The Unreliable Rumours Discussion Thread (Part 2)

You whore yourself out and then get treated like a whore, fascinating concept.

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Tim Vickery’s comments below. From these comments I’m guessing that the theories that Melo is Thiago’s understudy have weight.

“Surprised and intrigued,” said Vickery. “Liverpool at their best, they are so vertical, they are so relentlessly verticle and Arthur is a more possession-based midfielder.

“You can see him more of a Guardiola-type of midfielder, rather than a Jurgen Klopp-type of a midfielder. When he came up through the ranks, there were huge expectations of him at GrĂȘmio.

“He was always seen as a Barcelona midfielder and that’s where his European adventure started. It hasn’t all come off. The central midfielders (of Brazil) seem to have found it the hardest to adapt to top-level European football. And he hasn’t been getting a game at Juventus.

“There is a player there. Lovely low centre of gravity. Excellent at keeping possession. It looks as though it’s going through and one no-one saw coming.”

Titi looks like he is holding one in.

I find the vertical comments quite amusing. What does it even mean? Does it vary depending on where you are sitting or the camera position or are we just lumping balls into orbit?

To be honest, I am actually quite intrigued by this loan signing but do not want to curse it by being positive.
Watching various youtube clips I can see why there are the Thiago comparisons. He is obviously a talented player, whom has stagnated at big teams where maybe there was over expectation/the team was maybe in recline. Reading through the majority of the comments, he can be reassured that the expectations are quite low :rofl:.

My own opinion is that its a low risk gamble. A talented player who may have lost his way recently. give him the warmth of the squad, fellow Brazilians, the Klopp factor and who knows.
Additionally, we do actually play a lot of square passes. It is usually the two FB’s and Virgil who play the long diag. So I do think this is over thinking on Tim Vickery’s behalf.

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Verticals are just passes in the direction goal to goal. I think his characterisation of us (and city btw given Haaland’s arrival ie they will be more direct) is a bit dated/clichĂ©d but more interested in his comments on the player given Vickery is a South American expert.

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Yeah that is my interpretation, i just find it a strange way of describing a style of play.
Anyhow, the deal is done now, hopefully time will show it to be a shrewd transfer.

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Quite Rightly!

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Wow, if there is one thing that never changed, it’s our knack for negotiations. Signed Arthur on loan with an option to buy. If he turns out shit, we can simply wash our hands off him come end of this season. If he is good and more, we can buy him anytime before 30th June 2023!

Damn, it seems that Julian Ward has learnt a thing or two from Michael Edwards before he left.

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I watched a bit of Sky’s deadline day coverage, and Mina Rzouki, who seems to specialize in Seria A, didn’t seem too impressed by Arthur although her reasons were at odds with what Tim Vickery is saying. According to her, Pirlo was frustrated with him as he wouldn’t follow instructions and keep possession with a short pass. According to Ms. Rzouki, he doesn’t always follow instructions and tends to favour playing more eye-catching forward balls which don’t always come off. Apparently, this explains why he didn’t fit in at Juve.

Anyway, it won’t be long before we find out. If Hendo, Thiago and Keita are all unavailable for the Derby then he’ll probably be making his debut at 12:30 on Saturday.

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didnt read GIF

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Wow he is quite the talent effectively he is two different players depending on who you listen too.

Perhaps Pirlo was just a shit coach?

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Outrageously overrated player too.

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Arthur’s best time at Juve was under Pirlo though. Pirlo was frustrated with the balance of possession passing and through balls, but was using him. Sarri and Agnelli both gave up on him fairly early.

I think the truth of the two interpretations lie in what Vickery is recalling (Gremio, plus Brazil) where Arthur’s primary role was possession passing, but was expected to hit the penetrating pass when he saw it, and the role that Barca and then Juve had in mind - more of a Busquets circulator. More possession-oriented than Vickery thinks of Liverpool as playing, but more willing to hit longer through balls than Barca espouses.

Klopp may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. We need that circulation, but we need it from a midfielder who will see the runs and try to hit them when they are there.

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Ya he could really be shite or he could also be the Henderson of Juve, doing things not appreciated by many. Whatever it is, we will find out. Don’t think he will start even if permit comes through but on the bench at best. I think Milner, Elliot and Fabinho will start and he will come on for Milner if necessary.

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I don’t believe the Reds see Arthur as anything more than a stopgap solution. I believe their primary focus was on trying to secure a long term contributor, but with Touchameni heading elsewhere, Bellingham not available, and Laimer not affordable (without even considering other options they may have inquired about), they decided getting Arthur on loan was their next best option.

They could have tried to spring for Caicedo or Luiz. But perhaps they didn’t feel either was worth the investment at this time. They’ll both be available in the winter as well.

Nothing about how this club operates suggests to me that they’re conservative. Rather, they’re precise, and confident in their scouting and analytical approach. They have good reason to be. The downside to that is that they not as likely to risk a signing that doesn’t fit their mold, especially with their balanced-budget limitation.

Arthur is a quality depth option that was available for a modest loan fee. It’s a necessary move with minimal risk.

And the winter window could afford more options as well.

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I have my doubts Luiz was a serious option.

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Providing he gets international clearance in time :neutral_face:

Yeah, i did wonder if it was an opportunity for the club to call around to get an idea of comparative value or simply a case of villa or his agent name dropping to get a favourable deal from someone else

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There is plenty of comparison we have injuries to key players leaving us short of options.

Ok maybe not season ending injuries but who knows when any of them will be back your guess is as good as mine and by then the ship may have sailed on the league CL etc anyway.

Its not like City drop alot of points whats there average the last 3 seasons 95 ish. Theres only 99 remaining for the whole season. It doesnt give us alot of wiggle room. Not saying its over by any stretch but weve already given them a head start.

This is the fascinating thing, there seem to be diametrically opposed views of who he is and why he’s failed. What it points to is a player who has twice found himself at clubs at a cross roads, where player acquisition was not aligned with what the manager needed and the result was playing for 4 managers over 4 years all of which was a complete tactical mess.

What we know is he arrived at Barcelona as the latest player identified to help them replace Xavi and Iniesta. Unlike the previous ones he actually had the game to do it, but by that time the team had moved on and had several other issues they were trying to solve (namely, what to do with Coutinho). He then went to Juve who were themselves struggling to undergo the opposite transition, from having already adapted to playing quick Sari ball to then having to go back to a more patient game under an inexperienced coach. Pirlo lasted one year and for his second year he played under a guy with no tactical ideology at all, and instead is someone willing to experiment until he finds the right combinations to make the players he has tick. Again, not a recipe for getting a confused team into a coherent side

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