At this point , it makes some sense to have chiesa stick around. He’s not going to get much in transfer fee if we do decide to sell him.
Keep him for continuity and hope he gets better and is more fit as the season goes on.
Would lesson the load on players (potentially) as he’s someone who can play across the forward line and possibly in AM as well.
I’m not against keeping Chiesa but it’s a risk with how little he was picked last season. I’d hope he’d only be our 6th choice for the forward positions if he is kept.
Yeah, pretty much what I said.
In that case, I’m starting to doubt whether we’ll even go for Fofana.
The depth on the right side might be more in need, because now we’re losing some players who could do a job there in Jota and Diaz.
Now it could be someone like Szoboszlai or Elliott if he stays. Or Frimpong.
As much as I would love to see more of Rio, I’m not too happy on relying on a 17 year old for cover.
I suspect that we will see our formation tweaked.
Tbf our list of forwards next season will likely be:
Isak, Ekitike, Nunez (Rodrygo if Saudis buy Nunez), Salah, Wirtz, Chiesa (Fofana if he goes back to Italy), Rio, so it’s not like we’d be relying on him. He’d be bottom of the pecking order, Frimpong will probably get more minutes as a forward while Salah is at AFCON
Pretty okay with the depth on the right side even if Elliot goes.
We’ve got Soboszlai, Frimpong , Doak and Chiesa(assuming we want to keep Doak and Chiesa )
I don’t see us getting Rodrygo.
5 forwards plus Danns from the youth and Frimpong/Dom as a backup RW should be fine.
Szoboszlai is a key pressing figure centrally. Frimpong is there, but then he’ll probably be mainly our RB competitor. I don’t think Chiesa and Doak will be here.
Let’s see.
Club might well want to keep hold of either Chiesa and Doak if good offers aren’t forthcoming.
If we value Doak at 30m , as has been reported.
Surely he’s good enough to get some minutes in the domestic cups.
When we create two XI’s (not too important who’s exactly in which XI, but we need 22 players), with the players reported to come and go (Isak in, probably a CB in, but the likes of Nunez, Chiesa and possibly Elliott out, small question mark still over Harvey), we have some empty spaces. I’m alright if Ngumoha is our “6th forward” or “22nd player”. But I don’t want us to have more of these spaces where we have to seriously count on Ngumoha, someone like Nyoni, etc. As much as promising they are.
Gk - Alisson Mamardashvili
RB Frimpong Bradley
LB Kerkez Robbo
CB Konate VVD Gomez Guehi*
CM Mac Grav Endo Jones
CAM Wirtz Soboszlai Elliot*
RW Salah Chiesa* Doak*
CF Ekitike Danns * Isak*
LW Gakpo Rio Chiesa*
This is the basic team squas as of now. The * indicates whether the players are yet to be confirmed on their future.
I just see Guehi to be confirmed (which does look likely to happen). And Isak ofcourse.
No other outgoings apart from Elliot/Chiesa/Doak. Maybe Elliot as one. One of Chiesa and Doak can go and we would still be fine.
Not including Bajcetic as we don’t know how he’s been seen internally.
If Nunez does stay , we can probably afford to send Danns on loan and use him but I do think there’s a move happening.
One CB and if we get a second one which will be gravy.
It’s probably two academy guys in Rio and to a lesser extent Danns who will be likely to see minutes. That’s fine by me.
And this is assuming we don’t see a basic shift in formation froma. 4-2-3-1 to a 4-2-2-2.
In which case , we probably would keep more midfielders(likely Elliot) and don’t necessarily need to have 6 forward players.
Hope his decision making has improved. He goes pas players for fun in the first half (watched him a couple of matches on loan) but then doesn’t pick out a good enough pass, or tries to beat another player and gets doubled up, or takes a weak shot (either misdirected or lacking power or both).
I think there are some things that can be taught. Decision making etc etc. But you can’t teach physical attributes.
I’m not counting on the likes of Bajcetic, Doak and Danns until we see them being used or they stay as part of the first team squad next season. In the first 22 players, I think we can have one “Ngumoha”, perhaps two max. Not more than that. We have to fight for the biggest prizes.
Highlights the need for another forward perfectly.
Chiesa as your fifth choice option across two positions, one of which is Salah who’ll be missing for about 10 games at the busiest point if the season. And then the sixth option are a bunch of kids, two of whom had season ending injuries last year and haven’t travelled with the squad for pre-season and the other is a 16 year old, albeit a very exciting one.
For me it’s pretty simple. Isak and Ekitike replace Nunez and Jota. Diaz going means Chiesa is probably fifth choice at the moment and I’m pretty certain he’s on his way. You get one top draw replacement for Chiesa and Diaz and you can then probably live with Ngumoha and the likes Wirtz, Szobo, Frimpong as emergency options for your sixth.
What we absolutely cannot do is have four elite options and then the fifth be a lad whose fitness can’t be trusted and who it appears the manager doesn’t fancy. Worse still would be letting Diaz and Chiesa go and then hoping the likes of Ngumoha, Wirtz, Szobo can fill in, especially during AFCON.
Liking because it’s something that can be debated on.
