I think we’d get a cheaper one, yes, if the club decide he’s too expensive. There doesn’t seem to be anyone else who would cost a similar amount of money. I’ve no idea who it would be, but based on rumours I’m guessing we’d go for Mbaye? Not sure we’re getting both him and Barcola, although I’d like that.
But it’s hard to say, with Diomande off the market I feel Barcola is in a tier of his own now when it comes to options.
I agree. I think Barcola is THE standout candidate. He´s the one player available who has had a few good seasons and delivered at a high level.
I´d be a little disappointed if we just got Mbaye and nobody else. He´s promising but I doubt he´s ready to come and be the main man for us yet.
But otherwise, in Europe, outstanding candidates? I like Ezde but he´s not a big profile signing. He´s be a bit of a Diaz maybe who we expect to get better. Yildiz? A good season but not enough to be sure he´d be a top performer for us. Same with anyone else I can think of. Minteh, William Gomes.
If we don´t get Barcola maybe we would be better off buying any outstanding midfielder or right back and waiting a year for the wide player option.
I’m taking the words from the PSG president after the super cup final as good news. I’m optimistic about it, I think we’ll get him.
But yes, if we don’t, I might need to lie down for a moment. Not sure what the plan B would be.
Nyoni is not exactly an actual defensive midfielder like Morton. Right now there is only an aging Endo.
Yet, we still keep the perennially injured Bajcetic here. Plus the much less talented McConnell (well, his pre-season performances have proved my point). Morton has like 3-4 more years of senior football than both of them.
Compared to Wharton and Scott, we can get Morton for a much better price - he has been going under radar, and we still have a sell-on clause on him.
Morton is playing 6 but is more of a metronome 6 and not a DM, he has never been a DM, he originally was a creative 8, who could add a goal or 2.
He is also playing in France. Slower league.
When has a player return after being sold (clubs choice not theirs eg Rush) ever really worked?
Tyler Morton is doing a better job for Liverpool at Lyon (showing there is value to be had by paying big money for our academy graduates) than he would in our first team.
He’d be a squad player at best here, and he strikes me as the kind of player that needs to be part of the action every week.
Me neither but i would totally understand if we spent the money on non wing positions.
But yes I think we will sign him.
Yes he is a passing player not somebody who is going to be a rock in front of the back four or charge around winning the ball back.
Decent player but we´re not a Morton away from being solid in midfield.
OTOH, buying an elite deep midfielder like Wharton means Grav and Macca going straight to the bench, plus a high-level homegrown talent with cost big money.
Morton is an option if you don’t want to cough up 80-100m for a homegrown player.
I wouldn´t mind them being benched at all and having a stronger bench. I wouldn´t even mind them being sold if we were buying midfielders.
Hell if I was at the wheel we´d be looking to buy both a ball playing midfielder AND a ball winning DM.
But I do see your point and your logic, for sure. Morton is a good player, home grown and cheap. He could probably do a job for us in midfield. I just think we´d be better off buying a starting player OR looking for an up and coming midfielder like Rice, WHarton and Anderson were but obviously cheaper.
It looks like Barcola is happening, and we have cooled on Mbaye due to the price. We might still sign both if they can do something on the price for the pair, but if not, I’m still wondering about Fernandez-Pardo instead of Mbaye. He can play right across the front three so the versatility would be of great help, especially to help back up Isak while Ekitike recovers.
A deal for both Barcola and Fernandez-Pardo would assume Gakpo would depart for Spurs.
I think he´s a very interesting player from what I have seen. Quick, very good goal threat and can go past probably any full back on his day.
Then again he didn´t do much at the World Cup (so maybe he´s not ready) and he plays from the left rather than the right.
But an interesting shout.
When has Wharton been a deep midfielder?
In wanky terms, he’s a classic regista.
I haven’t seen us linked with many midfielders really in this transfer window, which for me was our weakest area last season ( with the possible exception of right back). Glad we got another senior centre back in and jacquet is on his way to fitness so maybe we’ll be ok in that position if those 2 perform. But we are still woefully inadequate in the middle. Grav, Macca and to a lesser extent Jones were woeful last season. Dom was pretty decent with some world class goals thrown in.
I guess from the clubs point of view, they spent a fuck load of money last summer so maybe this one always had to be a lesser window - but we are absolutely miles away from challenging with this squad and esspecially this midfield. I fear that we’ll be back to scraping into top 4 again and seeing that as a successful season if we don’t get it right now. Iraola only signed for 2 years, he ain’t gonna extend if the squad is not adequate to challenge eith in my view. 2 seasons is nothing.
A good coach should be able to get much more out of the midfield players we have than what we saw last season. I’ll trust Donnie Iraola on that.
Yeah, I think tactics and fitness are bigger issues than personnel, though I do have concerns about Mac. However, I don’t think he’s currently first-choice being behind Dom and Grav, so maybe not being overplayed quite so much will help him.
Keep hearing Nyoni would be Jones replacement if he goes to Inter. Still think we’d need another but it’ll be interesting to see what type of midfielder we go for if we do replace him.