The Quest for a 6
Part 1
Ligue 1
I'm going to kick things off with a look at young(ish) CM/DM's/6 types currently knocking about Ligue 1. This is a league I watch more of than any other, it's also the league that produces more exported footballers than any other bar Brazil. The reason's for this are manifold, the coaching system at academies - individual, technical and tactical - has always been of a high standard. For various reasons, economic and footballing, Ligue 1 is a younger league, ie kids are given more game time, more development coaching and time, which is vital for polishing that raw footballing material.
It's this combination of quantity, quality (The best teams in Europe all had/have French players - and France could probably win the World Cup with their B team as well as A team) and age profile that combines to create value, that makes Ligue1 such a happy shopping ground for the rest of Europe.
I started with two basic criteria of players; that they are 25 and under (because realistically there isn't much value in signing a player older) cross-referenced with tackles per game(TPG)/Cm/CDM. Basic I know, but having looked around Europe, there is generally a correlation of decent TPG with the perceived better DM/6's (Most will have a minimum TPG of 2, many such as Allan, Casimero, Busquets etc will feature in the top ten of all positions for TPG in their leagues). The other, important, reason for starting with this criteria was that we have a bunch of 8 types already, we have players like Lo Celso and Ndombele who's skill set leans more to the creative, what I think we desperately need is a competent, robust, footballing DM/6 who's skill set leans more toward the destructive to compliment what we have here already. The better they are at the "football" side the better, obviously, but the priority for me is balancing off the skills we have here already with someone who'll hunt, gather and protect really well, first and foremost.
So I started with TPG, and expanded out to include interceptions, passing, passing success, key passes, dribbles, dispossessed and unsuccessful touches. Just to give a snapshot other basic performance indicators. I then looked through every Ligue 1 team to see if there were any other likely candidates that I was familiar with that fit the 25 and under profile that didn't hit the TPG criteria. I'm sure I've maybe missed some candidates (notice that Soumare isn't on the list - this is not accidental, as having watched him I'd already decided he wasn't busy and tenacious enough - the criteria bore that out). There will be players who's criteria didn't qualify them but the eye test might mitigate that (ie their teams are asking them to do different things than their natural game). By all means remind me of them.
This is how they look statistically:
TPG - Tackles per game
PPG - Passes per game
Disp/UT - Dispossessed/Unsuccessful Touches
Them's the numbers, this is a brief description of the ones I've seen:
Camavinga
I love this kid. I watched one of his first game live as a 16yo, mentioned him on here then. What stood out then was his technical ability and composure for a kid of 16 playing CM. That was last season, since then he seems to have physically grown enormously in 12 months, and now looks like he could be one of the best footballing 6's in Europe in the making. Tall, rangy, mobile, great engine, technically very good, he's super tenacious, and reads the game extremely well for a kid of 17. In game he often adjusts his positioning to allow teammates movement. You can see him telling much older players what to do. He's comfortable on the ball and composed but not really a dribbler. Not super creative, but he is 17 and playing for an extremely conservative Rennes team who aren't very expansive. If he continues on his current development trajectory could be an exceptionally good 6.
Sangare
I really like Sangare, he's got so much going for him, got a huge heart, never hides in games, even when they aren't going well, and his passing stats speak to this, Toulouse have the least amount of ball in the league - he's actually made 1/8th of all their passes this season on his own. Tall, strong, athletic. He will continually show for the ball when his team are under pressure. Technically very good, can pass with incision and vision and can dribble out of trouble - although his passing when he gets into forward areas gets a bit less incisive. Without the ball he's pretty good, covers ground and reads things pretty well. The only problem is he does make mistakes in possession with his passing and his dribbling. His pass completion is the worst of the group, and he can often get caught dribbling or trying a risky pass in the wrong areas. This season Toulouse have effectively had Vainqueur babysit him. That said, some of his errors are because he is a head up, risk taker, and some is that the team around him are pretty poor, he's often stuck for good options. If he can learn to reduce the mistakes he makes, he could be an absolutely cracking CM/DCM who could play in double pivots and CM3's.
Rongier ( & Sanson)
These are both tenacious, hard working 8's rather than 6/DM's. Both could probably play in double pivots with a more 6/DM orientated player next to them. They both tend to play most weeks as 8's in AVB's very robust CM3 with Kamara/Strootman as the central DM pivot and Rongier and Sanson either side. Rongier and Sanson are both very hard working tenacious players who can also play a bit. Both could probably play in double pivots and do a decent job, but we definitely need more of a specialist 6/CDM IMO.
Maiga
The two games I watched he played as a R8 in a CM3(with Fofana as the DM/6) so it's difficult assess. Definitely less of a pure 6/DM than Fofana, but has played as a 6 or in double pivots I think. He looks more of an all rounder, without really looking great at anything. He's tenacious enough, dynamic, technically ok (but not great) can take the ball and pass it and move with it a little. Again I need to watch more of him to get a more solid picture. Lacks a bit of physical presence. (I guess you'd say a poor man's Fred in type maybe ?). Not the DM/6 we need IMO.
Santamaria
I've not seen loads of him, a couple of full matches and other bits and bobs. I really don't think there's anything exceptional to recommend him. He is competent at most aspects, but not excellent at anything. He's not lazy or immobile but he's not the most dynamic with or without the ball either. Technically he's OK, but again, under pressure he's pretty ordinary. He gets a foot in, but he's not a busy tenacious hunter. Not the most athletic specimen either. Not for me based on the bits I've seen so far.
Otavio
Busy little fucker, possibly a little bit busier with and without the ball than, say, Tousart. Like Tousart, works hard defensively, but not the most physically imposing, but technically very good, very comfortable on the ball, and is happy to take it under pressure and uses it very efficiently. Not slow over short distance, and though he's not really a dribbler, he's more comfortable than someone like Tousart under the press. He's more about neat and tidy metromicity. He's a good little all rounder, but I think we have his kind of skill set covered hopefully with someone like Skipp.
Fofana
Very much an archetypal pure DM. (in the kind of Ndidi mould - but not as good IMO) Tall, slim, athletic, decent engine, pretty dynamic defensively, technically OK, but seems pretty limited in a footballing sense. Doesn't move with the ball a lot either (from the games I've seen). He plays as the central defensive pivot in a CM3 (the two games I watched) with a very basic remit with emphasis on the defensive side. Metz are not exactly an expansive team, play a very risk averse game, with a very robust CM3 system, so it's hard to tell completely whether Fofana is very limited in terms of taking the ball off his CB's and what he does with it, or if it's just Metz tactics not to play much football and just to have him just do a very simple positional DM job. He's definitely got the physical attributes to play as a pure (Ndidi type) DM, but I'm not sure the rest of his game is good enough for a CL level PL club, but in a CM3 with two great footballing 8's either side, maybe he could do a job? Not as good as Ndidi though IMO.
Kamara
He was doing good job as CB, before being pushed into DM (where I think he played as an academy player) and has been very solid. His game is definitely more about the defensive discipline. Think younger, more mobile Dier or Rice type. Athletic, physically robust, technically ok, but there's no frills, passing is safe but sure, and he's not going to dribble out of tight corners. In Marseille's CM3 he does a very competent job, and with two good 8's either side he's fulfils a remit, but personally I see him more as a very good potential CB than as a footballing DM.
Tousart
Tousart's a reasonably busy little fucker, technically OK, tenacious and reasonably comfortable on the ball but with few frills to his game. Definitely more of a water carrier, but does a decent enough job. Decent little 6 who can play CM3's and CM2's, but I think in people like Skipp (and even Marsh or Amos) we have similar skill sets covered - although without his amount of proven experience obviously.
Bakayoko
Most of us have seen plenty of him, through his title winning season with Monaco and later, less successful, spell at Chelsea. Had a decent season at Milan last year that helped him get his mojo back, and I think he's been playing well for Monaco this season. Physically robust, good engine, is pretty press resistant (ie is hard to knock off the ball) , does simple things pretty well, offers more in a footballing sense than other slightly more one dimensional DM's on the list like Kamara, Fofana, etc as he can carry the ball and trundle past a press occasionally. The boys been round the block for a 25yo, but apart from Chelsea, has generally equipped himself pretty well. I think we could actually do a hell of a lot worse.
Ndong
Another player I need to watch a bit more of. Watched a couple of times this season, most recently the game against Bordeaux, where he was actually playing more as a kind of 8 in 4141, but I think he's played in a double pivot more often. Has a reasonable skill set to play the double pivot, does a bit everything reasonably ok, pretty dynamic, technically OK, reasonably press resistant, can move a bit with the ball, can pass but the games I watched his passing was often a bit erratic. Not the brightest cookie in anything he does (positioning, reading, passing) but not terrible either. Definitely not the more 6/DM focused player I think we need, and even as double pivot player, not really good enough for a side with CL aspirations IMO.
Guimaraes
Recently arrived from Brazil and was said to be heading for Atletico Madrid before Lyon (and their new Brazilian DOF Juninho) persuaded him to join them. I've included him because I'd heard bits about him before and he's already posting high tackle stats - even though the sample size is very small. He's only played a handful off games since arriving in January, I've only managed to watch a couple of them, one of them was a very easy game against a very passive St Etienne, so was hard to weigh up. He's not lazy or immobile, but he's only really got one gear, that gear's not super slow, but not super quick either. He definitely tackles (has a very high TPG but that is only after 4 games or so and may adjust itself downward) but is not the most dynamically tenacious (ie he doesn't go hunting around to win the ball like Kante or even Wanyama used to) and not the most physically imposing - lacks a bit of presence. Technically he's pretty decent, not exactly the most press resistant, isn't going to dribble through lines, but doesn't completely flap under pressure either, will usually wriggle a pass out when under the cosh. To that end, he doesn't always offer himself to the CB's when playing out, but is constantly offering himself laterally, sees plenty of ball in games and generally uses the ball efficiently.
Summary
Looking for the nirvana of a tenaciously dynamic, physically imposing 6, with footballing ability, Camavinga would be my choice. A long way from the finished article, but if he continues to develop as he has been, he's going to be a very fine example of the species.
In terms of footballing ability Sangare is, in some ways, even more exciting than Camavinga, but defensively, in his reading and moving, Camavinga is superior, and his game, despite being 5 years younger, is more reliable.
Bakayoko would probably be third on that list of players that bring that physical/athletic robustness and can play some football, who could play CM2's and as central pivot in CM3's. Would definitely be an upgrade on players like Dier and Sissoko - but at 25 and owned by Chelsea - might not represent great value, and his ceiling is pretty much where he's at now, with Camavinga and Sangare there's more risk but also perhaps more untapped potential.
Fofana and Kamara could do that purely defensive job if we were going to play a CM3 With two more footballing 8's either side, but they are both pretty limited footballers, and maybe not great in CM2's that Mourinho seems to favour - then again, Mourinho has been known to use this one dimensional type 6 previously.
I think of the less physically imposing 6's, the busy cunt group if you like, you have a bunch of competent players - Guimaraes, Santamaria, Tousart, Otavio - every single one of them would be a midfield upgrade on Sissoko, Dier (and defensively Winks) - but I think in Skipp we hopefully have this kind of player here already who just needs the development time (with us or elsewhere) that many of these have had to be of a similar standard.
Maiga and Ndong both have decent all round abilities, but neither are good enough for a PL club with regular CL aspirations, IMO. Neither are the imposing, defensively dominating, 6 types that we need.
Rangier & Sanson are good tenacious 8's, but not what we are looking for.
Wild card 1 - Kephren Thuram
Worth keeping an eye on Kephren Thuram - very much appears to be in the Camavinga mould -has the physical qualities, tall, athletic, good mover and seems to be technically competent - Game I watched just to have a look at him he was still a bit tentative - but you'd expect that from a young kid having his first few games. I've not seen anywhere near enough to know more than that right now, he's only played 500 minutes this season.
Wild Card 2 - Aurélien Tchouameni
Also worth keeping an eye on Aurélien Tchouameni (20yo Monaco). Very much in the Camavinga/Thuram mould physically, tall, athletic and technically good. The two games I've seen of him I'd say he could graft a little harder with and without the ball, show himself to receive it a bit more and show more energy to close down and press, but when he is on the ball his combination of physicality and technique make him very press resistant and he gets his head up.
Wild Card 3 - Benjamin Henrichs
This kid started life as a very promising Rb, who could also play LB (played for Germany at all levels) but is now being used as a DCM/6 by Monaco occasionally, and seems to be doing a decent job. Watched the game against Bordeaux earlier in the season today and he played pretty well, Tenacious, good engine, engages enthusiastically, and is technically ok too. Bonus is he can play as a FB on either side too.
Part 1
Ligue 1
I'm going to kick things off with a look at young(ish) CM/DM's/6 types currently knocking about Ligue 1. This is a league I watch more of than any other, it's also the league that produces more exported footballers than any other bar Brazil. The reason's for this are manifold, the coaching system at academies - individual, technical and tactical - has always been of a high standard. For various reasons, economic and footballing, Ligue 1 is a younger league, ie kids are given more game time, more development coaching and time, which is vital for polishing that raw footballing material.
It's this combination of quantity, quality (The best teams in Europe all had/have French players - and France could probably win the World Cup with their B team as well as A team) and age profile that combines to create value, that makes Ligue1 such a happy shopping ground for the rest of Europe.
I started with two basic criteria of players; that they are 25 and under (because realistically there isn't much value in signing a player older) cross-referenced with tackles per game(TPG)/Cm/CDM. Basic I know, but having looked around Europe, there is generally a correlation of decent TPG with the perceived better DM/6's (Most will have a minimum TPG of 2, many such as Allan, Casimero, Busquets etc will feature in the top ten of all positions for TPG in their leagues). The other, important, reason for starting with this criteria was that we have a bunch of 8 types already, we have players like Lo Celso and Ndombele who's skill set leans more to the creative, what I think we desperately need is a competent, robust, footballing DM/6 who's skill set leans more toward the destructive to compliment what we have here already. The better they are at the "football" side the better, obviously, but the priority for me is balancing off the skills we have here already with someone who'll hunt, gather and protect really well, first and foremost.
So I started with TPG, and expanded out to include interceptions, passing, passing success, key passes, dribbles, dispossessed and unsuccessful touches. Just to give a snapshot other basic performance indicators. I then looked through every Ligue 1 team to see if there were any other likely candidates that I was familiar with that fit the 25 and under profile that didn't hit the TPG criteria. I'm sure I've maybe missed some candidates (notice that Soumare isn't on the list - this is not accidental, as having watched him I'd already decided he wasn't busy and tenacious enough - the criteria bore that out). There will be players who's criteria didn't qualify them but the eye test might mitigate that (ie their teams are asking them to do different things than their natural game). By all means remind me of them.
This is how they look statistically:
| Player | TPG | Interceptions | PPG | % Completion | Key passes | Dribbles | Disp/UT |
| Camavinga (17) Rennes | 4.2 | 1.4 | 39 | 87.7 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
| Sangare (22) Toulouse | 3.4 | 1.6 | 50.6 | 78.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.6 |
| Rongier (25) Marseilles | 3.3 | 1.6 | 54.6 | 86.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Maiga (24) Metz | 3.3 | 1.3 | 47.3 | 83.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
| Santamaria (25) Angers | 3.3 | 1.5 | 47.2 | 81.5 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Otavio (25) Bordeaux | 3.2 | 1.6 | 60.5 | 89.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Fofana (22) Metz | 2.9 | 1.2 | 37.9 | 84.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| Kamara (20) Marseille | 2.8 | 1.4 | 54.4 | 85.7 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| Tousart (22) Lyon | 2.4 | 1.3 | 38.9 | 84.9 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 |
| Bakayoko (25) Chelsea/Monaco | 2.4 | 1.5 | 47.2 | 86 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 3.1 |
| Ndong (25) Dijon | 2.3 | 1.8 | 51.8 | 89 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Bruno Guimaraes (22) Lyon | 4 | 1.3 | 64 | 91.1 | - | 2 | 3.3 |
TPG - Tackles per game
PPG - Passes per game
Disp/UT - Dispossessed/Unsuccessful Touches
Them's the numbers, this is a brief description of the ones I've seen:
Camavinga
I love this kid. I watched one of his first game live as a 16yo, mentioned him on here then. What stood out then was his technical ability and composure for a kid of 16 playing CM. That was last season, since then he seems to have physically grown enormously in 12 months, and now looks like he could be one of the best footballing 6's in Europe in the making. Tall, rangy, mobile, great engine, technically very good, he's super tenacious, and reads the game extremely well for a kid of 17. In game he often adjusts his positioning to allow teammates movement. You can see him telling much older players what to do. He's comfortable on the ball and composed but not really a dribbler. Not super creative, but he is 17 and playing for an extremely conservative Rennes team who aren't very expansive. If he continues on his current development trajectory could be an exceptionally good 6.
Sangare
I really like Sangare, he's got so much going for him, got a huge heart, never hides in games, even when they aren't going well, and his passing stats speak to this, Toulouse have the least amount of ball in the league - he's actually made 1/8th of all their passes this season on his own. Tall, strong, athletic. He will continually show for the ball when his team are under pressure. Technically very good, can pass with incision and vision and can dribble out of trouble - although his passing when he gets into forward areas gets a bit less incisive. Without the ball he's pretty good, covers ground and reads things pretty well. The only problem is he does make mistakes in possession with his passing and his dribbling. His pass completion is the worst of the group, and he can often get caught dribbling or trying a risky pass in the wrong areas. This season Toulouse have effectively had Vainqueur babysit him. That said, some of his errors are because he is a head up, risk taker, and some is that the team around him are pretty poor, he's often stuck for good options. If he can learn to reduce the mistakes he makes, he could be an absolutely cracking CM/DCM who could play in double pivots and CM3's.
Rongier ( & Sanson)
These are both tenacious, hard working 8's rather than 6/DM's. Both could probably play in double pivots with a more 6/DM orientated player next to them. They both tend to play most weeks as 8's in AVB's very robust CM3 with Kamara/Strootman as the central DM pivot and Rongier and Sanson either side. Rongier and Sanson are both very hard working tenacious players who can also play a bit. Both could probably play in double pivots and do a decent job, but we definitely need more of a specialist 6/CDM IMO.
Maiga
The two games I watched he played as a R8 in a CM3(with Fofana as the DM/6) so it's difficult assess. Definitely less of a pure 6/DM than Fofana, but has played as a 6 or in double pivots I think. He looks more of an all rounder, without really looking great at anything. He's tenacious enough, dynamic, technically ok (but not great) can take the ball and pass it and move with it a little. Again I need to watch more of him to get a more solid picture. Lacks a bit of physical presence. (I guess you'd say a poor man's Fred in type maybe ?). Not the DM/6 we need IMO.
Santamaria
I've not seen loads of him, a couple of full matches and other bits and bobs. I really don't think there's anything exceptional to recommend him. He is competent at most aspects, but not excellent at anything. He's not lazy or immobile but he's not the most dynamic with or without the ball either. Technically he's OK, but again, under pressure he's pretty ordinary. He gets a foot in, but he's not a busy tenacious hunter. Not the most athletic specimen either. Not for me based on the bits I've seen so far.
Otavio
Busy little fucker, possibly a little bit busier with and without the ball than, say, Tousart. Like Tousart, works hard defensively, but not the most physically imposing, but technically very good, very comfortable on the ball, and is happy to take it under pressure and uses it very efficiently. Not slow over short distance, and though he's not really a dribbler, he's more comfortable than someone like Tousart under the press. He's more about neat and tidy metromicity. He's a good little all rounder, but I think we have his kind of skill set covered hopefully with someone like Skipp.
Fofana
Very much an archetypal pure DM. (in the kind of Ndidi mould - but not as good IMO) Tall, slim, athletic, decent engine, pretty dynamic defensively, technically OK, but seems pretty limited in a footballing sense. Doesn't move with the ball a lot either (from the games I've seen). He plays as the central defensive pivot in a CM3 (the two games I watched) with a very basic remit with emphasis on the defensive side. Metz are not exactly an expansive team, play a very risk averse game, with a very robust CM3 system, so it's hard to tell completely whether Fofana is very limited in terms of taking the ball off his CB's and what he does with it, or if it's just Metz tactics not to play much football and just to have him just do a very simple positional DM job. He's definitely got the physical attributes to play as a pure (Ndidi type) DM, but I'm not sure the rest of his game is good enough for a CL level PL club, but in a CM3 with two great footballing 8's either side, maybe he could do a job? Not as good as Ndidi though IMO.
Kamara
He was doing good job as CB, before being pushed into DM (where I think he played as an academy player) and has been very solid. His game is definitely more about the defensive discipline. Think younger, more mobile Dier or Rice type. Athletic, physically robust, technically ok, but there's no frills, passing is safe but sure, and he's not going to dribble out of tight corners. In Marseille's CM3 he does a very competent job, and with two good 8's either side he's fulfils a remit, but personally I see him more as a very good potential CB than as a footballing DM.
Tousart
Tousart's a reasonably busy little fucker, technically OK, tenacious and reasonably comfortable on the ball but with few frills to his game. Definitely more of a water carrier, but does a decent enough job. Decent little 6 who can play CM3's and CM2's, but I think in people like Skipp (and even Marsh or Amos) we have similar skill sets covered - although without his amount of proven experience obviously.
Bakayoko
Most of us have seen plenty of him, through his title winning season with Monaco and later, less successful, spell at Chelsea. Had a decent season at Milan last year that helped him get his mojo back, and I think he's been playing well for Monaco this season. Physically robust, good engine, is pretty press resistant (ie is hard to knock off the ball) , does simple things pretty well, offers more in a footballing sense than other slightly more one dimensional DM's on the list like Kamara, Fofana, etc as he can carry the ball and trundle past a press occasionally. The boys been round the block for a 25yo, but apart from Chelsea, has generally equipped himself pretty well. I think we could actually do a hell of a lot worse.
Ndong
Another player I need to watch a bit more of. Watched a couple of times this season, most recently the game against Bordeaux, where he was actually playing more as a kind of 8 in 4141, but I think he's played in a double pivot more often. Has a reasonable skill set to play the double pivot, does a bit everything reasonably ok, pretty dynamic, technically OK, reasonably press resistant, can move a bit with the ball, can pass but the games I watched his passing was often a bit erratic. Not the brightest cookie in anything he does (positioning, reading, passing) but not terrible either. Definitely not the more 6/DM focused player I think we need, and even as double pivot player, not really good enough for a side with CL aspirations IMO.
Guimaraes
Recently arrived from Brazil and was said to be heading for Atletico Madrid before Lyon (and their new Brazilian DOF Juninho) persuaded him to join them. I've included him because I'd heard bits about him before and he's already posting high tackle stats - even though the sample size is very small. He's only played a handful off games since arriving in January, I've only managed to watch a couple of them, one of them was a very easy game against a very passive St Etienne, so was hard to weigh up. He's not lazy or immobile, but he's only really got one gear, that gear's not super slow, but not super quick either. He definitely tackles (has a very high TPG but that is only after 4 games or so and may adjust itself downward) but is not the most dynamically tenacious (ie he doesn't go hunting around to win the ball like Kante or even Wanyama used to) and not the most physically imposing - lacks a bit of presence. Technically he's pretty decent, not exactly the most press resistant, isn't going to dribble through lines, but doesn't completely flap under pressure either, will usually wriggle a pass out when under the cosh. To that end, he doesn't always offer himself to the CB's when playing out, but is constantly offering himself laterally, sees plenty of ball in games and generally uses the ball efficiently.
Summary
Looking for the nirvana of a tenaciously dynamic, physically imposing 6, with footballing ability, Camavinga would be my choice. A long way from the finished article, but if he continues to develop as he has been, he's going to be a very fine example of the species.
In terms of footballing ability Sangare is, in some ways, even more exciting than Camavinga, but defensively, in his reading and moving, Camavinga is superior, and his game, despite being 5 years younger, is more reliable.
Bakayoko would probably be third on that list of players that bring that physical/athletic robustness and can play some football, who could play CM2's and as central pivot in CM3's. Would definitely be an upgrade on players like Dier and Sissoko - but at 25 and owned by Chelsea - might not represent great value, and his ceiling is pretty much where he's at now, with Camavinga and Sangare there's more risk but also perhaps more untapped potential.
Fofana and Kamara could do that purely defensive job if we were going to play a CM3 With two more footballing 8's either side, but they are both pretty limited footballers, and maybe not great in CM2's that Mourinho seems to favour - then again, Mourinho has been known to use this one dimensional type 6 previously.
I think of the less physically imposing 6's, the busy cunt group if you like, you have a bunch of competent players - Guimaraes, Santamaria, Tousart, Otavio - every single one of them would be a midfield upgrade on Sissoko, Dier (and defensively Winks) - but I think in Skipp we hopefully have this kind of player here already who just needs the development time (with us or elsewhere) that many of these have had to be of a similar standard.
Maiga and Ndong both have decent all round abilities, but neither are good enough for a PL club with regular CL aspirations, IMO. Neither are the imposing, defensively dominating, 6 types that we need.
Rangier & Sanson are good tenacious 8's, but not what we are looking for.
Wild card 1 - Kephren Thuram
Worth keeping an eye on Kephren Thuram - very much appears to be in the Camavinga mould -has the physical qualities, tall, athletic, good mover and seems to be technically competent - Game I watched just to have a look at him he was still a bit tentative - but you'd expect that from a young kid having his first few games. I've not seen anywhere near enough to know more than that right now, he's only played 500 minutes this season.
Wild Card 2 - Aurélien Tchouameni
Also worth keeping an eye on Aurélien Tchouameni (20yo Monaco). Very much in the Camavinga/Thuram mould physically, tall, athletic and technically good. The two games I've seen of him I'd say he could graft a little harder with and without the ball, show himself to receive it a bit more and show more energy to close down and press, but when he is on the ball his combination of physicality and technique make him very press resistant and he gets his head up.
Wild Card 3 - Benjamin Henrichs
This kid started life as a very promising Rb, who could also play LB (played for Germany at all levels) but is now being used as a DCM/6 by Monaco occasionally, and seems to be doing a decent job. Watched the game against Bordeaux earlier in the season today and he played pretty well, Tenacious, good engine, engages enthusiastically, and is technically ok too. Bonus is he can play as a FB on either side too.
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