

Those 4 alone, i think their wages would more than cover what castro would command, you're looking at 400k there imo and they'll all be replaced by younger, cheaper players. The only concern i have is it would block Scott Andrews development andhe's looks rather promising lately.

To add to the Blues linking, French commentators said during the Toulon-Leicester qf that Castrogiovanni wasn't going to Toulon but could be heading to Wales instead...

Notch wrote:Could the Blues afford him- seriously?

Since the rocky boat has been stabilised by returning home, yes, but I believe they have (or used to have - correct me if i'm wrong) a wage structure in place that put a limit on the max they would shell out on a single player. They shouldn't break that for Castro especially if he's still involved with Italy. Another obstacle I suppose would be the self imposed squad salary cap.

VinceWLB wrote:To add to the Blues linking, French commentators said during the Toulon-Leicester qf that Castrogiovanni wasn't going to Toulon but could be heading to Wales instead...

Interesting....

I'd forgotten Tom James was leaving Cardiff for Exeter. I think he'll do really well there. I know he's not David Campese, but I think he's a better winger than the Welsh fans give him credit for (although he's perhaps not quite as good as he thinks he is).

Castro will surely be snapped up by a Japanese club - they could definately afford him. Its just wheather or not he is at that point in his career.

As others have said - anyone would want a decent TH on their books. The only catch is that they are regularly the highest paid and therefore most clubs poerating under a salary cap may have a problem fitting him in.

He is also a current international - so will be away for international windows.

Tom James is great at making breaks when you think there's nothing on, it's just the decision making after that which has cost him the most. I hope he does well at Exeter, if he can stay uninjured he should score them a fair few tries next year.

Havent Worcester just lost Matt Mullan to Wasps - there should be an opening there for Castro.

Newcastle - John Golding has recently retired! not sure if he was a TH or a LH.

Would love him at Quins but I heard that we operate really close to the salary cap.

Mullan and Golding are both LH

propdavid_london wrote:Havent Worcester just lost Matt Mullan to Wasps - there should be an opening there for Castro.

Newcastle - John Golding has recently retired! not sure if he was a TH or a LH.

Would love him at Quins but I heard that we operate really close to the salary cap.

Should Castro...if he wants to play............. not be thinking he should reduce his price to play?

It seems he walked from Leicester because he didn't get an opportunity to play (which in itself suggests his sell-by date had been reached for a top rated side and that he isn't as effective as he perhaps once was in his position) and yet he seems to be keeping the same price when putting his name around other places.

A little bit of cause and effect thinking on his behalf might drop his price and allow him to play somewhere.

SecretFly wrote:

propdavid_london wrote:Havent Worcester just lost Matt Mullan to Wasps - there should be an opening there for Castro.

Newcastle - John Golding has recently retired! not sure if he was a TH or a LH.

Would love him at Quins but I heard that we operate really close to the salary cap.

Should Castro...if he wants to play............. not be thinking he should reduce his price to play?

It seems he walked from Leicester because he didn't get an opportunity to play (which in itself suggests his sell-by date had been reached for a top rated side and that he isn't as effective as he perhaps once was in his position) and yet he seems to be keeping the same price when putting his name around other places.

A little bit of cause and effect thinking on his behalf might drop his price and allow him to play somewhere.

How do we know he's asking for the same/higher salary? It was suggested he would because he bought himself out of his last year at Leicester and would need to recoup it.

If he wants to play more regularly then maybe he should come to the blues

Maybe he should go for the free-lance option that Tigers had with Julian Wight for several years.

HammerofThunor wrote:

How do we know he's asking for the same/higher salary? It was suggested he would because he bought himself out of his last year at Leicester and would need to recoup it.

We don't know anything but what we read. We comment on what we read. I comment on the number of times I'm hearing the 'we couldn't afford him', 'could we afford him?' line mentioned in the debate about him. If he's still expensive he's trying to get paid above his worth. If he's dropped his price, he'll find a mid-ranking side that will give him a home.

Those comments are by fans on a forum. The only official stuff is that Toulon weren't willing to pay what Leicester wanted to buy out his contract (he's apparantly paid that himself). We also know Leicester let him do it because they had someone they wanted to bring in.

But yes, if he accepts less than the reported £300-350k he's currently on he will easily get a place in a mid-ranking side.

HammerofThunor wrote:Those comments are by fans on a forum. The only official stuff is that Toulon weren't willing to pay what Leicester wanted to buy out his contract (he's apparantly paid that himself). We also know Leicester let him do it because they had someone they wanted to bring in.

But yes, if he accepts less than the reported £300-350k he's currently on he will easily get a place in a mid-ranking side.

Thus I'm commenting on what I read

No wonder this place desends in craziness on a regular basis.

with the two of us often heavily involved ...

I don't know what you mean

funnyExiledScot wrote:I'd forgotten Tom James was leaving Cardiff for Exeter. I think he'll do really well there. I know he's not David Campese, but I think he's a better winger than the Welsh fans give him credit for (although he's perhaps not quite as good as he thinks he is).

Expect Baxter to relieve him of any such notions pronto

That's true. You've got to admire Baxter's talent for "grounding" his players.

Wish he'd stop with all this overachieving nonsense at Exeter and come north to light a rocket or thirty under the Edinburgh squad.

funnyExiledScot wrote:That's true. You've got to admire Baxter's talent for "grounding" his players.

Wish he'd stop with all this overachieving nonsense at Exeter and come north to light a rocket or thirty under the Edinburgh squad.

Such a shame that he's clean out of rockets at the moment

Well it's been reported by planet rugby that castro has agreed a deal with Toulon. It's also a done deal that Leicester have signed Perpignan prop Jerome Schuster .