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I have high hopes for Baker in the fabregas creator role, he can ping them in from distance as well. I think the writing is on the wall with Matic and if competition comes in he won't be a trooper the way Fabregas was. Ideally for me its Kante/Bakayoko/Tolisso/Chalobah in the B2B roles and Fabregas/Lew Baker for the creator Mid roles

Bold claim, not one i entirely agree with cause Kante has been immense but these are the type of signing we should be targeting! we need competition for every spot! Competition breeds success.

I think Matic is going to be sold, and with a far busier schedule it is integral to have depth and competition. plus being able to switch from a 352 and 343 is important for Conte. Kante, Tolisso, Bakayoko, Chalobah, and Fabregas give us a wealth of options. I also hope Lew Baker can come back and establish himself as a creative midfielder in the fabregas mold for us.

my thoughts exactly, if possible we absolutely have the money and its an integral position. having Kante/Tolisso/Bakayoko gives us quality and competition all with slightly differing skillsets.

I was watching Bakayoko clips and I saw a Dembele-esque possibility. Dembele is physical and aggressive while being skillful dribbling the ball, his passing is okay but not devastating. He mainly disrupts through physicality and dribbling, those are two of bakayokos strength. I could be way off base but thats just my opinion on what Dembele does for Spurs and what Bakayoko possibly could be. Tolisso seems to be more all around skilled than either of dembele/bakayoko.

Both is a dream situation! I would be excited to get either Bakayoko or Tolisso, i haven't watched alot of Tolisso but reading reports and listening to peoples opinion I trust he would be a magnificent signing. If we manage to lock both of them up and have Kante our midfield would look mighty formidable all while having loads of room to grow and improve as they mature. It also leaves room for Lew Baker to come back and compete for the fabregas role.

imagine a midfield 3 of Keita/Kante/Bakayoko? they would cover every blade of grass! Keita would play highest up. Sadly it feels like he is earmarked for Liverpool and will fit them perfectly

It seems your opinion on Matic is very high and that is alright. 1) Kante is a better footballer than matic, better dribbler, his passing is under rated, and he makes the players around him far better. His shooting is admittedly not very good, but everyone can improve something and he will work on it. 2) I disagree, Radja can hit the ball better (aside from the one Matic wonder goal), he makes more dangerous runs and can make the more difficult pass than matic. 3) Yes there certainly are younger players you're correct. Bakayoko however has outstanding athleticism while playing in the exact position he would play here, his team won the league while he played a major important role and they made a deep run in the CL, all while having tons of room to continue to get better. There aren't many younger available players who fit those criteria, I can guarantee you that.

Well we agree on that, my rough breakdown of what I think about the 4 players is Kante is the best of the bunch statistics aside its not to be debated. Radja is the most offensively minded of the rest and offers almost as good defensive protection Matic is in his Prime and offers a solid skillset for the PL and understands his role. Bakayoko is the youngest, most athletic and has the highest upside, i would argue he is also the best at dribbling out of pressure at the moment. All 4 offer something different its just a matter of what Conte wants. That is why certain people want Matic replaced to offer our lineup something different. I am in the camp of bringing in Competition in the form of Bakayoko/Radja not as a replacement. we need squad depth and strength, Pep can convince a ludicrous # of the best attackers in the world to play for 3/4 spots but we can't keep a CM without bringing in another?

"Not even the EPL player of the year has performed better than Matic Statistically" I don't necessarily think your comparisons are fair because all 4 of the players are asked to play decidedly different roles for their teams who are all in different phases of development and have different goals in mind. I think Matic has been a key player for us and Conte obviously wants to bring in competition/replacement for him but your argument from a purely statistical outlook is a little short sighted i'd have to say.

the kid is 21 years old and showed great promise even with the terrible twosome of LVG and Jose managing him. I would take him in a heartbeat here. He needs confidence from his coach and steady game time to develop but he has all the makings of a star if given the chance.

Enthusiasm and buy in for the loan squad always makes the experience more beneficial for everyone involved. From Lew Baker to Christensen to Traore, 1.5-2 year loans and when the player buys in are best case scenario for development. Hope Conte takes a good hard look at him then he shows he can play in the PL. With how ridiculous the market is now I really hope our amazing youth teams can turn out some quality players. it is how all of the big clubs came to be, build from within and cherry pick the transfers to put you over the top.

for the right price id take him. but if they want 35m plus and he is expecting to start every week we don't need that headache. If we can steal him for a reasonable fee and have him buy into being a good player on a successful team im interested.

I think it was more good than bad, especially scoring the goal to win the league for us. Fans love him, and he seems happy here. Certainly a positive end to a rough year.

Looks tricky with the ball and very unselfish, nice eye for the pass and can knock in free kicks. Some great long runs with the ball as well, in some games Conte would surely put him at wing back since he has a history with the position

Apparently Batman and Mendy are really close friends, could be helpful for us in recruitment. He is my first choice for LWB and i think he would really be a star in the prem

Federico Bernardeschi is set to become the subject of a £30million tug-of-war between #Chelsea and Manchester United. [Alfredo Pedulla] would be an absolutely perfect signing. Big fan of him. Can play LWB or Right side attacker in the 343. Versatile and skillful. 30m would be a great price in today's market for a young player like him. This is an older article and he has blossomed in a more attacking role but it still outlines his versatility: https://tacticalcalcio.com/2015/12/04/federico-bernardeschi-fiorentinas-inverted-wing-back/

We always say this isnt FIFA but maybe...just maybe it is! aha IF and its a big IF city manage to pull that off, look out. Id pay to watch their starters play the backups But ill stick with what I've been saying, Silly season is long and you don't get anything for "Winning" it. We have a plan Conte has worked on with the board and I trust in it.

Seems as though Diego is holding us hostage. I don't like that one bit, a player pushing for a move and the other team knowing its only them and trying to low ball. We aren't forced to sell anyone and we don't necessarily need his money to fund our transfer plans. I say we keep him and bring in a big name competitor like Lukaku, if he doesn't want to play his ass off he wont be going to the world cup for Spain and we can play Rom who will score the same or more amount of goals, if he does we will be getting Peak Diego which is something i support entirely. I still favour the Costa + Cash/Griezz swap idea. But it would obviously take a commitment of Griezz which i find hard to believe since he has his little heart set on creating the worlds longest handshake celebration with his buddy Pogba

The players heads were not in it, that was readily apparent. They were so hyper focused and stressed during the season that once we locked up the league players mentally and physically switch off and enjoy after such a long season. It is a shame we didn't win the FA cup and that ridiculous first goal the ref allowed really hurt us but NOBODY was interested in playing another meaningful game after WBA. Criticizing Contes approach is not fair, there is nothing a coach can do tactically if the players don't show up. Clearly the players were not motivated.

B Silva i liked but Mendy i love, his fit would be beyond perfect in our lineup but City certainly has come out of the gate firing if they sign him as well. Early days in silly season still, long way to go.

perfect username to match the message. Everyone needs to relax, people acting like this is Messi and he will come in and totally dominate right away. Silva is a spectacularly skilled young player, i would have loved to sign him but it wasnt meant to be. City means business and we all knew they would splash the cash this summer. We are playing for the FA cup tomorrow to seal a double for our season. We have lots of cash and a great coach, lets focus on supporting the boys finish the season strong with a Double at arsenals expense and see what Conte wants in the summer.

even though i thought he had a rough first half(its all i watched) I would welcome him here happily. he does have some good skill and great size/athleticism. Conte would drill him the way he sees fit. It is totally unreasonable but i just now assume that any defender conte wants he will iron out any of his shortcomings or scheme to put him in the best position possible.

Great player, crowded team. I don't think we were ever really in for him like others are saying. Sucks seeing a talented player go to a competitor but lets not panic. Conte has given the board his list and it is their job to do their best and deliver. It is a long summer and both Manchesters are going to be spending 250-300+ last year everyone thought City and United were going to run away with it but who are champions? Chelsea. Titles are not won in the summer.

Perfect place for him to continue to develop, fare fee for Monaco. Monaco/Dortmund are the perfect clubs for young studs, and the clubs business model is perfect them. Win Win for all involved.