Keep Kane.
Otherwise it'll be sell Elvis, buy S Club 7.
Otherwise it'll be sell Elvis, buy S Club 7.
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Transfers Summer 2021 - Transfer Thread
- Thread starter SchmoodSpur
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Levy better get on the horn and see if Sabitzer likes playing for Naglesmann.
Great great prospect. I regularly watched palmeiras this season, they got a new Portuguese manager this season, and the lad is good. However I think we are looking at him to play RB
Where does he play most of his games?
Center mid or right back. Basically half half
I like him very much. He has a lot of potential and he is versatile - has been playing as CM and even RW, though I think his real position is offensive RB.
His surname "Menino" means "Boy". It´s a coincidence, but it´s also a fact. He is a very young player, with no experience outside Brazil; huge potential, but obviously not the end product just yet.
My feeling is that he and Tanganga could offer something very interesting together as options - assuming we are able to get rid of both Aurier and Doherty. Menino is a very good crosser of the ball, a very skillful player in general. He would be the offensive option for the position. Tanganga would obviously be the more defensive option for the position - just like we have Reguilón and Davies, on the other side.
I like it.
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Who would you rate higher, Menino or Emerson Royal?
I have to say Emerson. He´s been playing in La Liga for two years now and I believe that, in terms of physicality, he is ready to play in the Premier League. Menino would still have to adapt - in every sense.
On the other hand, Menino would be considerably cheaper. And, as I said, I think he is a player with huge potential for the future. He plays for Palmeiras, managed by Portuguese Abel Ferreira. He and Mourinho are very close, so I assume they are exchanging thoughts about the player.
I would be excited with both. But, if we want a player for the first team now, it´s Emerson.
P.S: I´m seeing a lot of speculation in relation to Sabitzer and where could he play for us. I know that, for the past year, he has been playing mainly as a CM. But I still think his best position is RW. That´s where he´s played for most of his career, as he is someone with a rare ability to create (a lot) from wide areas. I´m saying this because his signing could impact the way we use our RB. Considering Reguilón is basically a first choice LB (and a very offensive one) Jose could have Sabitzer wide on the right, and behind him a more safe RB option. For example, Tanganga. It would help to balance the team even if we are playing Tanguy, Gio, Sabitzer, Sonny and Kane all together.
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Both sound like exciting prospects from what you've said, but I think Menino is more likely to be a Levy signing. Younger, perhaps more potential, and cheaper.
Interesting analysis, and this versatility is exactly why I want us to buy Sabitzer.
The reason I'd play him at CM is this:
Imo our problem is we lose possession in our defensive third. Hojbjerg is good at tackling but not great with the ball. Ndombele is skilful, but poor stamina means not the greatest off the ball movement. Our other DMs are hapless.
Imo having Sabitzer alongside Hojbjerg gives a good option for our CBs to pass to. He is hard working, but also technically gifted enough to progress the play by passing forward to the trio of Ndombele Kane GLC. Then, with Son upfront, and 2 attacking full backs to add width, out attack can be pretty menacing.
These descriptions of Menino are really interesting. If we are willing to put in the time and work to develop him then he sounds like a no brainer.
Igula
MouraThat
Ciro
If along with Sabitzer we can get an attacking RB (we're linked with Menino, and Ciro described how both him and Emerson Royal are v. talented Brazilians), there's no reason why with the right system we can't dominate the vast majority of games next season:
We aren't too far away from having a first XI that looks scary on paper.
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If along with Sabitzer we can get an attacking RB (we're linked with Menino, and Ciro described how both him and Emerson Royal are v. talented Brazilians), there's no reason why with the right system we can't dominate the vast majority of games next season:
We aren't too far away from having a first XI that looks scary on paper.
The Braziliam RB sounds intriguing although I am not sure he would be ready to start consistently for us next season. It wouldn't stop me from adding him but I think we would still need a starting RB, not name Aurier or Doherty or Tanganga.
I am not keen on Sabitzer but it seems likely at this point.
CB will be key and I have not been keen on a lot of the names we have been linked to (Vestergaard, Skriniar) and have very little hope that they will make a quality signing in this area, especially if it is Jose that is staying.
And of course all the moves we make mean nothing if we bring Jose back anyways.
The Brazilian kid sounds like the right kind of play we should be looking at, which likely means it is just someone looking to up the price Chelsea will pay, but I don't have your optimism that we will be looking at a scary first 11 next season.
That formation looks too narrow and crowded in the middle imo
If along with Sabitzer we can get an attacking RB (we're linked with Menino, and Ciro described how both him and Emerson Royal are v. talented Brazilians), there's no reason why with the right system we can't dominate the vast majority of games next season:
We aren't too far away from having a first XI that looks scary on paper.
Playing through the middle is underrated, imo.
Yeah I think it would only work if we bought an attacking RB who, along with Reguilon, provided real width.
Also it would mean at least we would establish dominance over games with our midfield. Too often this season our midfield can't keep the ball, so our wing forwards have to spend a lot of the time helping out full backs anyway.
I completely agree. Menino would be a Levy signing - a very interesting one -, especially because we could end up paying less than 13m pounds for him. From the team´s perspective right now, while Royal would make more sense, Menino´s adaptation process shouldn´t exactly be considered a major problem. After all, we´ve played the whole season with Aurier, who we all know well, and Doherty, who is simply not a RB, therefore, is also trying to adapt - he´s 29, though; Menino is 20 and definitely a much more gifted player.
About Sabitzer:
I can perfectly understand where you´re coming from and I believe Jose sees the same thing: there´s a problem in midfield since we stopped playing a more hard working player next to Hojbjerg. I´m not saying it was the wrong decision. It´s the opposite, really, which is basically why I disagree with you: I believe Hojbjerg-Ndombele should be our CM combo going forward, and we just need to find ways to give the team stability while playing them next to each other. We need to balance the fact that we won´t have a player covering ground in midfield like a mad man - the price you pay for having more quality in the build up. Jose tried a different option against Villa - a 4-2-2-2, which included two dynamic and hard working players behind the two strikers; it also allowed Kane to drop deep with even more space to create. Both Lo Celso and Lucas pressed a lot, while also helping the build up from wide positions to the inside. Sabitzer could perfectly well be played in Lucas position, for example, while Sonny could be given C. Vinicius place next to Kane - less responsibility tracking back the opposition´s RB would make sense for him (he would be closing spaces centrally instead).
P.S: While writing this, I realized you´ve posted a very similar formation just above, except, as you announced, you played Sabitzer next (just ahead) of Hojbjerg. You see, you have two problems in your formation - in my opinion, of course. First of all, you are playing Ndombele as one of the two AM´s (in this case, the one on the left). It´s all very well when we have the ball, but when we lose it, those two AM´s will have to spread and defend wide, forming a second line of four. Do you think Ndombele is suited to it - tracking back FB´s for 90 minutes? If he plays centrally, however, being "protected" on the sides, he would probably do a better job when defending. The second problem is that, in terms of goal thread, we would still be too reliant on Sonny and Kane. I love both Lo Celso and Ndombele - and, in relation to the Argentinian, I truly believe his numbers in the final third (goals and assists) will improve. But I do think Sabitzer could offer something else if played further up the pitch. In fact, his direct involvements in goals last season were much higher than in this season - of course, last season he was still mainly a winger/AM, while this season he is basically a CM. We need this; a true creator and goal thread playing as close as possible to Sonny and Kane.
COYS
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You want balance.
If you are already too narrow, it is easier for the opposition to congest the middle and disrupt the flow.
We would be too dependent on the full backs and makes us too predictable.
The opposition can easily clog the middle and the absence of one or both full backs would really screw us over.
I prefer a team that is balanced and can readily attack any weakness of the opposition i.e. attack through the flanks or middle, short passes or long balls etc
Great analysis, all your points are very fair.
As you noted, our proposed systems are very similar. A narrow 4-2-3-1, with attacking full backs and Kane just behind Son.
The main difference is whether to have Sabitzer or Ndombele at CM.
You're right that having Ndombele at LM as I want would leave Reguilon quite exposed, as the Frenchman is not as hard working.
But the issue with Ndombele at CM is, in many games this season he hasn't given our CBs an outlet to break the press. Toby then ends up playing a long ball and we lose possession.
In terms of attacking output, I don't think there's a significant difference between GLC, Ndombele, Sabitzer.
Sabitzer should play deeper and Ndombele/GLC further ahead, cos Sabitzer is the better passer and looks a better defender. It faster to develop an attack with a pass (Sabitzer) than it is with a player running with the ball (Ndombele/GLC).
Ndombele and GLC are much better running with the ball at defences and don't think there is much difference between the trio in playing the final ball from a central role (Sabitzer is better delivering from a wide position).
Needing to cover up for Ndombele is less a problem if you have a double pivot. In fact it is one of the reason you play the system, as one of the DMs can cover the flank the opposition is attacking from while the other remains in the middle to not leave it wide open. This also hopefully gives the attacking players time to fall back into their defensive positions.
All that being said, I am not a fan of getting a 27yr old Sabitzer and hoping he adapts to the faster PL in a season. I would rather we get a younger player who will reach that quality level with us in 1 or 2 seasons
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