CloudFox

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.

Hmm, I'm a bit torn on this. Wilf is one of my favourite players, and he's been with us a long long time now, so glad to see him choose us. I'm not sure his form in the past couple of years has warranted a 3 year deal though, let alone if it's for higher wages than he was on before. I get that the signing on fee will likely be included in that, but... Well, I hope he can get back to his destroyer best. I miss his octopus legs. If Cooper can get him back to that, then this will be an excellent (re-)signing. We just need a proper industrious box-to-box player now, to do the heavy lifting for Ndidi and Winks.

Urgh I feel your pain, Ric. This seemed so perfect a deal for us to make, and yet...nada. What's the opposite of spending £100 on battered sausages in the chip shop opposite Leicester College?

Goddammit. That is incredibly frustrating.

What did Vards say to the media guy and Wanya? Must have missed that. Unless the media guy bit is related to him telling someone to stop filming him/them during the open top bus tour, IIRC? I've always got the impression Vardy was very welcoming to new signings 🤷🏻‍♂️

Definitely not ours then 😅 Although €20 million plus Kristiansen...that could work.

Describes himself as "strong" and "a fast defender". Interesting!

This is bizarre! A YouTube exclusive 😅 Welcome, Okoli! 🦊

Calling it: Union FS to throw cherries on the pitch and the team to suddenly run rampant.

Don't do this to me. Please. Please let there be something in this 🤞🏻.

Bless him, he seems so young! Definitely lots of scripting there, but fair enough—probably the first time he's had to do club interviews really, I'd imagine. Welcome Michael! Very interested to see when and where he gets involved with the first team.

Not necessarily. Ricky P and JJ at right back, Viktor and Targett at LB? I haven't followed Targett of late, so no idea if he's any good these days.