Are managers right to go with their old favourites rather than risk new talent?

This debate is now closed.

Terry Venables first bought a young Barmby to Tottenham as a trainee in 1991, and later selected him for England in the mid-90s.

And now the pair look set to be reunited for the third time, with Venables reportedly close to sealing a �2.75m deal to bring the midfielder to Elland Road.

The policy of buying back old favourites is not a new one. Midfielder John McGovern spent six years playing under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest following their spell together at Derby.

And former Leicester boss Martin O'Neill pulled out all the stops to bring his fellow countryman Neil Lennon with him when he went to Celtic.

Send us your examples, and tell us whether you think it's best to stick with what you know.

Nick Barmby is a class player and Liverpool are probably making a mistake selling him. The job he often had to do at Liverpool was not where his strengths lie. He is at is best playing the provider role up front, like Peter Beardsley used to with distinction, or used as an attacking midfielder. Too often at Liverpool he was having to defend.
Robert, GB

It depends on the quality of the players. Look at Martin O'Neill taking Steve Guppy to Celtic.
Alister Mullen, Scotland

Terry knows he has to spend wisely, so has gone for a player he knows will do a good job for him.BR> Gary Peters, England

As a Liverpool fan, I am sorry to see Nick Barmby go to Leeds. He is an excellent player and only injury kept him out of the squad and then he was unable to get back in. He scored a few goals for us in Europe when we did the Treble and was fantastic in Germany. Sorry to see you go Nicky.
Jan, England

This is something that all dodgy managers will try - bring in grateful, over-the-hill mates who will back them up in the dressing room and with the press.

With all the excellent players around, and the clout that El Tel and Leeds have in the transfer market, is Barmby REALLY the best Tel can come up with? Barmby and Anderton can barely get out of bed with medical assistance, so I don't hold out much hope.

I expect we'll be signing Les Ferdinand next. At least we'll have one Ferdinand and if we hype him up enough then maybe Man Utd will buy him for �20m...
Carlos, Leeds United fan, England

I can't wait for Graham Taylor to sign Carlton Palmer and Andy Sinton. PS I am not a Villa fan.
Paul Tovey, Great Britain

At the moment, Leeds only have half-a-dozen beans to rub together, so being able to bring in decent players without a huge fuss is probably just what they need right now. I'd much rather have Barmby in my side than a selfish loose cannon like Bowyer.
Quinten, Wales

The only reason that Venables went to Leeds in the first place was so he could be reunited with his old Aussie friends Kewell and Viduka. Wasn't there talk about Emerton possibly joining as well? Terry is an old-style manager who really should have stuck to churning out the old cliches on the painfully cringing ITV sport coverage.
Russ, England

I'm a Liverpool fan, and am disappointed to lose Barmby. Most comments so far seem to think he is a has-been, and offers no new qualities to Leeds. I think he is a fantastic player, who could have made the England squad this year! Not chosen by Tel, but by Sven.

He scores goals and sets them up. Leeds fans should be delighted - �2.75m is a steal, as was Robbie!!
Steve, England

Venables is signing safely because he knows that any mistakes and he's out of a job before he has the chance to be a success. Safety first in this day and age, and Barmby is still a good player.
Martin Watts, UK

Ridsdale says Barmby is being bought to balance the team with Kewell playing more centrally. I think this is a squad purchase rather than a first XI signing. After all, Leeds have a few options down the left in Johnson and Wilcox already.

I think that at �2.75m for a half decent player that still has five years left in him is a bargain in the current climate. I just pray Venables doesn't try for sicknote as well.
Matt, UK

Whatever the merits of the old boy signing issue - can we stop writing off Nick Barmby. At the start of last season he was in the England side that demolished Germany 5-1, played well on the left, made one of the goals and then got badly injured.

He only recovered right at the end of last season and couldn't force his way back into Liverpool's side, as they were playing so well. Given the likely departure of Lee Bowyer - I think Leeds are getting a bargain.

Leeds will get a third ex-red who will do them proud to join Dominic Matteo and Robbie Fowler. As a Liverpool fan, I'd much rather we were selling Murphy or Berger.
Ian Gaskell, UK

I think it's a great purchase by Venables. He's got a player he knows and rates highly who is a 28-year-old England international. If it hadn't been for injury, Nick Barmby would have played on the left for England in the World Cup, as he did superbly against Germany (1-5).
Jon E, England

Nick Barmby is a quality player, as a Liverpool fan I feel he was underused. Leeds Utd have got themselves a good deal for the price, Tel knows exactly what he is capable of and I am sure will get the best out of him.
Jason Slassor, England

I don't see any reason why managers shouldn't re-sign players. Terry has gone in at Leeds and seen he needs a left sided player. He, better than anyone, knows that Nick Barmby can fit the bill and because he is available, he can fill the gap.

If the manager has a player in mind who he knows can do the job, he should be brought in, rather than an unproven, foreign import who the manager would not know. Good business, Terry!
Ross, Middlesbrough

A great signing for Leeds! Barmby will surprise a lot of people, if he ever leaves the treatment room. This is just the sort of signing Leeds needed to boost morale after the departure of Rio!!!
Jim Bob, Jamaica, originally England

Goodbye Barmby... sad to see you go, but I guess last season didn't impresse GH - "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Jezzman, Denmark

Graeme Souness could face similar criticism, but when two of the 'old boys' he signed are Tugay and Brad Friedel, you won't find many Blackburn Rovers fans complaining.
Ed, UK

Terry may well be going for a comfortable option but there is no reason not to. If he knows the player will give him what he needs then it makes more sense than risking money and time on a player who may not make the grade, or may not settle in this country in the case of foreign imports.

As a Wednesday fan I have first hand experience of some dreadful import buys that just didn't work. Can anyone say Klass Ingesson?
Martin Randerson, England

I can well see that taking non-playing staff with you when you change clubs, such as the partnership between Gianluca Vialli and Ray Wilkins and also Harry Redknapp and Frank Lampard Senior, but taking players is a bit drastic.

El Tel taking Barmby is strange, because there are so many other midfielders in the country that would be a better signing and more influential than Barmby, such as Damian Duff.

Also, there are a few signings made by O'Leary that weren't given a chance, like Seth Johnson; rather than bring in the new, see what you've got first.
Craig, England

Barmby yes. Anderton no.
Mark Higgins, Camberley, England

I'm a life-long Leeds fan and things just get more shocking every week. Forced to sell quality and buy rubbish....great!?!
Nick Chaddock, UK

Surely it depends on the individual case. But largely there is the danger that managers will bring in players they like even if they are no better than what they have already got.

Also, it is rather limited of management not to look further afield than players they have already worked with. Managers such as Wenger and Houllier would never have enjoyed the success they have had without taking gambles on unknown talents.

The likes of Vieira, Hyppia and Ljungberg are excellent examples of unknown gambles which have been so successful.
Daniel Heathcote, UK

I'm a Liverpool fan (I used to live in England but moved when I was 10) and I think Barmby should go for a lot of money, round about �8m. Barmby hasn't done much for Liverpool and hardly gets a game...
Nick, Scotland

Wim Jansen brought Henrik Larsson, Jo Venglos brought Lubo Moravcik, and St Martin brought Neil Lennon. As a Celtic fan, I'm all in favour of managers signing their old pals.
Gordon, Scotland

Barmby is a good versatile player with plenty of experience in the Premiership and Europe, but one problem has always dogged him and it's injuries. If he can stay fit he will be a good asset, but it's a good bit of business by El Tel for under �3m in the days of inflated prices.
Davie Mosley, Glasgow

I don't feel that he will bring anything to the Leeds team that we haven't already got! What's more worrying is that we are also being linked with old sicknote Anderton - it'll all end in tears!!
Adrian Edwards, Nottingham, UK

I'm chuckling to myself now remembering all those Leeds fans who predicted Venables would be a hit. Not only is he a sub-standard manager, he thinks he can turn Leeds into title contenders by signing the likes of Barmby or Anderton. Don't make me laugh.

With Man Utd, Liverpool and Arsenal having world class midfielders such as Giggs, Pires and Gerrard, what chance do Leeds have! So Leeds fans better prepare themselves for a spell in the football wilderness! PS, if this is the extent of Venebles imagination and Leeds ambition it shows Rio made the right choice.
Matthew

It can be a disaster - look at when Chelsea looked at Ranieri's old club Valencia, and of all the players chose Jokanovic!
Laul, UK

I am a Liverpool fan here - Nicky Barmby is an excellent player, he will score goals, create and his work rate is phenomenal. Good luck, Nicky.
Abdul, Birmingham, England

Billy Bonds twice had Frank McAvennie at West Ham, between a spell at Celtic, where the goals flew in, despite his off field antics!
Davie Mosley, Glasgow

Nick Barmby will be an excellent player for Leeds. They need some mature, experienced players after suffering last season from plenty of immature play - on and off the field. Leeds are a young team, and Venables knows what he is doing by adding the much needed maturity and experience.
Ashley, Switzerland

Why should El Tel just stop with Barmby? Surely he'll be lining up bids for Gazza, Anderton and Razor Ruddock as well.
Andy Shanks, Yorkshire

It's a bit too much of the old pals act for me. You can understand why managers do it, especially as they know to an extent what the player can do for them. However, it is also a bit of an easy way to sign a well known player for your new club without creating too much of a fuss at their current club.

The manager in this case, Mr Venables, is obviously a close friend to Nick Barmby and his agent, so it will be pretty easy for them to close a deal. I am sure the Leeds fans who will no doubt still be mourning the loss of Rio Ferdinand are not, however, too over the moon with the calibre of this type of signing.

Barmby, and Anderton who could also end up again under Venables' wings again, have never fulfilled their potential and promise, they are also quite frequent visitors to the treatment table.

Loyalty can be taken too far though, and the real test is when the player is not performing, the manager must have the strength and bottle to drop the player or even sell the player on.
John Spencer, Preston, UK

Bringing in a former player is fine, but only if it means strengthening the team (e.g. Henry moving to Arsenal). I thought it was only a matter of time before Venables brought in some of his old charges. I did think Anderton would be first, but I'm sure he will get there in the end.

If I were a Leeds fan I would be disappointed, as in this case I do not feel that Barmby offers much to the Leeds squad. Other managers are prepared to search the entire globe to try and unearth a hidden talent and save their club some money, but El Tel is displaying a lack of effort in taking the easy, comfortable option.
Gary, UK

The most infuriating aspect of Venables' England reign was his dogged determination to stick by all his old Spurs players regardless of the wealth of talent he had at his disposal.

I actually feel sorry for Leeds fans that he has once again showed this one-dimensional side to his management ability. It rarely works, and Leeds already have far better players than Barmby in their squad.
James, UK

I am now looking forward to the glittering line up of overpriced El Tel old boys that will be enticed to Leeds. Someone please sign Paul Gascoigne before Venables gets hold of him.
Danny M, UK

At first it seems like a good idea, as the manager knows more about these players than others that he has not worked with before. It can become a problem, though, if the manager (like Terry) has had little success in the past but wants to use the same players (like Barmby).
Aaron, England

Glyn Hodges played for Dave Bassett for quite a few clubs - Wimbledon, Palace, Watford and Forest.
Stephen Smith, UK

There's nothing wrong with a manager signing a player that he considers to have worked well for him before. The only thing concerning us Leeds United fans regarding the Nick Barmby transfer is whether he possesses the quality to justify selection in our first choice midfield. Maybe we should give Mr Venables a chance.
Spinksy, England

Walter Smith brought in Gazza having managed him at Rangers. Need I say any more?
Simon Conrich, Chesterfield

Venables must know something the rest of us don't. Barmby has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus - I give him a season at the most.
Nick Toye, UK