Maybe I'm being stupid, but how does that help? The net difference is the same.Originally Posted by I am invisible
[When I was 6 my parents moved house and, unusually, the people they bought from moved into my parents' old place - they effectively swapped houses. So they both lowered the prices as the only thing that mattered was the difference. I guess that got around stamp duty, if that was a thing back then. Not sure how that applies here though?]
Coutinho is still a brilliant player on his day, but I tend to think there’s a reason that Klopp sanctioned that move (and why it hasn’t worked out at Barca or Bryan). He’s kind of tactically inflexible in that, if you play him, then you really have to build your side around him as a 10, and that’s something most top sides seem to be moving away from these days. And he also looks like he can let his head drop at times, when things aren’t going well, and I don’t think that fit with the relentless way that Klopp likes his teams to play.
From what I’ve seen of Arteta so far, I think he has similar demands in terms of work rate and tactical / positional flexibility. I think he’ll probably favour a similar 433 to Man City and Liverpool once he’s had a chance to go shopping (and especially once we have a couple of CB who can play in a two), with most of his players able to switch between at least 2 roles (e.g. inverted fullbacks that can cover CM, 6-8s and 8-10s in midfield, attackers that can play wide or central, wingers and fullbacks that can switch, etc).
Oddly enough, I’m actually warming to the idea of Willian, after an initial ‘WTF’. He’ll add more goals and creativity, he’s happy playing left, right or centre, and even if the game isn’t going his way he still generally works his arse off. Question marks over offering a 3 year deal to a 32yo, but then we do seem to be hitting a time where more and more players are playing for longer into their 30s as sport science gets better at managing recovery, so maybe he’ll be one of those guys like Auba that just keeps going? His fitness record is certainly encouraging.
And, of course, it’s a free transfer, so we don’t have to worry about finding money for big, upfront payments to Chelsea and resale values. When you look at our other wide options - Saka, Martinelli, Nelson, Pepe - there’s a lot of inexperience there, so this could buy us a year or two to develop some of these guys properly (ditto for our options behind the striker, where we only really have Willock and Smith Rowe).
If the idea is that we then have more money to go out and get a decent CM and CB, then I could be OK with this.
Yeah I also think Willian is a solid, if not exciting, signing. As you say we have a lot of young players in the wide / forward areas so bringing in an experienced Prem proven player on a free could make sense. Age is the big issue with this one but his injury record is excellent and physically he is miles ahead of the likes of Mhiki and Ozil.
Can't help but be envious of Chelski shelling out on the likes of Werner and Havertz, but we're just not in their league financially. With money tight, centre back and centre mid have to be the priorities.
Good - there’s a few too many parties in that one that I just don’t trust (Barca, Kia, the player himself), and it’s not the best use of Guendouzi as our major saleable asset...
Don’t ask me, man, I just work here!
Probably just deferring the problem for another day until the “Guendouzi deal” needs explaining?
Last edited by I am invisible; 06-08-2020 at 08:10 AM.
Yeah, exactly- I’m sure they were looking on enviously at everyone else last summer when they couldn’t spend, and a lot of what they’re doing now is simply replacing Hazard (and I guess Willian).
That’s just football, though - we don’t all have the same resources and the same needs at same times, so you can’t look at what anyone else is doing. As you say, most of our funds need to go on a CM , securing Dani, and maybe a CB (if funds will stretch)
I’m actually eating a banana right now.
If you don’t send this signature to ten people, you will become a Spurs fan.
It sounds like Lumps wanted him to stay - we just offered him more years than Chelsea. Guess our need is more desperate?
Torreira saying he’s at an age where he needs to be playing. I think that’s fair enough - he’d be a very good player in the right league, but I’m not sure that’s the Prem. Feels like one of the obvious ‘outs’ this summer...
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