#closebutnotdone
Keita Baldé Diao
- Thread starter DezFitz
- Start date
whatislifewithoutspurs
Well-Known Member
- Dec 29, 2011
- 253
- 1,308
--------------Kane/Janssen-----------
Keita/Son----Alli/Barkley----Eriksen/Lamela
---Dembele/Winks---Wanyama/Dier
Davies/Rose--Ald/Wimmer--Vert/CCV---Trippier/Cancelo
------------Lloris/Vorm/Gazza------------
Keita/Son----Alli/Barkley----Eriksen/Lamela
---Dembele/Winks---Wanyama/Dier
Davies/Rose--Ald/Wimmer--Vert/CCV---Trippier/Cancelo
------------Lloris/Vorm/Gazza------------
After harping on about him for months here with faint hopes of actually landing him, I'm in a bit of disbelief that we are actually pursuing and may sign him. I started watching him closely back in November of last year, when he really stood out on the pitch in a fixture against Palermo. The rest of the players looked like they were moving in quicksand compared to him. His off the ball movement was really dynamic.
I began watching Lazio games regularly after that (they were very entertaining last season under Simone Inzaghi). There was a stretch of time around March when Keita fell out of favor with Inzaghi and was on the bench for a series of games. Given that he had issues with the manager and club to start the season, I figured he'd have a hard time working his way back into the side. To his credit, he embraced the substitute role and made a number of appearances off the bench, including one where he came on very late in a 1-1 game against Torino and scored a ridiculous goal to help them win all three points. After a few more bench appearances, he came back into the starting lineup and again versus Palermo, had a standout performance where he scored a hat-trick in 6 minutes. He finished the year playing as a striker and scored 8 goals in Lazio's last 5 league games, including 2 goals in a whipping of Roma in a late April derby.
I know I've mentioned this numerous times, but he scored 16 times in Serie A last season in 1929 minutes at age 21/22. If I'm not mistaken, the only other players in the last 6 seasons in Italy's top flight that have scored a minimum of 16 goals at the same age were El Sharaawy for Milan in 2012-2013 (scored 16 goals in close to 2900 minutes), Icardi at Inter in 2014-2015 (scored 22 goals in almost 2900 minutes, too) and Dybala in 2015-2016 (scored 19 goals in just under 2500 minutes). In case you're wondering, Lamela scored 15 goals in 2600 minutes on a terrible Roma team that played completely open. So, to have a player scoring at that rate in a very good side, is pretty rare. It's even more impressive if you consider that he only started 21 games last year for Lazio, so a lot of his minutes came off the bench, too.
As far as his individual strengths go, they have been well highlighted here. Explosive pace like Mane (has the ability to split defenders and latch onto through balls like Mane did against us at Anfield last season), but he also has an absolute hammer of a right foot. Like Eriksen, Son and Kane, he also has a very capable left foot, too. He can play both as a wing-forward on the left cutting inside or on the right. Poch could also deploy him as part of a strike partnership with Kane up top, like he played with Immobile last season.
His weaknesses have also been mentioned. He doesn't always track back, isn't ultra aggressively looking to tackle players high up the pitch to win the ball back and like Kane in some ways, can be greedy about looking to shoot on sight. The attitude issues from his past have been discussed quite a bit here since the spring whenever his name came up, but as I've said before, I think he's worth the gamble. Poch, contrary to the popular belief, seems like he's always willing to take a chance on talent, even if they have less than stellar reputations (Osvaldo, Berahino, Zaha, Sissoko). I trust him to get the best out of Keita if we sign him. Inzaghi has said he has been training fine at Lazio while the transfer speculation has continued all summer, and he actually said multiple times since the end of last season he wanted the club to find a way to keep him. Given that, and the way he ended last season, I'm inclined to believe there's maybe been a breakthrough here with the player. Adjusting to life in England will be a challenge, but I think he'll be very valuable in Champions League matches and off the bench as a livewire before asserting himself as potentially first choice in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
I began watching Lazio games regularly after that (they were very entertaining last season under Simone Inzaghi). There was a stretch of time around March when Keita fell out of favor with Inzaghi and was on the bench for a series of games. Given that he had issues with the manager and club to start the season, I figured he'd have a hard time working his way back into the side. To his credit, he embraced the substitute role and made a number of appearances off the bench, including one where he came on very late in a 1-1 game against Torino and scored a ridiculous goal to help them win all three points. After a few more bench appearances, he came back into the starting lineup and again versus Palermo, had a standout performance where he scored a hat-trick in 6 minutes. He finished the year playing as a striker and scored 8 goals in Lazio's last 5 league games, including 2 goals in a whipping of Roma in a late April derby.
I know I've mentioned this numerous times, but he scored 16 times in Serie A last season in 1929 minutes at age 21/22. If I'm not mistaken, the only other players in the last 6 seasons in Italy's top flight that have scored a minimum of 16 goals at the same age were El Sharaawy for Milan in 2012-2013 (scored 16 goals in close to 2900 minutes), Icardi at Inter in 2014-2015 (scored 22 goals in almost 2900 minutes, too) and Dybala in 2015-2016 (scored 19 goals in just under 2500 minutes). In case you're wondering, Lamela scored 15 goals in 2600 minutes on a terrible Roma team that played completely open. So, to have a player scoring at that rate in a very good side, is pretty rare. It's even more impressive if you consider that he only started 21 games last year for Lazio, so a lot of his minutes came off the bench, too.
As far as his individual strengths go, they have been well highlighted here. Explosive pace like Mane (has the ability to split defenders and latch onto through balls like Mane did against us at Anfield last season), but he also has an absolute hammer of a right foot. Like Eriksen, Son and Kane, he also has a very capable left foot, too. He can play both as a wing-forward on the left cutting inside or on the right. Poch could also deploy him as part of a strike partnership with Kane up top, like he played with Immobile last season.
His weaknesses have also been mentioned. He doesn't always track back, isn't ultra aggressively looking to tackle players high up the pitch to win the ball back and like Kane in some ways, can be greedy about looking to shoot on sight. The attitude issues from his past have been discussed quite a bit here since the spring whenever his name came up, but as I've said before, I think he's worth the gamble. Poch, contrary to the popular belief, seems like he's always willing to take a chance on talent, even if they have less than stellar reputations (Osvaldo, Berahino, Zaha, Sissoko). I trust him to get the best out of Keita if we sign him. Inzaghi has said he has been training fine at Lazio while the transfer speculation has continued all summer, and he actually said multiple times since the end of last season he wanted the club to find a way to keep him. Given that, and the way he ended last season, I'm inclined to believe there's maybe been a breakthrough here with the player. Adjusting to life in England will be a challenge, but I think he'll be very valuable in Champions League matches and off the bench as a livewire before asserting himself as potentially first choice in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Last edited:
patrickcoys
Well-Known Member
- May 25, 2012
- 82
- 530
Quote this
hertyid hertyid
Posted 5 hours ago
No chance.
It's unclear whether this relates to Rose or Balde at this stage. Anyone know?
hertyid hertyid
Posted 5 hours ago
No chance.
It's unclear whether this relates to Rose or Balde at this stage. Anyone know?
diamond lights
active member
- Aug 31, 2012
- 1,442
- 5,657
I can't see him going to go up against JJ. it must be about Rose to Chelsea.
He did post something earlier in the day about Rose didn't he?
Is Balde the guy Liverpool have been chasing all summer?
spursfan77
Well-Known Member
- Aug 13, 2005
- 46,714
- 105,029
Yep. Nobody wants him to go full POTL!
Clark28
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2016
- 2,270
- 13,043
nah Dippers are after the CM Keita from Red Bull
Ah thank you! Any chance of them going full retard and buying Balde cos he has the same name? Would be quite Liverpool...
Syn_13
Fly On, Little Wing
- Jul 17, 2008
- 14,855
- 20,663
Check on YouTube first to see if there's a "Welcome to Liverpool" vid. I hear they're compiled by the Liverpool scouting team.
Univarn
Lost. Probably Not Worth Finding.
- Jul 20, 2017
- 2,864
- 15,279
This was on a separate thread from someone asking about us making a shock move for Zlatan. Completely unrelated.
Alli Z did post no chance of Rose leaving.
spursfan77
Well-Known Member
- Aug 13, 2005
- 46,714
- 105,029
They also ran the story originally in June but I think we've been linked to him even before that so he's been on the radar for a while. He was chatted about in the general transfer thread in Spurs chat during the season anyway that's for sure.
agrdavidsfan
Ledley's Knee!
- Aug 25, 2005
- 10,918
- 13,352
Oooo I've missed that interesting
agrdavidsfan
Ledley's Knee!
- Aug 25, 2005
- 10,918
- 13,352
Quite similar to you I started watching lazio due to my adoration of Lucas Biglia, but when I was watching them I just started to get more and more drawn to balde keita this kid who was just an absolute menace, defenders just can't cope with him.
I think I put it in the scouting players thread that if I could have anyone it would be him as I think he will be or already is a better player than mane.
Not sure how true it is though but one of my friends seems to think he either has issues with his ankle or heart? But im sure he has him confused
- Feb 1, 2005
- 55,721
- 206,158
- Admin
- #656
Colonel Dax
Well-Known Member
- Jul 24, 2008
- 2,958
- 12,297
Josh King it is then 
Stevespurs71
Well-Known Member
- Jul 18, 2010
- 357
- 758
That's fuckin quality
Similar threads
