I don’t understand why so many want to give up and sign a lesser player when this deal is basically agreed. It’s only Barca issues holding this up, and so many gullible fools are falling for Laportas BS.
If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs, then you’ll be a muppet my son!
How is it, that people are falling for Laportas BS? It has nothing to do with what Barca does. We want the player and we should bring him in as soon as possible. If Barca blocks the path to one of those objectives, feck them. Remember how Dortmund acted with Sancho in the first summer? They set an ultimatum and they were consequential. We should do the same when we want to be seen as professionals again.
Tielemans and one of mcFred in midfield would be an absolute disaster, and we would get walked over regularly in there. Tielemans is more like a Fred who can pass. If you are buying Tielemans you will need a defensive player.
Ruben Neves will cost around the same as de Jong, and I doubt that deal will happen quickly either. Also a midfield of Neves and Fred would just get walked past, Neves is virtually immobile by comparison and would need a pressing resistant player in there. Neves would need an actual defensive style CM or DM to make that work.
I still don't get why you think, that this doesn't apply to FDJ. There was a lot of talk when he moved to Spain that he is supposed to take over from Busquets but he couldn't do it. Doesn't make FDJ a bad player at all, but why exactly would we be the first team in European topflights who make it happen without a defensive minded midfield player backing up players who are great at progressing? Our midfield was shit last year (at least). And on top of being shit we lost players. Yet seemingly FDJ is the only option for many of us... I don't get it.
Nope, your ‘rightful complaint’ is just being questioned. I think some things actually sound like they make perfect sense on paper/online - to the degree that people disregard whether the reality supports it or not. We’ve been watching football for long enough to see that many, many players - of varying success sign at all stages of the window. We’ve also, surely, by now seen too many pre-seasons where important players are missing due to international commitments, or simply injury.
Pre-season has use, but it’s use is exaggerated. It’s primarily a fitness exercise and a commercial tour. For all the talk about shaping the team, we’ll probably line up with Tahith Chong or something next week. It happens every year.
Players needing to be in place from the very start of pre-season sounds logical and makes perfect sense, and I’d 100% agree if not for the fact that the reality does not reflect that. Not meaning to sound hostile, but at the same time, it’s about calming what has been posted over and over as either a cause to raise alarm, or a cause to revel in our supposed ‘incompetence’. It really doesn’t matter that much.
If we would have a working team only needing a few improvements here and there, I'd agree with you. But our squad is without any sort of backbone, lost most of its confidence, is low in numbers in 2 of 3 team areas, showed for at least two seasons in a row, that there isn't a working coherent method to attack nor to defend. The teams best player (in terms of international renomme and in terms of other players looking up for) wants to leave because he thinks we're a bit of a mess. This team is supposed to turn into a more possession based style with a new manager... To me that sounds like one heck of a challenge.
I am pretty sure, if ETH could he would increase the time he has to work with the players before the season starts. But he can't there is only limited time. What the club could do to make his challenge a bit easier would be to provide him a squad he will be able to make use of for as long as possible before the season starts.
To me it looks like the club was (again) pretty unprepared before the transfer window. Seeing the number of "targets" from Ajax doesn't speak for the scouting team which is supposed to have lists of viable options. Plus Ajax already lost its coach plus 3 players from their starting eleven. Every additional loss will be more expensive or unlikely. If all this doesn't lead you to criticize the club, good for you. I am certainly not calling for heads at this point but the warning signs are there.
Its different when you've got an established team buying a player from the same league.
We have a new manager, a team which will have at least new 4-5 starters with a totally different style of play and none of the new signings have played in the league before.
I fully agree with you. Almost puzzled by all the others seemingly underestimating the task that is in front of ETH. As soon as the season starts, player will have to rest during the week and prepare for certain opponents, there isn't as much room for tactical development as in pre-season.
I was just having a laugh. The fact him come over yesterday was a joke within itself anyway.