I wouldn't be surprised, Brooks' value is probably pretty high right now and when he renegotiated his contract apparently he got a considerable bump. Hertha also have a nice stable of CB's in Stark and Langkamp. Lustenberger can play there as well. Therefore, Hertha may look to cash in soon. Edit: According to that link, it appears they rejected a bid for him from Watford for 12m Pounds (14,9m USD)
Hope he stays in Germany for as long as possible. The money in England is, of course, better, but that also means he has a bad run of games, he'll be benched right away and they'll buy some new flavor of the month replacement. Too much money ruins people and soccer clubs. Also, the BuLi is a superior league. In England, several of his games will be against hoof-and-run teams from the bottom of the table.
They should. Right now, Chandler & Brooks are considered two of the best defenders in the second best league in the planet. When have we ever had two such players at the same time? On paper, our defense should be formidable, no?
It should be noted that the release clause is 100% new information. When they originally got him to sign a new contract last year there was absolutely no mention of anything of that sort.
Agreed. Hertha seems to be solidifying a place in the top 6 or so teams in the Bundesliga. If the alternative is a mid- to lower-level EPL team, that's surely a downgrade in terms of quality of play, even if it's a bump in salary. I'd much rather his agent work on getting Dortmund or Bayern to bite.
I like the sentiment but stay the hell away from EPL. Even with Klopp there. I think Americans should go to EPL for paydays only when they are fully established successes in other leagues. Yes, Brooks is arguably already that, but he is not so well known that "flopping" in England (and I hate how smugly English fans use this word) wouldn't ruin his career.
He has a good thing going in Germany. There's absolutely no reason for him to move away unless it's for a better team within his league.
That would be part of the gameplan for a reasonably well-run club - which Hertha seem to have become these days, without anyone noticing. I'd imagine that was everyone'e understanding of the future for Brooks when they signed the new deal: stay on for another 12-18 months to work on his weaknesses while his value increases and a better quality EPL or maybe La Liga team comes calling. There's not a great deal of upside for him going to a fighting-to-stay-out-of-the-lower-third club like Watford whose goal will surely be to sell him on again to the likes of Everton or another EL challenger. Makes a lot more sense to stay put and move when he's closer to being the finished article and the likes of Everton come calling themselves. 20 million was last season. He's worth more than 25 million right now IMO, and if he continues to improve at his current trajectory he could easily command 35 million next January. More if there's a rich club in desperate need of a CL-quality CB.
@The Irish Rover - EL challengers such as Everton? Was going to both congratulate you and take offense at your not-so-subtle dig, then I realized you were obviously referring not just to Liverpool, but ManU and Spurs, as well. Still hurts, though. Bastard.
John Brooks named to EA Sports Team of the Week http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/us...hn-brooks-named-to-ea-sports-team-of-the-week
I disagree. If JAB were to head to England and not perform, he'd still have a home in the Bundesliga. He's been performing day in and out for several years now. Each year his play level rises. The press long ago took notice of him. Now is the time to move and get that pay day/dominate the EPL. Does he have the notoriety of a Hummels or Boateng...no, but he doesn't need it. Nor will he ever achieve that at Hertha. It's definitely time for him to shake something, regardless of whether that is to a Dortmund...or Liverpool. Hertha's aight, but I think everyone involved knows that he needs to head elsewhere if he's to make that next step.
I agree there is room for disagreement and that I am unduly biased against English leagues in general and the Premier League in particular. A Hummels, a Boateng, Sokratis, Alaba or many other can go to England, flop and still have the BL. If an American flops (even a Germamerican like JAB) it is "well what do expect from a yank?" "rubbish." Sure he can go back to BL, maybe at the same level or maybe lower, after he is benched indefinitely or shunted down to the reserves. Germans, Brazilians, Argies, Spaniards, and especially English: they are given the benefit of the doubt if they have a stretch of bad games. I don't see that with yanks. I will provide the same disclaimer I do whenever I badmouth the EPL as a destinations for Americans: I've served on numerous occasions with Brits and most I would trust in a fox hole over a lot of Americans I have seen. I also have a great affinity for the English people and culture, having been carried lovingly out of pubs by my mates after an extended bout of darts, quiz night, or just watching footy during which the Old Speckled Hen or London Pride did flow mightily. No offense Rover. Jamesons is still my go to when I really want to get serious!
Perhaps i should have said that Everton are want-to-be/self-proclaimed CL challengers. Which, to be fair to the Toffees, is not much worse than either of us are. Everton, Liverpool and United are, erm . . . united (sorry, I couldn't help myself ) in being in the category of teams that would get into the CL if they could only get it together. Everton are handicapped by a lousy stadium (in terms of revenue-generation), but otherwise they're on the same level as Liverpool and united in terms of standing within the game. Of course, as a Liverpool fan, you would object to the term "standing": you'd go for "kneeling" instead.
He's just turned 24 (on Jan 28th, to be precise). The time to be talking in these terms is when he's turned 27. He's in a good place, as a starter on a Cl challenger in a top 3 league. His major weaknesses are occasional brain farts and lapses in concentration. Fix those, and he's the complete package. Until then, the pace of the English game will mercilessly expose those weaknesses, game-in and game-out. Right now, he's on the radar of England's top teams and if he joins the likes of Chelsea, Spurs, United, etc he'll have top CBs beside and top DMs in front of him to cover for those kinds of mistakes, though such clubs probably won't sign him as long as they're part of his game. If he joins Watford or West Ham, there won't be those kinds of CBs and CMs around him and he could be badly exposed. @Eighteen Alpha could give you chapter and verse about what happened to Steve Sidwell, a very promising midfielder who got a life-altering move to Chelsea, but didn't make the cut. He's got a hell of a lot more money than if he'd stayed at Reading and waited for a better fit as opposed to a better deal, but his career never recovered. Ever seen a top young CB whose confidence is shot after being "found out"? It's not a pretty sight and they tend not to come back from that
They might have a high standing within the context of English football. But for someone who grew up in a country like Germany and knows little about the history of English club football, Everton is clearly a step/or two steps below the likes of Liverpool or Man Utd.