We’d have had a pretty terrible window, left yet another manager short of what he needs, and the squad is too thin for three games a week, but padding it out with filler creates its own issues, and has contributed to the problems we’ve had with squad-building in recent years
I think that most of the names currently being linked aren't filler. I am more worried that we are flitting between profile types and don't seem to have a clear idea of the type of players we want.
This is the risk/reward in appointing a manager like Frank who is adaptable. In theory the club can focus on opportunities (MGW release clause, Xavi Simons to Chelsea stalling) and the manager can figure it out.
But to me that's just a different way of defining "filler" - padding the squad out with players who aren't at the required level or do not fit the profiles we lack
The names I am seeing are easily good enough to improve our squad. What I don't get is how you go from MGW, to Eze, to Simons. They're all good players but completely different. I would prefer us to identify a profile and then have a list of similar players to work down.
Eze and MGW are different profiles but Simons isn't too dissimilar to Eze but even more focused on ball carrying (and poses more of a goal threat than both). As far as I understand, Simons was the first target before the MGW opportunity came up
I'm not very keen on the DataMB radars to compare profiles. I think that it is quite selective in the metrics it uses and that can be misleading
Sure, it's a crude way the following point: the flitting between profiles thing is overegged. They're not that disimmilar. MGW aside (which was an opportunity that we were alerted to) we've been focusing on ball carrying 10s who pose a goal threat, rather than passers
Obviously we're all entitled to an opinion on whether that's the correct focus. I'm certainly sympathetic with the view that we need more passers. What I disagree with is the suggestion that it's absolutely essential to fix immediately, especially if we can't find the right player
I agree but occasionally wonder - (likely unnecessarily) charitably - whether actually we're just after a bunch of different profiles
I think that historically, we have had an issue with buying good players with no plans of how to fit them into a functioning team. We see a bit of that now with us having a lot of midfielders with very similar profiles. You would hope that a DoF should help avoid this
If somehow, miraculously, we emerge from this dumpster fire with e.g. Akliouche and/or BEK for the Maddison profile then ok, i guess
Akliouche is a nonstarter. Price is too high for this stage of the window. BEK has been available all summer and we haven't moved for him. His price has now gone up because Leicester are convinced there's a chance to get Saudi money for him. Will we pay substantially over his expired release clause?
With the caveat that we're all feeding off scraps re credible info, the reported price for Akliouche is ~47m...is that too high www.thetransferflow.com/p/here-s-a-f... ?
My Akliouche concern is the rumour that he is holding out for a move to PSG next summer
Sure...and not completely sold on the fit - despite Alex Barker's vid - and the apparent similarity to Deki. BEK really feels like it was the *sensible* option that should have been wrapped ages ago.
That was May. It's reportedly gone up significantly, especially at this stage of the window.
Hmm, as of 3-4d ago a whole bunch of highly credible lol outlets reporting that Monaco would accept 47.5 but again, no/low info environment so 🤷
Either way, we haven't gone for him and, tbh, I haven't seen any credible link either (but, as mentioned before, I think the number of credible journos reporting on transfers is very low)
Re BEK, seems we're interested / have been linked for a while but other stuff / players have got in the way - maybe bad process, sure - but was under impression w sale of Justin they're under less pressure to sell other players and price change wasn't huge but 🤷
Also, assuming the Savinho deal is dead, I haven't seen a single credible link by a journalist I trust (which, tbf, is a very short list). The Simons thing might have legs as we put in a lot of time with him earlier in the window, before Chelsea turned his head