on another note, if we did sign wharton, i think isak, hugo, wirtz and barcola will be geezing themselves. those through balls. man oh man
Well we also released somebody who was genuinely the best right winger in the world a year ago. Things change fast.
The idea isn´t just to let them go and nothing. It´s to replace them with somebody better who will get you where you want to be.
We can probably get better performance but you will have the same problems to some degree. You´ve got midfielders who perform no clear role other than Jones and don´t particularly work well together or suit the players ahead of them or even behind.
That was my thinking. Especially for Wirtz who thrives on getting the ball zipped into him quickly when he is in those little spaces between the lines.
How many times last season we were bemoaning how he wasn´t getting the ball. Wharton or somebody like him would change that and for me, having your new best player and having a midfield behind him that doesn´t suit him, is quite odd.
@Liverdinner, i knew you would respond as you love yourself some wharton
I bloody do. I´d break down his performance but I don´t think anyone cares.
But it doesn´t have to be him specifically, He makes sense as he fits the abilities and is English, but there must be other players out there who can do that role. Cheaper players.
Angelo Stiller apparently scores really highly on passing and progression metrics, and I didnât realise that he apparently has a 40m euro release clause. Iâm actually surprised no PL club has gone in for him as yet.
That is dirt cheap in this market. Indeed, really surprising nobody has bought him if so.
he is brilliant but it would be difficult for me as i would want to defend him and kill anyone who talked shit about him or looked at him the wrong way
It certainly wasnât for effort, when it happened it seemed after a failed press
**Andoni Iraola on Florian Wirtz: **
âObviously like all the others, but with him especially we need a good version of Florian. We know what he can give us, he suits our game model. I see him in a position behind a striker, we are going to start working with him in that position.â
âHe is quite complete as a player. We want to add more things to what he already has which is very good. He is in a good place mentally.â
Andoni Iraola on Isak:
âAlex is exciting, he has come in a good place, good World Cup, comfortable. First training here, still early but I hope he can play vs Leeds and have a proper pre-season. Not long but 3/4 weeks of quality training I hope and he is in a good place because he is going to MASSIVE for us.â
Andoni Iraola on Joe Gomez injury:
âItâs a massive injury. I always say one month, maybe less. But itâs impossible to have him for the start of the Premier League season but not so long after that."
Szoboszlai on Iraola:
âHe is very good. The intensity we need is here now, what we have been missing is back. From the coach side and the players, now we have to put this together.â
Andoni Iraola on the squad:
âA lot of players have surprised me, younger players. A lot of them have given a very high level in this tour, still have room to grow. And we will recover players, we wonât have the same 11 as yesterday for Newcastle. We have important ones from the World Cup who take more responisibility and now it is a challenge.
âWe have bring new ones in slowly, players who know where we are going and can help in this process."
This makes a lot more sense from seeing Bournemouth, the previous statement about wanting another winger and the players linked seeming to all be âleft wingersâ once Diomande fell through.
It might take us fans a bit of adjusting but guess we need to start thinking of the options for wingers/wide players as a group rather than specifically thinking x is a left winger or y is a right winger.
I expect there will be a lot of rotation out wide between and within games with Wirtz playing central.
The thing with Harvey looking like Mr Jelly⌠Unlikely, but iâve been wondering if his conditioning is by desire. Meaning, in the boxing world for example, many boxers have to carry a bit of flab/weight in a similar fashion as opposed to being all âpaint by numbersâ muscular⌠Something to do with muscle, as opposed to âflabâ, deprives the body of oxygen during any exertions, to save gasping for breathâŚ
Like I said, maybe itâs unlikely that Harvey is carrying extra weight on the say so of a personal trainer as such, more a fact he has taken a liking to scoffing some extra donuts..!
I want rid of Jones. Shouting, ego, not good enough. See ya. We can do better.
I might have to try that excuse, itâs not flab - my conditioning is by desire 
In other news and absolutely no surprise to anyone:
Andoni Iraola has revealed Joe Gomez is to miss the start of the Premier League season and will be out for âsome weeksâ through injury.