OneMoSalah

Learned a bit too late. Like £500m too late. Maybe the penny drops… but I doubt it.

Kovacic apparently been adapting his game to playing a more sitting role this pre-season. Mentioned it in an interview, doing a lot of video analysis and stuff with Pep/coaching staff. Kalvin Phillips is poor at that sort of level anyway, should never have left Leeds. CL qualification not this seasons target? What was all that utter bullshit that apparently the club/directors/owners felt the squad was a CL level squad last season? These guys are unreal. Honestly. Morons to say the least.

With our current defence they’d probably say the same about us 😂 Just seen the record over the years. A lot worse than expected.

I think as bad as United have been all round, they definitely look sharper in the final third. Not just tonight, also v City. As soon as they get near the box you get the feeling they are going to do something.

Why would it not of stood? But yea United win first day not good

So they’ll probably be sold off for profit in the 2 seasons.

Not really, that actually suits Neto a lot as it allows him to isolate his fullback in 1 on 1s a lot more easier because usually with fullbacks tucked infield the opposite either wide man follows them creating those sort of passing opportunities for the winger or lets them go and we have another man in MF. Cole also has shown he can do this role starting a lot wider but I do think we may see him more centrally eventually with Maresca if he implements this inverted fullbacks and wingers high and wide.

The Gallagher deal collapsing with other player is only reason he’s in the picture: he wasn’t even a target until then. So yes it is stupid. Plus as keep saying - where does he play? As a 10? Nkunku is better and Cole is a good shout for there. Maresca’s winger stay high and wide to provide the width. He isn’t a natural winger so another poor fit given he tends to try and play in the pockets.

This “unbelievable talent” hasn’t really got him much further on from when he broke through at Benfica. Bar maybe one good season at Atletico where he was their POTY IIRC. I can see why some people see the appeal as he shows moments where he does things and you think if he could do that sort of thing more and more, he could be a pretty good player. But he doesn’t do it enough. And hasn’t really been consistent enough for a while. Granted hes 24 but you look for some sort of progression or upwards trajectory and he really hasn’t had it at all over the past 3/4 years. Particularly for someone of his apparent ability. Keep saying it but his position and work rate is/has always been an issue for this guy. He is probably the only one in recent history to go there and not try to buy into the hard working approach Simeone has used that has shaped a really really successful period for Atletico Madrid. For £42m we would be getting more questions than answers. And I thought that after the loan spell too, not convincing enough. We need top quality in attack be it a 9 or a wide man, not another could be if he were to do X Y and Z, we have enough of those.

Even then £42m would be incredibly stupid.

Permanent makes more sense. I don’t think with Caicedo & Lavia he has a realistic long term future here. Barring a very very spectacular development. @Pizy lets hope so. Paying £50m for someone they don’t want and wouldn’t have a clear and obvious role in our team here is a stupid move on all accounts.

£50m for Felix - no thanks. Ridiculous if we make such a deal. Nobody else actually wants him what does that tell you? But Scatter Gun FC probably will probably end up signing him.

But who does he play ahead of? He more than likely doesn’t play ahead of Lavia, Enzo, KDH & Caicedo and 2 of those will be 2 of our MF 3 with Nkunku/Cole. So he will not play regularly. Also not to mention if Gallagher deal collapses. Then there is Santos who is on loan, is he not part of the long term plan or is he now another dud 😂? And Casadei? And Veiga can apparently play as a 6 also. Don’t see him playing regularly at all. So should just sell. Maybe loan. Was a pointless signing in first place - should have went to the sister club in France. We need to clear space and whilst he can be registered as a u21, if he is rarely going to be involved, why bother?

He huffs and puffs a lot. Wee moments. Flashes of brilliance of what he could do but he doesn’t have anywhere near enough consistency, particularly for a supposed elite level attacking player aged 24. And which position would he play here and ahead of who? He isn’t really a proper left winger as such, lacking the athleticism and pace modern day wingers have and he isn’t a better option than Nkunku as a 10. He certainly isn’t a striker either. Seems like a proper luxury player. Will do the odd thing or two which you go wow but over 38 games and when it really matters, just going to be a passenger. Given Clearlake’s insistence on a data led approach it is surprising if those stats are what he put out. Genuinely think its this desperation to ensure we sell Gallagher so now we are open to taking anybody from Atletico who they don’t want to make sure the deal goes through… Like on a footballing point of view, makes no to little sense (although what does now with this mob running things?). You’re bang on about the off the ball stuff. I mean this is probably one of the biggest reasons as to why he was a none starter for Pochettino. Irrespective of this perceived ability. If Maresca wants a high press - his type of profile is out of the question. I mean why do people think he has struggled and fallen out with Simeone at Atletico also? Not to mention his actual position in a team, in the past 3 seasons he has been used as a 10, a wide left, a second striker, player up front… I guess people like the idea of him because he has shown little snippets of ability in certain moments but for someone aged 24, who is supposed to be someone who could an “elite level attacking player” should it not be a lot more clear and obvious what position he would play in a team? And what sort of player he actually is?

Villa were linked to him….

Absolutely. But still Lukaku as a bargaining chip to try persuade a VO deal with Napoli could be valuable. VO be a better and more sensible buy than Felix in a footballing way because he is a number 9 who has a pretty respectable record. Yes he isn’t maybe that top or world class striker but he is miles ahead of most options. Its a tough spot to be in though as there aren’t many who fit that role or calibre. I think using Lukaku as bait to get a deal for VO, direct swap and cash or separate deals would be the right thing to do. Circumstances with our squad size doesn’t help though. But if that was in order, for me a deal like that would be the sort of ruthless move Roman & Marina would of made in this sort of situation. CB is key though 100% agree also but in all fairness if we end up with Felix, no CB and no CF we only have ourselves to blame again for incredibly naive squad building and management. Forgot his wages were cut. Yep exactly my feeling. If it ends up that a Saudi club go in for VO or something then let him waste his career there. If we weren’t so desperate to shift players I think there would be much more openness to letting Lukaku rot to the final days in hope Conte & Napoli come to the table more desperate to do a favourable deal.

Works both ways though. Lets be realistic, they know we are trying to offload Rom cause he’s on massive wages and doesn’t want to be here - hence why their lowballing us. They also know we need to start offloading players irrespective because of the squad size. I get the club put a clause in for Rom but barring a Conte melt down/ultimatum - which I get he is who he is but 7 weeks into his job, he’s not even that stupid - theres not too much we can do. I think we should be saying if they offer between £30-35m for Lukaku… even with no swap deal on the table, that we will look to accept it on the basis that they accept a £50-60m bid in a separate deal for Oshimen. Then do both deals at the same time but separately as we were doing with Gallagher and whats his face. And if they fuck about just pull the plug on the Lukaku deal and let him rot. I know its a bit of fucking about but if we really want Oshimen and they really want Lukaku - be hard with them. Still think offloading the likes of Kepa, Chalobah, Broja, Ugochuwku & various others on loan/permanents would also give us a better footing too to make this deal as the need and desperation to trim a bloated squad disappears. I mean if we really want VO and Napoli really want RL, then we have to try make that happen.

Should have been made to them minute they appointed Conte. But dumb & dumber probably were too busy wanking each other off about how good they are at signing GKs…

It is really looking like we will have to give in to Napoli if we really want him to go. But the club have already been doing these strange deals with Villa for Maatsen & Kellyman and now potentially Atletico for Gallagher & one of whichever player Simeone cannot be fucked with next, probably Saul Niguez, if we don’t sign Felix. So who knows, maybe another iffy deal on the cards, Lukaku for 30m and then we give them 50m for Oshimen… either way we look like fannys but nothing new there 🤣

What I also don’t get regarding the Felix signing also is, if Nkunku doesn’t play for whatever reason be it injury or whatever, are people forgetting that Cole (our best attacker last season) can and would likely play as a 10? As he did under Poch? I get having squad depth but people were saying for weeks and weeks Maresca could/would use Palmer centrally - because he did with City u21/EDS - but now its we must sign Felix to have squad depth incase Nkunku doesn’t play? Unless we 100% see the sale of Noni and one of Mudryk/Sterling - a move for Felix would be very strange. I get he can maybe play 4 or 5 positions but whats the need if we already have got plenty of options there?

Hopefully permanent. Another stupid signing although surely make us some £ no? Even if it is Strasbourg.

Mudryk surely? But even then they aren’t like for like players. I don’t think signing someone who played predominantly as a left winger at Barcelona last season and as a number 10 for us the half season before is a good move without shifting one of either Mudryk or Sterling anyway. And still means we need a CF. And still, I’m with Tomo on this one too, not for me. JF was the best of a bad bunch and even then, for me his most memorable highlight was getting sent off what 10 mins into his debut? Can’t think of any real contribution where I thought wow what a player we’ve got here. This is am really interested in, really. How is Maresca going to incorporate Felix? When we play 433/4231…? As a 10 when he has a fully fit Nkunku who has been a real standout this pre-season and must start? And Palmer who can definitely be used there if not on the right wing where we have Noni and Pedro Neto? As a left winger when we have Sterling/Mudryk who are going nowhere as of now? Felix causes more headaches than he solves. Just as he did when he signed the first time round. Not consistent enough. Not got a defined position. Yeah clearly wasn’t a thought at all but we are desperate to sell Gallagher. So its likely 90% more Clearlake, Stewart & Winstanley throw shit at the wall until it sticks scattergun approach without any genuine consideration for what we actually need. Given Felix isn’t a CF or a CB also… what more proof do folk need? I mean I really doubt Maresca is even interested in him either, genuinely get the feeling he is a yes man, as a lot of these “head coach” types are.

Should have been the plan from day 1 but too busy scrambling about to sign players without offloading/loaning out guys. Just stupidity again but as I always keep coming back to, look at the clowns heading the football operations. I get we can have as many u21s as we want without actually registering them but this is still poor squad management and affects Maresca big time. Like it did with Potter and also Lampard.

Maybe. But still deals like this normally have a way of taking time, from day 1 working at it, with it later coming to the table Conte was keen on Lukaku… a compromise could of been reached and sooner. Might still happen but imagine we run out of time because we spent weeks chasing and almost signing some Atletico loanee? Could have given both players a pre-season with their new clubs too. Fuck knows what is happening now with Gallagher too. These Stewart & Winstanley cunts have to go either way. As soon as but won’t happen until after this season is done if it is going to happen. All that time fucking about for a exchange deal - nonetheless on a player who is a young CF who we already have 2 of in the squad - only for it to collapse over contract issues and now they prioritise Oshimen, a more established and higher quality player which is more of the profile we should of targeted from day 1? And are now trying to take Felix (for LW I am guessing or else makes no sense although hugely inconsistent still) to make the Gallagher deal work? On top of only having 2 loan slots left for non u21/HG players and a squad of 40 odd players with no moves happening for players who need offloaded. Shower of useless bastards. Honestly couldn’t run a piss up in a brewery…

Yet some people think Clearlake and the sporting directors are competent and willing to give them chance after chance….