The players you mention are not number 6s. Amrabat at least is, so not a downgrade in the number 6 position at all. That said, we should be aiming higher
Sofyan Amrabat | 2023/24 Performances
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….When you base a players season on playing a few games at centre back
No, no. Basing it on pretty much every game he's played since the League Cup win. Worst player in the squad.
Move on. He had one good game.
Signing him permanently will be another signal that nothing much has changed at this club.
Amrabat, Eriksen and McTominay have
Casemiro out of our CMs and DMs had the most tackles, most tackles+interceptions, most clearances helping out the defence, 2nd most shots after McTominay, 2nd most aerials after McTominay, most passes
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Agreed. He had his chances this season and didn't really take them.
We should not sign him, instead sign someone who can start for us.
Hard to say anyone playing DM had a fair amount of chances to shine when we were playing the doughnut formation with horrible gaps and an exposed single pivot for about 90% of the season.
Much with Casemiro, who I advocate giving another season to, if Ten Hag - or whichever manager comes in - decides to sensibly play with a compact midfield of a double pivot or something like the box midfield we saw at the end of the season then I'd be happy keeping Amrabat for what is a pretty reasonable fee. I'd have also kept Sabitzer to be fair.
Much with Casemiro, who I advocate giving another season to, if Ten Hag - or whichever manager comes in - decides to sensibly play with a compact midfield of a double pivot or something like the box midfield we saw at the end of the season then I'd be happy keeping Amrabat for what is a pretty reasonable fee. I'd have also kept Sabitzer to be fair.
Players like Amrabat and Evans are not the answer if the team aspires to improve.
Is this per 90 too? I know McTominay does his bit in set pieces but I alway thought he's a bit passive in open play.
Casemiro is an aerial beast and is such an underrated helper of the defence. Losing him and Varane in the same window will be hard to replace there.
Yes per 90. And yes on the ball McTominay is extremely passive with his passing and involvement. He does clear the ball out and win headers and he's happy to make a run forward for other people to try and find, which you might say would explain passive numbers but a few seasons ago he tried playing as an actual 6 as our deepest midfielder and he was still low on his numbers.
As for Casemiro its the mistakes that mired his performances. In DM as well as CB for 90% of the time he was doing great, being a very active ball winner although not with the knack for scoring like the season before. But then he'd make an error that gives the ball away or dive in for a tackle that wasnt there to be won and leaving him stranded and we'd concede. He didnt used to have these poor decisions and lapses in concentration so I hope its a temporary thing and he does better next season. Because between those bad decisions he was still a fantastic ball winner, plays some nice passes and can get a goal. And he may make for a really good CB if he gets his concentration back, because numbers wise he was.
Yeah, but Amrabat isn't half the player Carrick was
No reason to keep him ahead of some kid from the academy really.
There were so many instances in the league this season when we were light in midfield and he still wasn’t picked.
Would be a bizarre decision to keep him based on the cup final - he was crap the previous game against Brighton after all!
Would be a bizarre decision to keep him based on the cup final - he was crap the previous game against Brighton after all!
Which one? Not every player is like Mainoo, the transition to premier league football is very difficult.
If the rumours he had to beg to play his position is true then wow.
As soon as he was deployed properly for the last 3 or 4 games he looked miles better than previously.
As soon as he was deployed properly for the last 3 or 4 games he looked miles better than previously.
It is, but the benchmark for spending additional 10m is Amrabat, not prime Casemiro.
I originally had wanted to highlight that I thought McTominay being our 2nd best in aerials won being bit of a surprised (because I thought he was quite passive in aerials in open play) but then I realised it was against our other midfielders and then it all made sense.
This summer will be a big one for Casemiro as he's out of the Brazil squad for the Copa, may be moving on and/or will be fresh to start the season for us.
And still poor. Thats why he would need to beg.
The team did better in our final 3 games after losing to Arsenal and the reason is we changed our tactics to pack midfield with the wingers playing inside and Bruno and McTominay being the players through the middle with no actual striker in an advanced area. Obviously the midfield is going to be helped out a lot when there's now 3 or 4 extra players clogging up the middle especially with Bruno chasing everyone around like a mad man.
The trade off was that we didnt have a forward we could play up to and have him hold the ball to bring in supporting players. The wingers were furthest forward and needed to be the ones to hold onto the ball.
It did work but having signed Hojlund and possibly signing more attacking players its likely we'll be trying to play with a proper striker again next season rather than filling the midfield with bodies hoping quantity will make up for a lack of quality.
Had a good performance here and there but expecting him to reliably turn in good performances seems unwarranted.
Amrabat is an excellent player who should be retained and used properly. Outside of the cup final, watch how he bossed Rice in the Conference League final.
It sounds like he might be staying
Predictably grim times ahead.
ETH didnt rate him enough to play him. When he did play him it wasnt in his best position. And he only changed that when forced to by Casemiro's injury and a combination of bullying by Wilcox and request from Amrabat.
Such a shit show. Even taking amortised fee it's a huge chunk of the budget, on a nothing player who we know cant improve us under the current manager or the next guy.
ETH didnt rate him enough to play him. When he did play him it wasnt in his best position. And he only changed that when forced to by Casemiro's injury and a combination of bullying by Wilcox and request from Amrabat.
Such a shit show. Even taking amortised fee it's a huge chunk of the budget, on a nothing player who we know cant improve us under the current manager or the next guy.
Why do people rush to believe shitty Twitter accounts?
The good news just keeps pouring in.
No source for this whatsoever, absolute bollocks
Trying to find the positives here: the only one I can think of is that he might be a good cover for Mainoo.
If we are looking for more of a starter role, than pretty sure Maxence Caquerete would be a much better choice.
If we are looking for more of a starter role, than pretty sure Maxence Caquerete would be a much better choice.
4+1 
no chance.
no chance.The Twitter account refers to itself as "I" so it's presumably one person. The grammar is quite bad.
Think the loan ends at the end of the month right? So we should know how true this is soon enough.
We changed our tactics because Wilcox made him change tactics. That a pretty damning indictment of our manager. Especially given how much results improved thereafter. He was probably retained largely because he followed orders to play an actual sensible formation.
Amrabat is fine as a utility player but he’s not a starter. He can do a decent enough job as a deep midfielder destroyer, and given the loan fee is likely parlayed into the purchase price, is probably a cost effective solution when we have other problems to solve. Especially if Casemiro and Eriksen are leaving.
I don’t rate Amrabat very highly but you do need a deep squad and if used properly he can be useful(ish). Not a fan of this, if it happens, but can only judge when one looks at all the incomings and outgoings holistically. Which isn’t possible yet.
The stupidest part for me is that if we’d done nothing in the first place, I.e. kept Fred, we’d be better off, more money and a better player. I thought Fred was one of the best reserve CMs in the league. I really appreciated what he brought as a squad player, and was ironically much better suited to ETH’s suicidal high press tactics.
ETH seems to me, to be a terrible judge of talent,
Amrabat is fine as a utility player but he’s not a starter. He can do a decent enough job as a deep midfielder destroyer, and given the loan fee is likely parlayed into the purchase price, is probably a cost effective solution when we have other problems to solve. Especially if Casemiro and Eriksen are leaving.
I don’t rate Amrabat very highly but you do need a deep squad and if used properly he can be useful(ish). Not a fan of this, if it happens, but can only judge when one looks at all the incomings and outgoings holistically. Which isn’t possible yet.
The stupidest part for me is that if we’d done nothing in the first place, I.e. kept Fred, we’d be better off, more money and a better player. I thought Fred was one of the best reserve CMs in the league. I really appreciated what he brought as a squad player, and was ironically much better suited to ETH’s suicidal high press tactics.
ETH seems to me, to be a terrible judge of talent,
He did very well against City but it was too little too late, it's madness if we sign him permanently. Not good enough at all.
Same account has just also said three Saudi clubs were willing to give us over £150m for Fernandes. If they’re right on Amrabat, I think it’s fair to say it’s based on guesswork. Which will surprise absolutely nobody I’m sure.
I think we have an option for 20m EUR. I wouldn’t trigger it personally, but if we’re expecting to lose Eriksen and Casemiro I wouldn’t be shocked to see us do it.
By the way UWS said this month Amrabat had eight offers last summer including Liverpool. Not a reason to keep him but I found it interesting, he was a man in demand.
I think we have an option for 20m EUR. I wouldn’t trigger it personally, but if we’re expecting to lose Eriksen and Casemiro I wouldn’t be shocked to see us do it.
By the way UWS said this month Amrabat had eight offers last summer including Liverpool. Not a reason to keep him but I found it interesting, he was a man in demand.
Yes Noo
Yet it lasted until a final day loan deal to get him. While Liverpool signed no fewer than 4 other midfielders, each one more expensive.
Dont believe a word. If he had interest it will have been from Turkey, Saudi maybe, or middling continental clubs.
It was mostly the results that improved - I guess you are talking about the last like 4 games? (Which also isn't that great as a samplesize). And while that is certainly a good thing, we shouldn't make the mistake to ignore performances over results. It'd be Ole days all over again. Amrabat was as shit as it gets against Brighton. In the other games he was alright at best. And we still continued to concede many shots and chances.
I agree on the part about ETH and definitely on your take about Fred - such a weird move, especially considering that he would be so well suited to what ETH was going for system-wise. Don't agree on the part about Amrabat. We don't need a deep squad. First objective should be a competetive first eleven and given that the funds are limited, now is not the time to buy players for the bench.
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Amrabat sounded like a good buy. He had very good stats in his last season for Fiorentina, I think, he was even mentioned as one of the best players of the season (but never for his defensive work). He also came from strong internation comp, he wasn't expensive, no huge wages, decently physical. The box he came in sounded really good - issue was that we have actually try to play with him and it wasn't fun. He would have been good in the Eriksen role from ETHs first season, but as soon as we switched that to this "two high 8's" thing, there simply wasn't a spot for him anymore.
Caqueret is a cm and not a dm.
We should buy a proper dm and not a cm who can play there.
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