Away Toon Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 I wonder if we'll be back in for Ekitike? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelrouser Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Ikon said: Ugarte and Kone Romeo Lavia and Khephren Thuram too. Good choices for a young affordable defensive midfielder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shak Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Away Toon said: I wonder if we'll be back in for Ekitike? Like Joao Pedro would make a lot of sense on paper as someone who could be Isak's understudy as CF while also being an option on the wings. You'd wonder if he'll want to go somewhere where he'll be first choice though, which I don't think he'd get at Newcastle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Shak said: Signing someone like Rice might be worth it as you could argue it fills two holes in the squad. First, it's a massive upgrade on Longstaff in a starting CM position. Secondly, in the event that Bruno gets injured I think Rice is good enough on the ball to take over his role as the deep lying playmaker. He's not as good as Bruno in that specific role IMO but he'd still be excelllent. We've nobody in the squad who can do that right now, which is why we fall off so spectacularly when he's out. We can not compromise the engine out of our 8's which is why whoever we sign that could "upgrade" on Willock/Joelinton/Longstaff needs to be able to play equal to them in terms of pitch coverage to allow Bruno the freedom to do waht he does best in an almost free attacking role when we're pushed up high. In my absolute mad mind right now... Joelinton Isak Maxi/Diaby/Ferran Torres Willock Bruno Longstaff/New CM Attacking LB Botman Schar Trips ^^ in the above we're signing a new dynamo winger who can create, score and get in behind. We're signing a new #8 who is better in attack than Longstaff but is able to do the off-the-ball stuff Longstaff does. On the LB side we get someone who can genuinly add more in attack. It also preserves the Joelinton/Willock interchanging too. We can obviously change it up situationally with say Maxi & New Winger flanking Isak or WIlson and Joelinton in at CM with Bruno and one of the new guy, Willock or Longstaff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Interesting vid on twitter of Rice walking round the pitch with Howe after the match. Lots of cuddles with him and Tindall (?) so I think time for a thread... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Did that at the home match no? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Aye, seems that's where it's from rather than from last night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberto2005 Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 6 minutes ago, Lazarus said: Interesting vid on twitter of Rice walking round the pitch with Howe after the match. Lots of cuddles with him and Tindall (?) so I think time for a thread... Pretty sure it's Jones who he knows from England. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shak Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 16 minutes ago, Kanji said: We can not compromise the engine out of our 8's which is why whoever we sign that could "upgrade" on Willock/Joelinton/Longstaff needs to be able to play equal to them in terms of pitch coverage to allow Bruno the freedom to do waht he does best in an almost free attacking role when we're pushed up high. In my absolute mad mind right now... Joelinton Isak Maxi/Diaby/Ferran Torres Willock Bruno Longstaff/New CM Attacking LB Botman Schar Trips ^^ in the above we're signing a new dynamo winger who can create, score and get in behind. We're signing a new #8 who is better in attack than Longstaff but is able to do the off-the-ball stuff Longstaff does. On the LB side we get someone who can genuinly add more in attack. It also preserves the Joelinton/Willock interchanging too. We can obviously change it up situationally with say Maxi & New Winger flanking Isak or WIlson and Joelinton in at CM with Bruno and one of the new guy, Willock or Longstaff. I just don't think there's a massive future for Joelinton as a left sided forward. Great that he can cover there and maybe you play him there in the odd away game where you want to neutralise the opposition's right side a bit more but I just don't think he's going to be of much use in that position against teams who sit back and ask us to break them down. However, think he's an absolute animal in CM. Would really love to see him in Longstaff's position with Willock on the left side of the midfield three. Think that's probably our best three man midfield although Longstaff has been so damn solid for ages now so rightly won't lose his place any time soon. I'd be leaving Bruno in his spot and signing another CM who offers the same engine our others do. Rice would be great (Bellingham would be the dream signing but it's not realistic) and if not him then someone else of that ilk. Picking two from a group of Rice (or whoever we get), Joelinton, Willock and Longstaff next year would be good with me. Maybe add a young player (Ashworth can surely rustle up another Caicedo or MacAllister type from somewhere, seems a reasonable ask? ) and that's a solid group for next year IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 All spot on - just think there's something in the Willock/Joelinton left side in attack and def if both can keep this form up - they blanket an entire side of the pitch. They press, they tackle, they carry the ball and they score goals! Your opposite side needs to be a Maxi or Miggy (when scoring) or a Diaby style winger imho then. But I hear you bro! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shak Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 34 minutes ago, Kanji said: All spot on - just think there's something in the Willock/Joelinton left side in attack and def if both can keep this form up - they blanket an entire side of the pitch. They press, they tackle, they carry the ball and they score goals! Your opposite side needs to be a Maxi or Miggy (when scoring) or a Diaby style winger imho then. But I hear you bro! I'd guess next season the wide options will be a new RW battling with Almiron and then Maxi and Gordon fighting for the LW. Murphy the emergency depth. Maxi has done enough this last week for me to now think he might just stay. If things go wrong for him next year we have Gordon who is probably viewed as a LW long term by Howe and we can also go to the Joe-n-Joe show on the left too like you say. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanji Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 If Maxi can stay fit and buy-in to Howe's way there is literally NO reason to sell him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sushimonster85 Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 2 minutes ago, Kanji said: If Maxi can stay fit and buy-in to Howe's way there is literally NO reason to sell him. Yep. These past few games he has really started to look like a blend of ASM but also a 'Howe' player. Always felt like one of the issues with Max is it was either a 10/10 performance and he looked like one of the best players in the league, or a 3/10 and he may as well not be playing. This past month he has started to put in solid 7-8/10 performances every game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Unless Maxi is going to be genuinely unhappy, and he has to accept he will be rotated in and out especially with europe, I would definitely want to keep him. Howe is doing wonders, why can't he get Maxi to be consistent? He seems to be really buying in at the moment, and answering critics who don't think he works hard enough in games Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelrouser Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Shak said: I just don't think there's a massive future for Joelinton as a left sided forward. 1 hour ago, Shak said: However, think he's an absolute animal in CM Agree. ASM and Gordon on the LW. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegans Export Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 The only issue with Maxi is that he's one of our few sellable assets. If the plan is to top up the kitty with sales then a £20-25m offer from abroad might tempt us. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 £20–25M wouldn't get you Murphy these days, man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPERTOON Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Bit about us wanting Bowen here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiresias Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Well yes but if we sell him he does need replacing. If we were only getting £20m for him he could fund only a speculative purchase rather than a definite upgrade. He's contracted till 2026 so hardly like he's going to go cheap anytime soon, another year of howe coaching may add value more than anything. If someone came in with £35m+ i'd maybe be a bit tempted, but I would be led by Howe's read on Maxi, does he want to go? Does he want to stay then why risk replacement? If we need to sell to buy that is a slightly different matter. I'd find it horrendous selling any of the players who could command much of a fee at this point to be honest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Rice will stay at West Ham as long as it takes for one of the traditional big 6 to sign him at ann acceptable fee imo. I think we would need to break the bank to get him otherwise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 People love selling Maxi in their fantasies. Maxi will be here longer than Almiron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Rice's contract is up in a year, think it's pretty widely accepted that he's off this summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 (edited) Just now, Rich said: His contract is up in a year, think it's pretty widely accepted that he's off this summer. Do they not have a one year extension option? Probably have read it wrong somewhere. Edited April 6, 2023 by Ikon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 2 minutes ago, Ikon said: Do they not have a one year extension option? Probably have read it wrong somewhere. They do, aye, but there's been talk of there being a Harry Kane-esque "gentleman's agreement" on the acceptable transfer fee going on behind the scenes on some of the podcasts I've listened to that have talked about his future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyc35i Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 11 minutes ago, Rich said: They do, aye, but there's been talk of there being a Harry Kane-esque "gentleman's agreement" on the acceptable transfer fee going on behind the scenes on some of the podcasts I've listened to that have talked about his future. Do they mention what is deemed as an acceptable transfer fee? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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