Ali Dia
Full Member
Experience isn’t a bad thing and having players entering their peaks is important for any good squad. James is too early in his development and too limited to to be our starting RW he cannot offer a consistent threat to most sides at the moment. Give him 3 years and who knows but I’d quite like someone now given our last quality RW was Nani
It we are talking about the here and now, the observable present, which is what I’m considering James doesn’t offer much beyond pace on the counter. We have found a frustratingly high number of teams unwilling to fall for our countering by defending with a deep block.
I see James improving but not improving his dribbling style to match or come close to Traore. Without that then he must focus on his passing to offer something better. Do you see James becoming a great crosser of the ball or a wide playmaker? Equally it’s not the case that the only way is up. James has a game that relies heavily on explosive actions. One severe hamstring injury and he loses his biggest and most reliable asset. Would a slower James offer anything more than Lingard for example.
I know I’m taking it to an extreme but while I like him as a player and want him to do well at the club we have to be open to the reality that he’s not a constant threat unless we’re allowed to counter. It’s no surprise that our offensive actions are tilted towards our LW.
One big hamstring injury would potentially affect Traores game as much It would James. Yes Traore is a much better player but he would cost a fortune. If we actually are going for sancho I doubt we are going to go for both in the same window. If we couldn’t get sancho this summer I wouldn’t be against taking a punt on Traore or Chiesa and going back for sancho next summer for hopefully a lower fee. We would be well stocked in the RW again finally.