Albert Gudmundsson

[alexis]

I was going to write a long outline about him but then decided against it.

In short, I am really big fan of Albert. I think he is a quality player and easily one of the standouts of Seria A this season. He is a very slick player with some very attractive attacking attributes. This summer he 100% needs to move as he is easily good enough to play for a top team. He's an extremely technical player who is a constant threat in the top end of the pitch. He is excellent at receiving the ball on the half turn in a transition and has great acceleration and speed of thought. He is excellent at set pieces. His movement inside and around the box makes him impossible to pin down and he is a good finisher. He really is a very underrated player and one who I love to watch BUT he is a second striker.

He is versatile and technically proficient enough that he can play a number of different positions such as AM, WF and CF but not to a degree where you would want play him there permanently. Yes he will cover a lot of ground and if you look at his heat map it shows a player that pops up everywhere in the opposition half but that doesn't mean he would be naturally suited to a different role. His all round defensive game isn't strong enough to play AM/CM with any regularity and also when he plays too deep he can sometimes struggle to influence the game as much as he normally does further up the pitch. Case in point was Genoa's last game against Juve where he was sitting deeper for a lot of it and was largely anonymous save for one or two moments. The role of a lone CF is far too ridged for him and he doesn't fair well when being asked to stay too stationary as movement is key to game. And as a wing option he will always end up dropping central as he doesn't like to be isolated out on the wing and we need our WF to keep the width. His game is at its best is when he has freedom to drift around the edge of the box. He feeds of the space given to him by another CF who takes away the attention for CB's. He has been compared to younger Dybala in the past, not just because of how he wears his socks, and I can certainly see the likeness in regards to the position he is most effective in.

I actually mentioned him as someone I could see us going for last Jan in the transfer forum as we had space for a versatile player to plug the gaps in the front line especially in the short term. But that was at a point before we had Werner, Gil was out of favour and Gio, Solomon and Maddison were all injured whilst Richy was ether off form or injured. Coming into summer tho i'm not sure if that necessarily is still the case. We don't really need to plug any gaps, we need to strengthen our first 11 in some key areas and add depth in defence. Also by strengthening the first 11 you are also boosting your depth in that players who are currently starters now will be moved to the bench. I also think with sales we can actually afford to pick players that suit specific roles in the system rather then looking at a versatile gap filler. If Gil, Gio and Richy go then we can afford to get a WF, AM and CF, we don't need an all in one. The reality is there are more options in the summer window so we can afford to be more picky.

I really like the player a lot, if we did end up getting him part of me would be excited to see him in a Spurs shirt but he is by far his best as a second striker. which we don't play. Yes he is versatile but whilst he would be able to cover a lot of different positions in our system none of them would be a natural fit for him. He has been linked to Juve and Inter and both teams would be a much better fit for him as both play with a two up top.

This is not a long outline?

 

[kendoddsdadsdogsdead]

Don’t think we’ll be completely set in stone with the profile of player. Think Ange has said that he doesn’t look for a particular skill set and each player will bring their own attributes to that position. Think we’ll look for the best quality available then adapt/evolve how we play from that.

 

[VoteMe4Prez]

I just get the feeling other attackers will take precedent over him in the summer

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Second striker / 10 is quite a blurred line. At his best for us, Maddison not only dropped deep but also occupied positions in and around the box that you’d expect from a “second striker” like Dybala. I struggle to see why Albert, with similar traits to Maddison that you listed above, couldn’t operate similarly

Don't get me wrong I really like him as a player and id hardly be upset if we got him. Quite the opposite in fact, im just trying to look at the move logically. As I mentioned he is versatile and he played AM back when he was at AZ. He can play there its just he's not as effective there. Now at Genoa he is playing up the top of the pitch as a SS and he has gone up several levels. It allows him more freedom to utilise his skill set in attacking areas which is where he really shines. As I said in my original post, when he plays deeper he can struggle to influence the game as much as he can when sitting further up. Also defensively our AM is expected to put in work and bar having solid interception stats he really isn't particularly convincing in this area. When you look at Maddison he will spend a lot of the game between the lines in both halves of the pitch. He drops deep a lot to help with the build up then will move up to the gaps in between the midfield and defence. Whilst he will be the most advanced of the three you could almost make an argument for him being a CM rather then an AM in the current system.

I think Albert could certainly play in AM, I don't think there is any real debate about that. Its just if we want an AM then I would be inclined to look for someone who is naturally suited to the role rather then moving back someone who is at his best further up the pitch. Having watched a good amount of him It just doesn't feel like a natural fit for me. But he really is an excellent player who would probably be value for money, I just think he would suit a two up top better.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

This is not a long outline?

Ha, i know. I was originally going to say more about his background, how he comes from a linage of footballers on both his father and mothers side and how his great grandfather was Icelands first ever pro footballer and played for AC Milan. And I would have wrote about his time at PSV and AZ and touched on his time in Seria B last season... so it could have been longer. But yes I hadn't intended to write such a long post when i started.

 

[Carson35]

at the beginning, he thought he was like 23, 24. didn't really realize he is already 26 and going to be 27 in June. from what i have watched about him (very little by the way), he is a very good player but i think we can get a better and younger player with higher potential. not that 26 is old but if he costs 30, 35m, then i think we can get someone like Nusa, Soule...add a few more $ and you can get Bakayoko....

 

[Ghost Hardware]

My feeling is Inter will offer Valentín Carboni plus cash and Genoa might well take it.

 

[worcestersauce]

I don't know him but I'm sticking my neck out and saying I've never been disappointed in the Icelandic players we've had.

 

[Nine while nine]

I don't know him but I'm sticking my neck out and saying I've never been disappointed in the Icelandic players we've had.

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[Stoof]

View attachment 139029


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Wow he literally played for us 0 times. I thought there were at least a few apps in there.

 

[worcestersauce]

Wow he literally played for us 0 times. I thought there were at least a few apps in there.

Never disappointed me though.

 

[Russ1201]

My feeling is Inter will offer Valentín Carboni plus cash and Genoa might well take it.

We raise them with Skipp

 

[Cinemattis]

My feeling is Inter will offer Valentín Carboni plus cash and Genoa might well take it.

We will give them Ndombele and €40M!!

That would be fair?

 

[ItsBoris]

I was going to write a long outline about him but then decided against it.

In short, I am really big fan of Albert. I think he is a quality player and easily one of the standouts of Seria A this season. He is a very slick player with some very attractive attacking attributes. This summer he 100% needs to move as he is easily good enough to play for a top team. He's an extremely technical player who is a constant threat in the top end of the pitch. He is excellent at receiving the ball on the half turn in a transition and has great acceleration and speed of thought. He is excellent at set pieces. His movement inside and around the box makes him impossible to pin down and he is a good finisher. He really is a very underrated player and one who I love to watch BUT he is a second striker.

He is versatile and technically proficient enough that he can play a number of different positions such as AM, WF and CF but not to a degree where you would want play him there permanently. Yes he will cover a lot of ground and if you look at his heat map it shows a player that pops up everywhere in the opposition half but that doesn't mean he would be naturally suited to a different role. His all round defensive game isn't strong enough to play AM/CM with any regularity and also when he plays too deep he can sometimes struggle to influence the game as much as he normally does further up the pitch. Case in point was Genoa's last game against Juve where he was sitting deeper for a lot of it and was largely anonymous save for one or two moments. The role of a lone CF is far too ridged for him and he doesn't fair well when being asked to stay too stationary as movement is key to game. And as a wing option he will always end up dropping central as he doesn't like to be isolated out on the wing and we need our WF to keep the width. His game is at its best is when he has freedom to drift around the edge of the box. He feeds of the space given to him by another CF who takes away the attention for CB's. He has been compared to younger Dybala in the past, not just because of how he wears his socks, and I can certainly see the likeness in regards to the position he is most effective in.

I actually mentioned him as someone I could see us going for last Jan in the transfer forum as we had space for a versatile player to plug the gaps in the front line especially in the short term. But that was at a point before we had Werner, Gil was out of favour and Gio, Solomon and Maddison were all injured whilst Richy was ether off form or injured. Coming into summer tho i'm not sure if that necessarily is still the case. We don't really need to plug any gaps, we need to strengthen our first 11 in some key areas and add depth in defence. Also by strengthening the first 11 you are also boosting your depth in that players who are currently starters now will be moved to the bench. I also think with sales we can actually afford to pick players that suit specific roles in the system rather then looking at a versatile gap filler. If Gil, Gio and Richy go then we can afford to get a WF, AM and CF, we don't need an all in one. The reality is there are more options in the summer window so we can afford to be more picky.

I really like the player a lot, if we did end up getting him part of me would be excited to see him in a Spurs shirt but he is by far his best as a second striker. which we don't play. Yes he is versatile but whilst he would be able to cover a lot of different positions in our system none of them would be a natural fit for him. He has been linked to Juve and Inter and both teams would be a much better fit for him as both play with a two up top.

Gonna say I've never seen this guy play, but looking at his stats seems like someone who could play false 9 if that's what we're looking for. Do you think that's right?

Like you said probably not someone we want in the WF positions because Ange wants those players to give width. So if we're after him we must be thinking of playing him as a false 9 I would think.

 

[worcestersauce]

Gonna say I've never seen this guy play, but looking at his stats seems like someone who could play false 9 if that's what we're looking for. Do you think that's right?

Like you said probably not someone we want in the WF positions because Ange wants those players to give width. So if we're after him we must be thinking of playing him as a false 9 I would think.

I think I'd prefer a true no 9 if I'm honest.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Gonna say I've never seen this guy play, but looking at his stats seems like someone who could play false 9 if that's what we're looking for. Do you think that's right?

Like you said probably not someone we want in the WF positions because Ange wants those players to give width. So if we're after him we must be thinking of playing him as a false 9 I would think.

False 9 and Second Striker are very similar roles so good analysis. Problem is when playing a solo false 9 you need your WF’s to cut in a lot otherwise you often end up with a big gap in the box. Ive never seen Albert play alone up top, or if I have I don’t remember it, in theory considering his ability as an SS I think you would be right in your assumption that he can.

My own guess would be given his versatility that we would hope he can adapt fully to the 10 role in our system and then move him between the 10, wings and on occasion CF when needed. I don’t see us changing our tactics that significantly over the summer for a false 9 to work. You need to adjust your tactics to cover over the lack of physical presence from classic CF in the box. It’s a hard thing to get right. I also think if we were going to move to more a false 9 style set up then we would probably be targeting Bologna’s Joshua Zirkzee, which we might be tbf.

I like Albert but like you point out he has a very specific profile and if we got him we would probably be hoping he can adapt to different roles within our system which might not completely suit him.

 

[Leachie]

View attachment 139029


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Ahead of Eidur? Bold.

Or bald. Not sure which.

 

[rabbikeane]

Would be the Trossard of our squad.

 

[CanadaSpurs]

Would be the Trossard of our squad.

You mean an absolute tosser? (Thinking of that twat’s celebration and holding the Arsenal crest in front of Brighton fans yesterday…).

 

[piedpiper]

You mean an absolute tosser? (Thinking of that twat’s celebration and holding the Arsenal crest in front of Brighton fans yesterday…).

He didn't leave on best of terms. He clearly wanted out from there and he has no loyalty to the club or their fan base. He identifies more with Arsenal and showed it in his celebration. Some ......maybe many fans ( not all) want players to remain loyal & respectful to a club but don't reciprocate.

I look at Richarlison who scored against Everton he was so excited for his goal but realized it was against his former club where the fans adored him and he immediately stopped his celebration....I chuckled that day

So I don't think Troussard was a twat. He just has a healthier relationship with Arsenal and their fan base.