I remember seeing one of those five years in the future team predictor things around the time we won the European Cup. Rhian Brewster was at nine and Ryan Kent was on the wing.
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And yet when we have one of the most promising kids in the country in the squad itâs âwell heâs not the messiah and we donât owe him anythingâ and âheâs a bit over hyped at this stageâ.
Then pointing out he made his debut for England just two weeks ago on the right and so could have deputised for Mo Salah last season.
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Yeah I mean we do it for some positions. We´re not total jokers or anything.
No idea if Jacquet is good but lets hope so.
Is Muùoz good enough? I´m not totally convinced but lets hope so.
For the rest, I think it´s well summarised. I do think Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike (without the injuries) would be a different prospect this year and we have had shocking luck.
All of that hinges on Rio being this next big superstar though.
What if he isn´t? Then you´ve got rid of an almost world class winger to make space for Gakpo not being frustrated and for a kid who didn´t come good.
Is it not idealism too to think we have some wonderkid who will definitely work out perfectly? Seems unlikely. But we did absolutely 100 percent certainly, have Diaz performing at a high level at the club.
Yeah I know. You didnt say he cant. Just thought it was interesting given Slot never tried it once.
Critically we do actually do our transfer business with a view to thinking multiple years ahead. That is a big part of a lot of the angst our fans express every window. However, critically that does not mean we have to make sure have the player on board now we envision being the main guy in 2 to 3 years time. That is because there are squad restriction and so every player in the squad needs to have a clear role and we cannot afford assigning a squad spot to someone who isnt expected to contribute. Instead what it means is thinking several years ahead to when weâre going to need to phase out someone and based on our deep understanding of the market deciding which window is the right time to bring in the replacement. That might mean doing it early, as we did with Diaz and Cody if there is room in the squad and a market opportunity. It might mean trying to get by with external internal options to cover for a year if the player we really want needs an extra year.
Our planning is based as much on not bringing the wrong guy in just to do something now, as it is based on making sure weâve got the right guy at the club at the present moment. People may not like the specific decisions being made at times, but this is a not an org that is asleep at the wheel and just isnt thinking about this stuff
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So you want us to identify ones who could step up but when we do the worry is whether he comes good? Well thatâs always the risk/reward of what youâre asking the club to do.
And youâre right, thereâs no certainty with Ngumoha but the club have shown theyâre pretty good at identifying ones who can step up and selling the ones that they donât think can. Canât think of a single one theyâve sold and weâve regretted but you have to give them the chance to see if they can.
The difference being if you donât give him a chance heâll drift away in a couple years. But you give him a shot and he either saves you spending ÂŁ50m on someone else or makes you ÂŁ30m flogging him on.
Nah I´m just pointing out that what you´re suggesting we are doing is no less risky or full of potential issues than keeping Diaz.
If we really believe he is a superstar in the making then it makes some sense, though I still think it´s a hell of a risk we are taking.
I suppose the club rates Gakpo more than I do and see him as the stopgap. With MuĂąoz coming in it makes it interesting who will play, and where.
But this started with you talking about wanting to identify prospective good players earlier before they go to a Brighton/Bournemouth, the club to have longer term thinking and more succession planning. It has ended up with you talking about keeping Diaz because weâd have had a better chance winning with him last season and talking down one of the most exciting young players in the country.
Every decision is risk and reward. But, it seems you donât want the greater risk that comes with either giving youth a chance or having a players legs go whilst under contract, but do want the reward of two players for every position in some kind of chain of succession.
Maybe that can be done but youâd need a lot of money and the appetite for huge player turnover year after year. And even then youâd still end up with the odd Gakpo or Tsimikas type where pretty much everyone thinks theyâre not good enough to be the main man in their position because a hit rate of 50% in the transfer market would be considered pretty damn good.
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There is also a little bit of revisionism about Diaz. I donât think anyone considered him world class during his time here. He was electric and capable of brilliance but he was also inefficient and lacking in end product. He was also regularly bitching to the media and trying to force his way out of the club - either directly or through his agent and father.
Heâs gone up a level at Bayern and that is influencing our judgement of what was at the time seen as a decent fee for a 28 year old winger with two years on his contract and whose best goal return in a season was 13 in the league
He was excellent but he was not a world class player, for us.
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And for balance as much as I love how he plays, statically he is a distant 3rd best among Bayerns from 3.
That being said, his ability to do a job as a temporary CF for us a year ago was absolutely key in winning a title.
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So, I was thinking the other day itâs a good thing Iâm not a sporting director with access to lots of money.
Thereâs a guy playing for Morocco I had never heard of before this tournament, Bilal El Khannous. I looked him up, 22 years old, apparently plays for Leicester. Iâm not sure what division theyâre in, I assume itâs the Championship.
Iâd buy him, purely based on the World cup so far. Looks amazing.
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Brilliant stuff!
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No he was on loan at Stuttgart and they made it permanent recently.
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Rebuilds take time.
It is fine to go into a season or two undermanned if that allows us to be better in the long run. We donât replace Salah with a like for like because that doesnât exist. That means we have to set up differently which means buying players with a different skillset and at one point you will be caught in between.
Thatâs why the many clubs who try to refresh and just keep playing the same end up becoming inferior versions of themselves every season.
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Ah, ok. Well thatâs not all bad, maybe theyâll sell him in a couple of years! 
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Would go nicely with Christ Inao Oulai who I would have bought for us after the Ivory Coast versus Germany game at the weekend.
However, according to the internet heâs off to one of Fulham, Sunderland, Brentford, Chelsea or Barcelona for somewhere between ÂŁ20m-âŹ50m.
To be fair to you he was one of the few bright sparks when they were relegated from the Premier League. Not sure how he did with Stuttgart this year but there is a decent chance youâre not crazy!
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Ha I didnt specifically say Brighton or Bournemouth. I mentioned Rayan but other people started talking about Brighton. I was saying to bring in a prospective player or two a year or two ago so we didnt end up in this situation right now with all the pressure to get it right and bring in great options right now.
I do get your point. My response to the Rio would be it doesnt have to be two players but you cant have both flanks as weak as we have them. If youre prioritising youth on one side, the other has to be rock solid.
I said he wasn´t quite world class above. I actually said it.
I would have been happy to sell him and upgrade (more so Gakpo). For me the issue was just selling him and doing nothing, especially considering our lack of options on the right wing.
I dont really agree. Yes rebuilds take time but you have to rebuild while you are on top from a position of strength.
If you can´t find a Salah replacement, you replace him in the aggregate. Top left winger for example. Really you are constantly rebuilding. It´s not you wait 5 years and go okay now we rebuild. it´s a constant process as players age, leave or arent of the standard.