Chelsea Transfers

[NikkiCFC 8,285]

11 hours ago, Vesper said:

Upamecano has been shit this year very poor defensive positioning in the games I have watched him in

e best pull  his head out of his ass if he intends to move to a big boy club

and if Gimenez is pulled off the baord due to being too injury prone

that leaves only one WC CB who MIGHT be remotely available

Marquinhos, who can play DMF as well and who Tiago has a lot of influence over perhaps

after that, all the truly proven WC CB are not available

other than the soon 30yo (at the end of June 2021) Kalidou Koulibaly

down a level are

Alessandro Bastoni looks to be a star in the making but will be damn near impossible to pull, as would be Matthijs de Ligt

Caglar Söyüncü is another option, he has potential to be a great EPL CB, and Leicester are a selling club (as we know well)

Milan Skriniar might be a target, but not convinced on his ball playing, he and Zouma would be an issue as a pair

Matthias Ginter is in the mix too, but if we bought him next season then age comes into play, as we would on get two full sub 30yo season out of him, so if he doesn't work out, very little resale value compared to what he might cost (he doesn't strike me as an ageless wonder Thiago type)

Ozan Kabak might be worth a dice roll and Schalke are a fucking hot mess atm, plus he is only turns 21 the end of March 2021, he might be available in January, but so many huge clubs are after him, especially Victimpool although AC Milan is leading the race atm

finally, there is the left-footed Evan N'Dicka

Jules Koundé is too short (1.78m)

Who do you have on mind for backup LB?

[Vesper 30,091]

10 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Who do you have on mind for backup LB?

Alaba wold be ideal, as he can play either CB or LB to an extremely high level

but his wages will probably block us, as will his desire to go to RM or Barca

and assuming Maatsen is not good enough yet 

then for me it would be

Ramy Bensebaini

 

or a youngster

Nuno Mendes

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

On 29.11.2020 at 2:06 AM, Vesper said:

Alaba wold be ideal, as he can play either CB or LB to an extremely high level

but his wages will probably block us, as will his desire to go to RM or Barca

and assuming Maatsen is not good enough yet 

then for me it would be

Ramy Bensebaini

 

or a youngster

Nuno Mendes

Bendebaini is a player I think would struggle in PL. he is more technical and not very quick. While perfect for Gladbach and Bundesliga I think he would not adequately replace Chilwell with his not so expansive style

[Vesper 30,091]

14 hours ago, Magic Lamps said:

Bendebaini is a player I think would struggle in PL. he is more technical and not very quick. While perfect for Gladbach and Bundesliga I think he would not adequately replace Chilwell with his not so expansive style

disagree, I think his pace is more  than adequate enough, and he is like you said technical, plus he strong and tall and good in the air

the Bundesliga is littered with speed merchants on offense btw

who would you go for?

 

there is him as well (Atletico Madrid want him)

[Vesper 30,091]

Top transfer value increases in November

https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp/2020/wp315/en/

 

 

https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr53/en/

[King Kante 1,643]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Top transfer value increases in November

https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/b5wp/2020/wp315/en/

 

 

https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr53/en/

I am sorry, but are these values as adjudged by the Barcelona crack head board? Who the feck pays €95m for Dias and €110m for Saka? Do not get me wrong, not saying they're crap but those figures are absolutely cray, cray. 

[Vesper 30,091]

1 minute ago, King Kante said:

I am sorry, but is this values as adjudged by the Barcelona crack head board? Who the feck pays €95m for Dias and €110m for Saka? Do not get me wrong, not saying they're crap but those figures are absolutely cray, cray. 

yes, CIES is a strange think tank

I put the methodology link in at the very bottom

[Vesper 30,091]

Chelsea eyeing up RB Leipzig’s Matthew Bondswell as Ben Chilwell understudy

https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/30/chelsea-eyeing-up-rb-leipzigs-matthew-bondswell-as-ben-chilwell-understudy-13679700/

 

Chelsea are considering a move for RB Leipzig left-back Matthew Bondswell, with the teenager a potential understudy to Ben Chilwell. The 18-year-old is treading a unique path having left Nottingham Forest in 2018 for Leipzig and currently on loan with second-tier Dutch side FC Dordecht for this season. He may have little first team experience, and none at the top level, but he has been capped for England at every level from Under-15 to Under-18. He has done enough to catch the eye of Chelsea, but they are not alone in wishing to snap up the full-back.

The Telegraph reports that West Ham and Sporting Lisbon are also keen on the youngster and there could be something of a tussle for his services in January.

Chelsea have Chilwell as their first choice left-back after his move from Leicester over the summer and the England international has been impressive since arriving at Stamford Bridge. Blues boss Frank Lampard also has Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri at his disposal, but neither are expected to have long futures at the club after falling out of favour under the current manager. Emerson is likely to return to Italy either in January or next summer, while Alonso has also been linked with a return to Italy, with Inter Milan, but also a switch across London to Crystal Palace.

 

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Pizy 18,852]

I'd be extremely surprised if we are even looking for anything in January unless there's serious injury issues.

We've got perhaps the best squad in the league in terms of quality depth. Unless Giroud wants to leave badly and we need a replacement I struggle to see what we would need to splash out on.

[NikkiCFC 8,285]

42 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Tbh Bild>Sky in terms of reliability.

[Vesper 30,091]

Why Dominik Szoboszlai is special – and wanted across Europe

https://theathletic.com/2223536/2020/11/27/dominik-szoboszlai-profile-analysis-arsenal/

You have done well to hide from Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai (sob-oss-lie) in the past couple of months if you are reading this and do not know who he is.

The Austrian club’s track record of developing excellent young talent is well known, and Szoboszlai is the next cab off the rank. With a €25 million (£22 million) release clause in his contract that expires in the middle of next month, he is likely to be the next player, after Takumi Minamino and Erling Haaland did so this year, to leave Salzburg for a big European club in a January transfer window.

Arsenal are said to be keen on Szoboszlai but are balancing up whether, having only turned 20 last month, he is the right option for the team now, or if a more proven option is required. Additionally, Arsenal have concerns about his ball retention — very important given how sparse attacking third possessions are under Mikel Arteta — and his defensive capabilities. Given his versatility, he could fit into several positions in Arteta’s plans, especially as a “free eight” in a 4-3-3, similar to the role played by Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City, or on the left wing in a 3-4-3.

AC Milan are another side interested in Szoboszlai, a player who meets the profile of the sort of young, undervalued talent in Europe that the club has increasingly turned to in recent transfer windows. He is seen as a potential successor to Hakan Calhanoglu in the No 10 position of Stefan Pioli’s 4-2-3-1, with the Turkey international yet to sign an extension to a contract that expires in the summer.

The path from Salzburg to sister club RB Leipzig is a well-trodden one, with Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano, Konrad Laimer and most recently Hwang Hee-chan making the move within the past four years. The Athletic understands the German club are quietly confident Szoboszlai will be the next on that list, seeing him as a long-term replacement for Swedish attacker Emil Forsberg.

There is good reason for that line-up of high-level suitors. The Hungarian’s highlight reel of spectacular goals from long-distance and directly from free kicks seems to grow month on month.

First up, in September, there was this peach against Turkey in the Nations League.

Then came this thunderbolt against Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League last month.

 

And finally, Szoboszlai carried the ball a good 50 metres before slotting home in added time against Iceland to secure his country’s place at the European Championship next summer.

 

That last goal is perhaps the best example to show that Szoboszlai should not just be defined by his ability to kick a football well. The finish was impressive, but even more so when considering the long carry that leads to the shot took place in the 92nd minute of a game he’d started.

Sometimes, players blessed with technical excellence are not always the best movers on the pitch and do not have engines that can sustain them for a full 90 minutes. Christian Eriksen, for example, is a player considered technically elite, but he is fairly slow, and does not spring to mind as someone who could last going box-to-box for a whole match. Seemingly, Szoboszlai is the exception to that rule, matching elite technical ability with the same levels of stamina and speed, enabling him to complete these high intensity runs late in games.

“Certainly his greatest gift is his right foot, he can put the ball where he wants to,” Jesse Marsch, his Salzburg head coach, tells The Athletic. “But he can run all day and he’s fast, and what’s interesting is when you have a player that’s so gifted with his right foot, what I try to do is still not let him just rely on what he can do with his right foot but also to use his athleticism to be aggressive with and without the ball. And certainly running off the ball to be dangerous.

“Even last night (a 3-1 loss away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday) he got himself in a few dangerous spots, he should score a goal in the first half, but he’s running more in the deep, he’s being more aggressive to find ways to score goals other than just getting the ball on his right foot. That, for me, is important for him.”

That chance for Szoboszlai is likely to be the best he will get all season in the Champions League.

With Bayern’s back line all at sea, he receives a pass from Mergim Berisha and is in, one on one with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The ball is slightly bouncing, but Szoboszlai has time to settle himself. When it comes to hitting the shot, he is under no pressure…

…but blazes it over.

When trying to think of a similar player to Szoboszlai, it is tempting to consider Gareth Bale in his early years at Tottenham Hotspur as one option, given his stamina, speed and technical prowess. One club recruitment analyst disagreed when presented with that idea, noting the similarities between Calhanoglu under Roger Schmidt at Bayer Leverkusen, where he was tasked with cutting inside when in possession and pressing a lot when without it. When it was put to Marsch, he had a different answer again.

“I describe him as a modern-day David Beckham,” Marsch says. “Beckham had a real ability to hook a ball and he could also chop it when he needed to, but Szoboszlai can hit the ball a lot of different ways too, and he’s got power. He can really hit the ball. He can do these things with his right foot but can also play a little more intensively and he can work harder against the ball and he can be a threat in the box still.

“He’s very fit; so whatever the physical demands you put on him, he can meet those demands because he’s fit, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s athletic.”

So, just how good can Szoboszlai be?

“It will come down to his determination to not just want to be a passer,” says Marsch, “not just want to have the ball on his right foot and try to score goals and make passes that way. For me, based on how I think about football, it will be about his commitment to play intensively, to run, to be difficult to keep track of in a game for defenders; (when his team is) in possession, not just what he does with the ball but what he’s doing off the ball.

“The more he can tilt himself to being active and intensive and sprinting, he has potential to be one of the top No 10s in the world, there’s no question. The combination of his vision, his technical ability, his athletic ability and his personality means there aren’t many players that can dominate games from that position the way that he can.

“If you watched him play for Hungary in the last international window, he was dominant. Dominant. Against Serbia (in a Nations League game three days after his Iceland heroics), he was easily the best player on the pitch. And there are incredible players for both teams. I believe he was so determined to get to the Euros because he knows this can be a big stage for him to showcase himself.

“We use him usually as a left-sided No 10, but he can play as a middle 10, he can play as a right 10 and he can play as a No 8. When I first came here, I give him a hard time about this. We did a TV interview and the interviewer asked him, ‘Are you an 8 or a 10?’, and he said he was an 8, and I said to him, ‘Are you crazy? You’re a 10’.

“Hungary used him last game (against Serbia) as a second striker, like a nine and a half, almost. This is a little bit of trying to change his mindset a little bit. Not just to be a passer but to be a goalscorer. Normally he operates a little bit between the lines, and then we still try to demand of him to run in the deep spaces so he can be a threat in the box.”

Smarterscout is a website which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world, producing a score between 0-99 — a bit like the player ratings in the FIFA video games but powered by real data and advanced analytics. Looking at their data in the pizza chart below, we can get a flavour for the sorts of things Szoboszlai does when playing on the left.

His expected goals (xG) from shot creation, which considers all of his contributions to creating goalscoring chances, shows he is elite at a Premier League level in terms of helping his team to score. He has put up great numbers in terms of ball progression too, helping advance his team upfield with his passing, carrying and receiving between the lines. He was not overly efficient when in possession last season, leading to a ball retention rating just above average.

That has been echoed in the Champions League so far this season, according to Statsbomb data on fbref.com, as Szoboszlai has created 23 shots with his live and dead passes, his dribbles, forcing rebounds through his own shots or winning fouls. That is the second-highest total in the competition, just behind Lionel Messi (it is unlikely anyone will catch Messi this season, who has already created 34 shots in just three games for Barcelona) and the third-highest per 90 minutes when compared to those with at least two games played.

It is somewhat ironic that, given everything we have learnt from expected goals and the perils of shooting from long range, Szoboszlai should be so revered for his ability from distance. In his case though, his shooting profile is a mix of efforts from outside the penalty area combined with his smart movement, which means he gets his fair share of chances within the box also, and is reflected in his smarterscout rating of 98 out of 99 for receptions inside the area.

While on the ball he is technically excellent, Szoboszlai does have some weaknesses in his game.

He is a pretty poor dribbler one-on-one, rating just two out of 99 in terms of dribbling skill according to smarterscout, which is echoed by his 18.8 per cent take-on completion rate in the Champions League over the last three seasons being the third lowest of all wide midfielders and wingers.

Additionally, he is a weak tackler. His smarterscout rating in terms of tackling ability is 13/99, and against the same sample of Champions League players mentioned above his true tackle win rate — suggesting how many times a player wins their duels cleanly — is the lowest of the lot at just 23 per cent.

Overall, the distinct lack of red “slices” in Szoboszlai’s pizza chart shows a player who is fairly absent from a defensive standpoint. That is surprising, given he plays for a high-pressing Salzburg side predicated on winning the ball back with great intensity, as quickly as possible.

“Without the ball, we want him in our pressing schemes to be one of the first to go out and put pressure, but he’s pretty tall (6ft 1in/186cm) and so when he gets close to defenders to close down the space and win balls it’s not so easy for him to slow down and he’s not the most agile guy,” Marsch explains.

That was the case in the 6-2 Champions League loss to Bayern at the start of this month in the reverse fixture. In the 72nd minute, Szoboszlai is slightly behind Thomas Muller when the German receives the ball from full-back Benjamin Pavard.

Szoboszlai closes Muller down, but is too aggressive with his running and the Bayern man is able to cut back inside.

Szoboszlai’s speed does allow him to block Muller’s pass though, winning the ball for Salzburg, who had a shot just 11 seconds later.

“But he has the ability to be explosive against the ball,” Marsch continues, “to put pressure on the opponent, and I’m challenging him to win more balls. He’s got a lot better since I started working with him.”

To get a bit more context around Szoboszlai’s efforts when defending, The Athletic enlisted the help of 11Hacks, a football analytics company based in Prague, Czech Republic that offers a wide variety of tools (which it calls “hacks”) designed to help football clubs when it comes to scouting, player analysis or opposition analysis.

What sets 11Hacks apart is it backs up this numbers-based approach with tactical knowledge, thanks to the team of video scouts and coaches on its staff. The 11Hacks report on Szoboszlai notes these defensive deficiencies, pointing to a couple of situations in the home game against Bayern, such as the Muller example above.

Another example occurs in the 11th minute of that match. Here, Szoboszlai (highlighted) is not tracking any runners, or blocking a passing lane.

The switch of play goes over his head, towards Lucas Hernandez. Szoboszlai is aware of the danger, and spotting the potential space that Hernandez will have if he can get around his defender, sprints across to cover.

Hernandez completes his one-two with Kingsley Coman, and has a wide-open corridor in which to attack the Salzburg penalty area. Szoboszlai kicks up a gear, and closes the Frenchman down.

What follows is a fairly clumsy challenge by Szoboszlai, which is initially called as a penalty. After consulting the VAR screen on the touchline, the referee gives the foul in the opposite direction — but nonetheless, it was a reckless and needless challenge.

Defensive issues aside, a final question mark around Szoboszlai’s game is his relative lack of minutes played. Especially this season, where he has appeared in all eight games in the Austrian Bundesliga, but completed just two of them and started another on the bench. Marsch’s selfless nature and, at times, willingness to put the ambitions of his players ahead of his own, shines through when answering why.

“It’s for the European matches; and with all our guys we also have to be a little bit careful because when they go with the national team, especially when they are playing in big games, their national teams will play them 90 minutes because they know they’re athletic and fit and can run.

“You have to understand, Dominik is the hope of Hungarian football. He’s the next Puskas. So, I understand the responsibility he has to his national team and I don’t want to deprive him of the opportunity to help his national team emerge and be successful. Not all managers in Europe respect the national team situation, but from working with the (US) national team I’ve seen just so many players blossom into superstars because of the pride they have in representing their country. That’s been a big reason why we haven’t always played him 90 minutes.”

Szoboszlai is lucky to have a coach like Marsch looking out for him, who without a doubt has had a positive impact on his development as a player.

11Hacks’ analysis and Marsch’s comments touch on Szoboszlai’s elite technical ability, the former noting his “world-class ball-striking technique”. Technique can be a nebulous term, but for Szoboszlai it points to the way he can strike a ball with power and excellent accuracy. In open-play situations, it refers to the weight he puts on passes, and his ability to complete Trent Alexander-Arnold-esque cross-field switches too.

It is tough to find stats to reliably measure technique in all its forms, and even his xG from league games last season points to a player largely finishing on par. Does this not suggest that he is not as good a finisher as people think? Does the fact he has only scored two goals from 35 free-kick attempts for Salzburg not suggest that those goals were flukes?

No. Shots are quite rare events in a match, and those direct from free kicks are even rarer. A player’s ball-striking technique can impact how good you are at everything else with the ball, not just shooting.

Consider Hakim Ziyech, another player with elite technical ability, whose deep, in-swinging crosses are some of the most distinctive passes you will see. He has great shooting technique, but that technique also extends to everything else he does.

Also with that two out of 35 free kicks stat, ideally you would have xG here to understand how far away from the goal these attempts were. If the attempt against Turkey shown above is anything to go by, Szoboszlai is not afraid of trying his luck from over 40 metres away. His free-kick conversion rate of 5.7 per cent is not that dissimilar to Eriksen (7.8 per cent) or De Bruyne (8.6 per cent) when considering their attempts in the Premier League over the past five seasons.

Overall, Szoboszlai is a 20-year-old attacker with elite technique when it comes to shooting and passing, a good engine and the capability of making well-timed runs into space and the penalty area. He is left wanting a little from a defensive perspective, but that is not to say that side of his game cannot be improved over time. Speaking to Marsch, it is clear that there is an eagerness from Szoboszlai to learn.

“He’s awesome,” Marsch says. “He’s got a smile on his face, he comes with energy. He had a reputation for being a little bit arrogant when I first came, when he was really young, but honestly, I haven’t seen that at all. He works hard, he cares about the team, he’s a good guy in the group. He speaks Hungarian, he speaks German, he speaks English. He’s also very close with Erling Haaland, and the two of them really enjoyed playing with each other, spending time with each other, and a lot of Erling’s energy, enthusiasm, determination and humbleness also wore off on Dominik in a really good way.

“I love his personality because he wants to learn, he wants to work hard, he wants to improve, he wants to be the best. We played him every game but one last season, when he was 18 and 19, in the Champions League because I could see he wasn’t afraid of the moments. He wanted to be in those moments. That’s the special personality he has.”

It is not just Szoboszlai’s personality that is special. With just a €25 million release clause, there is a lot of value to be had at that price for the buying club.

[Vesper 30,091]

Why Youssoufa Moukoko is ready for Dortmund debut at just 16

https://theathletic.com/2205211/2020/11/20/moukoko-dortmund-wonderkid-debut/

Beware: the biggest story of the German football weekend might yet become a non-event.

Borussia Dortmund club officials have warned that Youssoufa Moukoko, the wonderkid who only turned 16 yesterday, might not make a record-breaking professional debut away to Hertha Berlin tonight after all.

“We will try not to fuel the flames of the hype any further,” said sporting director Michael Zorc.

But this particular wildfire is pretty much out of control already and unlikely to die down any time soon. Even if coach Lucien Favre were to decide to leave the forward out of his squad for the trip to the capital, the excitement and intrigue surrounding Moukoko will only keep building.

There’s simply never been a talent this precocious at such a young age in German football, excelling against much older players every step of the way.

In 88 games at under-17 (making his debut at age 12; he scored twice) and under-19 level for Dortmund, he has scored 141 goals. Watching him toy with defenders in those matches was almost unsettling, and keeping him at that level would have been pointless, if not detrimental. “Players need to have space to develop,” Dortmund youth co-ordinator Lars Ricken, a former teen prodigy at the club himself, said. “Everyone should become the best footballer they can be here at our club.”

Moukoko was promoted to the seniors in the summer but couldn’t play for them in a competitive game until this week due to Bundesliga regulations. There is not much doubt he’s ready though. Assistant coach Otto Addo, who has kept a close eye on the youngster’s progress, says Moukoko has had “few problems” adjusting to training with Favre’s squad of grown men.

“Nothing’s really changed for him because he’s always been very hard-working,” the former Dortmund midfielder tells The Athletic. “Youssoufa is the kind of guy who always trains with 100 per cent intensity anyway. Passes get to him quicker and with more precision (than at youth level), so in a way, playing with the pros has even made things a little easier for him.”

That’s probably true in more than one sense.

As long as the Cameroon-born son of a German father was humiliating defenders that were two and three years older than him at youth level, suspicions about his age were all but inevitable. Following his move from St. Pauli at the age of 11 — he had moved to Hamburg to be with his father a year earlier — he was soon scoring for fun in Dortmund Under-16s, prompting a media investigation into his background.

The club pointed to his birth certificate issued by the German embassy in Cameroon and refused to get drawn into the speculation, while the FA stopped calling him up to their youth teams altogether for three years, keen to avoid the hype, as Germany Under-21s coach Stefan Kuntz put it. Now he’s eligible for the senior side, however, this slightly sordid topic is no longer relevant. Dortmund officials joke they would have been happy for Moukoko to be older — that way, he could have featured in the Bundesliga much earlier.

Everyone describes him as shy, polite, completely unfazed by all the attention and very driven. It’s not uncommon to find him hitting the weights at 7am twice a week, an hour before the gym at the training ground is officially open. It’s that attitude, as well as his irrepressible talent, that has seen him being treated with instant respect by the first-teamers. “They accepted him straightaway because they saw what he could do,” Addo says. “Our team have a high level of football intelligence, they’re very welcoming and supportive of young players.”

It will have helped, no doubt, that some of the regulars, like Giovanni Reyna (18 years old), Jude Bellingham (17), Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland (both 20) are not that much older than him, but he’s also found more seasoned pros very approachable.

“It’s not like he’s only hanging out with Gio and Erling and so on,” Addo says. “I often see Marco Reus and Mats Hummels talking to him, giving him advice about some details. Roman Burki and Marwin Hitz, too, have told him the best way to press goalkeepers, for example. They have explained to him how he can engage the keeper at the right angle, cutting off passes to a specific defender at the same time. It’s little things like that. Everyone’s incredibly helpful. But it’s not just about him: all the other young players are getting the same treatment here.”

Much of that is down to Favre. The Swiss coach hasn’t been an unqualified success since being appointed in May 2018 but his ability to develop individual players is not in doubt. Every time a high-potential youngster has come close to a first-team debut, Dortmund have cautioned against grand expectation, yet, without fail, they proved so good so quickly that Favre was prepared to look past their age and make them mainstays in the first XI.

Thus, much of the fascination with Moukoko is firmly rooted in recent history: people trust Favre’s Dortmund to turn out the next school-age star performer because of their strong track record in doing just that. Listening to Addo extolling the player’s strengths, you can’t help but feel confident the pattern will repeat itself.

“Youssoufa is a very good finisher, with both feet, and he stays calm in front of goal, taking an extra touch if necessary,” the 45-year-old Addo says. “His deep runs are also very good. He’s got great timing and he’s very switched on. He has got a sense of how things happen on the pitch and where a high ball might land.”

Like many players before him, the striker is benefitting from Favre’s fabled attention to detail in training. “He loves working on players’ technique, especially with young players,” says Addo. “He often takes Youssoufa aside to do special sessions: crossing and shooting the ball with Marco Reus.”

Asked to come up with aspects of Moukoko’s game that still need improving, Addo needs to think for a moment. “He runs a lot, sometimes maybe too much, because he’s so eager to get involved. He can get better, too, when it comes to tackles and duels. But that’s only natural. He will learn.”

It’s because Dortmund are so sure of Moukoko’s quality that they are unmoved by the public’s clamour for instant fireworks this weekend.

“We believe in his potential but it’s really important not to rush things,” Addo says, with extra emphasis. “He might play his first game on Saturday, or next week or maybe in two months. He has all the time in the world.”

[Vesper 30,091]

 Youssoufa Moukoko (and others his age or a little older), is the end of the first half of the Gen-Zer (1997 to 2004 born) crop.

The next group will be the last half of the Gen-Zers (2005-2012 born)

 

Insane group of five 16 to 20 year olds Dortmund has.

Moukoko (16), Giovanni Reyna (18 years old), Jude Bellingham (17), Jadon Sancho and Erling Håland (both 20)

[Vesper 30,091]

On 14/08/2019 at 6:15 PM, 11Drogba said:

For winger my first choice would be Everton Soares. I also like Ismaila Sarr. We can consider him too if he adapts well to the Premier League.

I wonder if the bindippers make a move for Sarr this coming summer

they were very close to signing him this past summer

he is tracking to 23 to 25 goals produced (11/13 goals, 11/13 assists) for Watford (over a full seasons minutes, which he may not hit) this year, granted in the Championship

 

Jota was Plan B, as report explains Liverpool chase for £50m star

Watford winger Ismaila Sarr was initially ahead of Diogo Jota in Liverpool’s hunt for a new attacking signing, according to a report.

Date published: Thursday 5th November 2020 5:22

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/jota-klopp-plan-b-report-liverpool-ismaila-sarr-chase

 

Jota arrived at Anfield amid question marks about how he would impact the Reds’ front three. However, he has smashed expectations, with seven goals in 10 games.

Indeed, he displaced Roberto Firmino in the team on Tuesday and has sparked a debate about whether he should do so again against Manchester City on Sunday.

 

Liverpool wanted Senegal winger Sarr before moving onto Jota.

The 22-year-old, a year younger than Jota, made waves for the Hornets in the Premier League last season. In fact, he was a shining light for the Hertfordshire club amid their relegation.

Following on from his displays – one of which saw him score twice to sink Liverpool – the Reds reportedly had a watchful eye on the winger.

Moreover, he was their main target before Watford’s £50million price tag put the Anfield club off.

Liverpool then looked towards Jota, who the club had followed for some time. They agreed an initial £41million deal, with Wolves willing to accept flexible payment terms.

Indeed, the Reds will only pay 10 per cent of that fee in the first year of his contract, which – at this rate – is likely to be an incredible debut campaign for the Portuguese.

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