Transfer Rumour Thread

[DubaiSpur]

Excellent post Dubai.... What about the following as other possibilities....

Lacazette (too expensive? Too desired by other teams?)
Zaza (work rate?)
Icardi?
Alcacar (too expensive? Too desired by other teams?)
Embolo (too raw?)
Slimani (enough work rate?)
Negredo (too old?)

Thanks, mate.

Lacazette - actually, too small. He's only 5'9, and our H is 6'2 going on 6'3: if we wanted a lightning-fast forward to get in behind defences or dribble at them, he'd be useful, but we already have Son and N'Jie for that role. We need a larger striker.
Zaza - I actually thought he'd be great back-up for us in the summer (when he was linked) - being a big, strong, hard-working forward, he seemed to tick a lot of boxes. However, Juve snapped him up for 12 million quid, and I'm not sure that they'd sanction making a loss on that fee so soon (and I'm not sure we'd pay more than that for a player from Serie A, given our experience with Lamela).
Icardi - attitude. This is the guy that slept with his teammate's wife while those two were in a difficult bit, and then married her as soon as they got divorced: plus, he's said before that football's just boring and a job, and was subsequently criticized for a lack of effort in games by Roberto Mancini (a man who himself was hardly an examplar of physical effort in his playing days).
Alcacer - too expensive, too wanted by the likes of City and United (evidently), and is even shorter and slimmer than Lacazette (4 centimetres shorter).
Embolo - I considered him, but apparently Claus Allofs (the sporting director of Wolfsburg) publicly confirmed that they were working on closing a deal for him recently - given the number of Swiss players currently at Wolfsburg (4 or 5, I believe) and their connections to the country, I have little doubt that he'll end up going there.
Slimani - 27 and counting - also, you're right, questionable work rate.
Negredo - way too old, way too 'short term' for Poch to consider (he didn't want Austin - I don't think he'd want Negredo).

 

[El Guepardo]

I want us to go bid for Paco Alcacer. I said in the summer that I wanted us to sign him. We are in a strong position in the league, whilst Valencia have had to appoint Phil Neville...so let's make that one big signing and bring him in! I appreciate its ambitious, and there are other clubs after him but we should do all that we can.

 

[DubaiSpur]

I want us to go bid for Paco Alcacer. I said in the summer that I wanted us to sign him. We are in a strong position in the league, whilst Valencia have had to appoint Phil Neville...so let's make that one big signing and bring him in! I appreciate its ambitious, and there are other clubs after him but we should do all that we can.

He doesn't fit, though. We have enough relatively small, forwards as it is (Son, N'Jie, Oduwa on loan): if we're looking for a back-up to Kane, we need someone with different qualities.

Edit: same reason I cooled on Leroy Sane. I love the guy, I think he's going to be an absolute star, and he's actually bigger and more athletic than Alcacer (coming in at a shade over 6'0, if I remember rightly)...but we have enough lightning inside forwards as it is. And we need to give Pritchard a shot.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

I cant see Njie making it at the really top level unless its as a no 9. He doesn't have the footballing ability (dribbling, control, crossing, passing etc) to play out there. As a no 9, if he beats his man for pace then he's through; out wide, if he beats his man for pace then he still has to do something else, whether play an accurate pass, cross or dribble with it. His pace is his real asset - CF is the best place for him to use that

I think it is too early to be making any judgements on N'Jie. Just think if we made the same judgements on Kane after as many games.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

@DubaiSpur and @Finney Is Back, both your knowledge of players around the continent is way beyond my own so thanks for sharing. Just out of interest, is there any talent in the lower leagues that would be a good fit? Would that not be safer in some aspect as they're used to the pace?

 

[Finney Is Back]

I don't believe that at all. It's what Levy perhaps wanted to portray, but I'm pretty confident all the Berahino bluster on deadline day was just for the cameras.

The exact zero net spend (again, 11th window in a row) and how similar a player Son is to Berahino, seems very strongly to suggest to me that he was instead of Berahino.

We made 2 official bids on deadline day. Contract details were agreed with his agent and the player. Why on earth would Levy want to do anything for the cameras? It makes no sense at all.

 

[billyiddo]

I believe N'jie only made the step up to senior football last season which i think is worth keeping in mind when appraising him - which makes this his second season as a senior pro and his first in a new country/league and also one in which he has barely played - i know people are quick to judge but if you genuinely think you've seen enough of him to make any judgement then you really are wasti g your talents and should be looking for a scouting job somewhere

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

@DubaiSpur and @Finney Is Back, both your knowledge of players around the continent is way beyond my own so thanks for sharing. Just out of interest, is there any talent in the lower leagues that would be a good fit? Would that not be safer in some aspect as they're used to the pace?

Afobe at Wolves having a slightly slower season but has all the tools to be a success and make the step up. Andre Grey at Burnley looks good but then I thought Deeney always looked good(though he has started to score a bit more this season) Afobe is the one I would say has a chance.

Or if Villa go down we should look at Gestede he has the height we need and i Like him.

 

[AdamB]

I think it is too early to be making any judgements on N'Jie. Just think if we made the same judgements on Kane after as many games.

I always said Kane would make it!!! On one those smug moments when you go against the crowd and are right!! On Njie, I was commenting on his position based on what his attributes are - I think its relatively ok to do that as someone doesn't suddenly become skilful, or bigger, or faster etc; harder to say after a handful of sub appearances re whether he'd make it

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

Afobe at Wolves having a slightly slower season but has all the tools to be a success and make the step up. Andre Grey at Burnley looks good but then I thought Deeney always looked good(though he has started to score a bit more this season) Afobe is the one I would say has a chance.

Or if Villa go down we should look at Gestede he has the height we need and i Like him.

Thanks Danish. I will be sure to look out for them if and when they are being shown on tv.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

I always said Kane would make it!!! On one those smug moments when you go against the crowd and are right!! On Njie, I was commenting on his position based on what his attributes are - I think its relatively ok to do that as someone doesn't suddenly become skilful, or bigger, or faster etc; harder to say after a handful of sub appearances re whether he'd make it

Ha! Well, I didn't say he would make it, I was just one where I felt a bit more patience was needed. As for N'Jie, I think he has a lot more natural bulking up to do. I think he will be our Mane, so not our no 9 but again I know f all.

 

[DubaiSpur]

@DubaiSpur and @Finney Is Back, both your knowledge of players around the continent is way beyond my own so thanks for sharing. Just out of interest, is there any talent in the lower leagues that would be a good fit? Would that not be safer in some aspect as they're used to the pace?

Like a Dele Alli again, you mean? Honestly, I don't think so. I've watched Moussa Dembele (against MK Dons) and he was..somewhat unconvincing. Strong, difficult to muscle off the ball, and very determined to run at defenders, but he missed four chances in and around scoring the one he did send in: that, and his passing was very inaccurate. He rushed to press the defenders quite often, but the 'recovery' phase of the press (when you get back into position once the ball is played beyond you) was missing: I was surprised he wasn't caught offside more than he was, since he strolled back into position quite languidly at times.

Beyond that, I honestly don't know, mate. My little knowledge of European football is balanced out by a non-existent knowledge of the lower leagues: beyond the teams and their stories, the players and their form is an absolute mystery to me.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Thanks, mate.

Lacazette - actually, too small. He's only 5'9, and our H is 6'2 going on 6'3: if we wanted a lightning-fast forward to get in behind defences or dribble at them, he'd be useful, but we already have Son and N'Jie for that role. We need a larger striker.
Zaza - I actually thought he'd be great back-up for us in the summer (when he was linked) - being a big, strong, hard-working forward, he seemed to tick a lot of boxes. However, Juve snapped him up for 12 million quid, and I'm not sure that they'd sanction making a loss on that fee so soon (and I'm not sure we'd pay more than that for a player from Serie A, given our experience with Lamela).
Icardi - attitude. This is the guy that slept with his teammate's wife while those two were in a difficult bit, and then married her as soon as they got divorced: plus, he's said before that football's just boring and a job, and was subsequently criticized for a lack of effort in games by Roberto Mancini (a man who himself was hardly an examplar of physical effort in his playing days).
Alcacer - too expensive, too wanted by the likes of City and United (evidently), and is even shorter and slimmer than Lacazette (4 centimetres shorter).
Embolo - I considered him, but apparently Claus Allofs (the sporting director of Wolfsburg) publicly confirmed that they were working on closing a deal for him recently - given the number of Swiss players currently at Wolfsburg (4 or 5, I believe) and their connections to the country, I have little doubt that he'll end up going there.
Slimani - 27 and counting - also, you're right, questionable work rate.
Negredo - way too old, way too 'short term' for Poch to consider (he didn't want Austin - I don't think he'd want Negredo).

Thanks Dubai - good summary.
Re: Zaza. Juve's treatment of him has been strange. I wonder whether they paid the £12 million for him because they would've looked silly if he had gone elsewhere and done well. The fact that he hasn't had a look in there suggests that they would be open to selling him I think, especially as they are well stocked for options up front. I think all it would take is a modest profit on what they paid for him.

Re: Negredo. I'm not talking about a permanent transfer, just a six month loan. That would allow us to either bring in a Dembele type and leave him at Fulham until the summer and/or wait until the main Summer window for more permanent cover/competition for Kane. The reason I want Negredo is because from what I saw of him at Emirates Marketing Project he looked to be perfectly suited to PL football and he had many similar attributes to Harry Kane. I also think he could come in and hit the ground running, which is essential in the position we are in.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

I honestly think the is one already in the prem who might be gettable and who would do well in a poch team but who is perhaps not a headline grabber and that is Gestede(spelling) at Villa, he has a terrific work rate and is good at holding up the ball and bringing others into play as well as offering a height option. Villa could become desperate soon as well.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Like a Dele Alli again, you mean? Honestly, I don't think so. I've watched Moussa Dembele (against MK Dons) and he was..somewhat unconvincing. Strong, difficult to muscle off the ball, and very determined to run at defenders, but he missed four chances in and around scoring the one he did send in: that, and his passing was very inaccurate. He rushed to press the defenders quite often, but the 'recovery' phase of the press (when you get back into position once the ball is played beyond you) was missing: I was surprised he wasn't caught offside more than he was, since he strolled back into position quite languidly at times.

Beyond that, I honestly don't know, mate. My little knowledge of European football is balanced out by a non-existent knowledge of the lower leagues: beyond the teams and their stories, the players and their form is an absolute mystery to me.

I have absolutely no problem at all with a young striker who misses 4 chances and scores 1 goal in a game. Show me a young striker who can get himself 5 chances in a game of football and I'll show you a very, very good player. Getting into the right positions is the hard bit, the finishing tends to develop as the player gains experience and also gets used to playing against top level instead of youth keepers where suddenly you have to find the corners instead of just hitting the target.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I honestly think the is one already in the prem who might be gettable and who would do well in a poch team but who is perhaps not a headline grabber and that is Gestede(spelling) at Villa, he has a terrific work rate and is good at holding up the ball and bringing others into play as well as offering a height option. Villa could become desperate soon as well.

Is he good enough on the deck for us?

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Is he good enough on the deck for us?

that is something Mitchell will have to decide, I am not saying I would want him as our main striker, but that i think he could offer a similar service for us that Kane does, he is not as good as Kane.

He interests me.

 

[billyiddo]

Villa fans on a mixed forum i frequent seem to think he's pony and definitley not a lone forward

 

[Finney Is Back]

@DubaiSpur and @Finney Is Back, both your knowledge of players around the continent is way beyond my own so thanks for sharing. Just out of interest, is there any talent in the lower leagues that would be a good fit? Would that not be safer in some aspect as they're used to the pace?

From what I have seen of him Benik Afobe looks like he might have what it takes. 23 goals in 38 games for England when playing in the u16s - 21s and 19 in 32 for Wolves after 1 in 2 for MK Dons the year before. A former Arsenal academy graduate so (despite what we think of them) he got a proper football schooling. 6ft tall, pacy and a good all round player. The only question mark about him is that he seems to be playing in the number 10 role for Wolves instead of as the number 9 (although does that just mean he is like Harry Kane in that respect?) Norwich had a £10 million bid for him knocked back in the Summer so it looks like it would take a big fee to persuade Wolves to sell and I wonder whether they would only do so at the end of the season if they miss out on promotion.

 

[DubaiSpur]

From what I have seen of him Benik Afobe looks like he might have what it takes. 23 goals in 38 games for England when playing in the u16s - 21s and 19 in 32 for Wolves after 1 in 2 for MK Dons the year before. A former Arsenal academy graduate so (despite what we think of them) he got a proper football schooling. 6ft tall, pacy and a good all round player. The only question mark about him is that he seems to be playing in the number 10 role for Wolves instead of as the number 9 (although does that just mean he is like Harry Kane in that respect?) Norwich had a £10 million bid for him knocked back in the Summer so it looks like it would take a big fee to persuade Wolves to sell and I wonder whether they would only do so at the end of the season if they miss out on promotion.

Kenny Jackett was complaining about his lack of defensive effort recently (saw it on Sky). Doubt he's fit for us, on that criteria alone.