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Adama Traore

FatBloke said:
We're in the difficult position of being good enough so that only very good players will break into our first XI, but not being rich enough to be able to buy three £30M players in the hope that one works out.

There's also been something a bit broken when it comes to player scouting / targeting / whatever, with a string of pretty hapless purchases during the Levy/ENIC years. Mid-range purchases have been okay, with plenty of successes given the price, but the flagship signings have been awful. Just look at our record signings since 2000:

2000/01 Rebrov £11M
2007/08 Bent £16.5M
2013/14 Paulinho £17M
2013/14 Soldado £26M
2013/14 Lamela £26M
2016/17 Sissoko £31.5M
2017/18 Sanchez £42M
2018/19 Ndombele £56M

Apart from Lamela (who will always have a "while fit" against any appraisal) and Sissoko (whose utter brainfart lost us the CL final IMHO), that's a pretty poor list. It's Paratici's job not to repeat that lot and, to bring things back on topic, I think spending good money on Adama would be a terrible idea. He might have worked under Mourinho or Nuno, but I think Conte's setting us up for a more advanced game than "pass it to the quick lad and see what happens".
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Conte is very different to Mourinho and Nuno, but he is a defend-first-hit-them-on-the-break manager too. It’s more nuanced, but pace and being able to counter are important to him.

I think Traore works as a cheap signing - with no pressure and as a sub if need be. He would be a let down as a stellar signing.

have to credit the club for Modric, Hugo and Bale who were high profile captures in their day.
 
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SpurMeUp said:
Conte is very different to Mourinho and Nuno, but he is a defend first and hit them on the break when you can manager too. It’s more nuanced than that but pace and being able to counter and important.

I think Traore works as a cheap signing - with no pressure and as a sub if need be. But would be a let down as a stellar signing.

have to credit the club for Modric, Hugo and Bale who were high profile captures in their day.
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How cheap would he be? Not just transfer fee but wages?
 
Allegedly he turned down £120k a week from wolves.

That alone would make him our 4th highest earner after kane, son and ndombele.

For a wing back that can't cross? Reguillon is meant to be on £48k a week for contrast. Moura £80k.

Mazaroui at ajax £3500 a week.
 
SpurMeUp said:
Conte is very different to Mourinho and Nuno, but he is a defend first and hit them on the break when you can manager too. It’s more nuanced than that but pace and being able to counter and important.

I think Traore works as a cheap signing - with no pressure and as a sub if need be. But would be a let down as a stellar signing.

have to credit the club for Modric, Hugo and Bale who were high profile captures in their day.
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Modric and Lloris I'll give you. Also VdV and Eriksen. Was Bale really that high-profile? I watched his league debut against ManU with a bunch of friends, mostly ManU and Emirates Marketing Project fans, and very few of them had any idea who the kid with the luxurious hair was. I'd rate his transfer as lower profile than Sessegnon's.

But anyway, you've got to put the above alongside the other mid-range players we've bought who turned out to be, well, okay. Our radar in that range hasn't been too bad. It's just that you expect better when you pay big bucks, and we seem to have achieved the opposite.

Back to Traore, I just don't get it. I don't think he's good enough against the better sides, and I don't think his crossing is good enough against the bus parkers. The sort of player who looks great for a mid-table side. If he comes cheap, he'd certainly give us a much-needed option from the bench, but I wouldn't want him to be our main signing of the window.
 
FatBloke said:
Modric and Lloris I'll give you. Also VdV and Eriksen. Was Bale really that high-profile? I watched his league debut against ManU with a bunch of friends, mostly ManU and Emirates Marketing Project fans, and very few of them had any idea who the kid with the luxurious hair was. I'd rate his transfer as lower profile than Sessegnon's.

But anyway, you've got to put the above alongside the other mid-range players we've bought who turned out to be, well, okay. Our radar in that range hasn't been too bad. It's just that you expect better when you pay big bucks, and we seem to have achieved the opposite.

Back to Traore, I just don't get it. I don't think he's good enough against the better sides, and I don't think his crossing is good enough against the bus parkers. The sort of player who looks great for a mid-table side. If he comes cheap, he'd certainly give us a much-needed option from the bench, but I wouldn't want him to be our main signing of the window.
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We did good with the pleat signings. The walkers, bales, dawsons, rose's, lennons, keanes. Redknapp picked up some like crouch, parkers.

The berbatovs, modrics and vdvs were few and far between.
 
I think this story is just a load of gonad*s.

Allegedly juventus were linked with him for 2 windows. We're linked for 2 windows. Yet no bid has ever been made?

Mendez fishing? Paratici happy to let him?
 
Lilbaz said:
I think this story is just a load of gonad*s.

Allegedly juventus were linked with him for 2 windows. We're linked for 2 windows. Yet no bid has ever been made?

Mendez fishing? Paratici happy to let him?
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Why would any of these clubs be interested in him? He's hardly setting the prem alight with his goal scoring and assisting or even his potential for these events. If he were being linked with Celta Vigo or maybe West Ham I'd find them a lot more believable.
 
Bishop said:
Why would any of these clubs be interested in him? He's hardly setting the prem alight with his goal scoring and assisting or even his potential for these events. If he were being linked with Celta Vigo or maybe West Ham I'd find them a lot more believable.
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Tbf dombele didn't have the greatest assists or goals for us. But was still outstanding.

I just don't see it though.
 
Lilbaz said:
How cheap would he be? Not just transfer fee but wages?
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It's relative to his value. If we can convert a few draws into wins - as he did for Wolves vs United a couple of nights ago, then I'd say he'd be excellent value. Moreover, maybe he can develop under Conte and contribute regular goals and assists. In which case - amazing value.
 
FatBloke said:
Modric and Lloris I'll give you. Also VdV and Eriksen. Was Bale really that high-profile? I watched his league debut against ManU with a bunch of friends, mostly ManU and Emirates Marketing Project fans, and very few of them had any idea who the kid with the luxurious hair was. I'd rate his transfer as lower profile than Sessegnon's.

But anyway, you've got to put the above alongside the other mid-range players we've bought who turned out to be, well, okay. Our radar in that range hasn't been too bad. It's just that you expect better when you pay big bucks, and we seem to have achieved the opposite.

Back to Traore, I just don't get it. I don't think he's good enough against the better sides, and I don't think his crossing is good enough against the bus parkers. The sort of player who looks great for a mid-table side. If he comes cheap, he'd certainly give us a much-needed option from the bench, but I wouldn't want him to be our main signing of the window.
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Bale was wanted by most clubs. He was highly regarded. No I agree. It was a good post. Because it shows, despite the Modric etc exceptions, when we try and go for big signings, generally we fail. Interesting to discuss why that might be.

Traore can beat a man from any top level team in the world. So there is that. Then can he cross or shoot? Sometimes yes sometimes no. He is not consistent. But he can beat one-two top class defenders with ease, then its 50-50 what comes next! But the notion that everyone else always uses the ball perfectly when they get space (Royal in the last game didn't) and that Traore never does, is a bit of a myth.
 
SpurMeUp said:
It's relative to his value. If we can convert a few draws into wins - as he did for Wolves vs United a couple of nights ago, then I'd say he'd be excellent value. Moreover, maybe he can develop under Conte and contribute regular goals and assists. In which case - amazing value.
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Ok we buy player x for £30m on £150k a week and convert him, make him play better. He turns draws into wins

Is that better than

Buying player y for £15m on £40k a week that does the same?

Alternatively

We buy player x, he doesn't do that and is brick

Or

we buy player y that is the same?
 
I know he gets a lot of stick regarding his end product, and while I accept he should be scoring more goals, watching the clip below suggests that the main reason his assist numbers are so low is because he plays with players that are just failing to finish properly:

 
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If it involves a swap deal with Doherty then I'd be for it.
We lack pace throughout the team so the opposition defenders very rarely have to turn to face their own goal. Emerson gets so much space on the right but puts on poor crosses or passes it backwards at least Adama could break the lines and turn the defence around. This then makes space for people like Kane and Son who can run on to ball.
Yes he has limitations but he can also do things that others can't with his freak pace.
 
Interestingly, although if we got him he would primarily be deployed as a right wing back he looks just as comfortable down the left flank.
 
Lilbaz said:
I think this story is just a load of gonad*s.

Allegedly juventus were linked with him for 2 windows. We're linked for 2 windows. Yet no bid has ever been made?

Mendez fishing? Paratici happy to let him?
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I really,really hope so.
 
With question marks over Royales suitability to the RWB role i think it would be rather careless of us to make our 2nd RWB another player who is not specialised in that role - let's start putting round pegs in to round holes.

Not as much against signing him as some kind of wildcard squad option, even though i think he's absoloute muck, but as a player to count on as 1st/2nd choice for a specific position it just doesn't make any sense
 
billyiddo said:
With question marks over Royales suitability to the RWB role i think it would be rather careless of us to make our 2nd RWB another player who is not specialised in that role - let's start putting round pegs in to round holes.

Not as much against signing him as some kind of wildcard squad option, even though i think he's absoloute muck, but as a player to count on as 1st/2nd choice for a specific position it just doesn't make any sense
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That's definitely the main concern imo. How good will he actually be as a wing back in our system, particularly defensively.

If we can afford a better player that's a more natural fit I would definitely prefer that.

If not, if other areas of the team require more of our financial spending power, that's why Paratici and Conte get paid a lot of money. To know in advance to a reasonable degree of certainty if he'll be a good fit or not.
 
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