He is 21 years old, a 1.96 left footed Portuguese centre back who plays for Braga. Never seen him play.
Transfermarkt says his market value is £ 5.4m.
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When was the last time Wijnaldum scored for us?
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Plays a different function for us. I’ve thought, throughout, the more “fun” and respectable role he plays for the Netherlands would be a draw towards Barca with Koeman there who used him that way for most of his time as coach of the orange.
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He gets enough chances and he misses them when he plays for us.
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Tbf, if he got for us the chances he got the other day for the Netherlands he wouldn’t miss them.
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Huh!
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Wijnaldum is a versatile player. If the Netherlands had Salah, Mane, Firmino and Jota, I’m sure Wijnaldum would have a more disciplined role in midfield, with less license to roam forward and score.
When he was at Newcastle he scored more, and while he has weighed in with a few goals at Liverpool, we need him to do a different job and use his athleticism to help the team keep shape.
Arguably he would have a more free role at another team, and if and when he moves on, there might be some hand wringing from a few reds about why he didn’t score as many at Liverpool.
Hopefully he stays as he is a good player, but I think we know where this is going. Still, let’s have a good season, even in difficult circumstances, and we still might achieve something special.
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19 year old plays well for us - “Glad he played well but we need more experience instead”
19 year old plays well for Leicester - “OMFG why didn’t we sign him, he’s exactly what we need!”
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Tbf, Fofana’s played 37 senior games at a decent level. Williams has played 3. I’m all for giving Williams his shot but nobody would have been paying £30m+ for him the summer just gone.
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Yeah but that’s not the point really. He’s in the team now and done fine so far but because he came from the Academy the immediate reaction of some is to label him too young, even if he plays well, and look at other players. Those same people then point to another player the same age and use good performances to criticise FSG/Edwards for not signing that player.
30 games isn’t that much in terms of experience. Williams could have 30+ appearances by the end of this season if he continues to play well and van Dijk/Gomez are out for the year. If Williams is too young then so is Fofana. If Fofana isn’t too young then neither is Williams and I don’t think either have played enough in the Premier League to judge for sure how good they actually are.
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Tah’s impressing against Spain right now. What an athlete.
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Stand out player in the mighty German defence
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And by stand out, you mean he keeps standing out away from the rest of them?
That recovery pace though.
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37 games is basically a season. Fofana’s got a season of senior football at a decent level under his belt, Williams hasn’t. They’re not really comparable apart from being the same age, otherwise you could just say the same about any 19yr old, regardless of position, anywhere in the world.
You know better than most how all 19yr olds aren’t the same.
For the record, I’m happy to trust in our young lads but if you offered me the chance to swap either Phillips or Williams for Fofana I’d take it.
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Yes. He knows when it’s best to distance himself
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Personally I don’t think appearances are a perfect measure. Haven’t seen Fofana in a full match yet but by all accounts he has been very good for Leicester and is probably a very good player. However, I often wonder how many games the players in our Academy would have if they played in different leagues. A fair few of them would have made appearances if they were in Ligue Un or the Bundesliga by now, I’m sure. Maybe Williams would have made his breakthrough for Saint Etienne as 17/18 or maybe we will find our he is shit and got away with it for a few matches. I’d rather find our if we have a diamond than take to the market though.
Williams has played well so far, I don’t understand why some people (not saying you’re doing this) just write off his performances.
Daryl Janmaat for fucks sake.
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Soyuncu lives round the corner from me so I’ll keep an eye out for for sale signs going up at his place between now and Xmas.
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What about Julian Weigl - available for €25m according to reports. Or we could try to get him on loan.
Originally a DM but played many games for Dortmund and Benfica as CB.
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Why isn’t he starting at Benfica anymore?
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He was a really talented holding midfielder once. But there are reasons why he stagnated and dropped. Even played another position. But being able to play another position at lower level and playing it for us is not enough.
That’s going too far. And in situations like this, media and fans like to have fun and imagine a thousand solutions, mostly for reactions and nothing else. Sweeting said it well, Daryl f*cking Janmaat. Throw in the story that even Gini was the responsible one for it.
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