Boubacar Kamara | Signs for Aston Villa

[Lash]

Have you seen him play

Yes, as I follow the French league.

 

[SparkedIntoLife]

I wonder if the club are thinking -

• To sign Rice (or Tchouameni) in the Summer so saving money for then is key
• To bring back Garner as his understudy then too
• That Garner is better off staying at Forest for now
• For Matic to stay for now with the motivation that he’s leaving this Summer so needs to put himself in the shop window
• That an out of position Fred/McTominay and an in position Matic is enough for the next few months
• That buying a player now means the next manager gets a smaller budget and less power to shape his midfield
• That Pogba and Mejbri’s returns will galvanise the midfield
• That there’s no point buying an average player right now
• That there’s no top class options available so why bother?
• That the likes of Zakaria and Kamara will, due to their deflated market value as their contracts are expiring, will ask for stupid wages and signing on fees
• That we’ve already signed too many failures so let’s hold off til we find sure things so we regain some respect in the transfer market so clubs know not to fleece us

I’m certainly not saying I agree with this but I follow the logic. I’d love Rangnick to sign a hidden gem type he’s identified from like Romania or something and for that player to be a roaring success but it doesn’t look like that’s happening. It’s easier and less risk to do that at the likes of Leipzig anyway.

 

[CasaStreets]

Agree. It would make little sense to bring in players before a new manager takes over this summer. They should be allowed to build the team.

It does however make sense to get rid of expensive players who have failed in system after system, manager after manager, so that the new manager isn't bogged down by a large squad and its financial burden.

 

[NoLogo]

Have to say this is nonsense. I'm not saying he's going to be the answer to our midfield, but at 22, probably less than £10m, a profile of player we don't have, why would you not want him as an option? He is Rice-lite in style and the two players you've mentioned, he'll cost an 8th of the price.

I have to agree. Even if we bring in a bit budget defensive midfielder in the summer for what Kamara is currently going to cost us he would be a quality option even if only we have someone to rotate with, on top of that he can also play CB, can't he? So cover for two positions at that price? Seems like a no-brainer.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Agree. It would make little sense to bring in players before a new manager takes over this summer. They should be allowed to build the team.

It does however make sense to get rid of expensive players who have failed in system after system, manager after manager, so that the new manager isn't bogged down by a large squad and its financial burden.

Agree with this.

 

[bond19821982]

Have to say this is nonsense. I'm not saying he's going to be the answer to our midfield, but at 22, probably less than £10m, a profile of player we don't have, why would you not want him as an option? He is Rice-lite in style and the two players you've mentioned, he'll cost an 8th of the price.

So lets say, he demands 100k pw as salary and after 6 months, we realize that he isn't good enough , what are we going to do ?

No small club will touch him because of his wages and no big club would want him. It's again, going to be another Lingard situation.

If he is good enough, why haven't other teams queuing up to sign him now ?

 

[Lash]

So lets say, he demands 100k pw as salary and after 6 months, we realize that he isn't good enough , what are we going to do ?

No small club will touch him because of his wages and no big club would want him. It's again, going to be another Lingard situation.

If he is good enough, why haven't other teams queuing up to sign him now ?

Don't really know where to begin with this. You could level the same argument when spending 80m on Rice or Tchouameni. This is just an argument to never sign anyone.

 

[bond19821982]

Don't really know where to begin with this. You could level the same argument when spending 80m on Rice or Tchouameni. This is just an argument to never sign anyone.

There is no need to bring Rice or any other players here. If he was such a good player which everyone claims to be, he would have been snapped by now. (Given lot of teams are actually looking for a midfielder).

If the player hasn't convinced our scouts, then probably it's best we stay away. We just don't want any more average ones taking our spots.

 

[sullydnl]

So lets say, he demands 100k pw as salary and after 6 months, we realize that he isn't good enough , what are we going to do ?

No small club will touch him because of his wages and no big club would want him. It's again, going to be another Lingard situation.

If he is good enough, why haven't other teams queuing up to sign him now ?

Even if we decide he's not good enough after six months, he'd have to be remarkably bad for selling him to be a priority at that point given he would still likely be only one of two actual DMs at the club by then. We're not just looking for DMs for an increase in playing quality, we're looking for DMs to rebalance the squad composition too.

Ignoring that though, when a club is trying to buy a player it isn't just about the wages, it's about the total cost of the player. If you want to sell a player and his wages are proving too much of an obstacle, you can always lower your asking price to offset the cost for the buying club. And if you initially bought that player for a minimal price of 10m-ish, the extent of the financial loss you're exposed to in such circumstances is extremely limited.

I should say I have no particular opinions on this player specifically or how good he is, just disagree with the idea that signing even an average player for such a low fee in a position we badly lack cover could have any significant negative effects. Even the worst case scenario for that profile of purchase isn't all that bad.

 

[Lash]

There is no need to bring Rice or any other players here. If he was such a good player which everyone claims to be, he would have been snapped by now. (Given lot of teams are actually looking for a midfielder).

If the player hasn't convinced our scouts, then probably it's best we stay away. We just don't want any more average ones taking our spots.

Your argument is what if he doesn't justify his wage. I don't really get into that minutiae, more the profile of player he is and what he'd bring to the squad. I would assume we could work out how much someone should be paid, relative to their ability and the sqaud.

 

[bond19821982]

Even if we decide he's not good enough after six months, he'd have to be remarkably bad for selling him to be a priority at that point given he would still likely be only one of two actual DMs at the club by then. We're not just looking for DMs for an increase in playing quality, we're looking for DMs to rebalance the squad composition too.

Ignoring that though, when a club is trying to buy a player it isn't just about the wages, it's about the total cost of the player. If you want to sell a player and his wages are proving too much of an obstacle, you can always lower your asking price to offset the cost for the buying club. And if you initially bought that player for a minimal price of 10m-ish, the extent of the financial loss you're exposed to in such circumstances is extremely limited.

I should say I have no particular opinions on this player specifically or how good he is, just disagree with the idea that signing even an average player for such a low fee in a position we badly lack cover could have any significant negative effects. Even the worst case scenario for that profile of purchase isn't all that bad.

We have seen these kind of cases a lot. We are remarkably bad at selling players. If he isn't good enough, he will just take up a spot which could easily be given to other players. We aren't looking for numbers in midfield. There is no point in adding a body who is worse or equal to McFred.

 

[city-puma]

Don’t understand how we have so much posts about him. Even from YouTube highlights, there is nothing really special from him. Am I the only one thinking that?

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

So lets say, he demands 100k pw as salary and after 6 months, we realize that he isn't good enough , what are we going to do ?

No small club will touch him because of his wages and no big club would want him. It's again, going to be another Lingard situation.

If he is good enough, why haven't other teams queuing up to sign him now ?

Marseille wouldn’t sell him for anything other than a massive fee before, he’s one of their prized players and through their academy, the only reason he’s going at this price is that he won’t sign a new contract.

What I don’t get is trusting the club not to buy a player… after the past 7 or 8 years and having that as the reason not to buy them. How can you trust the club to make the right decision after all the great players we’ve missed out on?

 

[JPRouve]

Don’t understand how we have so much posts about him. Even from YouTube highlights, there is nothing really special from him. Am I the only one thinking that?

Youtube highlights aren't for defensive midfielders, so I'm pretty sure that you are not the only one.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Don't really know where to begin with this. You could level the same argument when spending 80m on Rice or Tchouameni. This is just an argument to never sign anyone.

Those two are worth 100k or even more, he is not. If he's so good and so cheap, why aren't clubs lining up to sign him?

 

[sullydnl]

We have seen these kind of cases a lot. We are remarkably bad at selling players. If he isn't good enough, he will just take up a spot which could easily be given to other players. We aren't looking for numbers in midfield. There is no point in adding a body who is worse or equal to McFred.

The solution for being bad at selling players isn't to avoid buying players. It's to get better at selling. You could use that logic to justify not going for any player.

And a DM who was only as good as McFred would absolutely add to our current squad, because as it stands our only DM is Matic who isn't as good as either, can only play limited numbers of games and will soon be gone. Obviously we want a top class DM to be bought in the summer, but we have room for more than one DM signing if we plan on sticking with a 4-3-3 style formation that depends on using a single DM.

It isn't just about the quality of the player, it's also about the profile of player. We have a round hole in our squad and signing a round peg will help us a lot even if he's only actually as good as the square pegs we already have.

But even ignoring the distiction between the types of midfielders we have, I don't know why you're saying we don't need numbers in midfield when we obviously desperately do/will. We already need a top class addition in that position as is and on top of that Pogba will be departing permanently in the summer, Matic will be 34 and on the verge of leaving and VDB will be quite likely to leave too having probably been absent from the club for the remainder of this season on loan. We need multiple midfield signings.

 

[DSG]

We have seen these kind of cases a lot. We are remarkably bad at selling players. If he isn't good enough, he will just take up a spot which could easily be given to other players. We aren't looking for numbers in midfield. There is no point in adding a body who is worse or equal to McFred.

There is a much bigger picture that you are missing. There is no guarantee ANY incoming transfer will pan out. It’s the nature of the business. If you can’t handle that risk, you should get out of the business. Period.

Secondly, we know the midfield isn’t good enough right now to guarantee a spot in the top 4. Since CL football means roughly 80m in revenue, you have to spend now to improve your chances of reaching the top 4. If it’s 10m, 20m, 30m… certainly when payable over a few seasons and the way the accounting works… you HAVE TO improve the midfield.

Some of you on the Caf are arguing that it makes sense to avoid buying and avoid improving the squad so we can save money for the summer when we have a permanent manager. There is no “saving money”. It’s a revenue vs cost issue. Failing to improve the squad now and risking a spot in the top 4 will mean you’ll have less money to spend in the summer anyhow because your projected revenues will be 15-20% less in a non CL season.

I view it as grave mismanagement if we don’t attempt to improve the squad in the January window.

 

[JPRouve]

Those two are worth 100k or even more, he is not. If he's so good and so cheap, why aren't clubs lining up to sign him?

Probably for the same reason clubs didn't lineup for Tchouaméni, Koundé, Kanté or Fabinho. If you are not flashy, you are unlikely to be aggressively or publicly targeted.

 

[Hughie77]

The French league is physical if nothing else. They kick the shit out of each other, Messi got that shock when he thought he was going to be able to stroll around the place like the MLS.

There we go then he's tailor made for the Premier league, what I've seen he's got more than DVB .

 

[Hughie77]

He was at Monica

Monaco?

 

[Hughie77]

Is he coming or not? Monday is not far away.

 

[Red_toad]

There we go then he's tailor made for the Premier league, what I've seen he's got more than DVB .

More what?

 

[Hughie77]

More what?

Everything .

 

[Red_toad]

Everything .

So 3 legs, 3 eyes and 3 arms?

 

[Hughie77]

So 3 legs, 3 eyes and 3 arms?

Don't forget his head

 

[Andy_Cole]

We getting him this January then?

 

[Isotope]

There is no need to bring Rice or any other players here. If he was such a good player which everyone claims to be, he would have been snapped by now. (Given lot of teams are actually looking for a midfielder).

If the player hasn't convinced our scouts, then probably it's best we stay away. We just don't want any more average ones taking our spots.

Looking at our scouts track record, I'm not convince with this argument.

 

[AneRu]

There is no need to bring Rice or any other players here. If he was such a good player which everyone claims to be, he would have been snapped by now. (Given lot of teams are actually looking for a midfielder).

If the player hasn't convinced our scouts, then probably it's best we stay away. We just don't want any more average ones taking our spots.

Your post falls flat on deferring to scouts that have been central to a one billion pound rebuild that has only culminated in a perennial top four fight. These are the same scouts, that after supposedly looking at 800 right backs, decided to spend £50m on AWB.

 

[JPRouve]

Your post falls flat on deferring to scouts that have been central to a one billion pound rebuild that has only culminated in a perennial top four fight. These are the same scouts, that after supposedly looking at 800 right backs, decided to spend £50m on AWB.

Also the scouts that allegedly followed Bernardo Silva and Fabinho just for United to end up spending 140m on Lukaku and Matic.

 

[AneRu]

Also the scouts that allegedly followed Bernardo Silva and Fabinho just for United to end up spending 140m on Lukaku and Matic.

It's nonsensical for people to defer to United's football people's opinions given the mess we have seen them get the club mired in.

 

[JPRouve]

It's nonsensical for people to defer to United's football people's opinions given the mess we have seen them get the club mired in.

I wouldn't go that far because pretty much all clubs have a dubious record over time. But I wouldn't dismiss a player based on one club either even successful ones. In recent years it's worth remembering that Coman was sold for peanuts by Juventus, the same for Robben and Real Madrid or Bayern and Kroos. Fabinho and Bernardo Silva were heavily followed by Barcelona who somehow thought that they cracked the code and spent all their Neymar money on Arthur, Semedo, Coutinho or Dembélé. And to massage United's scouts feelings, how many clubs overlooked Bruno who was available for seemingly ever?

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

We only need 2 midfielders - A DM and CM (Pogba's replacement). So the only way getting him makes sense is if we don't plan on getting a DM but just Pogbas replacement in midfield in the summer.

Which is why I keep wondering if he will actually be an improvement on what we already have because if he isn't we'd need another DM along with a CM in the summer. And then our bench would just be filled with midfielders struggling to get game time - Mctominay, Garner, Fred, Kamara , Van De Beek

 

[kouroux]

The French league is physical if nothing else. They kick the shit out of each other, Messi got that shock when he thought he was going to be able to stroll around the place like the MLS.

True. If he struggles in the PL, it won't because of strength/pace etc etc

 

[beingshe7don]

All the board needs to do is bring Kamara and Tchouameni and play them behind Bruno or play Tchouameni and Bruno as 8s in a 4-3-3. That would immensely improve every aspect our play. After the midfield being sorted. I would encourage the board to invest heavily in two quality attacking wingbacks. Shaw, Telles, Dalot and AWB have weaknesses in their game and neither of them don't create enough. Dalot and Shaw I would keep as backups but we need quality wingbacks.

 

[Bestietom]

Agree. It would make little sense to bring in players before a new manager takes over this summer. They should be allowed to build the team.

It does however make sense to get rid of expensive players who have failed in system after system, manager after manager, so that the new manager isn't bogged down by a large squad and its financial burden.

A DM who will tighten up our midfield and could get us that top 4 finish and further in Champions League for 6 or 10 million is not going to break this club. We can always sell them on if they don't work out.
Another example would be to bring in players on loan for remainder of season. If we get any injuries to our midfielders we are fecked.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

A DM who will tighten up our midfield and could get us that top 4 finish and further in Champions League for 6 or 10 million is not going to break this club. We can always sell them on if they don't work out.
Another example would be to bring in players on loan for remainder of season. If we get any injuries to our midfielders we are fecked.

A loan move is the wiser choice than signing a player who would need upgrading again in the summer.

 

[christinaa]

I have no faith that we are signing anyone in January.

 

[jeepers]

Is he better than Bentacur who is being linked with Villa?

 

[CasaStreets]

A DM who will tighten up our midfield and could get us that top 4 finish and further in Champions League for 6 or 10 million is not going to break this club. We can always sell them on if they don't work out.
Another example would be to bring in players on loan for remainder of season. If we get any injuries to our midfielders we are fecked.

There is almost no position on the field (with the exception of forward) where you can reliably bring in a player halfway through a season and expect them to bed into the squad and have a meaningful positive impact by the end of the season. Even Vidic and Evra were a mixed bag at best for the back half of the '05-06 campaign when the joined in January.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

There is almost no position on the field (with the exception of forward) where you can reliably bring in a player halfway through a season and expect them to bed into the squad and have a meaningful positive impact by the end of the season. Even Vidic and Evra were a mixed bag at best for the back half of the '05-06 campaign when the joined in January.

Bruno Fernandes was our best signing in recent times and he was in January.