Now That's What I Call Transfer Rumours! 7

[Disco]

People pretending Rice isn’t class are weird as fuck like. He’d not be worth the mad fee IMO as it’d be better served elsewhere but he’s clearly a very very good player.

[Cronky]

Rice is a very good athlete, and in certain situations on the pitch, he will shine. I can remember seeing him come on as a sub in a cup tie against Kidderminster, and he completely dominated that standard of opposition. It was like a man amongst boys. He's very good at bringing the ball forward out of defence, when he has time and space to do that, like a marauding centre back. He made one of those runs against us on Wednesday, and we weren't able to stop him.

 

What he doesn't seem able to do from his position, is the sort of thing that Bruno does regularly, which is to take the ball under pressure, create some space and time with a bit of nimble footwork and then ping a quick pass out which leaves the opposition wrong-footed. Rice is a big unit, and needs time and space to operate. In those situations, he can look more like a centre back filling in further forward. He often looks a bit conservative in his decision-making as a result.

 

He is a good player, but I do get surprised at the size of transfer fee and the sort of club that he gets linked with in the gossip columns. We don't seem to be one of those clubs, and I'm quite happy with that personally.

[Magpie]

Ugarte being 'linked' on Twitter. That would be an immense signing.

[Ikon]

Half the price and will be as good if not better than Rice under the right management. Better under pressure and in tighter spaces. A bit of a rash tackler but he is a machine that just keeps going and going.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Ikon

[Whitley mag]

I wouldn’t say no to Rice but Roy Keane nailed this the other month, he doesn’t do enough to justify the hype at the price quoted. In that cup game against Man U he had very little influence on the game.

 

Much better value in the likes of Ugarte, Kone and Thuram. 

[Mazzy]

Rice needs someone next to him (double pivot) to provide the creative ability from deep that he doesn't have. Him and Bruno as a pair would be excellent. 

[Keegans Export]

1 hour ago, Cronky said:

What he doesn't seem able to do from his position, is the sort of thing that Bruno does regularly, which is to take the ball under pressure, create some space and time with a bit of nimble footwork and then ping a quick pass out which leaves the opposition wrong-footed. Rice is a big unit, and needs time and space to operate. In those situations, he can look more like a centre back filling in further forward. He often looks a bit conservative in his decision-making as a result.

This is one thing that I think we'd miss if we went with an out-and-out DM with the aim of pushing Bruno forwards.

I was all for it last summer but I don't think there are many DMs who can do what he does with the ball under pressure (like you say). If we brought in a more classical DM, obviously Bruno would be able to offer more in and around the oppositions box which is great but I think we would lose that link between attack and defence and potentially make us weaker overall.

 

Obviously if we can bring in another Bruno who can do it all then great (my knowledge of footballers outside the PL is limited so I'm sure they are out there) but it seems that most of the DMs we've been linked with have been more in the classic destroyer mould?

[LV]

The new DM would just need to pass it to Bruno. He’d do the rest. 

[PauloGeordio]

3 minutes ago, LV said:

The new DM would just need to pass it to Bruno. He’d do the rest. 

The fetcher and the carrier! 

[Tiresias]

It's a bit odd because I think we ought to get a midfielder who can slow game down and control stuff even if just to be subbed up when we have a lead we need to hold and the players are running on fumes. A little bit of me wonders though if it was like Thiago at liverpool who certainly improved them and they came close to the league and yet klopp's best liverpool side was probably when had none of that passing and was just all out all the time. Similarly we may dilute Howe's pressing game, and yet I feel it is our clearest weakness, we need to be all out full press and if we're huffing a bit we get sloppy. 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Tiresias

[M1tche]

Im confused how some people dont rate Rice highly, addinh him into our midfield takes us to whole next level. Him Bruno + 1 would be a unreal 3 and very hard to compete with for any team in the league, I've watched a lot of West Ham over the last few years and he looks a class above in most games and against the top teams doesn't look out of place but also doesnt have much else in there to help them compete with those sides

[andycap]

Rice is a canny player like, but the price is crazy high. Probably a 60 million player in today's market. But westham will be pushing for close to 100 million. 

[ExiledGeordie]

17 hours ago, Tiresias said:

well duuur though does imply lascelles is out

It doesn’t really make sense for Lascelles to stay any longer than this season especially if we sign a young right sided CB. He’s just not going to play and you have to think he’ll want to play some football at some point.

[ExiledGeordie]

7 minutes ago, M1tche said:

Im confused how some people dont rate Rice highly, addinh him into our midfield takes us to whole next level. Him Bruno + 1 would be a unreal 3 and very hard to compete with for any team in the league, I've watched a lot of West Ham over the last few years and he looks a class above in most games and against the top teams doesn't look out of place but also doesnt have much else in there to help them compete with those sides

I think Rice is class but the fee and his wages are just going to be too much. I’m not entirely convinced he’d come either vs option to go to a London club for example. I think we’ll sign a number 6 from the continent for less money.

[Cronky]

The standard in the Premiership is now so high that I don't think teams can get away with a DM whose job is limited to winning the ball and then giving it to someone else who can pass and create with it. It's a hobbyhorse of mine, but a player in that anchor position will naturally get a lot of possession, and they've got to be able to use it well. Ideally, you would have a Partey, Casemiro, Rodri or an Enzo who can do a bit of everything. 

 

I don't think Bruno is a great tackler, but he makes up for it with his brain and his energy. He often seems to win the ball by anticipating where to position himself.

[kocunar]

Perfect upgrade to Longstaff would be Valverde, but no way Real sells him. 

 

Defensively he gives you the same if not more, but offensively, if he was in the same situations that Longstaff was, he would have had 10+ goals by now. 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by kocunar

[KaKa]

 

 

Ugarte's passing breakdown is absolutely ridiculous to be fair, looks like the perfect DM to bring in as his ball winning is laughably excellent and his passing is elite too:

 

Passing

 

 

Defense

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by KaKa

[Whitley mag]

More than held his own recently in their win against Arsenal.

[Keegans Export]

51 minutes ago, LV said:

The new DM would just need to pass it to Bruno. He’d do the rest. 

That's kind of my point though - you're bringing in a CM to do what our CBs do now (win the ball, give it to Bruno) but then you're going to lose one of Willock/Longstaff/Joelinton who all also offer something at the other end of the pitch?

 

If we were lining up more as a 4-2-3-1 then having someone alongside Bruno would make sense, but we seem to mostly have him there on his own (because he's good enough) and Willock/Longstaff operating either side & further up the field.

[Hanshithispantz]

21 minutes ago, Cronky said:

The standard in the Premiership is now so high that I don't think teams can get away with a DM whose job is limited to winning the ball and then giving it to someone else who can pass and create with it. It's a hobbyhorse of mine, but a player in that anchor position will naturally get a lot of possession, and they've got to be able to use it well. Ideally, you would have a Partey, Casemiro, Rodri or an Enzo who can do a bit of everything. 

 

I don't think Bruno is a great tackler, but he makes up for it with his brain and his energy. He often seems to win the ball by anticipating where to position himself.

Aye it just means everyone has to sit deeper which goes against Howe’s gameplan. Someone in the side who’s job it is to pass to Bruno means that Bruno needs to come back and collect it, you’re better off just playing Bruno as a single pivot.

[KaKa]

1 minute ago, Whitley mag said:

More than held his own recently in their win against Arsenal.

 

Yeah, he's only 21 too, and so paying the rumoured £50 million fee would still be very good value long term.

[Mikky]

We 100% need a DM at the club and Ugarte is that player - just having a pure DM gives us tactical difference - something we don’t have within our midfield set up 

 

its good to have a differing option 

[KaKa]

7 minutes ago, Hanshithispantz said:

Aye it just means everyone has to sit deeper which goes against Howe’s gameplan. Someone in the side who’s job it is to pass to Bruno means that Bruno needs to come back and collect it, you’re better off just playing Bruno as a single pivot.

 

Think we'll bring in another single pivot that is better than Bruno defensively, but is also an excellent passer e.g. Ugarte. So Bruno can stay high up the pitch as someone that can open up defences when they sit deep, while also being a goal threat.

 

If we can't land a DM that good then we'll likely just leave Bruno in the single pivot and look to add another 8 that is creative and also a goal threat.

 

Think the position we target in midfield i.e. a top 6 or 8 for the first team, will depend on which position we can get the higher calibre player in.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by KaKa

[Whitley mag]

Just now, KaKa said:

 

Think we'l bring in another single pivot that is better than Bruno defensively, but is also an excellent passer e.g. Ugarte. So bruno can stay high up the pitch as someone that can open up defences when they sit deep, while also being a goal threat.

 

If we can't land a DM that good then we'll likely just leave Bruno in the single pivot and look to add another 8 that is creative and also a goal threat.

 

Think the position we target in midfield i.e. a top 6 or 8 for the first team, will depend on which position we can get the higher calibre player in.

That makes sense I’m presuming from the stats earlier Ugarte is press resistant like Bruno, which appears to be the big ask of a good DM these days.

 

I agree though that a number 8 is the other option, someone like Maddison is different to what we have.

[Stottie]

 

This any good?