Magic Lamps

Not only from the Caicedo camp already feels like the Hulk saga dragging on for years and I did not even know the guy 12 months ago. would be less nervous if we had not already shedded half the midfield without bringing someone in. Maybe should indeed move for a secondary target to Signal we are not desperate. No way we should do the deal for over 80m

Kovacic most of all. A fit, injury free Kova would have been a weapon in Poch‘s fast transition system. His departure will hurt us most I think. He will be like a fish in water in Peps system with his ball control and ability to beat a man. To a lesser degree Pulisic. Just remember other pace merchants like Moura looked completely changed under Poch (and then reverted back to norm after he left). As a wild card Kai could have been interesting in the Dele Alli role esp with his height and heading ability. Then again he would probably still be too wasteful and lightweight. The others not so much. K2 and Kante were spent forces already. Mount I think will never learn when to release the ball and how to weight it properly. RLC is probably also to set in his ways. But more than stressing about what could have been I am excited about what he can do with what we have. He made vertonghen and alderwireld look like WC cbs. Now imagine what he can do with the much more talented Colwill and Badiashile. For mids I am afraid Conor is a lost cause and not seen enough of Santos and Casadei yet but can definitely see him helping Hall with his defensive positioning and tackling skills. Our two best players by far, Enzo and RJ, I hope can just be kept fit all season and have their load managed smartly. similar Nkunku. Just needs to be kept fit, confident and close to goal (not the wing) and have someone to play off and he will score. Sterling is probably to mature to be impacted much by Poch. Mudryk and Madueke probably have the highest upside if developed properly. Just look at what Poch did with Son and Moura. Jackson and Broja obviously huge potential as well but possibly not even Poch can lift the striker curse so won’t hold my breath here. Will be interesting to see how much we will rely on them or if we try without a classic no 9 again which Poch sometimes did with spuds when Kane was injured.

they love to fk us over. All those pool, manure, arse fans love to hate us. Just wonder why they suck up to City so much. Not even PSG got away with their 400m Qatar airways deal but etihad is fine? It’s ridiculous

Puli and cherki are completely different players. Does not exactly inspire confidence in the source.

Even Poch can’t give him pace. also while clearly gifted this cherki guy way too often just does his little tricks and then just passes the ball backwards. Don’t really see what he offers in a well drilled machine of a team where everybody is supposed to know his role. Also where would he fit? Surely not the double pivot and too slow as no. 10.

This makes them look quite similar tho. Caicedo tackles more, Thuram apparently is the better interceptor Isn’t that the point of Caicedo? He would be a b2b as well well who is mostly focused on winning the ball deep in midfield or high up the pitch as well as progressing it but surely no DM. can easily see both, Caicedo or Thuram working in a double pivot with Enzo. really hope we start to look at other targets if Brighton continue with their ludicrous demands

Exactly. Higuain, falcao, Auba came with big expectations but were old, ravaged by injury, long past their prime and unable to reinvent their game after havibg their physical abilities downgraded. The 2023 version of this would be bringing Icardi. Giroud on the other hand had always been a smart player , able to adapt his game and never relied on pace. Ba and Remy were experienced and in their prime. We need someone who is in either category. Füllkrug comes to mind, very similar to Giroud, classic no 9 with good finish and eye for teammate but not with quite the same technique. Not checked up on Zapata and Muriel for a while but both used to be competent. I also noticed Anthony Martials contract is almost up, could be useful. Calum Wilson in his last year too.

while there is little proven wc quality in the striker market and we have repeatedly failed with speculative big money striker signings, the low risk, experienced back up striker signings often have worked. Oli was an absolute steal, always thought demba ba was decent, Remy was okay. The market for this kind of player is way bigger. Having a big target man to play off maximises Nkunku s strength and takes pressure off Broja/Jackson. Off the list Vesper provided there are some picture perfect candidates for this role

Upgraded version of Tammy sounds awesome tho. Tammy has a ton of great attributes like pace, height, strength, powerful shot. But lacks body control clinical streak and first touch. If NJ is good at those he is pretty much a complete striker. He already has shown he has dribbling ability and eye for teammate over Tammy. I am usually rather critical of most of our signings but strangely have a good feeling about this one.

You are absolutely right but it feels like he is now rejecting the move to make a point. I know it stings but at least he did not throw a fit here like Lukaku did. So if he really stays here we should probably try to use him at least as a last resort backup

No, nkunku is not a centre midfielder. In a 433 he would be the CF or LA. Nkunku needs to b in and around and he box. Is not effective at progressing the ball to attack. We need at least two more central midfielders Good thing is if clubs start quoting us 100m for every average joe we can dip into into the free agent market if necessary get at least some proven average PL level players like oxöade chamberlain

let’s not read too much into one clip. Does not look enticing but he might just be annoyed at being filmed or whatever. What counts most is how committed he is on the pitch. If our project becomes successful a lot of doubt will be evaporate. Still would obviously prefer if Noni had not even seen the need to get this commitment out of Levi.

If it’s 100m we should pull out. But I doubt it will be that hefty. Caicedo would be pissed for Brighton promised him to let him go for a reasonable price. But I figure this will drag on. Might need the guy from intoning strike, hand in a request all this stuff. Kone, kephren and Anton fkin Stach are still there for the taking for a fraction of the price

Always perceived Zubimendi as kind of average. Good technique but painfully slow even now at his physical peak. Lightweight for a PL DM. Poor man’s Ugarte.

It is more testament to our instability, finishing problems and ever present state of transition than mounts quality. Esp the output stats. In a stable team, Lamps had these stats in a single season once

Aren’t you the one for whom every pöayer with „less than 2 seasons under 30 y.o.“ is old for every position except goalie?😂 esp for a pace reliant player like him. Not a fan, don’t think his goal return screams 20 goals per season in PL either but if Poch really wants him he should be granted one wish but none more.

If there was any doubt selling Mase and Kai was a good decision it can now be put to bed. Paul merson the best counter indicator known to men thinks we handed our rivals top4. So we might actually even mount a title challenge now https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12266463/Paul-Merson-claims-Chelsea-selling-Mason-Mount-Kai-Havertz-NOT-GOOD-business.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490

But Dybala is not a centre forward like Lautaro or vlahovic. He is more of a second striker like Nkunku. Can still be useful as backup despite being old and washed up but does not answer the striker question.

Right, Hakim. after watching you the last 3 years it’s well established that you can indeed lay on grass despite your wrecked knees for prolonged periods of time. Thanks for reconfirming anyway.

It’s ridiculous tho. He is not that big a name yet. I think we should focus on building a strong unit instead of fostering some super star culture. But I consider Enzo’s character to withstand the temptation to believe his own hype.

Nice designs. Particularly like the zipper.

Ofc they are. Bayern love their value for money bargains. They probably see him as successor to Neuer while we apparently see him as back up to Kepa 🙄

SMS is not a pace reliant player and he would not cost a bomb, so his age would not be too much of a problem. With all the kids, some experience should not hurt. It is worrying tho that despite all the hype no big club has ever taken a punt at him. Kone is good but completely different player. Viega scores goals, can be used as playmaker without being brilliant at it. Maybe similar to Mount. Kone is also quite technical but not much of a goalscorer more a connector like a dembele was for spurs.

Don’t think so. Costa is probably solid enough but Vlahovic and Cherk have huge potential to bomb. Vlahovic I am still on the fence but Cherki I have a really bad feeling about. Expectations are too high. We have gotten rid of a host of established top 4 level players and replaced them with promising talents who are right now effectively a downgrade. It’s like investing in unprofitable growth companies. Some might 10x but it can take years so don’t expect a dividend next year already

It’s a trade off. His amazing crossing, dribbling around opposition fullbacks and and ability to finish from an angle would be sacrificed . But his ball carrying ability , shooting from distance, physicality and creativity would help us even more in the middle. I prefer him at WB too but if we go back to back 4 his attacking influence would be limited anyway. Plus we are short midfielders. If we can for some reason not get enough mids in and Gusto is a revelation, it might be tempting to try RJ as B2B.