Maxime Gonalons

[Spike 12,049]

This guy is just brilliant. A central midfielder with great defensive and attacking skills. Able to get stuck in with the best of them and pass with a touch of finesse. I'm surprised the Lyonais skipper hasn't been linked with a single club, in this window or any of the previous. I'd take him over Capoue, Benat, Tiote or M'Vila. Cabaye and Moutinho are the only two players higher on my list of potential new central midfielders. He would work well in the two man midfield with someone like Cabaye. Cabaye's a little more offensive so it would be a great balance. His paltry five caps for France is testament to how the FFF is run by complete muppets.

It would be worth raiding Lyon in the summer...

Note: Spike refuses to use the term 'double pivot' because it a stupid term and everyone that uses it should be ashamed.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I have one fucking huge aspect against him.............HIS AGE!

If we are OK with a 23 yo that has captained Lyon, than he is a must buy!

[Spike 12,049]

I have one fucking huge aspect against him.............HIS AGE!

If we are OK with a 23 yo that has captained Lyon, than he is a must buy!

I don't really care how old players are. I'd sign Zanetti if I could. That guy still has at least a couple of years left in him.

I can't talk highly enough of Gonalons. I can't understand why M'Vila gets all this praise whilst Gonalons is just quietly doing an amazing job. His is a tough character too, when he was a teenager he got over a staph infection that threatened amputation on his ankle, but he soldiered on, and here he is now, skipper of his club.

Criminally underrated.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Extremely underrated player. Would be a good replacement for Essien in the future, however when you have a fully-fit Mikel and Oriol, I don't think he's needed personally.

[TrippingStep 336]

Not a fan. He loses the ball easily, is often over agressive to gain the ball.

I don't understand how you can prefer him to Capoue.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I don't really care how old players are. I'd sign Zanetti if I could. That guy still has at least a couple of years left in him.

I can't talk highly enough of Gonalons. I can't understand why M'Vila gets all this praise whilst Gonalons is just quietly doing an amazing job. His is a tough character too, when he was a teenager he got over a staph infection that threatened amputation on his ankle, but he soldiered on, and here he is now, skipper of his club.

Criminally underrated.

I am against having a team of U25, my problem with him is not his football skils, it is the fact he wont bring leadership.

I would be extremely happy if we buy him, but I still want to see big names comming.

[Magic Lamps 11,557]

Not surprised Gonalons has developed so much. all down to Lyons new policy, after they won 7 league titles in a row with a world team in which heavy sums where invested but many players did not make much of their potential after joining them e.g. Gomis, Gourcuff, they invested into their own youth and have some great prospects.

@Rmpr I agrre but have to add Gonalons surely is a leader in spite of his age, but no de Rossi/Alonso for sure. We are a bit too desperate for quality DMs cos there are no ones in our team and not many more available for a reasonable price, but I'd still say, sign a Etxebewhateves/Cabye type and a Capoue/Gonalons/Diame player and we will be fine if we also keeps lamps. Or bring in a big name who can actually replace him. Young, hungry players are fine, but remember, when abramovic revolutions began, we had players like Makelele and Veron around, who showed Lamps the way. There are qualities you only can gain, by playing a decade on the highest level and we shall not let these qualities go away without replacing them. We either fork out big money for a 30 year old worldclass midfielder and hope it works out long enough and eases the transition, or we have to keep lamps and the new, low-profile signings enable us to limit his defensive duties and use him more effectively. The problem is our squad is so stretched, of course our mdifield looks shit. Once we had Makelele, Ballack and Lamps, then also deco, belletti, essien and Meireles, all even though not world class every game and not necessarily starting all the time they still contribute much to the team, share their experience and give younger players composure and concentration due to their sheer presence. You can not start Lamps every game or build a team around him, we have to build it for our next generation, but when you bring in lamps when you need a goal or start him in CM in a big game next to s.o. like gonalons or capoue and he will be a lethal weapon. We need big names and experience to ease the transition but at first we need players to build a new squad and I do not see anyone as Capoue or Gonalons coming out of the youth, so i'd say sign one of them and he will bolster our squad, give us the mobile, solid, strong and passing DM we are still missing which also allows us to use our other options better. Ramires-Lamps partnership lacks tackling and cover, lamps-mikel lacks running and mobility, mikel-ramires lacks passing and tactics but Capoue/Gonalons combined with any of the three is almost complete.

[The Skipper 20,593]

Isn't being captain at 23 at a massive club like Lyon showing enough leadership skills?

[OneMoSalah 8,689]

He doesn't have enough leadership skills but he is the captain of Lyon?????

That would be like being a professional footballer but having no lower body.....

[Rmpr 8,977]

He doesn't have enough leadership skills but he is the captain of Lyon?????

That would be like being a professional footballer but having no lower body.....

Oh please...

He is not the guy Oscar, Hazard, Mata, Mikel, etc, will look at in a UCL Semifinal being 2-1 down and think "no problem, we have Gonalons".

I said I back his transfer, but he is not the leader we need. If we are going to buy him (which we should), we would still need to buy someone else for the double pivot with a big name to back us up. We have Terry, Cole and Cech on the back and probably Falcao/Cavani up front. With Lampard gone, we have no one in the midfield.

Like others said, we must buy him but still buy a big time CM. He is not the answer...

Isn't being captain at 23 at a massive club like Lyon showing enough leadership skills?

No, it is not....

It is not about him being a leader, it is about us needing a big time name so everyone around him can "feel comfortable".

[OneMoSalah 8,689]

Oh please...

He is not the guy Oscar, Hazard, Mata, Mikel, etc, will look at in a UCL Semifinal being 2-1 down and think "no problem, we have Gonalons".

I said I back his transfer, but he is not the leader we need. If we are going to buy him (which we should), we would still need to buy someone else for the double pivot with a big name to back us up. We have Terry, Cole and Cech on the back and probably Falcao/Cavani up front. With Lampard gone, we have no one in the midfield.

Like others said, we must buy him but still buy a big time CM. He is not the answer...

Big players aren't always the answer. Hungry and talented players looking to prove themselves > big players who only do half a job in easy games (like the Brentford one). Hungry players will fight for your club.

[Rmpr 8,977]

Big players aren't always the answer. Hungry and talented players looking to prove themselves > big players who only do half a job in easy games (like the Brentford one)

Actually, one does not exclude the other.

We need big time players and hungry talented players looking to make a name for themselfs.

Oh, and a manager too, but that is a bit more complicated...

[Stingray 9,441]

Isn't being captain at 23 at a massive club like Lyon showing enough leadership skills?

True. But, consider this possible 'falsifying' example: We belgians had Steven Dufour - now Porto and a fringe international (was a regular earlier on). also very much a leader on the field at a very young age and a very good player. Still, I doubt he would cut it here actually.

I think leadership on a level Chelsea plays on requires an amount of leadership and skill that is rarely found - a white raven as to speak. You need the rare individual who can lead, inspire, coach, consult the others, make the others participate t get them on board and sometimes has the courage to show courage and do what has to be done on the field.

That said: Mere leadership doesn't cut it in this team, on this level. JT is a leader here. But he is on such a level it i hard just to point one out that can replace him. This will be a steady and slow process, I fear .

[Rmpr 8,977]

True. But, consider this possible 'falsifying' example: We belgians had Steven Dufour - now Porto and a fringe international (was a regular earlier on). also very much a leader on the field at a very young age and a very good player. Still, I doubt he would cut it here actually.

I think leadership on a level Chelsea plays on requires an amount of leadership and skill that is rarely found - a white raven as to speak. You need the rare individual who can lead, inspire, coach, consult the others, make the others participate t get them on board and sometimes has the courage to show courage and do what has to be done on the field.

That said: Mere leadership doesn't cut it in this team, on this level. JT is a leader here. But he is on such a level it i hard just to point one out that can replace him. This will be a steady and slow process, I fear .

Yeah!

I have no problem with us buying him and I think he can become a giant leader. I have a problem with people believing he is some sort of a fucking savior that will resolve all our issues in the pivot...

I am done with players that will be world class 2-3 years from now. I want immidiate response and for that, Gonalons isnt ready. If we buy him, we would still need a CM (which is fine for me, btw).

[The Skipper 20,593]

Yeah!

I have no problem with us buying him and I think he can become a giant leader. I have a problem with people believing he is some sort of a fucking savior that will resolve all our issues in the pivot...

I am done with players that will be world class 2-3 years from now. I want immidiate response and for that, Gonalons isnt ready. If we buy him, we would still need a CM (which is fine for me, btw).

I don't think anyone in the thread here is claiming that Gonalons would be the saviour of the double pivot though? Most people are just proclaiming he'd be a nice option to have in there which I fully agree with. I don't even think he will ever be world class even but he'd still be a good player to have around.

Also, having a big name certainly won't mean your team mates will look to you more, that's crap sorry. You should only look to our own Fernando to see whether that's true.

He, as any other player, would gain his team mates' respect by doing well in training and on the pitch.

Gonalons is certainly ready to challenge guys like Ramires, Lampard and Mikel for the midfield. He's certainly good enough - will he develop into a great player? Who knows - but you only have to look at our own Frank to see that you shouldn't ever write off a player who's decent. You never know how they'd develop.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I don't think anyone in the thread here is claiming that Gonalons would be the saviour of the double pivot though? Most people are just proclaiming he'd be a nice option to have in there which I fully agree with. I don't even think he will ever be world class even but he'd still be a good player to have around.

Also, having a big name certainly won't mean your team mates will look to you more, that's crap sorry. You should only look to our own Fernando to see whether that's true.

He, as any other player, would gain his team mates' respect by doing well in training and on the pitch.

Gonalons is certainly ready to challenge guys like Ramires, Lampard and Mikel for the midfield. He's certainly good enough - will he develop into a great player? Who knows - but you only have to look at our own Frank to see that you shouldn't ever write off a player who's decent. You never know how they'd develop.

I didnt say it was anyone in here who said it. I dont discuss Chelsea only on TC, real life exists. My problem is not with all of you who are not agreeing with me. I dont know why you felt "attacked"....

Hmm, do you play football in any level? Having a big name playing with you aliviates the pressure, you cant even imagine. That leads to way less mistakes. We are needing it more than everything else. When the game gets out of hand our players keep looking around scared and they dont find anyone who they can relly on (just put alll their "problems" in his shoulder). That is beginning to happen with Mata, but still a long way to go. What do we do until then? Just lose?

It has nothing to do with football abilities. It is as I explained: He is not the guy Oscar, Hazard, Moses, Azipilicueta, etc, will look at in an UCL Semifinal being 2-1 down and think "no problem, we have Gonalons". I want someone who will have that kind of impact on the players. De Rossi and Totti does it to Roma, I want something similar.

All I am saying is that if he comes, we will still have that problem in the pivot. He will improve the squad a lot, but when those situations come (and they will), he will just be one more scared puppy amongst everyone else. This does not mean he is shit or that he wont become a leader, but that will take time and I dont want it taking any more time. We need 1-2 players with gigantic shoulders to carry us and we need it fast.

Like I said, it wasnt you, I was speaking in general. Gonalons is a hell of a player and he has captained Lyon, but that is not enough to carry the team. I do want him, but he should be our 2nd or 3rd option. I prefer we secure a top ST and CM before we buy a promissing/almost ready DM and Winger.

This resumes: "If we buy him, we would still need a top CM (which is fine for me, btw)."

EDIT: Please, dont give me Torres, he does not fit in any criteria!

[The Skipper 20,593]

I didnt say it was anyone in here who said it. I dont discuss Chelsea only on TC, real life exists. My problem is not with all of you who are not agreeing with me. I dont know why you felt "attacked"....

Hmm, do you play football in any level? Having a big name playing with you aliviates the pressure, you cant even imagine. That leads to way less mistakes. We are needing it more than everything else. When the game gets out of hand our players keep looking around scared and they dont find anyone who they can relly on (just put alll their "problems" in his shoulder). That is beginning to happen with Mata, but still a long way to go. What do we do until then? Just lose?

It has nothing to do with football abilities, It is as I explained: He is not the guy Oscar, Hazard, Mata, Mikel, etc, will look at in a UCL Semifinal being 2-1 down and think "no problem, we have Gonalons". I want someone who will have that kind of impact on the players. De Rossi and Totti does it to Roma, I want something similar.

All I am saying is that if he comes, we will still have that problem in the pivot. He will improve the squad a lot, but when those situations come (and they will), he will just be one more scared puppy amongst everyone else. This does not mean he is shit or that he wont become a leader, but that will take time and I dont want it taking any more time. We need 1-2 players with gigantic shoulders to carry us and we need it fast.

Like I said, it wasnt you, I was speaking in general. Gonalons is a hell of a player and he has captained Lyon, but that is not enough to carry the team. I do want him, but he should be our 2nd or 3rd option. I prefer we secure a top ST and CM before we buy a promissing/almost ready DM and Winger.

EDIT: Please, dont give me Torres, he does not fit in any criteria!

I didn't feel attacked at all mate!

I've played football at an amateur level obviously, even had trials for Cardiff City U18's a few years back (who are currently top of the Championship) so I do know my stuffs in that regard. I really don't agree with your notion that having a big name player elevates pressure from the team. You don't have to be a "big name" player in order for you to be a leader in the side when the going gets tough.

I think you're being unfair on Gonalons to say that he'll just be a number here. Yes, he might be young but that doesn't mean he hasn't got the character to be one of the leaders on the pitch. The fact that he is captaining Lyon at 23 points more to him actually being a leader than not. It is exactly under bad circumstances where leaders are born in football IMO. You never know in football, any player might take time to settle in or could flourish within an instance.

I get what you're trying to say regarding big names, but it is a 50/50 thing for me. It could go very wrong (e.g. Torres (sorry to bring him up again , Sheva, Veron etc.) or they could have instant impact on the team like you said. But again, that's a 50/50 thing. Buying a big name player doesn't instantly make your team mates worry less. In my opinion and personal experience I always feel more comfortable with a certain player when I can see that player's quality for myself (e.g. In training or matches).

I agree pretty much with us bringing in a top striker and centre mid over Gonalons but if we did manage to bring Maxime here it's be a great squad signing, and who knows? Maybe he'd be able to cement a starting place before the season ends - if we did sign him I wouldn't put that past him at all.

[BlueLyon 9,359]

Maximus! Maximus! Maximus

Good player and if we are looking for young CM also good option, but maybe we need some more experience in Midfield...

Grenier and Fofana are another two big talents along with Lacazette. If they will evolve like Malouda/Essien did, Lyon will have one good homegrown team.