King Kante

RLC is doing his usual zero work off the ball, I have been saying it for years but he is the laziest player I have ever seen. As for the goal, defending isn't great but that parry out by Kepa was awful straight into the most dangerous area.

Whenever I see Chilwell I think - not much better than Alonso at defending, worse than Alonso going forward but faster than Alonso. I really do not get why people want to replace Alonso with him. Sure he may prevent a goal or two less than Alonso but he won't get anywhere near Alonso's goals or assists.

For last season he was ok but not great and a lot of the saves you go on about are good saves but they are also saves you see from other PL GK's. Personally, I do not really include PK shoot outs as it is a confidence thing and the main one he saved was right at him. Also, when I said Le Arse away I meant at home where he let that Bellerin goal in. As for the Liverpool home FA Cup game, those shots should be saved as all where virtually at him. However, because he has been so poor he gets undue credit for it. Liverpool in the Super Cup and the Fulham one are the only ones I really count as great. As for Everton away, his passing was the key problem with the second. I agree he doesn't have the greatest defence in front of him but at the same time the defence can say they do not have the greatest GK behind them. It is like chicken and egg. Personally, I am still yet to see anything from him that makes me think he will improve and all the stats also back me on this. I mean his 1vs1 stats are awful, as he runs out to no mans land and has it slot past him every time. As bad as his save percentage is (which ranks him something like 168 out of 174 for EU GK's) I think his 1v1 ranks him worst.

Please send me the links of these amazing saves Kepa made. I grant he has had one or two very good ones (but no more than an average PL GK) but this is also stacked against absolutely awful awful play for a GK. There are also no stats for the past three years that show him to be decent in any area other than his last at Athletic where his ball collection was good. Further, for the past three years he has an a negative xG record i.e. conceeding more than he should. His save percentage is around 57% that includes the balls that loop up/roll to him so really he is about 50% on anything that can be counted as a proper shot. Lastly he is one of the smallest (if not smallest) GK in the league and has weak t-rex arms. If he was an amazing shot stopper it wouldn't matter but when his save percentage is so low it is a real problem. People talk about Baka and Drinky being bad buys but Kepa for me is the worst as, not only did he cost so much money and is tied to us for another 5 years as one of the best paid GK's in the league, he has also been directly responsible for a serious amount of dropped points - Newcastle away, B'mouth home, Le Arse away, Everton away, Valencia away and those are just what I can think of off the top of my head.

To be fair, he isn't going to say anything else. If he said, 'yes he is for sale' he would have reduced Kante's value and he would've upset a lot of people as you do not do such things to Kante. I am personally someone who thinks Kante could be sold. However, I think his market is pretty much limited to PSG coming up with £75m+ so I would say it more of a case he would be for sale for the right offer than we are 'looking to sell'.

I do not think he has gone up a gear though. Last season he played more as a midfielder and scored 20 goals. This season he didn't have a great start but his form started picking up again by new year. Then since the restart he has moved to CF. For me, those that are watching Harvetz and saying he is a CF have a) not been watching him for long enough and over emphasising his lack of form at the start of the season. I'll say it now (and I am happy for anyone to pull this up in five years time or whatever) but Harvetz's long term future is in midfield. He will be a player that is the engine of a team like Lampard, Ballack, Gerrard, Pogba etc and not a centre forward. That he can play other positions is simply testament to his ability.

I agree. I also find it mystifying that Harvetz has only been playing CF because of an injury but everyone seems to think he is a CF. I have said it before but if he came in he would play as an No.8/No.10 so would either be in the middle three in a 433 or in the hole in a 4231. The problem however is that to a degree Barkley, Mount and RLC also all play that role. In my opinion, for Harvetz to happen we would have to sell Barkley and Mount or Harvetz would probably have to transition to a No.6; which I think is possible as Mount did play No6, while when Harvetz first broke in at 17 he was playing further back as a sort of No6/No8.

I do not see Utd dropping many points, there run in couldn't have been hand picked better. They have: Sheff Utd (H) Norwich (A) Brighton (A) B'mouth (H) Villa (A) Soton (H) Palace (A) West Ham (H) Leicester (A) 2 games against current top 7, 5 games against bottom 6. Ours Villa (A) - Possibly our biggest bogey ground in the PL City (H) Leicester (A) West Ham (A) Watford (H) Palace (A) Sheff Utd (H) Dippers (A) Wolves (H) That three London derby's plus 5 games against the top seven. I would say anything but a win at Villa then 12 points from the Leicester, West Ham, Watford and Palace games and we won't finish top 4 and will have to hope for 5th place getting it for us. Yeah, Dave has been great. Will be regarded as one of the best FB's in the clubs history.

Spuds and Utd draw. Not a bad result but probably could've done with a Spud win. Thing that worries me however is how the ref was trying his best for Utd. That second penalty decision was shocking, thankfully it got over turned.

No, I do mean Aarons, it is just me being a numpty and getting my rights and lefts mixed up!

Talking of LB's. Everytime I see Max Aarons I am impressed. Reads the game very well for someone so young. If he was in a decent PL team everyone would be raving about him.

Problem is DDG showed some good qualities when he first came. What attributes does Kepa have that anyone can say 'see, he does that well, keep the faith'. Only thing I can think of is his ability to spring back up after hitting the ground. Everything else is awful.

I reckon it will be PSG. FFP is being relaxed this coming year, they are pushing hard for the CL and he is a core member of the French team. If they do not go for him and/or we do not get a £75m+ offer then keep him. My post wasn't saying sell him at any cost.

Kante is my favourite player from the current squad which you can probably tell from my username. However, he is coming up for 29, he is our highest earner, he doesn't really suit a 3 man midfield and injuries have been an issue for a year or so now. In my opinion, the financially savvy thing to do is to sell him for £75m+. However, if he is sold then we need a excellent replacement so if that isn't happening then of course keep him. If he does go, it will be a massive loss and who can't love the man? However, we are a transitional team and I am not sure keeping him for the last two years of his prime (if we get a £75m+ offer) is wise, all things considered.

It not so much the defending as I accept he is a No.8 and not a No.6. However, RLC also doesn't make runs off the ball and doesn't track runners. Tbf, I have not actually seen Harvetz in real life so he may also have these issues but I have seen RLC in the flesh play most of his games as I have a ST and do a lot of away games. Honestly, he is a very lazy player off the ball as he only lightly jogs about and always wants the ball to feet. This issue with him has also been mentioned by both Conte and Jose which I think is the real reason why he didn't get more game time from them even though he was on paper is he physically a perfect fit for want they look for in a CM. The only possible way I see him resolving this issue is if the reason he has played in such a manner is due to his back and now he has lost a lot of weight, he may be able to do more. Personally, I like him but I am also realistic about his actual fitness history and what I have seen with my own eyes.

Problem with RLC is that he is nearly 25 and has been incredibly injury prone and hasn't developed his work off the ball. I am not saying we should get rid but for me he will always be one of those players that will only be at his best in open games and will never get a full season in.

Good to see Werner get over the line. I expect the LB to be next. Although there is no reporting on it, my money is still on Telles. I say this as his profile is everything we could ask for and he is only £20-25m. After that I would say we need: Harvetz (going to be a great player, as result if you get a chance you need to take it and ask questions later) CB - I just want De Ligt. However, Romagnoli would also be a great shout. After those two I would maybe look at Vertonghen on a free as he has the right profile we need i.e. bit of a bast*rd, left footed CB and has experience (this however is if everyone is crazily priced/won't move.) GK - This is probably actually No.1 priority for me but due to the money spent on Kepa I have it lower as I cannot see the club ponying up for a another GK. For me the smart money is on getting a Ben Foster type GK as he is a real solid PL GK. That way Kepa can get another year and if he is still crap then we can get a proper replacement in 2021. CF - I am not convinced Giroud will be here next season and get Luiz vibes from his extension. If he goes I would like Cavani for a year or two.

I am pretty much of the same opinion on RLC. Further, I think he will never really be be fit enough for a full season or two. Personally, I expect him to end up like Darren Anderton i.e. can be great here and there but never has the consistency and is always in and out with injuries.

Looks like Billy listens to R Kelly.

Yeah, I realised I missed him off when I posted. Personally, I would have him on the bench but I reckon he will start. As for the CB pairing. I wouldn't be so sure, Everton's lack of goals was due to some poor finishing, Zouma in particular was all over the shop in that game.

Kepa James. Ruidger. AC. Alonso Gilmour Kova. Mount Willian. Tammy. Pulisic Subs: Willy, Zouma, Tomori, Emerson, Kante (reckon he is behind if not he starts), Barkley, RLC, Pedro, CHO, Giroud, Batsh*t (I read there will be 11 subs on the bench?).

I am personally not convinced he would play as a No.9/No.10/No.11 here. When he first broke into the team he was playing as a No.6/8 and got moved forward as he is such a good player. However, even from playing the RWF position if you look at his heat maps he is pretty much still in the same position as you would expect a No.8. In my opinion, if he comes in he will play in the middle three. Something like: Jorgi/Gilmour Harvetz/Kova Mount/RLC However, that probably requires Barkley and Kante to be sold. Further, it is pretty harsh on Kova who has been good. However, if you look at the make-up of such a midfield with Harvetz in it, you have a lot more goals and you have more size. However, it will take a brave manager to replace Kante.

What does everyone else think about Cavani? Personally, if we could get him on a free for 1-2 years I think we should do it.

Isn't the Werner hold up to do with RB qualifying for the CL next year? I swear I read somewhere that depending on whether they qualify or not will impact how much his exact buyout will be.

Cannot say I have seen him play however, I am not sure we need him. Firstly, what exactly is his level? He has been playing Champo football but people are talking about a £30m+ fee. What reason is there to justify that? Second is that he will be competing with Ziyech, CHO, Puli and Werner for a position (while people such as Mount and RLC can also play out wide if needed). So, do we actually need a 5th AM? If so, why not just take Boga who is £12m'ish to buy back?