Joao Palhinha
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When we had Sissoko. We replaced him with a better versionā¦Mascherano.
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With all the new posts I came in here excited to read promising news about Diomande - stop laughing - only to see a tactical discussion about midfielders.
I would agree that the level we aspire to needs more than a good tackler/give it simple sort of player. But I very much understand the appeal, even of a limited player like that, because as we have watched teams waltz right through us this season, there have been many times when Iāve just wanted someone to stick their foot in and stop it!
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Just a recycled link to Van Hecke todayā¦ Apparently Spurs are targeting him, I think Spurs are targeting everyone it seems. A bit like when Man Utd told the world who they wanted and got half of them.
Tottenham are targeting Brightonās Jan Paul van Hecke, 25, though Chelsea and Liverpoolare also interested in the Netherlands centre-back. (Teamtalk)
Iād let them have all the CBās theyāre linked with if they sell Vuskovic to us.
Thing is also, not all of those players are best sat in front of the defence, be it as single pivots or part of double-pivots.
Kante was indeed one of the worldās best, letās call him more defensive minded midfielders, but he was never best suited to be sat in front of the defence. To get the best out of him, you needed to let him be able to move around. And then as Pogba said recently, he could make a team feel like they have 12 players.
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And he was pretty much the type of midfielder talking about and he was fantastic.
Sissoko was also good.
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Are we totally convinced Diomande is the one?
He looks quick and direct at the very least. Beats men by pace a lot but I do wonder if he could cut through teams sitting deeper.
Iāve been an early and consistent advocate of signing Diomande. The nearest sure thing to replace Mo Salah is Olise. Failing something like that, arguably PSG might sell Barcola or something like that?
When I started talking about Diomande I expected a steep fee of around 60M for relatively unproven talent. That price will now likely be 80M as he is putting up a decent breakthrough season.
My thinking is he is fast and can beat a man for fun, either side. He has also shown a bit of an eye for goal. Crazy as it sounds, itās still a gamble. The money has gone through the roof for emerging talent, but heās the one I would probably go for.
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Yeah and Olise will be Ā£160M after the season heās just had.
My goodness, what a beast of a player heās become!!
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Yet we could pay 80 million and pay him 100k a week and heād still be cheaper than keeping Mo on the books
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The problem is that Fabinho did all the things that you are saying he didnāt do. Not with the regularity that someone for whom it would their primary role, but the idea that Fabinho was a pure destroyer is wildly under estimating his footballing abilities and his contribution to Kloppās team. He was a wonderful player who shielded the defence, but added so much additional quality on the ball.
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Smashed in a beauty against City.
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But doesnāt Diomande play mostly off the left and is right footed?
Iād prefer to look at Rayan.
Played mostly off the right this season. But long term, the left side could be his best position. Where he plays for Ivory Coast (9 games).
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As for Fabinho, adding so much quality on the ball? Nah, thatās pushing it. He was capable on the ball, decent, right on the edge not to worry about in possession but nothing seriously more than that. Hence why we added Thiago (and seeked to get similar from other players) to help from build up to connecting through the lines. Plus Trent of course. He was a key player for us through the spine since 2019 to about 2022, but he wasnāt a very complete player and was in the more defensive minded but just about good enough on the ball DM #6 bracket. Other ones add so much quality on the ball, not him. What he did do was immensely important and he did it really well for a bit more than 3 years or so. Prime example being Barca at home, for me he was MOTM that night and allowed us to go and do what we did. Because if we had conceded a goal at any point, it wouldāve been truly over.
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I think his on the ball ability was massively underestimated. Iām not suggesting he was prime Xabi, but he had much more ability on the ball than you normally see in a number six.
I know, heās not Xabi and he was not someone who couldnāt play or we worried about in the possession phase or getting pressed. We wouldnāt bring him or couldnāt even do what we did with such a player. But no, in those levels (and there are of course more than two), he was nothing particularly special in possession. Keep things tidy and pass to players better in that was enough for us from him.
Jacob Murphy is right footed and plays on the rightā¦
And bang average.
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