If we sign Leoni it gives us some leverage to hold firm on our price for Guehi. Ā£35M or we come back to it in January/summer 2026.
I think the ideal is signing both, assuming we rate Leoni highly, and leaving the younger player in Italy on loan for a season to continue to gain experience. We could have a clause to recall him if we have an injury crisis, but Virg, Konate, Guehi and Gomez as four recognized central defenders should be enough.
Leoni then comes to join the party next summer, by which time a few current unknowns about the upcoming season will start to resolve. E.g. Will Konate sign a new deal? How much will Gomez be available? Will Virg be at his imperious best and/or how much will we need to start rotating him?
We should put ourselves into a position where Virgil can be protected this season already. He shouldnāt be playing in any domestic cup competitions unless we reach the final.
I have never seen Leoni but part of my concern over this summer is us over rating our own cleverness. I guess is Slot just doesnt rate Quansah that is one thing, but bringing in 40m for a young defender already well tested at this level only to turn around and spend almost all of it on a younger less tested players still more of a prospect than a contributor seems like the sort of deal liable to blow up in your face.
The Diaz move feels potentially in this category as well. I get the rationale, but there is an awful lot that has to go right for it be a move worth making at this time given all the other changes.
The most stalkerish of all songs. Itās not romantic at all.
Wonder if we will look to play a system with 3cbs in some games this season?
Is Leoni THAT much better than Quansah?
Donāt forget landing on Mars as the last clause
It feels a bit hypocritical of me to express reservations at selling Quansah, because I was very much of the opinion that if the club did not feel he had had the capacity to grow into a regular first teamer, then we should take the Ā£40m on offer and invest it in someone who does.
I hadnāt realised quite how thin the CB market would be, and I suppose Quansah bringing bids of Ā£40 should have really tipped me off.
From what Iāve seen of Leoni, which is very little, he does seem to have a calmness about him and has dare I say a little of the way Virgil glides around the pitch about him. But no idea of his level beyond that. Bringing him in probably gets us no better for this season than we were with Quansah, although the ceiling might be a bit higher.
It might even be that we get this kid, and then call Palaceās bluff on Guehi - weāll take him now for 20m or weāll take him for free next year. It might be that weāll look to activate the buy back on Quansah if he develops well, or there might be an emerging option by that point that hasnāt come up now.
I think the point with Leoni is that they see him as more talented and therefore a better investment/long term prospect for the role of a young CB learning behind VVD.
Every transfer comes with risk. Its not about eliminating risk, but keeping it down to a minimum, through proper scouting.
So far, they have gotten far more right than wrongā¦So Iām not sure where the āover rating our own clevernessā comes from.. Especially for a recruitment team with a reputation for being risk averseā¦
I saw Leoni in I think 4 Serie A games last season. He immediately stood out for me. But never expected we would show interest in himā¦But I remember thinking he was one to watchā¦
His game vs Napoli especially stood out for meā¦
If we tie up Isak, Guehi, and Leoniā¦are we still going to have concerns about our options out wide?
For me, yes. I honestly think weād still be one forward short. Someone who could cover both LW and RW would be ideal.
Absolutely.
& in midfield.
A proper DM you mean?
I guess if weāre looking for the absolute perfect squad, which ought to be the aim, sure. Iām not sure perfection is attainable this window.
If Ekitike really can work on the left, then itās decent depth in the forward line. Although some of that depth is Chiesa, who will really need to get more minutes then last season and itās hard to know if he has the fitness and trust to get that.
Yep, Iād rather get 1 defender and 2 forwardsā¦