Wow. Nothing too solid, but still, nice sounding quotes from Poppa Persie. 29 isn't too old. Not every player we buy is going to be working towards his prime. Those are everybody's favorite types of transfers, but balance in the team is important, too. We have a ton of young quality, we can afford to add another top star, a team leader, in his prime. The club is stable enough to do it, and we are preparing a legitimate challenge for European glory.
I love how Nedved was talking about knowing how to draw big stars - he certainly should. When's the last time we spent big on a 29 year old established star..? I seem to remember some guy named Pavel... or wait a minute? Or was his name Lilian... I'm a bit confused. Those deals seemed to work out okay, though
He'd be 32 at the end of his 4th season with us - he should still be banging em in at that point. He might have lost a little something off his game by then, but he's class, could still provide quality depth, and 5-6 more years from this player seem quite possible... I would expect a 5 year contract.
Also love the fact that RvP is a captain. Haven't really heard this angle discussed much - and obviously we still have quality leadership, he won't be our captain - but he will bring the mindset, which is a pretty big asset in itself.