CloudFox

Good player. Started last season quite well from what I remember, then I think got injured? Bit inconsistent, but plenty of talent there I think. If we had the spare cash I'd like us to sign him as a backup, to be honest.

This. Honestly, our scouting and analytics department must be tearing their hair out. Perhaps Fofana would come good for us, but I just don't see what he adds. I'd rather give Cannon game time. But if Vardy is out, we do need a first choice striker. At the very least to challenge Daka. I know it's pre-season, but it worries me Daka hasn't scored at all.

Not sure if the fee was reported before. But regardless, it was the agent fee which ruled Rennes out.

This doesn't seem like an update to what we already knew? Rennes made an offer, Watford accepted, Asprilla went to Rennes to discuss a contract but negotiations broke down because the agent wanted a 10% fee. Asprilla then returned to the UK to consider his options. We already knew this, no?

Awful, awful news. Thoughts are with his family. Only 60 too. You'll be remembered and missed dearly by us Foxes, Shakey. RIP, good sir.

I don't think "we've had players on the books in the past with awful histories" means we should go and sign some more. I agree we don't necessarily have full context, but those are still two very good reasons to steer clear of him, regardless of footballing ability.

I'm sure I heard him and Enzo didn't get on. He seemed like he'd be perfect for Enzoball...but it just never happened. Odd. Anyway, best of luck to him. He frustrated frequently, but when he was on it I loved watching him. His performances helped us to the FA Cup at the very least. I'll miss his and Ndidi's silliness together.

Snap their hands off for £15m. Was really excited when he joined, but he just hasn't seemed to suit English football. Then again, maybe it was the Rodgers effect—who knows. If we can get that much for him though, we should take it. I'm sure he'd do well back in France. Saying that, I always thought De Zerbi liked industry in his midfielders...but could be horrendously wrong.

And he can go back to being backup to Kaspar then too. Order would be restored!

Sorry, I'm getting déjà vu 😅

This was my biggest concern with Enzo leaving. Sure, him leaving meant we might get a coach more willing to bend their principles, but the last thing you want to do on promotion is change your coach and style. Takes all the momentum out of the side, and you have to start again. Ranieri succeeding Pearson is a prime example of us as fans knowing you don't need to change everything if the previous coach leaves on a (sporting) high. You build on the foundations. You don't start again.

You know what, I know that's just one tournament's worth of highlights...but I really like the look of him! Be interesting to see what the stats and general reviews of him say, but he definitely seems to have had a good Copa based on SofaScore.

Completely agree. Feels a bit like they've hidden behind the wringing of hands that the charges were "dropped" so they might have got sued if they sacked him, and managed to profit out of it too. The morally right thing to do is to have sacked him straight away, and dealt with the legal consequences regardless. Would have at least shown some sort of moral fibre.

Depends on how much game time they get. If they are backup to the seniors and then consistently get game time in the cups and as rotation, I don't think that's bad for their development. They are still pretty young, and with the injuries they've had might be a good way to ease them in to senior football over time.

The Mercians, according to the drum kit. Up and coming Leicestershire band apparently? I am not down with the kids apparently 😂

Yeah, fair enough, this was so worth the wait hahaha

This doesn't scream "us", but I'd love you to be right .

@Finnegan this seems a better suited place to chat Parson 😅 I mentioned in the other thread that I think the set up at Salzburg—however you want to describe the forward situation—got the best out of Daka. Yes I know it was in the Austrian Bundesliga. Yes it takes time for a player to adapt to the PL/Championship, or heck, any new side. Yes, under Rodgers we retreated more and more, leaving our striker(s) isolated. But regardless of whether we agree that he plays best with someone to partner him, or to play off of, how do we get the best out of him? Part of the reason I think he needs someone to play off of is related to @moore_94's comment (I think, apologies if I'm wrong) about Daka being a confidence player. I think that having someone playing close to him (not necessarily as a "two" but perhaps an inverted winger or an AM playing right up next to him like Maddison used to on occasion) gives him more confidence, more support, and gets more out of him. What do you think?

I think poor @Adster has been through enough, and I have a better idea...

Great research and a well put together argument. Just to be clear, I never said or suggested that "any modern striker "needs" a striker partner or can "only play in a two" or "can't play as a lone striker"". If you needed somewhere to vent that, fine, but that has nothing to do with my opinion on whether Daka specifically has shown evidence in being capable of leading the line for us going forward. Should I base that on my opinion of his performance last season? According to you, perhaps not, but we are all creatures of biases and I will acknowledge mine. I'm not a Daka hater—far from it—and if you believe that he will do well this season as our main/leading/only striker on the pitch at that time/however you wish to describe it, then great! I'd love that to be the case. I just sadly cannot believe that will translate into success in the Premier League based on what I've seen last season. I am incredibly wary of looking at goal contribution stats after our experience with Iheanacho—another player I desperately wanted to do well and become Vardy's successor. EDIT: Just curious—why if you wanted to know my reasoning, as well as my evidence, did you ignore the rest of my reasoning by only quoting the bit about goals?

That's fair enough. Whenever I've watched him play, or followed his performances in games I can't, he seems to do much better when he has support up front. He scored 7 goals last year as a solo striker, and at Championship level I just don't think that's anywhere good enough going into the Premier League. We bought him off the back of a fantastic season with Salzburg, who play/played the traditional RB way of two up top. He shone. Yes the PL and Championship are a step up from the Austrian Bundesliga, but I genuinely believe if he was in a 2 he'd have scored more these past two seasons. We keep doing this: Signing strikers who would work well in a two, playing off another forward, and then playing them alone up front. It's frustrating, as I believe Daka could thrive in a system that suits him.

Daka is definitely not suited to one up front, based on last season. If Soulé plays quite close to him, however...

Definitely feels a lot more like that. I do wonder if we need him right now though, compared with other positions on the pitch (central midfield in particular). Will be some incredible competition for Fatawu though, should that all still go through!

Same. Hopefully Okoli will do well, but he'd another right-footed CB too. Greaves is left footed, can play LB and has a decent passing range. Would have helped fill that Doyle or normal LCB role with ease.

Great signing by Ipswich. Damn.