Lotus

It's hard to argue with Froggy. He's in a very unique situation whereby he has excellent contacts at the Executive and Boardroom level, coaches and management and also the senior players in the dressing room.

So when he tells you they have the very best decision makers at the top of the club, the best post war manager, probably the best young striking prospect in the world, possibly the best midfielders and at least 3 of their defenders are among the top 2 in the world, you'd better listen.

1 hour ago, Froggy said:

 

I'm friends with multiple Dortmund season ticket holders.  I watch all of their games and have been multiple times myself. I love Dortmund. 

 

They do want to keep him, but more because of how good he was before. He hasn't been good since he came back aside from two or three games. He was good in the CL semi, but was horrible in the final. Two assists and two goals in 20+ games for Dortmund, in a league that has about 4 good defenders. It's interesting you say that he took a while to get fitness and sharpness back, because IMO his best performances aside from the CL semi were his first few games back. He tailed off again after that.

 

The hope is that they can pick him up for cheap, and he rediscovers his form from a few years ago. They don't want to pay more than €20m for a permanent transfer though and would prefer to get him on loan again. I can't see either happening. Hoping he goes to West Ham or something for £40m.

Yeah, I love Dortmund too and watch whenever I can.

I know that league isn’t the best but it’s not like it’s the Scottish Prem or the like. 
 

He’s definitely shown he can play at a high level. He’s a very good player when comfortable in the right environment and confident in himself and those around him. Dortmund don’t have the finances to buy him back unless it’s a very, very low package. Especially the wages….

I don’t really know what went wrong at Manu, I doubt anyone outside those involved truly knows but it’s a shame for Sancho and England. Your club, with all due respect i couldn’t care less 😘.

But Sancho IS a player. Propaganda to suggest otherwise.

Btw, can’t agree he was best in his 1st few games. He was trying a bit too hard and hadn’t settled with his new teammates. He has always liked overlapping FBs to give him space and options. Ryerson  and Maatsen weren’t at the club when he was there. They all needed some time and practice to know each others games.

Sancho has not been poor for Dortmund. Took him a while to get some fitness and sharpness back tbf.

Ask Dortmund fans if they want to keep him…..

I quite like Ten Hag tbh. He can’t be rubbish, his Ajax side was very tasty.

For whatever reason it hasn’t clicked for him at Manu and yet he’s managed to win a couple of cups.

It seems to me the club has issues higher up than the manager and that misalignment has caused issues that have run through the club. They are clearly trying to rectify that.

Ten Hags biggest issue is not getting some of his best players to buy in, i.e. Sancho (who’s looked very good in the CL for Dortmund) and Rashford. Antony hasn’t looked worth the money but he at looks bothered about it.

If the club really believe Ten Hag is the future then they to give players like those 2 an ultimatum and stick to it. Otherwise he’ll always have problems in the dressing room.

1 hour ago, Matt1892 said:

He left there a few months before his 20th birthday but the point still stands, just because a player doesn’t fulfil their potential at Dortmund it doesn’t mean that they never will.

 

 

How many appearances did Isak make for Dortmund 1st team? How old was he when he did? 
How many appearances has Adeyemi made for them?

Theres not really an equivalence imo.

Also, who’s arguing the point that if you don’t make it at Dortmund you never will? Haven’t read a post that states that as an absolute. 
 

Is there anything in Adeyemi’s stats that convinces you he’s a top talent that’s badly used/trained? Is there anything in his general play apart from pace that sets him apart? Genuine question btw. I haven’t seen it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there but I haven’t seen anything obvious.

7 hours ago, Matt1892 said:

I think the reasons we consider him is for the reasons above, that we feel that there is untapped potential there and if Howe can get him to be more consistent then we have a bargain.

 

Worth remembering that Isak didn’t make the grade at Dortmund either, so I don’t think that would put the club off.

Isak was 17 when at Dortmund and, I think it was Tuchel who never ever gave him a look in. Very different circumstances imo.

Think I also remember someone called Gemmil from Toontastic.....

Alex, was another I think…..

Is Renton and J69 on here? Struggling to remember some of the other names…..

11 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

Going back to taking more risks.

 

Sesko is one Nickson spotted early doors. We won't have a sniff of signing him now, but it shows he's got a brilliant eye for a player and we should lean on his judgement a touch more than we already do.

Sesko looked very very good in the clips and highlight reels. I’d rather we had Isak. No club in our relative position is going to have both an Isak and a Sesko unless one of them happens to be home grown imo.

Adeyemi is not a productive player. Poor passing and assist stats, poor at shot creating actions. Is quick and can carry the ball, can beat a player but on pace, not skill.

I’m sure he has potential in him to improve but not every player realises their potential. 
He’s not really lit it up at Dortmund playing against inferior defences.

There’s obviously a whole load of other stats that clubs use when deciding on a player,  but unless the price was too cheap to pass up and our wage offer was low enough the risk factor was highly attenuated, I’d be surprised to see us look at him.

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

Mbeumo is a top. I would just rather a playmaker type.

 

From players named:
Olise

Mbeumo

 

MGW

 

MGW is right footed. Don't want him on the right.

 

 

 

Matias Soule looks the playmaker type to me.

Decent pace but not Gordonesque. As a result he seems to have prospered by good decision making and excellent technical execution.

Seem to remember something about that when his contract was signed. Could only be triggered by non PL clubs.

Cruyff would’ve loved Schar. Would’ve had him popping up all over the park. Man has the most complete skill set in our squad.

I just don’t know enough to assess if Hall would be a successful midfielder. As you’ve alluded to, it’s a lot more than being able to pass or tackle. It’s the awareness and speed of thought under pressure.

If he stays at FB he will obvs be a playmaking FB and, I think takeover from Trippier in that role. 
Tino’s strength to me (offensively) seems to be more about running with the ball. His passing is good but not exceptional.

He can really ping the ball well, from either foot. But he can struggle to make the most basic of passes. That’s less to do with technique and more about him not making a decision early enough. He does seem to 2nd guess himself. 
I’ve a lot of time for him for his character. 
I don’t think he offers much more than ‘legs’ and he can only do that if fully fit and injury free. 
It’s easy to underestimate what effect a Duracell bunny can offer his teammates, especially in midfield. But he doesn’t have many secondary qualities to fall back on if he can’t cover enough grass.

Think there are some harsh posts here. He’s been out and hasn’t got his sharpness. He had a lapse or 2 one of which cost us. 
Unless it’s silly money I’d be happy to see him play for us next season. Would think he’s still got 1 good season left in him.
Ideally Tino would show enough in training and matches to play at least half the games. 

Think it’s very easy for us to underestimate the pressures these managers are under. It really bends some of them out of shape. 
I used to like Klopp but I think it all really got to him. 
I’m just guessing Ange is straining under the weight of expectation coupled with what I imagine to be less than exemplary support and stewardship from Levy.

Just now, Aiston said:

Got it wrong today, worst game to do at this point.

 

Very tough game against Man United that is now a must win.

Didn't see how EH 'got it wrong' tbh. Players didn't make the best decisions but that's on them.

Important to protect Isak imo. Wilson unfortunately not reliable this season. Still 6 points to play for.

London is awesome or awful depending on the people you know. Like every other place.

Seems to me, with his very very good technique and range of passing, it’s more likely he’ll be a Trippier type of playmaking fullback. On the other side we can still have Tino. He’s very athletic and can probably play well as RCB in a back 3 shape when Hall moves forward.

Hall just has to grow as a player and gain the confidence Trippier has. 
We’re an excellent team for him to do that.

Have I missed something or are the media not constantly linking AG to all the usual suspects the way Bruno and Isak have been?

Well, A Gordon said Anderson shows plenty in training but he’s just got to figure out how to transfer that to match day. 
I also think it would be good for him to go on loan and find out himself what kind of player he is. 
He might be a good fit for a lower prem team but he also might not one of the 1st names on the team sheet and he really needs lots of starts.
Championship might be a level too low. 
He’s in a tricky spot.