Playing as a CB in a back 3 instead of a 2 is a whole different ball game. It’s not his fault he’s always played in a team that plays in a back 3 at the top level. IIRC he played in a back 4 for one game at the WC and looked shaky, but there were other factors there too.
Fact is he’s unproven in a back 4, so that’s always going to be a risk until he’s tried out there.
The other fact is people need to accept we are a selling club so it’s pointless to become attached to players anymore and accept anyone will be sellable. The hard part is all these expensive players we’ve acquired over the past decade, hardly anyone has been sold on for a profit. In that sense if we’re not fighting for major trophies anymore we will need to get used to freebies and cheap deals again.