Summer 2022 priorities (and realistic options)

[Nicolo Barella]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

Not a chance we don't replace Tielemans. You're selling 3 central midfielders there and bringing none in?

 

I'm almost certain Iheanacho will be sold in the summer. 

I'd rather get rid of Rodgers and get a manager who will recognise Iheanacho for what he's worth than sell Iheanacho  I think he's such a special player, if Man City had him right now Pep could turn him into the best striker in the world

[messerschmitt]

1 hour ago, Haywood_6 said:

Squad refresh for the summer -

 

Out:

- Praet (permanent)

- Mendy (permanent)

- Perez (permanent)

- Tielemans (permanent)

- Castagne (permanent)

- Vestergaard (loan)

- Jakupovic (released)

 

In: 

- Dael Fry (Middlesborough)

- Charles De Ketelaere (Brugge)

- Raphina (Leeds)

- Lookman (RB Leipzig)

- Calvin Ramsay (Aberdeen)

 

New Contract:

- Amartey

-Praet - Can't see the loan move becoming peranent

- Mendy - two windows missed, might leave 50/50 for me

-Perez- If anyone buys him ill get in touch with Bendan for a trial myself

- Teilemans - yes but for far less than we want

- Castagne - can't see anyone risking what we'd want to get our money back with his injury record

- Vestergaard - on loan seriously,  where and and what level? He didn't even look that good against Randers. Even a championship club couldn't/ wouldn't pay his wages, we'd have to pay him to go and pay for a replacement - can't see it.

[messerschmitt]

1 minute ago, Nicolo Barella said:

I'd rather get rid of Rodgers and get a manager who will recognise Iheanacho for what he's worth than sell Iheanacho  I think he's such a special player, if Man City had him right now Pep could turn him into the best striker in the world

Absolutely spot on.

[An Sionnach]

44 minutes ago, messerschmitt said:

-Praet - Can't see the loan move becoming peranent

- Mendy - two windows missed, might leave 50/50 for me

-Perez- If anyone buys him ill get in touch with Bendan for a trial myself

- Teilemans - yes but for far less than we want

- Castagne - can't see anyone risking what we'd want to get our money back with his injury record

- Vestergaard - on loan seriously,  where and and what level? He didn't even look that good against Randers. Even a championship club couldn't/ wouldn't pay his wages, we'd have to pay him to go and pay for a replacement - can't see it.

As I keep saying none of our contracted players will leave for less money.

[Ric Flair]

2 hours ago, Haywood_6 said:

I thought CDK was an attacking mid/but is he more of a forward? Should of probably added a Centre mid in hindsight. I don't know who though.

He plays as a 2nd striker mainly.

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, messerschmitt said:

Selling Iheanacho would be the biggest  mistake this club has made in years. Even his critics would probably concede, looking at his figures that he would get 20 goals a season if played more. In reality it would probably be a lot more given a run of games.

A striker who can get 20+ in the Prem is a rare beast. The fact he hasn't played more over the last couple of years is a travesty. We're being told we can't compete with the big six, fair enough but that makes it more important that when we get a player like Iheanacho we build a team around him not complain it's difficult to accommodate him!

If we sell Iheanacho and he goes to another team in this league he will get played more and get 20-30 goals a season. Everyone will rave about him and he'll probably get resold to Chelsea or Newcastle for 80 million.

We'll be left with a retired/ retiring Vardy and an out of form Daka who can't play on his own while we complain its not possible to get a striker in who can regularly score goals in the premier league with our budget!

The issue is, he can't play up front on his own. He can't play out wide and our club are reluctant to play 2 up front so I can very well see us cashing in and using the funds to refresh the squad elsewhere. The fact Daka also can't play up front on his own ought to be reason enough to consider moving to 2 up top for both of them but that doesn't seem to be in the plan.

[Ely fox]

I hope Maddison is not sold or Barnes. 

[CrispinLA in Texas]

Hey Ric Flair what do you think of Brennan Johnson at Nottingham?

Leeds, West Ham, Brentford and Tottenham seems desperate to sign him. Spurs think he could be what Dele Ali was like when he initially joined.

Would like him here as similar to Maddison

[Ric Flair]

28 minutes ago, CrispinLA in Texas said:

Hey Ric Flair what do you think of Brennan Johnson at Nottingham?

Leeds, West Ham, Brentford and Tottenham seems desperate to sign him. Spurs think he could be what Dele Ali was like when he initially joined.

Would like him here as similar to Maddison

He's superb, destined for the PL. I'd rather we went for him than Lookman in all honesty.

[Shane]

4 hours ago, Haywood_6 said:

Squad refresh for the summer -

 

Out:

- Praet (permanent)

- Mendy (permanent)

- Perez (permanent)

- Tielemans (permanent)

- Castagne (permanent)

- Vestergaard (loan)

- Jakupovic (released)

 

In: 

- Dael Fry (Middlesborough)

- Charles De Ketelaere (Brugge)

- Raphina (Leeds)

- Lookman (RB Leipzig)

- Calvin Ramsay (Aberdeen)

 

New Contract:

- Amartey

I really like the Calvin Ramsay shout but we have Wormleighton coming through who looks promising.

 

Aberdeen could hold out for 10m+ which would eat into our budget. Maybe it's worth seeing how Wormleighton develops first before signing another RB of similar age. 

 

 

Edited 3 March 2022 by Shane

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, Nicolo Barella said:

I'd rather get rid of Rodgers and get a manager who will recognise Iheanacho for what he's worth than sell Iheanacho  I think he's such a special player, if Man City had him right now Pep could turn him into the best striker in the world

I like Iheanacho but I don't agree with that at all. Pep and very few managers at elite clubs play 2 up front and I cannot think of a system where Iheanacho could thrive at one of these clubs. Could he be coached to play as a false 9 or up front on his own? He cannot be taught how to run quicker but his very erratic 1st touch could be improved upon which it needs to immensely. 

 

Iheanacho is a very good finisher, his technique provides a lot of power and he's both good at finishing both instinctively and when given time to utilise his technique. He is also a good link player, I absolutely love seeing him on form in a front two where he drops ever so slightly deep to get on the ball, turn and slide rule pass in to the other striker to finish. It was almost unplayable last season and at the start of this season when he did it.

 

But that's it, he needs to be in a front 2 to get the best out of him and very few clubs are willing to play that way. We aren't either and therefore what's the point of us keeping him? He deserves to go elsewhere now and be the main player somewhere, he's now 3rd choice here and Rodgers hasn't even switched to 2 up front with him and Daka for the entire time that Vardy was injured and we hadn't won a game during that time so there was plenty of times to switch to that. Frustrating.

 

His stock will still be high from last season but with his contract running down we need to cash in if what I say is a true reflection of the situation with him.

[Nicolo Barella]

3 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I like Iheanacho but I don't agree with that at all. Pep and very few managers at elite clubs play 2 up front and I cannot think of a system where Iheanacho could thrive at one of these clubs. Could he be coached to play as a false 9 or up front on his own? He cannot be taught how to run quicker but his very erratic 1st touch could be improved upon which it needs to immensely. 

 

Iheanacho is a very good finisher, his technique provides a lot of power and he's both good at finishing both instinctively and when given time to utilise his technique. He is also a good link player, I absolutely love seeing him on form in a front two where he drops ever so slightly deep to get on the ball, turn and slide rule pass in to the other striker to finish. It was almost unplayable last season and at the start of this season when he did it.

 

But that's it, he needs to be in a front 2 to get the best out of him and very few clubs are willing to play that way. We aren't either and therefore what's the point of us keeping him? He deserves to go elsewhere now and be the main player somewhere, he's now 3rd choice here and Rodgers hasn't even switched to 2 up front with him and Daka for the entire time that Vardy was injured and we hadn't won a game during that time so there was plenty of times to switch to that. Frustrating.

 

His stock will still be high from last season but with his contract running down we need to cash in if what I say is a true reflection of the situation with him.

I could see Pep forging him into a deadly false 9, although perhaps that is too generous from me. 

 

And yeah, I guess it is hard for us to find a way to use him, but we will miss him once he's gone, even if we manage to replace him with a mythical right winger. At a team like Atletico Madrid, for example, I could see him hugely successful. He would replace Kane very well at Spurs, too, IMO. 

[Ric Flair]

37 minutes ago, Nicolo Barella said:

I could see Pep forging him into a deadly false 9, although perhaps that is too generous from me. 

 

And yeah, I guess it is hard for us to find a way to use him, but we will miss him once he's gone, even if we manage to replace him with a mythical right winger. At a team like Atletico Madrid, for example, I could see him hugely successful. He would replace Kane very well at Spurs, too, IMO. 

He'd have to considerably improve his 1st touch, Kane's ability to play that role and allow Son and Moura/Bergwijn/Kulusevski to run on in behind and him feed the ball is his first touch. That simply has to be reliable otherwise the entire system breaks down and there's then no outlet beyond and the attack immediately breaks down. Iheanacho cannot do that consistently, look at all the times we've played him up there on his own and the only 1 game I can think of where he excelled there was Fulham away last season. 

 

 

[messerschmitt]

11 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

He'd have to considerably improve his 1st touch, Kane's ability to play that role and allow Son and Moura/Bergwijn/Kulusevski to run on in behind and him feed the ball is his first touch. That simply has to be reliable otherwise the entire system breaks down and there's then no outlet beyond and the attack immediately breaks down. Iheanacho cannot do that consistently, look at all the times we've played him up there on his own and the only 1 game I can think of where he excelled there was Fulham away last season. 

 

 

In fairness he hasn't been given a run of games as a lone striker since his period as a two last season, certainly not to the extent Daka has. Everyone seems to forget the games Vardy has been quiet as a lone striker. I think it's more a failing in the tactics and way we play rather than the poor individual who has to play there while we pass the ball between out CB's.

[messerschmitt]

No idea why we've never played Vardy, Iheanacho and Daka as a front three.

It's what a lot of people thought when we bought Daka?

[Shane]

Would Tarkowski have the same issues as Maguire/Vestergard? 

 

The signing makes so much sense on paper, but in reality I'm worried he might struggle to play in a high line.

 

Could be another Evans and rely on his positioning instead of pace I guess. 

[messerschmitt]

19 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

He'd have to considerably improve his 1st touch, Kane's ability to play that role and allow Son and Moura/Bergwijn/Kulusevski to run on in behind and him feed the ball is his first touch. That simply has to be reliable otherwise the entire system breaks down and there's then no outlet beyond and the attack immediately breaks down. Iheanacho cannot do that consistently, look at all the times we've played him up there on his own and the only 1 game I can think of where he excelled there was Fulham away last season. 

 

 

Iheanacho's first touch at times is subliminal, you won't see a better touch. Admittedly sometimes its not but that can't be helped by never knowing where your next game will come from.

[Ric Flair]

14 minutes ago, messerschmitt said:

In fairness he hasn't been given a run of games as a lone striker since his period as a two last season, certainly not to the extent Daka has. Everyone seems to forget the games Vardy has been quiet as a lone striker. I think it's more a failing in the tactics and way we play rather than the poor individual who has to play there while we pass the ball between out CB's.

 

10 minutes ago, messerschmitt said:

Iheanacho's first touch at times is subliminal, you won't see a better touch. Admittedly sometimes its not but that can't be helped by never knowing where your next game will come from.

He's not good enough as it stands to play on his own, you either need to be very quick (which he isn't) or strong and be able to link the play and hold it up for others. His hold up play and first touch is what Rodgers criticises him for the most, it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous and there's seems to be a distinct lack of trust.

 

Iheanacho in a 3-4-1-2 is an exceptional player at this level, that is the system for him but sadly he's the only player in our current XI that that benefits. Maddison isn't as good in it, Vardy neither. Our full backs aren't as good at wing back as they are in a back 4 and them our central defenders are just a mess fulls top in the last year. 

 

He's likely off and we'll get £30-40m for him. It could turn out to be a bad decision but the truth is we need to refresh our squad and we'll need funds to do it and it's players who don't really fit in with us that will be part of how we fund that. It's cheaper to sell Iheanacho and buy a dynamic forward who can play in a front 3 (De Ketelaere/Ali-Cho) than it is keep Iheanacho who can only play in a front 2 and need more CB's and wing backs to play the system that compliments him best. 

[An Sionnach]

29 minutes ago, Shane said:

Would Tarkowski have the same issues as Maguire/Vestergard? 

 

The signing makes so much sense on paper, but in reality I'm worried he might struggle to play in a high line.

 

Could be another Evans and rely on his positioning instead of pace I guess. 

Who's to say an incoming manager would want to play that way. Everybody is now assuming Rodgers remains. His high line system has been defensively very poor.

[Ely fox]

43 minutes ago, messerschmitt said:

Iheanacho's first touch at times is subliminal, you won't see a better touch. Admittedly sometimes its not but that can't be helped by never knowing where your next game will come from.

Sublime 

[Sankey93]

 

[CrispinLA in Texas]

13 minutes ago, Sankey93 said:

 

Wow his Stats looks good, read he's contributed to 20 goals this season, could provide the service Daka needs

[AKCJ]

29 minutes ago, Sankey93 said:

 

He's supposedly a proper bellend.

[Raw Dykes]

18 minutes ago, AKCJ said:

He's supposedly a proper bellend.

He's also a right-footed left winger.

[messerschmitt]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

 

He's not good enough as it stands to play on his own, you either need to be very quick (which he isn't) or strong and be able to link the play and hold it up for others. His hold up play and first touch is what Rodgers criticises him for the most, it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous and there's seems to be a distinct lack of trust.

 

Iheanacho in a 3-4-1-2 is an exceptional player at this level, that is the system for him but sadly he's the only player in our current XI that that benefits. Maddison isn't as good in it, Vardy neither. Our full backs aren't as good at wing back as they are in a back 4 and them our central defenders are just a mess fulls top in the last year. 

 

He's likely off and we'll get £30-40m for him. It could turn out to be a bad decision but the truth is we need to refresh our squad and we'll need funds to do it and it's players who don't really fit in with us that will be part of how we fund that. It's cheaper to sell Iheanacho and buy a dynamic forward who can play in a front 3 (De Ketelaere/Ali-Cho) than it is keep Iheanacho who can only play in a front 2 and need more CB's and wing backs to play the system that compliments him best. 

You make some decent points but it really annoys me that there is always some excuse as to why we can't fit our best players into the team. We could also play 433 or 442 with him in it.

As for selling a player and bringing someone better it's not always the case. Soumare?

We have a manager who is one of the best played in the league but can't get a forward of Iheanacho's quality into the team?

He'll go to another premier league team where there manager will effortlessly get him in their system and he'll get 20 plus a season and we'll look like muppets for not playing him.