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We were much better with than without him last season, but we don't have any competition for his place so thats not all that surprising really in that context. We need an alternative but we won't get one.

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There are those that look at the form of Diame and Shelvey in the back half of the season and extrapolate that into next season, but it seems few people do the same with Ayoze.

 

He was phenomenal towards the end - didn’t he score something like five in ten at one stage? Many people have a #10 high on their wishlist, but he’s one of the first picked for me. I’m hopeful that one more season under Rafa could really push him to the next level.

 

He has a great eye for goal and good positioning up top. He just doesn't feel right for me at #10 but I don't know where he properly fits in with our formation. He doesn't look bad up top but he is too lightweight and gets marked out of the game. Arguably his best form for me was when he was out wide up top in his first season or so but we have better players for there now.

 

Those stats don't lie though if he can keep that kind of form up, remembering he looked invisible for much of the season, lightweight and sloppy in possession at times, maybe he would be ok still starting for us at 10. I think for me its lofty expectation of wanting a Hatem with trickery, creativity and ability to score blinding goals or create them out of nothing. Ironic when his best play also came from out wide. We simply won't pay for a player that can do that and Ayoze will give his all.

 

IF (as we all know this looks like it isn't happening as usual) we come out of the window with a top draw or pretty decent front man that can actually create some space and hold up the ball we might see a greater improvement of Ayoze as a secondary striker too.

 

I think he has just never settled and had the chance to settle into any true position. I am not against keeping him there if he continues his form I just hope we also get someone else capable of playing there.

 

i think the difference was kenedy personally, before that he was expected to be too creative in a proper number 10 mould but his success in the later part of the season imo came from the freedom was given to be a second striker getting in goalscoring positions

 

if he's played like that again and we have kenedy/ritchie/shelvey doing the the creating i see no reason why he can't continue to get in good positions and push for double figures

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I've never been sold on Perez. I want so much to like him and for him to succeed but for me he's never going to be anything other than a poor striker. He's got technical ability but it's not enough to make up for the glaring weaknesses in his game. I can't see us ever getting anywhere long term as long as he's playing in our starting 11.

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One of those games where he kept losing the ball in great positions due to wanting an extra touch. Kenedy was the same. That said, lumping the ball long is never going to get the best out of these type of players.

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Really don't think he's a number 10 at all, terrible at keeping it in tight spaces but good at getting into positions to score further forward

 

Agreed, but he’s the best non-#10 we have :lol:

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I still think he has the most difficult role in our side, asked to be the creative fulcrum high up the pitch, a goalscorer, and more often than not the person responsible for dragging us forward and keeping the ball on the break - without a lot of support from fairly deep-lying central midfielders, our shoddy selection of strikers, and wingers who tend to keep the width. There's no doubt he loses the ball a lot, but I think even when he has a poor game he tends to be responsible for some of our best attacking moments, the odd give-and-go or break beyond the defensive line, and I'm less confident of us scoring when he's not on the pitch.

 

If Kenedy's going to miss a few games, it's a good opportunity to try Perez alongside Muto, another player who will press high up the pitch and make more direct runs at and beyond the opposition's defence.

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