StriderHiryu

We need a KDH replacement. Who could that be, that is realistic? Others might have better opinions than me on that, but some interesting candidates here would be Finn Azaz and Stuart Armstrong:

Posted this on Reddit, but also putting it here: I’m jealous. He proved he’s still got it at the euros. Even if you have to manage his time so you only get 20 matches from him a season, you’ll probably win 10-13 of those just because of Kante. I’ve seen the effect this man can have on teams and I’d argue it’s even more pronounced in “weaker” teams. Wonder what the all-in price is though as his wages will be insane. It would be a crazy signing for us to make, but I feel like he'd guarantee survival by himself! He is that good. N’golo is an elite ball winner. He averaged something like 5 tackles and 10 interceptions a game for us, starting so many transition attacks. In the Premier League especially, this will both stop and create goals through breaking up phases of play.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/18/west-ham-in-talks-over-20m-deal-to-bring-ngolo-kante-back-from-saudi-arabia BRING HIM BACK HOME!

Pure conjecture, but a lot of that looks similar to last season. Golding getting forwards and finishing, Ndidi crossing from a high 8 position in an area he did very well for the team in last season, Winks as the ball-playing CDM, etc. Hard to tell because the footage looks more like training drills rather than a game, but good to see quick vertical movement in attacking patterns of play this early on.

That's a great point, he's got a $15M release clause and a Qatari club is willing to pay it. I have heard that tons of clubs around Europe want him though so think that could be a tough fight. He's playing in the Olympic Games for Argentina so his agent might be trying to get him in the shop window for that. He looks fantastic though, a player who will almost certainly appreciate in value.

Someone in this thread, it might even have been you, said they were worried about seeing a midfield of Winks and Skipp doing nothing but pass the ball sideways to one another for 90 minutes. That fear is most definitely warranted! I can recall games where this has happened (though I'm not sure both were on the pitch at the same time). Poch was guilty of a slow buildup with his pivots, and Mourinho / Conte didn't want to play football at all! Winks showed last season that he can receive the ball on the turn, play in tight spaces, and play clever balls between the lines. I showed some of his highlights to a Spurs supporting friend who was flabbergasted, all their fans rated him but never saw him even dare to do some of the things he did last season. He was being shoe horned into being either a box-to-box 8 or destroying 6, when in reality he was more of a Spanish style 6, like Pep (in his playing days) or Busquets was. Or as Rodri so brilliantly demonstrated for Spain. From what I recall I am not sure Skipp is decent but not quite as good as that on the ball, but is a lot more robust physically, and physicality is important in the Premier League, hence why I bet Cooper was delighted to have Ndidi commit to a new contract. For me I'd say Skipp is the type of player I could see being a starter / rotation option for Fulham, Palace or Wolves, and we could definitely do with someone like that in the squad. Creativity is the issue with all our midfielders, but you can be creative in many different ways. For example, Liverpool proved for years that you can have a workman like midfield if the front 3 and fullbacks attack.

£20m+ would be a major yikes from me. Interestingly I see that Leeds and Norwich have also been linked with him. In some ways that's a concern as it makes me think he's more of a top end Championship player, but at the same time it makes me think the price would be more reasonable if they are linked. I was initially not keen on Winks, but was won over very quickly indeed. Skipp has looked pretty decent to me the few times I've seen him, and he was being touted as being a first team player and possible future captain at one point. They've since used Bissouma and Sarr instead of him, but just like Winks that doesn't make him a bad player.

Any idea what price is involved? If it was a similar price to Winks, I think he's a good signing.

I think you could get this guy or someone like him as a loan with option to buy. A deal like that would be decent, permanent less so. He’s a decent player, mid-table Premier League is probably his level.

8 Months ago, Switzerland were struggling. Their manager Murat Yakin brought in a new assistant who was well known for tactical play and a more modern setup. We saw the fruits of that appointment in this tournament. Southgate is a very good man-manager, but tactically he's out of his depth. If he brought in someone stong in this area and listened to them, he could do well. The FA should study tapes of this Spain team. England have the players to play the way they do, with Mainoo the real revelation in a player that finally can keep and turn out of pressure at the elite level. England playing in a systematic way like this Spanish team do would be a lethal force. Congratulations to Spain who well and truly deserved to win this tournament. Great to watch, brilliantly coached and announcing a few players onto the world stage.

Totally agree, and these were some of the things discussed in the video. For some games I could see the double pivot be strictly defensive and physical, for others I could see us playing more like under Enzo when playing out from the back and generating the man advantage in midfield. Cooper is more of a horses for courses manager, and this season more than any other, that's a very good thing. I too hope he is willing to use subs. That was a failing from Enzo who too often only made 1 or 2 subs. Maintaining a press is huge, it gets the entire team up the field and reduces the defensive pressure. Late on against tired legs, even squad players make a big difference. On top of the home grown lads, I expect to see Golding and Reid used this way (if they aren't starters). I can only see Vardy start half of our games at most, but in those games where he comes on in the last 20, he's still knows where the back of the net is, and guaranteed to put in a shift.

I will post more after the first streamed game of pre-season. As it stands we still don't know exactly what's in Cooper's mind. The rumours of Soule also point at a potential 4231, and given Bobby Reid can play that position too, we'd have some depth there. I personally expect 3 just because it allows Vestergaard to start and offer some protection for him, whilst using his ability on the ball, which I still expect to be central to how we play this season. For what it's worth, Fatawu played in a 343 for Sporting under Amorim. I think it's fair to say he didn't shine in it, but he's matured as a player since then, so it's not unprecedented he goes back there for some games. Game one is against Spurs, so far that one I'd much prefer to have him as a winger / inside forward. They will push up, which means if we can pass our way through their press, our wingers will get chances. For that reason I'd also start Ricardo in the pivot too. But against more physical teams like Brentford, I'd put Ndidi there. Let's see what happens!

Their strategy makes sense though. Give yourself a chance in the top flight, if you go down you have a team that should get you back up. All of their signings are likely to increase in value if others come in for them. Given two years ago they were in league one I get wha they are doing.

I was in my friend Luke's channel talking transfers and tactics in this video: Obviously it's all speculation, but still a bit of fun to talk about. Not the most flattering thumbnail though!

Delighted to have Ndidi back on board. He had a few seasons where he was below par, but keep in mind that was due in part to injuries but also his wife miscarrying. Players are human beings and things like that affect us all. Here's how Ndidi compares to a player we are interested in: O'Riley is probably the better player, but Ndidi outscored O'Riley and I think the Championship is significantly more competitive than the SPL. If we signed a player with Ndidi's stats for 20M, we'd be excited and saying the player looks like a good signing. We just got someone with those stats for free! Some feel like he won't be played as far forwards, which is possible, but note that N'Golo Kante was used quite far forwards by Deschamps at the Euros and he won man of the match twice in doing so. Winning the ball high up the pitch in the Premier League is a valuable commodity to have.

Comparisons to O'Riley and KDH: At the price quoted, he looks like great value. I would rate the Belgian league higher than the SPL.

Hmm, second CAM after Gronbaek I think we should have been in for. Who knows maybe we are!?

To be fair to any analysis platform, in this case we are comparing two very different types of player, as one was a CAM who was asked to box crash, and the other was a wide forward. I would be shocked if we got this player, just because his potential is extremely high. It's crazy that Leicester can sign one of Juventus' top propsects given our current situation! Cons - Not played in England - Might not settle in the area - Doesn't speak English (as far as I know) Pros - Proven at a high level already with great output in a struggling team - Clear talent and resale / upside potential In recent seasons I've felt quite jealous seeing teams like Forest, Brighton, Wolves, Bournemouth even sign players like Danilo, Ansu Fati, Cunha, Faivre. This guy feels like the first time we trying to make a marquee signing since Daka. We'd really need him to come off though if we signed him. He might seem less glamorous, but I think Matt O'Reily from Celtic is more likely to be a proven signing, whereas Soule could go either way.

Stats Overload time! ^ Keeping some good company here. Interesting he's similar to TWO Fulham players, to me that says more about the system they use, which is something to take a look at. Similarities to Xavi Simons and Koopmeiners is exciting. ^ Yes I'm including FM24 stats! These are suprisingly well done and often do highlight players with a lot of potential. This guy's got tons of it and I feel like if this player settled in England you've easily got a player that will appreciate 50-100% in value. Though a very different type of player, I get Julian Alvarez vibes. We may stick to the system from last year where it's a 433 out of possesion, but 3241 when in possesion. I see this guy as being pretty versatile. He could be competition for Fatawu, or could be used along with him. With the modern game and the number of subs you an use, having depth and being able to change the game from the bench is very important. At last even Southgate has worked that out through Ollie Watkins!

He played as a 10 in the Juve youth teams and at times last season for Frosinone. I think he would struggle to be an attacking 8 in Enzo's system, but would be very good as the Maddison replacement in a 4231. The formation that has been posted above looks very tasty. I think you would see Daka instead of Vardy in away games where we would play more on the counter. That would be a front 4 with serious pace and outside of the striker, players who can dribble and beat a man too. Ndidi - Winks Fatawu - Soulé - Mavididi Vardy

Signing Okoli over this guy feels like a big mistake. I hope I come to eat my words with both Okoli and Golding doing the business. Having Gronbaek and Golding would have been ideal. Goldbaek to start and use Golding in the last 30 to rejuvinate the midfield. I hope we've got some other irons in the fire...

Replace Leicester with Fulham and you’re spot on

I was going to suggest that could be a possibility. Juve's new manager is Motta who coached Kristiansen at Bologna last season. Whilst they do already have players in that position, that would be good cover for them. If we aren't going to play fullbacks, then trading Kristiansen as part payment for a player we actually plan to use makes sense. However, I just think this player will be wanted by teams with more security and higher up the table than us.

ANNOUNCE ABDUL!

Welcome to the club, I hope he's another piece of Glover magic. I'm a bit sceptical as I think there are better players on the market. Specifically Ipswich are signing Jacob Greaves for a very similar price and comparing the two seems a lot better: However, Greaves was playing in a competitive team in the Championship, Okoli in a struggling team in Serie A. He was also signed by Atalanta who are great at finding gems and has represented Italy at several youth levels, and they often produce great CBs. His physicality looks like a huge plus for the Premier League, that's for sure. Can't imagine this is great news for either Coady or Souttar though...