Tchouameni is going to end up at Manchester United, I think. I don’t think they’ll sell Fede Valverde, though I’d love him here.
This is what I thought was the plan when we bought Isak and Ekitike and let Diaz walk without a replacement. And it might have been the plan if Isak and Ekitike actually had time to play together.
Dont really rate Tchouameni to be honest and Madrid rarely let anyone go that is good unless they´re young like Odegaard.
I think we can do better. Utd kinda signing.
You dont build a game plan requiring two strikers on the pitch at the same time with just 2 front line strikers at the club. Slot has repeated numerous times that we have them both because the work load is too much for one guy to play all the games, but that there are ways to get them into the same side if needed (Hugo off the left).
Of course, WTF the game plan was going into this season has been shit so it may get ripped up and see us try something else next season, but this question is one I dont see why people are so desperate for alternative answers to other than the obvious one and the one Slot has repeatedly provided.
3 Likes
Yeah, I know he said that. But I also don’t think you spend 220M on a pair of strikers that you don’t plan to play together often. And 2 up front was the most natural way to make that happen, IMO.
That isn’t to say that was the only way they’d play. They obviously planned to play Mo and Gakpo as well. Possibly switch between three up front with one central striker and a front two striker pairing, depending on the opposition and the needs to rest/rotate.
But if they weren’t planning to play with two strikers up front, then why not buy a winger instead? Ekitike is, at best, an awkward fit on the wing. And Isak is certainly not a winger.
We lost two strikers in the summer. No on thought it was strange to have both, both of whom thought they were good enough to play. It would have been very strange to not go and buy two if we didnt think there was someone else at the club we thought could be repurposed as a back up potential front line option
3 Likes
I think buying two made sense but for that kind of money and blowing most of our budget on two, quite questionable. Isak/ekitike and one cheaper younger striker would have left us money spare.
We desperately needed to be buying a wide player.
I suppose we didnt expect Hugo to be so ready and he was that younger striker, but still very expensive.
1 Like
Now we’ve come to a theory that Ekitike and Isak up top regularly only makes sense if we actually have 4 strikers.
1 Like
Just wondering if anyone still thinks young Elliot Anderson is still all that? - considering tonight was his first start in 7 days and he we facing an elderly/ or premier league experienced Villa midfield 
I’m not disputing buying two. I’m disputing spending 220M on two with the goal of rotating them. It would be one thing if we bought Isak and then more of a mid tier developmental option. But we spent 130M on one and 90M on the other. That’s an enormous amount of money to spend on a rotation, especially when Isak was the best striker on the market and one of the best in the world last year and you’d expect him to play almost every match when fit.
2 Likes
Didnt see the game but I think he´s great.
What I really like about him is that he does everything with purpose. He wants to get on the ball and get his team forward, zipping it through the lines quickly.
One criticism I would have of Wharton is sometimes he looks a bit casual.
I didn’t watch the game either. But I would hate to see Liverpool go in for him next just because he’s home grown and say ok he’s double his previous value at what £80m? - basically for a player that his current club still hasn’t secured 16th place in the premier league yet.
Done fuk all … and over-priced!
But do you not think he´s really good?
We do also need home grown players and spirit and bite and he has that too.
Remember Roberston was relegated at Hull and is one of our best ever full backs. He was cheap though.
What would any top midfielder do in that Forest side?
No but thanks for participating
1 Like
He is good, but they aren’t going to look at him unless say Jones and/or MacAllister goes first.
And Forest would be hard ball and say he can’t leave for less than stupid money … but why? He’s actually still only potential and not a winner player like our 2 current midfielders that may or may not be leaving?
If he’s not an improvement on what we already have then his price should reflect that, otherwise it’s fantasy football league, and that’s just stupid logic.
I would actually use any spare money to ensure Szoboszlai is signed up for a couple more years before blowing it on a player finishing in 16th place 
For me he is comfortably better than what we have and I´d happily sell Macallister. You are right though that they will demand a lot of money.
To be honest, I wouldn´t mind if any of our midfielders left. I know Szobo has some big moments and works hard but I don´t think he´s that good at general midfield stuff like stopping attacks, running the game or creating chances. If it was me building the side I´d focus on a midfield that does that and have the front 3 or 4 be the ones who score.
For me I´d look at Anderson, Wharton and Hjulmand at Sporting. I can´t think of any others in that mould I would want.
1 Like
The way I see it with Szoboszlai is that, yeah he’s no Gerrard. However, we’ve missed the forward scoring players for the whole of this season. And he played in all 12 Champions League matches, scoring 5 goals and 4 assists. He seems to get himself up for the big matches. I like that attitude for the mid-week evening events. He would improve by doing it more often though, like with the 3pm’s or the next massive lunch-time midday match on this Saturday 
He does.
it feels odd to say because he´s probably been our best player this year, but I just don´t think he fits into what we should be trying to build. He doesn´t do anything at all to help Isak and Wirtz and we´ve spent so much money on them, it seems silly to set up like that with it not flowing.
He never picks Wirtz out through the lines and he doesn´t create chances for the strikers. Good player but Just think he´s not quite the type of player we need there.
1 Like
I agree, you have to evolve (gradual) from manager to manager, he is not evolving he is changing (immediate).