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Harry Winks

Like i have said previously, he is another Ryan Mason / Tom Carrol, people have a soft spot because he is one of our own. If he was foreign everyone would want rid.
Tom Carrol is a good comparison. Both technical and tidy players, just missing that final cutting edge, x-factor, call it what you want. Just a bit too "safe" and too little aggression.
 
Like i have said previously, he is another Ryan Mason / Tom Carrol, people have a soft spot because he is one of our own. If he was foreign everyone would want rid.
He's a cut above those two for sure. Yes he can be frustrating nowadays but he has it in him to do much better. As others have said, we need him as a squad player.
 
Tom Carrol is a good comparison. But technical and tidy players, just missing that final cutting edge, x-factor, call it what you want. Just a bit too "safe" and too little aggression.
And they both just lack that physicality which means they need to have even higher technical skills to compensate. In the case of Winks sometimes he over compensates by diving into tackles, so I don’t think it a lack of heart more pure physics when shoulder to shoulder with an opponent.
I’d be interested to see what Winks has actually said, I think if he’s being realistic he gets a more than reasonable amount of game time at a club of our current status, I’m not sure he’d stand out anywhere else but he may feel he’d have more chance of getting more game time at a team without the depth European participation requires. For some reason I see him fitting in at Brighton!
 
Who do you think we could realistically sign as a back-up CM who is better and is also home-grown? I've no problem with us selling players, but even if we got £30m for Winks, I struggle to think of a HG player who is better, available for the cash and would join as a back-up
Don't need to sign anyone, Skipp is a ready-made replacement and looks like an upgrade.
 
Don't need to sign anyone, Skipp is a ready-made replacement and looks like an upgrade.

Skipp will likely replace Sissoko soon, given MS turns 32 next summer

We have PEH, GLC and TN as first choice (all non HG)
Then Skipp, Winks and Dele perhaps next year, though Dele might well leave

I cant see how not signing anyone is feasible
 
Skipp will likely replace Sissoko soon, given MS turns 32 next summer

We have PEH, GLC and TN as first choice (all non HG)
Then Skipp, Winks and Dele perhaps next year, though Dele might well leave

I cant see how not signing anyone is feasible
The question was what homegrown player can we get to replace Winks, not about Sissoko or anyone else. Skipp for Winks is a direct swap.
I doubt Sissoko will be gone in the summer and will provide cover.

Dele isn't a CM so that is a totally different question. He already doesn't fit into the system and if Bale (homegrown also) stays is there really a need to replace him either?
Son, Bale, Lamela, Moura and Bergwijn are already covering the positions he's most likely to be fighting for.

If we sell Winks and bring in Skipp then the money is more likely to be spent on CBs than on another midfielder.
 
The question was what homegrown player can we get to replace Winks, not about Sissoko or anyone else. Skipp for Winks is a direct swap.
I doubt Sissoko will be gone in the summer and will provide cover.

Dele isn't a CM so that is a totally different question. He already doesn't fit into the system and if Bale (homegrown also) stays is there really a need to replace him either?
Son, Bale, Lamela, Moura and Bergwijn are already covering the positions he's most likely to be fighting for.

If we sell Winks and bring in Skipp then the money is more likely to be spent on CBs than on another midfielder.
We will IMO buy a CM but I believe it will be to replace sissoko in the starting 11. I think we could look at Milenkovic Savic who Jose has liked for some time or possibly Soumare
If we sell dele (which I think is unlikely) I don’t see him being replaced short term as we will buy another CB as you suggest.
Jose will be looking at tweaks to the squad from here in I believe
 
And he said: "It's important that I keep fighting and working as hard as I can to stay in the squad and to stay in the team."

Unless I missed something, he said the situation is difficult given the impact on England chances, but didnt say 'I want to leave'

But you are supposed to read between the lines to see the truth. :)
 
Given the recent talk about Winks i made a point of just watching him last night when he came on in the England game...

As others have said , he was again neat and tidy but never looked to move forward with the ball and maybe go past someone.. He played a great long ball out to Sancho and made quite a few darting runs into the box which came to nothing.. Although he didnt do it last night, he also has a tendency to fly into challenges when staying on his feet would be a better option..

A good player but not one to really drive us on to the next level which is probably how Jose sees it..

Huge game on saturday and COYS..
 
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Winks, I'll keep defending him as long as he's OUR player, some of you are just out to send negative energy, not what we need as we come up to the hardest fixtures this season... rewatching the game last season v Emirates Marketing Project at home, Winks was on the ball leading a counter attack from a corner, got blocked by Zinchenko who was off on a second yellow.

We need him fit and positive this game in case he needs to come, coz i don't think he'll start. BUT this is a humongous game, one we will relish and set up to counter once again, and that is something he can do, but more importantly hold the ball and pass it safely *fingers crossed* or recycle it quickly to hurt them
 
Given the recent talk about Winks i made a point of just watching him last night when he came on in the England game...

As others have said , he was again neat and tidy but never looked to move forward with the ball and maybe go past someone.. He played a great long ball out to Sancho and made quite a few darting runs into the box which came to nothing.. Although he didnt do it last night, he also has a tendency to fly into challenges when staying on his feet would be a better option..

A good player but not one to really drive us on to the next level which is probably how Jose sees it..

Huge game on saturday and COYS..

Could he be playing to instructions? I recall how people said similar about Mikel Obi for Chelsea but there was a reason he got game time. He played to instructions.
 
Could he be playing to instructions? I recall how people said similar about Mikel Obi for Chelsea but there was a reason he got game time. He played to instructions.
Winks isn't getting have time though and Jose himself said in the docu that went he joined all Winks did was "lateral, lateral passes". This was not delivered in a positive manner.

He's a decent player but as he is not the DM I feel fairly confident that Jose would like a little bit more from him.
 
Winks isn't getting have time though and Jose himself said in the docu that went he joined all Winks did was "lateral, lateral passes". This was not delivered in a positive manner.

He's a decent player but as he is not the DM I feel fairly confident that Jose would like a little bit more from him.
But then why do we play him as DM when he plays for us?
 
But then why do we play him as DM when he plays for us?
I don't think he's playing as a DM this season, but you could say we don't truly have a backup for Hojberg so needs must if Hojberg isn't playing.

He can play the position but particularly well imo. He does better when he's not overly concerned with what's behind him.
 
I don't think he's playing as a DM this season, but you could say we don't truly have a backup for Hojberg so needs must if Hojberg isn't playing.

He can play the position but particularly well imo. He does better when he's not overly concerned with what's behind him.
He played as DM all last season and plays there when he starts this season
I agree he isn’t one but it’s odd that three managers play him there
 
But then why do we play him as DM when he plays for us?

We don't play him as a DM.. What defensive cover has he ever offered?

He's just a brick central midfielder who's all-round skills are just good enough to get him out there. Other than that, he offers next to nothing.
 
We don't play him as a DM.. What defensive cover has he ever offered?

He's just a brick central midfielder who's all-round skills are just good enough to get him out there. Other than that, he offers next to nothing.
So who is playing DM?
He is nearly always our deepest player and plays in exactly the same position a DM would
I disagree he is brick but your entitled to your opinion of course
 
Maybe some of you Winks haters need to re-evaluate why three different managers have continued to play him. They cannot all be idiots, least of all Jose.

Winks is about far more than merely passing sideways and backwards. For a start, he's always making himself available in the middle of the park to enable us to retain possession when under pressure. Nowadays the opposition press the player in possession more intensively than ever. This is where Winksy scores. It may not be glamorous, but it's needed.

Secondly. Winks passing accuracy is superior to most. Yes I can see that's partly because a lot of them are sideways and backwards but, and this is where I feel he is less appreciated, a much higher percentage of his passes are forward. And guess what, a decent percentage of those are also excellent probing balls.

Hence Jose continues to pick him whenever he feels he can do a useful job for us, which just so happens to be quite often.

Deal with it!
 
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