Mid-window review: ins/outs?

[HarryKane]

If anything the most impressive part of the window is actually being proactive and trying to get things done quickly and decisively. How many windows have there been, especially in January, faffing around playing games waiting until the last few days to actually pull the trigger. This window there were areas of need identified within the squad for incomings and outgoings, 2 players brought in by the 11th, then a really talented young prospect brought in later with players out who either need loans or won't be here next season. We don't know how well the players will do but on paper at least they make sense and fit with what the manager wants and two of them are very low risk and high reward. If Werner doesn't work out he's gone, if he does then he's really cheap and if Bergvall does or doesn't you've spent maybe 10m or so and can get that back.

This feels like a football club that actually wants to make things happen and get better. It feels like a serious football club that has a well defined medium-long term strategy with lots of people pulling in the same direction to make it happen. If they can keep pushing forward it feels like the early days of something special, don't rest on your laurels if you get CL football acting like that's good enough and you just have to maintain.

 

[nickspurs]

If anything the most impressive part of the window is actually being proactive and trying to get things done quickly and decisively. How many windows have there been, especially in January, faffing around playing games waiting until the last few days to actually pull the trigger. This window there were areas of need identified within the squad for incomings and outgoings, 2 players brought in by the 11th, then a really talented young prospect brought in later with players out who either need loans or won't be here next season. We don't know how well the players will do but on paper at least they make sense and fit with what the manager wants and two of them are very low risk and high reward. If Werner doesn't work out he's gone, if he does then he's really cheap and if Bergvall does or doesn't you've spent maybe 10m or so and can get that back.

This feels like a football club that actually wants to make things happen and get better. It feels like a serious football club that has a well defined medium-long term strategy with lots of people pulling in the same direction to make it happen. If they can keep pushing forward it feels like the early days of something special, don't rest on your laurels if you get CL football acting like that's good enough and you just have to maintain.

Agree. The best part has been the fact we went out to do our business early.

I think three very positive things have happened to Levy’s approach to our transfer policy:

1. Levy seems to have finally been disabused of the idea that you will always get a better deal if you hold out to the last minute of the window
2. He’s been persuaded that the risk of that strategy, when balanced against the importance of getting players in early and being able to plan with certainty, is simply too high
3. He‘s let go and empowered the team (Lange et al) to develop a strategy, get things done, and only weigh in where he needs to (e.g. sign off a change in target budget, escalations to the other chairmen)

I think Levy has done a lot of good things for the club and built us a great foundation but his approach to football personnel and transfer policy was deeply frustrating. If the above has really changed, we’re in a great place.

 

[jazz15c]

Excellent window. We've been able to take a step forward whilst our rivals have been forced to stand still, primarily by their own financial mismanagement.

We needed that extra CB that can slot into the starting XI without much of a drop off in quality and we did that early. I suspect we won't see much of Dragusin this season, except if/when Romero gets another ban.

Werner was a no-brainer IMO. His movement/link play is outstanding. He's never going to post big goal numbers, but his contribution since being here has been superb, and that'll increase further once our midfield get in tune with his clever runs.

Bergvall looks VERY exciting, albeit from the 1 YouTube video I've seen (not afraid to admit it!)

We have an excellent platform for the summer and next season; hopefully we are already putting feelers out for a top drawer centre forward, as Arsenal will also be shopping for one. Richy has been excellent since his operation, but is not a trophy-winning CF in my opinion; excellent backup though.

 

[mill]

Wasn't sure where to post - hope here is ok;



Also mentions on the same list as Neto.

Yeah there’s been a few links to raphina in the news last couple of days

 

[felmani26]

Wasn't sure where to post - hope here is ok;



Also mentions on the same list as Neto.

Either would be great signings - Neto the preference but his injury record is of course the concern.

Raphinha would though offer more nous at set pieces alongside Maddison.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Wasn't sure where to post - hope here is ok;



Also mentions on the same list as Neto.

This is much better an option

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Raphinha is an incredibly inconsistent player who really isn't that good 1v1. He's a pass and move player, thats where he excels due to his pace. He's currently on €240k p/w, I can't express how much of a bad move this would be given our current options even if Barca sell for a knock down fee.

 

[dirtyh]

throw the kitchen sink at neto. would be perfect.

regarding the window, it's been superb. no 'wasted' signings and lots of outs. Shows there is actually a plan in place now rather than opportunistic dealings.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Either would be great signings - Neto the preference but his injury record is of course the concern.

Raphinha would though offer more nous at set pieces alongside Maddison.

Problem is he's bad 1v1, goes missing during games and often has poor decision making in the final third. He puts up solid stats, he isn't a bad player and If we didn't have Johnson then I could understand maybe but he's on massive wages and we would still need a winger who could consistently take on players as thats just not Raph. Neto has major question marks around his fitness and he's Mendes client so i can understand why we might be nervous but as a player I can't think of many who would better suit what we need. i just hope we stay away from Raphinha

 

[felmani26]

Raphinha is an incredibly inconsistent player who really isn't that good 1v1. He's a pass and move player, thats where he excels due to his pace. He's currently on €240k p/w, I can't express how much of a bad move this would be given our current options even if Barca sell for a knock down fee.

Opposite a speedster wide left I can see a role for a Rahphina who can be that more technical inverted threat as well as another string to our set piece bow.

Admittedly this is more from recollection at his time at Leeds than Barcelona and like you said, his wages/profile would be more of an outlier in what we are trying to achieve in building this young, hungry squad under Ange.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Opposite a speedster wide left I can see a role for a Rahphina who can be that more technical inverted threat as well as another string to our set piece bow.

Admittedly this is more from recollection at his time at Leeds than Barcelona and like you said, his wages/profile would be more of an outlier in what we are trying to achieve in building this young, hungry squad under Ange.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he moves to the Saudi league come summer, in fact I think its probably very likely thats what happens. At 27 and the wages he's on I really don't see who else would go for him. Barca will try to recoup as much as possible for him but even at 40 mil i think they will struggle to move him within Europe. TBH I don't really get why he would be on our list in the first place.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

Problem is he's bad 1v1, goes missing during games and often has poor decision making in the final third. He puts up solid stats, he isn't a bad player and If we didn't have Johnson then I could understand maybe but he's on massive wages and we would still need a winger who could consistently take on players as thats just not Raph. Neto has major question marks around his fitness and he's Mendes client so i can understand why we might be nervous but as a player I can't think of many who would better suit what we need. i just hope we stay away from Raphinha

i wouldn't say Raphinha is that bad 1v1 but he isn't great. He's better than Johnson and Deki in that regard though.

That said I wouldn't go for him at all for 2 reasons. He doesn't quite fit the profile well enough but more importantly he'd perceive us as a step down (he's on big wages too) and I think we need young, hungry players on the way up. That's the kind of players who are working well for us, think of Vicario, VdV, Udogie, Sarr, Maddison etc.

What is most interesting about this is that we clearly want a RW. This is wonderful news as it means the club are definitely seeing what both you and I have been saying. Also I would imagine it's almost nailed on that Bakayoko is on this list too given his profile and data.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

This was Neto Vs Chelsea. Pace, power, aggressive running at players, technique, ball control.

 

[Japhet]

Can't see us being interested in Raphinha or Neto to be honest. Someone like Nico Williams, Soule, Roony B makes a whole lot more sense with the direction we're going in imo.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

This was Neto Vs Chelsea. Pace, power, aggressive running at players, technique, ball control.

Amazing player.

If he is over his injury issues then he is the perfect signing. An absolute ceiling raiser who would completely transform the dynamics of our attack yet is still young enough to improve further.

Him or Bakayoko for RW. Williams, Savio or Nusa LW and we'd be absolutely cooking.

 

[felmani26]

Amazing player.

If he is over his injury issues then he is the perfect signing. An absolute ceiling raiser who would completely transform the dynamics of our attack yet is still young enough to improve further.

Him or Bakayoko for RW. Williams, Savio or Nusa LW and we'd be absolutely cooking.

On inspection, his injuries are varied and not a recurring problem such as hamstrings;

Pedro Neto - Injury history

This is the injury history of Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers. On this page injuries as well as suspensions.

www.transfermarkt.co.uk

One other pertinent issue will be dealing with Mendes/Gestifute

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

On inspection, his injuries are varied and not a recurring problem such as hamstrings;

Pedro Neto - Injury history

This is the injury history of Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers. On this page injuries as well as suspensions.

www.transfermarkt.co.uk

One other pertinent issue will be dealing with Mendes/Gestifute

Yep this is a fair assessment. I would say Olise is a much higher injury risk because his injuries are all recurring muscle problems.

Where as Neto had a freak knee injury and then ankle ligament tear which isn't an uncommon injury. He's had 1 muscle injury which could well be where he hadn't played regularly for quite a while.

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

Can't see us being interested in Raphinha or Neto to be honest. Someone like Nico Williams, Soule, Roony B makes a whole lot more sense with the direction we're going in imo.

Williams belongs in the same category as Neto imo. They are both much, much higher quality wide players than the others you've suggested who are a lot more raw and don't quite fit the role as well.

We'd be looking at £43m upfront for Williams and around £55m for Neto I reckon. I know it wouldn't happen but if we really wanted to back Ange and push for the title and CL I'd actually sign both of them.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

i wouldn't say Raphinha is that bad 1v1 but he isn't great. He's better than Johnson and Deki in that regard though.

That said I wouldn't go for him at all for 2 reasons. He doesn't quite fit the profile well enough but more importantly he'd perceive us as a step down (he's on big wages too) and I think we need young, hungry players on the way up. That's the kind of players who are working well for us, think of Vicario, VdV, Udogie, Sarr, Maddison etc.

What is most interesting about this is that we clearly want a RW. This is wonderful news as it means the club are definitely seeing what both you and I have been saying. Also I would imagine it's almost nailed on that Bakayoko is on this list too given his profile and data.

I really don't feel his strong 1v1, he tries a lot of skills and sometimes they come of and looks great but a lot of the time he ends up running down blind allies, loosing control of the ball or overcomplicating things. His stats are decent in that department and he makes a fantastic youtube reel and its easy to watch that and think he's good in that department but he's actually similar to Anotny at times. Honestly watch Barca regularly and you will understand why so many Barca fans find him so incredibly frustrating. I know they are given to hyperbole but they pretty much unanimously think his dribbling coupled with his decision making are his biggest weakness. Where he looks good at dribbling is if he makes a single cut or touch and uses his speed to go past a player rather then close control in tight situations. Its just not something he excels at.

TBF to him he has adapted his game since being there, as I mentioned, he is much more a pass and move winger now. He will naturally sit wide receive the ball and ether play a forward pass, look for a one two or use his pace to go up the line then cut back for a pass or cross. He's very direct and when he's at his best doesn't try to complicating things thus can be strong on transitions. TBH I think he plays the way I would expect Johnson to play given time. He is also a very very hard worker and tracks back a lot. I can actually see exactly why Ange would like him but like I said he is just far too similar in regards to both players skill set's.

Honestly, ive watched him a lot at Barca since he's been there as they are one of the clubs I follow sami regularly and I think you would find him incredibly frustrating and not the answer to what we need on the wings. If we didn't have Johnson and he was on half the wages I would take him, as long as we also brought in a better 1v1 dribbler to compliment him, but as is I really don't understand why we would look at him.

It does seem we will be looking for a RW if this list is correct of course. I'm still very skeptical if we will really spend big on the position but here's hoping although Raph really doesn't fit in with our new ethos - big wages, older player...

 

[Nick-TopSpursMan]

I really don't feel his strong 1v1, he tries a lot of skills and sometimes they come of and looks great but a lot of the time he ends up running down blind allies, loosing control of the ball or overcomplicating things. His stats are decent in that department and he makes a fantastic youtube reel and its easy to watch that and think he's good in that department but he's actually similar to Anotny at times. Honestly watch Barca regularly and you will understand why so many Barca fans find him so incredibly frustrating. I know they are given to hyperbole but they pretty much unanimously think his dribbling coupled with his decision making are his biggest weakness. Where he looks good at dribbling is if he makes a single cut or touch and uses his speed to go past a player rather then close control in tight situations. Its just not something he excels at.

TBF to him he has adapted his game since being there, as I mentioned, he is much more a pass and move winger now. He will naturally sit wide receive the ball and ether play a forward pass, look for a one two or use his pace to go up the line then cut back for a pass or cross. He's very direct and when he's at his best doesn't try to complicating things thus can be strong on transitions. TBH I think he plays the way I would expect Johnson to play given time. He is also a very very hard worker and tracks back a lot. I can actually see exactly why Ange would like him but like I said he is just far too similar in regards to both players skill set's.

Honestly, ive watched him a lot at Barca since he's been there as they are one of the clubs I follow sami regularly and I think you would find him incredibly frustrating and not the answer to what we need on the wings. If we didn't have Johnson and he was on half the wages I would take him, as long as we also brought in a better 1v1 dribbler to compliment him, but as is I really don't understand why we would look at him.

It does seem we will be looking for a RW if this list is correct of course. I'm still very skeptical if we will really spend big on the position but here's hoping although Raph really doesn't fit in with our new ethos - big wages, older player...

Thanks for the insight. I haven't watched him as much for Barca as I did when he was in the PL and I trust your views on players.

Like I said I wouldn't go for him anyway. I want young and hungry players on the way up.

I think the fact both Neto and Raphinha are on our list proves both that we're willing to spend big for that position and that the club understand that actually we're quite poor out wide compared to our rivals and that's the area we really need to focus on.