João Pedro

[Ikon]

Just now, HawK said:

Barella-style smokescreen? 

Could be. Nico Paz going to us with Baturina to Como?. (AMC).

Seriously though. I imagine he goes back to RM or stays. 

[BoSelecta]

Can Pedro not play in the left AM role in our system?

[HawK]

20 minutes ago, Ikon said:

Could be. Nico Paz going to us with Baturina to Como?. (AMC).

Seriously though. I imagine he goes back to RM or stays. 

 

If it is (a smokescreen), I'm trying to imagine a player of the calibre of Tonali we'd bring in... can't think beyond Nico Williams (if he'd come here, but then I thought Tonali would never come).

[Sibierski]

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

Cool. Isak will still start 95% of league games and all CL games when fit. This is the case for ALL top players.  Kane, Son, Haaland, Rodri, Saka, Rice, Palmer, Fernandes, Salah, Mane etc. 
 

If we sign JP for £50m+ the intention will be to start him with Isak 80% of the time. 

 

So Joelinton starts just 20% of games?

[Nine]

1 hour ago, gazza ladra said:

Except we've been in for both previously.

 

 

Yep, but that’s kind of my point. Both have already been played out publicly.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love both for the right price.

[McCormick]

37 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

If it is (a smokescreen), I'm trying to imagine a player of the calibre of Tonali we'd bring in... can't think beyond Nico Williams (if he'd come here, but then I thought Tonali would never come).

Niko Williams is on like 250k a week or something daft. 

[sushimonster85]

People need to get past the idea of 'smokescreens'.  Doubt it's something we have every done. The Barella thing was obviously Edwards etc al getting heads up we were on the verge of a huge signing of an Italian international midfielder from a Milan side and punting on Barella when no one from the club would comment.

[NWMag]

I imagine even if we sign him and line up 433 on paper, we may see a lot more fluidity on the pitch. 
 

for example against teams at home where they are sitting back, we don’t need as much cover at the back. 
 

I could see something like the below in games where we would have most of the ball: 

 

[Deuce]

5 minutes ago, NWMag said:

 

Just up and sold our whole squad to Arsenal

 

 

Edited yesterday at 12:32 by Deuce

[NWMag]

1 minute ago, Deuce said:

Just up and sold our whole squad to Arsenal

 

 

 

As soon as I posted it I was waiting for a comment about the colours but I can’t be arsed editing it just for that 😂

[janpawel]

7 minutes ago, NWMag said:

I imagine even if we sign him and line up 433 on paper, we may see a lot more fluidity on the pitch. 
 

for example against teams at home where they are sitting back, we don’t need as much cover at the back. 
 

I could see something like the below in games where we would have most of the ball: 

 

Was about to comment something similar 

 

Even if we aren't the favourites / gonna have most possession

 

If we add Guehi / a fast CB, we can stand 10 yards further up the pitch, meaning our midfield have less space to cover and we aren't as reliant on recovery runs from Joelinton 

 

Add Trafford, we retain Popes excellent sweeper keeper ability, but won't need to treat the ball like a bomb if it comes back to us 

 

I could see him playing as an 8, he seems to like the ball at his feet, happy to pick it up deep etc. He seems way bigger than I thought too and quite physical, so don't see why he couldn't be effective in our 4-5-1 low block as one of the midfielders etc

[The College Dropout]

40 minutes ago, Sibierski said:

 

So Joelinton starts just 20% of games?

Joelinton is an auto start if any of Isak, JP, Tonali or Bruno is injured/suspended. Let’s assume they are unavailable 10% of the time, that’s Joelinton automatically starting 40% of games by force.  
 

Thats 22 starts in a 55 game season. Not to mention minutes off the bench (Joelinton would get 20-30), tactical starts and genuine rotation games.  
 

I can easily see a situation with Joelinton preferred against top sides and away from home. 
 

My point is if we sign JP it is with the intention he starts most matches with Isak. Yes I do think it’s the central midfielders JP is likely to take the most starts from.  Isak is the crown jewel, not Joelinton, Tonali or Bruno. Isak is the man and he’s going to play loads of minutes.  But we’ll have a genuine option when he does his statue routine. 

[Kanj]

5 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Joelinton is an auto start if any of Isak, JP, Tonali or Bruno is injured/suspended. Let’s assume they are unavailable 10% of the time, that’s Joelinton automatically starting 40% of games by force.  
 

Thats 22 starts in a 55 game season. Not to mention minutes off the bench (Joelinton would get 20-30), tactical starts and genuine rotation games.  
 

I can easily see a situation with Joelinton preferred against top sides and away from home. 
 

My point is if we sign JP it is with the intention he starts most matches with Isak. Yes I do think it’s the central midfielders JP is likely to take the most starts from.  Isak is the crown jewel, not Joelinton, Tonali or Bruno. Isak is the man and he’s going to play loads of minutes.  But we’ll have a genuine option when he does his statue routine. 

id say Isak, Tonali and Bruno are the big 3 and would start every game if fit. 

[McCormick]

It’d be a nice problem to have, in any case. Too often we weren’t able to change the game from subs or even before that, surprise teams enough with personnel changes in the first xi. 

[The College Dropout]

57 minutes ago, Kanj said:

id say Isak, Tonali and Bruno are the big 3 and would start every game if fit. 

Agreed.  I’ve not checked the stats but I think Bruno would average 88 minutes or game or more. 
 

With the amount of games we’ll have next season he’ll need periods of regular 55-70 minute subs. We’ll neee quality to replace him not squad players. 

[Nine]

5 hours ago, Kanj said:

id say Isak, Tonali and Bruno are the big 3 and would start every game if fit. 

IMO in a 4-3-3 Joelinton also starts any game that he is fit for 

[Shearergol]

2 hours ago, Nine said:

IMO in a 4-3-3 Joelinton also starts any game that he is fit for 

About 9 a season then 

[Nine]

7 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

About 9 a season then 

Double that last season, but yeah I get your point 

[Stottie]

On 09/06/2025 at 08:50, southernmag said:

Signing a back up forward for 60m plus is not clever business IMO. We can't play the PSR victim and then make moves like this.

Pedro can be our Jota or Trossard. They're both essentially back ups but get lots of minutes. We can have nice things too, and will need them to establish ourselves as a top club.

 

A couple of ifs here, but If we were to sign Pedro, who plays mostly left, and Ramsey, who proves to be a pre-injury Willock regen, I'd half expect one of Barnes and Gordon to go. I would go as far to say it is fine groundwork for cashing in on Gordon. I don't want to sell him, he's unplayable on his day, but we got major wins this season without him and PSR demands sacrifice for where we want to be. Gordon money would pay for two solid players to fill out the squad or a fantasy football level purple. Not an Elanga, but a signing that will make Liverpool and Arsenal fans sit up and wonder he isn't theirs by right. If you want an example name, Adam Wharton. Or whoever Liverpool fans think they deserve as their Salah replacement. The scenario described is selling Gordon with four, Barnes, Pedro, Ramsey, and Joelinton, options at LW in position and two young full backs capable of delivering from the left. I'm sure we'd manage.

[Chicken Dancer]

5 hours ago, Stottie said:

Adam Wharton.

 

Would love him but he would cost a pretty penny and wouldn't change the dynamic of the side, IMO. Though I do long for a left-footed central midfielder.

[Doctor Zaius]

If we're buying Pedro, he's not going to be a rotation player. Were not going to spend that amount of money on a player who doesn't go straight into the 11 with everyone fit.

He's going to start. Either in a different position to what he normally plays at Brighton or Howe is going to change our system.

 

I don't think we're after him though, I don't think Howe will tinker too much with our system and he doesn't seem to fit in with how we set up now. 

[TheBrownBottle]

6 hours ago, Stottie said:

Pedro can be our Jota or Trossard. They're both essentially back ups but get lots of minutes. We can have nice things too, and will need them to establish ourselves as a top club.

 

A couple of ifs here, but If we were to sign Pedro, who plays mostly left, and Ramsey, who proves to be a pre-injury Willock regen, I'd half expect one of Barnes and Gordon to go. I would go as far to say it is fine groundwork for cashing in on Gordon. I don't want to sell him, he's unplayable on his day, but we got major wins this season without him and PSR demands sacrifice for where we want to be. Gordon money would pay for two solid players to fill out the squad or a fantasy football level purple. Not an Elanga, but a signing that will make Liverpool and Arsenal fans sit up and wonder he isn't theirs by right. If you want an example name, Adam Wharton. Or whoever Liverpool fans think they deserve as their Salah replacement. The scenario described is selling Gordon with four, Barnes, Pedro, Ramsey, and Joelinton, options at LW in position and two young full backs capable of delivering from the left. I'm sure we'd manage.

We’d need a bid which would smash our transfer record before CP would even look at a bid for Wharton I reckon.  Excellent footballer but I don’t think we’re in a place where we spend that much on a player who’d still represent a fair amount of risk 

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by TheBrownBottle