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Youri Tielemans

If that is true (a big if admittedly) and if other rumours are to be believed, it would mean that Poch has recently nixed deals for Tieleman, Siggurdsson, Barkley and Grealish. Makes one wonder who he actually does want!
You could argue he’s been right on each call so far. None of those would be more than squad players for us, Barkley’s the only one who would get a bit more regular game time and thats only because of a CM injury crisis, but none make the first team.
 
None of them are next level players, as Gazza says more like squad players/potential to develop players.

We have plenty of those, so I dont have an issue with Poch turning them down (if thats the case).

Tielman Im personally unconvinced on
Siggurdsson wouldnt suit us, and would end up getting pushed out by Erickson again
Barkley has potential, and I suspect would have played more, but is hardly a game changer.
Grealish would have been in the squad trying to find space around Alli/Eriksen/Lamela... and likely wouldnt have made any real impact by now.

Who does he actually want? "Someone better" would be my answer!

Poch has made the point before around youth, the team is such that it is VERY hard to break into. The same applies for any player, we need players as good as what we have (if not better) to actually be able to make an impact.

None of the above, for me, qualify.
 
If that is true (a big if admittedly) and if other rumours are to be believed, it would mean that Poch has recently nixed deals for Tieleman, Siggurdsson, Barkley and Grealish. Makes one wonder who he actually does want!

Me, he just doesn't realise it yet.
 
Tielman Im personally unconvinced on
Siggurdsson wouldnt suit us, and would end up getting pushed out by Erickson again
Barkley has potential, and I suspect would have played more, but is hardly a game changer.
Grealish would have been in the squad trying to find space around Alli/Eriksen/Lamela... and likely wouldnt have made any real impact by now.

spot on!
Barkley would shade that group.
 
None of them are next level players, as Gazza says more like squad players/potential to develop players.

We have plenty of those, so I dont have an issue with Poch turning them down (if thats the case).

Tielman Im personally unconvinced on
Siggurdsson wouldnt suit us, and would end up getting pushed out by Erickson again
Barkley has potential, and I suspect would have played more, but is hardly a game changer.
Grealish would have been in the squad trying to find space around Alli/Eriksen/Lamela... and likely wouldnt have made any real impact by now.

Who does he actually want? "Someone better" would be my answer!

Poch has made the point before around youth, the team is such that it is VERY hard to break into. The same applies for any player, we need players as good as what we have (if not better) to actually be able to make an impact.

None of the above, for me, qualify.

That "Someone better" response just doesn't fly I'm afraid. Just a meaningless platitude that doesn't fit in with our current reality. " Somone better" will either:

1. Be snapped up by our better heeled rivals
2. Cost an arm and a leg
3. Demand a kings ransom
4. Not be " home grown "

Add all those together, and the players who fit that bill and are currently available are precisely zero.
 
That "Someone better" response just doesn't fly I'm afraid. Just a meaningless platitude that doesn't fit in with our current reality. " Somone better" will either:

1. Be snapped up by our better heeled rivals
2. Cost an arm and a leg
3. Demand a kings ransom
4. Not be " home grown "

Add all those together, and the players who fit that bill and are currently available are precisely zero.

And now you understand why its so difficult for us to get players in at this time.
 
You could argue he’s been right on each call so far. None of those would be more than squad players for us, Barkley’s the only one who would get a bit more regular game time and thats only because of a CM injury crisis, but none make the first team.
Its the squad players that are the issue though - Its widely acknowledged that our first XI can compete with anyone. But many of the stand ins have proved they arent up to it and need to be upgraded on. Most on here turned their noses up at Shaqiri and Barkley thinking we had better or could do better, they would have easily improved us.....
 
I would argue we have had absolutely no need of Shaquiri at all this season.

Barkley, with our obvious issues in CM, would have played - but if you watch him what we need there isnt actually his role/strengths.
 
Barkley looks competent at Chelsea which is more than can be said for Jorginho.

Barkley could do a job for us.
Sadly some of our fans will never see it now, he has done well there.


I may be mis-remembering but didn't we start a conversation with him only for him to go and do a medical at Chelsea and decide to go there. Got the impression that he turned down further conversations with us rather than us ignoring him. I might be wrong though.
 
I may be mis-remembering but didn't we start a conversation with him only for him to go and do a medical at Chelsea and decide to go there. Got the impression that he turned down further conversations with us rather than us ignoring him. I might be wrong though.

No your about right - I think it was as normal with Chelsea.
Money once again talked.
Probably also with Shaqiri.

Drinkwater still playing? ;)
 
Its the squad players that are the issue though - Its widely acknowledged that our first XI can compete with anyone. But many of the stand ins have proved they arent up to it and need to be upgraded on. Most on here turned their noses up at Shaqiri and Barkley thinking we had better or could do better, they would have easily improved us.....
Put it this way, all the following being fit; Winks, Dembele, Wanyama and Dier then Barkley would have been 5th choice for me. It’s only because there’s a ridiculous amount of injuries in one position that we look light (you can argue the fitness of Dembele and Wanyama now, but 18 months ago when Barkley was being touted ?...).

Grealish I’d rank lower than Barkley for CM and if you put him as AM then he’d be behind Eriksen, Dele, Son, Lamela and Moura for the AM roll, so 6th choice in a position we play at the most 3 players. Sigurdson similarly.

I guess Poch had a similar opinion about these players ability as I do and thought the likelihood of needing a 5th choice CM and 6th choice AM to play regularly was limited and that in the event of a crisis the youth could cover 1/2 games. Bare in mind we’ve had to leave some players out of the CL squad as it stands already. If we get rid of the GKN, Jansen, Vorm and any other dead weight then we can bulk the squad out again.

That’s just my take on it.
 
Put it this way, all the following being fit; Winks, Dembele, Wanyama and Dier then Barkley would have been 5th choice for me. It’s only because there’s a ridiculous amount of injuries in one position that we look light (you can argue the fitness of Dembele and Wanyama now, but 18 months ago when Barkley was being touted ?...).

Grealish I’d rank lower than Barkley for CM and if you put him as AM then he’d be behind Eriksen, Dele, Son, Lamela and Moura for the AM roll, so 6th choice in a position we play at the most 3 players. Sigurdson similarly.

I guess Poch had a similar opinion about these players ability as I do and thought the likelihood of needing a 5th choice CM and 6th choice AM to play regularly was limited and that in the event of a crisis the youth could cover 1/2 games. Bare in mind we’ve had to leave some players out of the CL squad as it stands already. If we get rid of the GKN, Jansen, Vorm and any other dead weight then we can bulk the squad out again.

That’s just my take on it.
Barkley was looking likely to join us until Chelsea came in. Also highlights how we overrate our own if you think he'd be our 5th choice CM, but hey all about opinions....
 
Barkley was looking likely to join us until Chelsea came in. Also highlights how we overrate our own if you think he'd be our 5th choice CM, but hey all about opinions....
Going in to the 2017/18 season do you honestly think he would have been ahead of Dier, Wanyama and Dembele? Winks is basically Pochs love child so I think it’s safe to say he would have rated Winks highly even at that stage.

Like you say it’s all about opinions, but I think this highlights how some people use hindsight...

Edit: And I’d even forgotten about Sissoko completely! So you can factor in our £30m signing in the pecking order as well.
 
Going in to the 2017/18 season do you honestly think he would have been ahead of Dier, Wanyama and Dembele? Winks is basically Pochs love child so I think it’s safe to say he would have rated Winks highly even at that stage.

Like you say it’s all about opinions, but I think this highlights how some people use hindsight...

Edit: And I’d even forgotten about Sissoko completely! So you can factor in our £30m signing in the pecking order as well.
There was plenty of us who considered Barkley a good signing, not simply saying it after the event. Barkley is versatile, not simply a CM and Poch clearly had his own idea of how he wanted to mould him into the squad but he went to Chelsea. He is more talented than some of those you mention, he is now back in the England team. He would have improved our squad for sure, Wanyama was already showing himself to be unreliable before this season as was Dembele.

CM has been highlighted as a problem area that needs strengthening from way back. So back to the original point, whether you think Barkley is good enough for us or not its the squad that needs improving - its unreasonable to expect us to acquire players to instantly improve the first XI right now....
 
I would argue we have had absolutely no need of Shaquiri at all this season.

Barkley, with our obvious issues in CM, would have played - but if you watch him what we need there isnt actually his role/strengths.
Shaqiri would definitely be an upgrade on Lamela, would arguably even say the same for Moura who hasnt really done much since his original spurt where he was playing up front with Kane. Whereas Liverpool in recent times have been looking to put Shaqiri into their first XI rather than just rotate as he's done very well......
 
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