Summer transfer window 2021

[Zatman]

45 minutes ago, ZL- said:

After given it some thought in the summer I would like to see us go in for Rodrigo De Paul of Udinese, as our #10 with the cash we may have earmarked to make Barkley permanent.

He seemed to very close to signing with Leeds in the summer for €35m but don't believe Leeds were able to stump up the cash.

In terms of creative output, he's up in their with the best in Europe but what would suit us is his style isn't of mecurial Ozil type that can float in and out of games but instead a far more gritty midfielder which as you can see from the comparisons has shades of KDB lite to him and seems more focused on positive creative build up rather than just getting on the end of moves.

 

Certainly worth a watch, I really think the way he drifts to the left flank is quite Barkley esque and would lead to him combining with JG well but with the consistency and grit that Barkley isn't currently affording us. He will certainly be a coup, Leeds will be certain to come back in for him with Liverpool recently mooted with an interest, regardless it would be the statement signing after our '3rd season' in the premier league in which FFP becomes far less onerous and will earmark our intent into cracking into Europe as a regular force.

He be brilliant but as I said before, we would need another ball playing him and Jack together

[MrBlack]

47 minutes ago, ZL- said:

After given it some thought in the summer I would like to see us go in for Rodrigo De Paul of Udinese, as our #10 with the cash we may have earmarked to make Barkley permanent.

He seemed to very close to signing with Leeds in the summer for €35m but don't believe Leeds were able to stump up the cash.

In terms of creative output, he's up in their with the best in Europe but what would suit us is his style isn't of mecurial Ozil type that can float in and out of games but instead a far more gritty midfielder which as you can see from the comparisons has shades of KDB lite to him and seems more focused on positive creative build up rather than just getting on the end of moves.

 

Certainly worth a watch, I really think the way he drifts to the left flank is quite Barkley esque and would lead to him combining with JG well but with the consistency and grit that Barkley isn't currently affording us. He will certainly be a coup, Leeds will be certain to come back in for him with Liverpool recently mooted with an interest, regardless it would be the statement signing after our '3rd season' in the premier league in which FFP becomes far less onerous and will earmark our intent into cracking into Europe as a regular force.

Yes please.... pretty please. 

[sne]

Think De Paul has a Inter transfer written all over but be delighted if we managed to sign him. 

I imagine the Udinese/Watford owner would be hesitant to sell to us if Watford are promoted thou.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, thabucks said:

Clickbait loose links to be early summer favs to sign Sander Berge ... Yes please! 

yes, please ,too.

[Zatman]

2 minutes ago, sne said:

Think De Paul has a Inter transfer written all over but be delighted if we managed to sign him. 

I imagine the Udinese/Watford owner would be hesitant to sell to us if Watford are promoted thou.

Inter are financially ****, looking for a bailout from a Chinese bank

Also doubt he would get into the Conte midfield style

[sparrow1988]

Just now, Zatman said:

Inter are financially ****, looking for a bailout from a Chinese bank

Also doubt he would get into the Conte midfield style

There is always room for one such player in a Conte team.

[TRO]

On 18/02/2021 at 14:54, Vive_La_Villa said:

I’m surprised  people think Midfield is the priority when we currently have one adequate centre forward in the whole squad.  Anything happens to Olli we are really screwed.

but at least he is doing the business, injury is the only enemy.....right now our midfield isn't.

[ZL-]

Agree with @Zatman don't see him performing the more utility role Barella/Brozovic offer but Vidal isn't getting any younger.

Fair point regarding Udinese owners, can imagine there might be some bad blood with the wrongly thinking the Sheff Utd Hawkeye thing relegated them

[Zatman]

1 minute ago, sparrow1988 said:

There is always room for one such player in a Conte team.

It took over a year for him to finally start Eriksen in midfield

[sne]

Fwiw Sander Berge and Leandro Trossard won the Belgian league in 18/19 so they are used to winning stuff too not just struggling.

[sne]

3 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Inter are financially ****, looking for a bailout from a Chinese bank

Also doubt he would get into the Conte midfield style

They will get some money from getting in to the CL and look good for winning the league. And they have some players that are likely to fetch a pretty penny in the summer if/when they are sold.

[useless]

I think we need to move away from this idea that we have to play with a No.10 type player, as one of our midfield three, do that and you're basically playing with just two midfielders, even if the player assigned the No.10 role is playing well it still leaves you at a disadvantage, for us to fit in a No.10 into our team, and for it to realistically work for prolonged period of time, we would have to find space for them somewhere else in the team, in our system it would probably be out wide.

That's not to say you have to play with three defensive minded midfielders, we'd still have room for an attacking midfielder, but there's a big difference between a specialist attacking midfielder that will do their midfield duties as well as attack, and a creative No.10 type, that will just primarily want to operate in the final third.

As for Berge I think he might be one of those players that is overrated by fans of other clubs, look at the opinion of Sheffield United fans and many of them don't rate him. I don't believe that link anyway, we've just signed Sanson, so have him, McGInn and Ramsey as box to box types. If we sign another midfielder in the summer I think it will be be more of an alternative to Barkley if decide not to buy him, but not a like for like replacement, someone that can play in midfield but also offer an attacking threat, if Brentfy don't come up I shall not be too surprised if we make a move for DaSilva, who has excellent attacking credentials but also does more traditional midfield work, in other words he's more of an old fashioned attacking midfield option, than playing a No10 type.

[sparrow1988]

8 minutes ago, Zatman said:

It took over a year for him to finally start Eriksen in midfield

I know yeah. I think he hates Eriksen, therefore he'd be out the door if De Paul came in.

[Vive_La_Villa]

14 minutes ago, TRO said:

but at least he is doing the business, injury is the only enemy.....right now our midfield isn't.

The midfield issue is Barkley! I’m convinced by that. Replace him with someone that helps the other 2 and we’ll see a massive difference. Just like we did for most of the first part of the season.   

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

The midfield issue is Barkley! I’m convinced by that. Replace him with someone that helps the other 2 and we’ll see a massive difference. Just like we did for most of the first part of the season.   

I respectfully disagree....its just not that simple.....I am not saying there isn't an issue with Barkley, but its more than one player imo.

Edited February 23, 2021 by TRO

[Vive_La_Villa]

Just now, TRO said:

I respectfully disagree....its just not that simple.....I am not saying there isn't an issue, but its more than one player imo.

Fair enough. There’s other players at the managers  disposal that can play in midfield if he chooses to use them.  
 

Maybe not the defensive midfielder you’d like to see but they’re are still midfielders.

I appreciate you are talking about first team in terms of where we need the most improvement but I’d still be amazed if another striker as competition/backup for Olly wasnt top of the list. 

[useless]

People say that the issue is Barkley, but then suggest we should replace him with another N0,10 type, or suggest we play Grealish there. You're still going to have the same problems that we have now with Barkley, even if the player replacing him plays well, because you will still be left with two central midfielders against teams that play with three central midfielders, and so will still face the threat of being overrun in that area.

[ZL-]

In my post I specifically mentioned how Rodrigo De Paul specifically isn't one of the more languid 10s like Ozil or more pointedly like Barkley. He gets involved in a functioning midfield 3 more often and is similar to 10s to who seem to play deeper (Bernardo Silva/Houssem Aouar).

[TRO]

1 minute ago, useless said:

People say that the issue is Barkley, but then suggest we should replace him with another N0,10 type, or suggest we play Grealish there. You're still going to have the same problems that we have now with Barkley, even if the player replacing him plays well, because you will still be left with two central midfielders against teams that play with three central midfielders, and so will still face the threat of being overrun in that area.

Thank you.

[TRO]

4 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Fair enough. There’s other players at the managers  disposal that can play in midfield if he chooses to use them.  
 

Maybe not the defensive midfielder you’d like to see but they’re are still midfielders.

I appreciate you are talking about first team in terms of where we need the most improvement but I’d still be amazed if another striker as competition/backup for Olly wasnt top of the list. 

VLV I respect your opinions, I really do despite our ding dongs....and although we both  make points, the problems are rarely just singular.

I know I labour the point of the central 2 and sure its not just them alone, I accept that.....but every bit of improvement helps.

Read this, if you haven't already and the next time you watch us, tell me where we are doing those things?....

https://medium.com/@aniketsrivastava81/explaining-the-role-of-a-cdm-central-defensive-midfielder-90843b8b4315#:~:text=They are capable of performing,as to nullify opposition threats.