Soumaré (signed)

[frany104]

On 03/05/2021 at 11:22, Ric Flair said:

Hahahahahahahaa is this a joke?

I probably haven’t explained what I meant very well. I didn’t mean a direct replacement. I meant he offers another alternative skill set in midfield which we don’t have  and therefore for some games would replace Maddison. He clearly isn’t a number 10. Against the likes of City and Liverpool we could play 3 in midfield and use Soumare, Ndidi and Tielemans. That would be stronger defensively.

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, frany104 said:

I probably haven’t explained what I meant very well. I didn’t mean a direct replacement. I meant he offers another alternative skill set in midfield which we don’t have  and therefore for some games would replace Maddison. He clearly isn’t a number 10. Against the likes of City and Liverpool we could play 3 in midfield and use Soumare, Ndidi and Tielemans. That would be stronger defensively.

Get you, and that makes sense. 

[Muzzy_Larsson]

On 03/05/2021 at 13:26, urban.spaceman said:

£35m feel a Lille too much considering he's got 1 year left on his contract

Seen a fair bit of him, he's not worth anywhere near that even if he had five years left on his deal.

 

£20m would be an absolute ceiling for me with Soumare and even at that with a year to go I'd say his value is more in the £15m range.

 

He's a decent enough player but I don't think he improves the starting eleven.

[Sharpe's Fox]

I coudn't care less how much we pay. It's not my money. At least we seem serious outfit instead of mincing about like Man United or Tottenham do, arguing about marginal percentages. Pathetic clubs run by people who aren't serious.

[wardyfox86]

1 hour ago, Sharpe's Fox said:

I coudn't care less how much we pay. It's not my money. At least we seem serious outfit instead of mincing about like Man United or Tottenham do, arguing about marginal percentages. Pathetic clubs run by people who aren't serious.

So when football runs itself into the ground paying stupid fees inflating year on year, and clubs start trying to break away to Super League in order to boost revenue, will people care that its not their money then? Regardless of whose money is spent, spending clever will always benefit the club.

 

With regards to Soumare, it's clear we like to sign players that we can make profit on. Anything around £30mil would mean he'd have to come in and perform at Tielemans/Ndidi levels. If that's the case, who starts?

 

Much like Praet has found, it's difficult to get a regular spot ahead of them. Which in turn means we aren't likely to see a profit on him should we sell.

 

Are we at the point now where £30mil is the market we need to be in for squad rotation options? As @Muzzy_Larsson says, £15mil should be the offer and go from there. 

 

[sacreblueits442]

9 hours ago, Muzzy_Larsson said:

Seen a fair bit of him, he's not worth anywhere near that even if he had five years left on his deal.

 

£20m would be an absolute ceiling for me with Soumare and even at that with a year to go I'd say his value is more in the £15m range.

 

He's a decent enough player but I don't think he improves the starting eleven.

....I agree with your points but £20m would be about right!!!

There is so much he has going for him and it just needs someone to work with him to bring out his full qualities. Does not appear to have much end product but he just does not see the game and read what is around him. Struggles to release or see the run and situations come and go because after all his good work, he does not see it.

  I believe he is coachable, to the extent that we will have one very good midfielder on our hands.

[NasPb]

Regardless no way he goes for 35 million. The price tag is one of the reasons we're interested surely 

 

Don't forget, that the French league will see a leaving of various players for undervalue due to the TV deal there 

[glebe_sydneyfox]

€18-25mil is his max price with a year left and so many clubs in the financial doldrums.

Grab him and integrate him into the 1st team next year. It'll give us a buffer for the eventual monster bid(s) for Ndidi and/or Youri

[Muzzy_Larsson]

9 hours ago, sacreblueits442 said:

....I agree with your points but £20m would be about right!!!

There is so much he has going for him and it just needs someone to work with him to bring out his full qualities. Does not appear to have much end product but he just does not see the game and read what is around him. Struggles to release or see the run and situations come and go because after all his good work, he does not see it.

  I believe he is coachable, to the extent that we will have one very good midfielder on our hands.

Yeah £20m would be decent business.

[moore_94]

 

[UniFox21]

All sounds very promising. Hope we can get these over the line. 

[Dahnsouff]

An actual B2B midfielder.  

[FoxOnWheels]

When does the window open?

[Spudulike]

1 hour ago, FoxOnWheels said:

When does the window open?

 

[Pliskin]

This kid will be gravy in a few years. Offer us another dimention to our game, potentially able to play 4-3-3 etc..... very clever signing if we pull it off. 

[Ric Flair]

3 hours ago, Dahnsouff said:

An actual B2B midfielder.  

With zero goals and assists this season and 1 goal and 2 assists in over 110 league games in his career, I don't think he does much when he gets near the oppositions box. Piff

[Ric Flair]

One things for sure, if he is a regular then we have to have a creative right winger in the team as well, we've been able to carry a non existent goal threat from out on the right due to the collective goals from both central midfielders, our left winger and striker but there'd have to be a sacrifice to one of the creative centeal positions which makes the recruitment of another winger essential.

 

I see us leaving that position until last yet again though.

[MPH]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

With zero goals and assists this season and 1 goal and 2 assists in over 110 league games in his career, I don't think he does much when he gets near the oppositions box. Piff

 

 

 

 Sounds like ndidi’s long term replacement..

[Lambert09]

I’m not saying we will be wrong with this one but players from the French league are hot or cold. Some really don’t hack it. 
 

look at ndombele and Pepe they were seen as unreal signings at crazy fees and both are completely average. 
 

Worth a pop either way 

[sacreblueits442]

46 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

With zero goals and assists this season and 1 goal and 2 assists in over 110 league games in his career, I don't think he does much when he gets near the oppositions box. Piff

...you look at the YouTube videos and the action is cut prior to getting into the final third!!!

  All his good work seems to lead to nothing or is passed on to a more creative player who sees the game better and executes telling passes. 

  It is something that he needs to work on, to be able to influence the game with more awareness in his play when going  forward. 

  He has everything else sorted in his game. 

[Dan]

5 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

I’m not saying we will be wrong with this one but players from the French league are hot or cold. Some really don’t hack it. 
 

look at ndombele and Pepe they were seen as unreal signings at crazy fees and both are completely average. 
 

Worth a pop either way 

I reckon both of those two come good, signs with Pepe that he's clicking a bit, do think neither have really been great value for money though.

 

I'm a bit meh on Soumare if I'm honest. Just mainly based on the reactions of those who've watched him more, fbref etc... tells me he's a steady player but nothing special. Not 'top target' material anyway. Gosens excites me and I'd be seriously impressed if we got him in. They've got a good enough hit ratio for me to trust them though.

[escape2victory]

8 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

I’m not saying we will be wrong with this one but players from the French league are hot or cold. Some really don’t hack it. 
 

look at ndombele and Pepe they were seen as unreal signings at crazy fees and both are completely average. 
 

Worth a pop either way 

Fair point but same could be said for players coming from any foreign league. I trust our judgement with our french scouts.......Mahrez, Kante, Fofana.....Mendy?!

[Dahnsouff]

9 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

With zero goals and assists this season and 1 goal and 2 assists in over 110 league games in his career, I don't think he does much when he gets near the oppositions box. Piff

If he gets the ball from our box to the opponents nice and quickly, that`ll do. 

[escape2victory]

If we sign this guy I’d be a little worried if I was the wee boy Maddison. I would envisage in the big games at least a 4-3-3.

When we play Maddison as a 10 and 2 wingers, pushing the full backs on and only Ndidi holding, it leaves us too exposed and often the 4-2-3-1 ends up being a 4-5-1 as the wingers have to defend due to us playing a 10.

 

No one really plays with 2 attacking wingers and a 10 unless you have 2 actual holding players. Take the successful Liverpool team over the past couple of years. 3 dynamic forwards, not really having to worry about defending as have 3 hard working combative midfielders.

 

If we were to get Trincao or someone who matches that profile for the right, Barnes left and Vardy/Iheanacho central, then with this Soumare alongside Tielemans and Ndidi holding, it gives those forward players more free licence and should allow us actually play 4-3-3 and rather than it always being 4-5-1 as well as more control in the centre of the pitch

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, escape2victory said:

If we sign this guy I’d be a little worried if I was the wee boy Maddison. I would envisage in the big games at least a 4-3-3.

When we play Maddison as a 10 and 2 wingers, pushing the full backs on and only Ndidi holding, it leaves us too exposed and often the 4-2-3-1 ends up being a 4-5-1 as the wingers have to defend due to us playing a 10.

 

No one really plays with 2 attacking wingers and a 10 unless you have 2 actual holding players. Take the successful Liverpool team over the past couple of years. 3 dynamic forwards, not really having to worry about defending as have 3 hard working combative midfielders.

 

If we were to get Trincao or someone who matches that profile for the right, Barnes left and Vardy/Iheanacho central, then with this Soumare alongside Tielemans and Ndidi holding, it gives those forward players more free licence and should allow us actually play 4-3-3 and rather than it always being 4-5-1 as well as more control in the centre of the pitch

See this view is flawed, that was what we tried to do prior to this season and our record vs the supposed bigger clubs was hideous. This season we beat Spurs, Chelsea and drew vs Man Utd by going 4-2-3-1 without sacrificing one of Barnes or Maddison. Both players were exceptional in all of those games.

 

Now you could argue that Albrighton as opposed to an attacking right winger is the reason for our dominance in such games but the importance of Maddison was so crucial to this as well. I don't understand the thought process of spending £25-30m on a defensive midfielder that's supposedly going to help us in big games? Which also makes Albrighton's limitations now exposed and therefore we need a top class attacking right winger which is another £25-30m. 

 

If we can afford Soumare, a right winger, a striker and Gosens then great but baring in mind we probably want another centre half as well I'm at a loss how we have the funds for it. Out of all those positions, Soumare is the less of a priority surely?