villaglint Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Dave Kitson reckons his mate who is a Spurs scout told him that Praet has been deemed too slow for the PL by the top clubs. He doesnt look especially slow t me but I can guess when you look at the players the top teams have in these advanced roles (likes of Hazard, Willam, Depay, De Maria, Sanchez, Walcott etc) they are all incredibly quick so I guess he doesnt fit into that bracket. No idea whether that is true but its possibly a reason. I think that's too simplistic a statement to make. Not every player has to have pace, there's room for all types. Barry was not blessed with Bolt type speed and he did alright for himself. Praet is a talent and I hope he signs for us, I'm still optimistic he will be signing for us and hope its another guess I prove lucky with ;-) Agreed... not to say a lack of pace would be a major negative for us. Especially in that 10 role I think he could do a great job for us whether he was quick or not. After years of watching the likes of Gabby I'd be very happy to swap that for some skill game intelligence and guile. I was just making the point that for the top sides even their 10's are often very quick. Which I think is symptomatic of the modern game at the highest level where you tend to only get chances when the other side makes a mistake and the speed of transition is all important. I have never seen him play but he certainly looks exciting I dont really see him as a Delph replacement though which many on here seem to be suggesting. He would be more advanced than that from what I have seen/read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Anderlecht are about to sell a defender for around £7m and Mitrovic for around £13m. I can't see them selling Praet as well unless for silly money. I thought the early reports had said that he was offered to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Dave Kitson reckons his mate who is a Spurs scout told him that Praet has been deemed too slow for the PL by the top clubs. So his Spurs scouting mate has been chatting with some of the top PL clubs to find this out? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Anderlecht are about to sell a defender for around £7m and Mitrovic for around £13m. I can't see them selling Praet as well unless for silly money. I thought the early reports had said that he was offered to us. That's what Kristoff Terreur said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SikhInTrinity Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Anderlecht are about to sell a defender for around £7m and Mitrovic for around £13m. I can't see them selling Praet as well unless for silly money. I thought the early reports had said that he was offered to us. That's what Kristoff Terreur said. By his agents he was, the club may still be a sticking point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Anderlecht are about to sell a defender for around £7m and Mitrovic for around £13m. I can't see them selling Praet as well unless for silly money. I thought the early reports had said that he was offered to us. That's what Kristoff Terreur said. yep one link that convinced everyone we were signing to him despite there not being a single mention since, i would love him to sign but it feels like we are getting excited over nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-Reacho Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 He sounds a bit like Milner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Percy reported the link didn't he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isa Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) And Stuart James. Clearly there was something in it but doesn't seem to be a target that the club are actively pursuing at this moment. Edited July 20, 2015 by Isa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 (edited) Percy reported the link didn't he? which is a good indicator that there was some form of contact, but it's been a long time since we had an actual update. lets hope when Tekker's finally sods off that deals like this start to happen. Edited July 20, 2015 by VillanousOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Dave Kitson reckons his mate who is a Spurs scout told him that Praet has been deemed too slow for the PL by the top clubs. He doesnt look especially slow t me but I can guess when you look at the players the top teams have in these advanced roles (likes of Hazard, Willam, Depay, De Maria, Sanchez, Walcott etc) they are all incredibly quick so I guess he doesnt fit into that bracket. No idea whether that is true but its possibly a reason. Has Kitson outed himself as the SF then? As others have said not every player in the PL is a 100m runner. Look at the Arsenal midfield, nice blend of pace and pure football there, Cazorla and Ozil aren't exactly speed merchants but surround them with players like Welbeck and Walcott who are and you get a nice balance. If say we'd put in Praet alongside Wealth and Gueye then there wouldn't have been a problem and I'm sure that was originally the plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted July 20, 2015 Author VT Supporter Share Posted July 20, 2015 Just don't see this one happening to be honest. We would have heard something from someone by now, even if it was the media in Belgium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Are Anderlecht in any CL qualifiers this year, they might want to keep him for those games if they are? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 thye are in group stage of Europa League Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Anderlecht close to buying Boussafa who plays in a similar position to Praet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted July 21, 2015 Author VT Supporter Share Posted July 21, 2015 Anderlecht close to buying Boussafa who plays in a similar position to Praet. We were linked with him a few years ago weren't we? Looked a tricky little player IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larscapaldi Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Anderlecht close to buying Boussafa who plays in a similar position to Praet. We were linked with him a few years ago weren't we? Looked a tricky little player IIRC. He was, but he then went to Russia and ruined his career (probably not his bank account) From what I've seen nowhere near as good as he used to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudevillaisnice Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 By their own high standards, Anderlecht endured a disappointing 2014-15 campaign, missing out on the Belgian league title for the first time in three years by finishing third behind Club Brugge and first-time champions Gent. It did not, however, serve to dampen interest from abroad in their most talented young players, among them Dennis Praet. Praet was born in Leuven in central Belgium and joined the Gent academy at the age of 8 after turning out for a couple of youth clubs in his home city. There, he quickly established a reputation as a highly promising young player, and attracted the attention of a number of foreign clubs following a series of impressive displays at youth tournaments. He was even given a guided tour of Arsenal's facilities by then-academy head Liam Brady. Interest was high, but he turned down other, more lucrative offers to stay in Belgium and join Anderlecht, a club with a reputation for showing faith in young players. It proved to be a good decision. His debut arrived a year later and he then became a regular during the 2012-13 season. Still a scrawny teenager, his contributions were inconsistent at first, but over the last 18 months he has gone from strength to strength, both literally and figuratively. The young attacking midfielder was named the Jupiler League player of the year for 2014 after a series of excellent performances at the back end of Anderlecht's title-winning 2013-14 campaign and through their early league and Champions League engagements of last season. The second half of his season was disrupted by a back injury, but he still finished the campaign with a highly respectable total of seven goals and nine assists. The 21-year-old has been a Belgian international at every age group from under-15 upward, and progressed quickly through the age ranks to make his debut for the U-21s just three years after his first appearance at U15 level. His full national team debut followed in November of last year, when he came off the bench for the final 15 minutes of Belgium's friendly victory over Iceland in Brussels. Praet has been linked with various clubs in the past, but with Anderlecht having missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time in three years, a move could now be in the cards. He recently signed on with the Stellar Group -- who also represent Ashley Cole and Gareth Bale -- and has since been linked with a whole host of potential suitors, among them Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton, Real Sociedad and Zenit St. Petersburg. Style Praet is a neat and intelligent attacking midfielder, with good close control and excellent technique and vision. He moves well between the lines, links up effectively with his teammates and is capable of providing an accurate through-ball or shot on goal having advanced forward into the final third. His skill set has been likened to that of Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta; Christian Eriksen would be another apt comparison. Major Strengths - Technically accomplished - Excellent vision - Intelligent movement Major Weaknesses - Still a little slight - A tad conservative in his play at times Assessment Breakdown Tackling: He seems to have become steadily more determined in his defensive work over the last year and a half, and can now regularly be seen tracking back into midfield in an attempt to win back possession. Most of his challenges are standing tackles, although he does occasionally slide in. Marking: Rarely tasked with fulfilling a specific marking duty. His primary defensive function is to help the lone striker press the first ball out of defence. He drops back into the midfield zone thereafter. Heading: Relatively short and lacks sufficient upper-body strength to make up for this deficiency. He is, therefore, not very effective in the air. Close control: He has an excellent first touch and is capable of neatly manipulating the ball away from challenges in crowded areas. Not the outright quickest, but he does possess a nice initial burst of acceleration which, in combination with his sharp control and good balance on the turn, often allow him to progress forward with the ball at his feet. Passing: Links very neatly with his teammates in tight quarters and is unafraid of playing a simple pass to keep things moving if no incisive options are available. Consistently aware of the positioning of his teammates. Can sometimes be a little overly conservative in his passing choices, particularly so given his proven ability to pick out well-weighted through-balls. Positioning: Intelligently seeks out space with good movement between the lines and across the width of the pitch. Had a lot of joy with well-timed darts into the inside right channel last season, with his assists in the 4-0 win over Westerlo in December and at home to Arsenal in October both arising from this type of run. Crossing: Generally does a good job of picking out specific targets inside the area, either along the ground or with a high clipped cross, when he does get forward into crossing positions, usually following his above-mentioned movements into the inside right channel. Finishing: Not a particularly impressive shooter from long range, with the majority of his goals coming from precise, placed efforts into the corners of the net from in and around the penalty area. Produced a nice lobbed finish over the advancing goalkeeper in the 2-2 draw with Kortrijk toward the back end of last season, and rarely panics when he gets into shooting positions inside the area. What The Experts Say Ex-Anderlecht striker Tom de Sutter: "Dennis plays like Iniesta. He's got good technique, he's solid, holds onto the ball well, keeps things simple and doesn't panic. His vision of the game is incredible." Dennis Praet vision and technique have made Europe's elite take notice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtysanchez Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Any update, he any closer to signing for us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swerbs Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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