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2025-26 Performances

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5.5 Season Average Rating
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IRN-BRUno

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2021
Messages
2,326
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Full Name: Ayden Edford Heaven
Date of Birth: Sep 22, 2006
Nationality: England
Height: 189cm
Squad Number: 26
Position: Defender - Centre-Back
Foot: Left
Player Agent: Relatives
Contract expires: Jun 30, 2029
Contract option: Option for a further year​
 
If he is fit he needs to at the very least be the first CB off the bench this season. I don't care how old he is.
 
Him and Yoro should be competing on the left hand side. Heaven needs to be ahead of Shaw and Martinez - both of who should be sold/ moved on.

Heaven has all the attributes needed to be a top CB - now he needs time and experience, and understanding from the fans when he makes mistakes and faces dips in form.
 
I would love see him play centrally. We need someone who is good on the ball and has decent pace for that position. I would like to see either Yoro or him start there. Would hate to see plodders like 'Arry or de Ligt start there.
 
Unfortunately for Heaven, Yoro's best position seems to be on the left of the 3, which is where he's best suited. When fit you also have Martinez and Shaw ahead of him. With no european football, I wonder how much playing time he'll get.
 
Insanity said:
I would love see him play centrally. We need someone who is good on the ball and has decent pace for that position. I would like to see either Yoro or him start there. Would hate to see plodders like 'Arry or de Ligt start there.
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I don't know why we renewed Maguire's contract, he's on a massive salary and we have a lot of numbers in defence, in a season with a lot less games.
 
Devil_forever said:
I don't know why we renewed Maguire's contract, he's on a massive salary and we have a lot of numbers in defence, in a season with a lot less games.
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I think part of it is that the hype he gets on here has not really been reflected on the pitch yet. He still might become a great player, but there's no guarantee of that. It's way too early to say whether he can hold down one of the 3 CB positions for an extended period of time, or not.

And without him you only have 4 out-and-out centre-backs (De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro, and an injured Martinez) for the 3 centre-back positions. If you hadn't given Maguire another year then you'd have spent the first few months of the season with only De Ligt, Heaven and Yoro for those 3 positions, and having to rely on moving Mazraoui and a constantly injured Luke Shaw away from their normal positions, as back ups. I think it would have been way too big of a risk for a player with 2 PL starts and 2 sub appearances in his career.
 
NicolaSacco said:
And without him you only have 4 out-and-out centre-backs (De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro, and an injured Martinez) for the 3 centre-back positions. If you hadn't given Maguire another year then you'd have spent the first few months of the season with only De Ligt, Heaven and Yoro for those 3 positions, and having to rely on moving Mazraoui and a constantly injured Luke Shaw away from their normal positions, as back ups. I think it would have been way too big of a risk for a player with 2 PL starts and 2 sub appearances in his career.
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Mazraoui isn't really being moved from his normal position when he was much better at RCB last season than he was RWB. I'd be quite surprised if he doesn't start the season as first choice in that role. His form did drop off in the final two months of last season so if that continues he might lose the spot, but it'll be his to lose IMO. In this formation he's a CB that can cover the wingback roles when needed.

If Shaw could actually stay fit the same would probably be said for him (although I could see him being a good impact player late on to add some quality from LWB), but Shaw and fit are words that don't really belong in the same sentence anymore. Even when he did return at the end of last season he struggled badly and looked like the injuries may have taken their toll.
 
Devil_forever said:
Unfortunately for Heaven, Yoro's best position seems to be on the left of the 3, which is where he's best suited. When fit you also have Martinez and Shaw ahead of him. With no european football, I wonder how much playing time he'll get.
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I dont see this as a problem at all. Any of them can play in the middle so thats at least 2 positions to compete for. Most likely Lisandro and Heaven could play on the right as well, just like Yoro and the other right footers could play on the left
 
Ekeke said:
I dont see this as a problem at all. Any of them can play in the middle so thats at least 2 positions to compete for. Most likely Lisandro and Heaven could play on the right as well, just like Yoro and the other right footers could play on the left
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Doubt Martinez can play on the right, and clearly he can’t play in the middle the way we are set up.

Martinez should be moved on. He’s not good enough, not the right profile and that’s before we even get into his availability.
 
Devil_forever said:
I don't know why we renewed Maguire's contract, he's on a massive salary and we have a lot of numbers in defence, in a season with a lot less games.
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Maguire was renewed before we bought Heaven - I doubt anyone could have forecast his fast tracked development.

Obviously, the contract was renewed before we combusted and came away with no European football.

That decision was good, and justified.
 
Big season ahead. He's quietly effective in the Wes Brown mold of just getting on with things. Injury concerns so can he nail down a starting spot? Let's find out
 
Plenty of games to be had this season. Martinez won't be match fit for months. Shaw is made of fibreglass. De ligt suffered injuries too.

It's only really Maguire, Yoro, Maz and Heaven who are somewhat reliable.
 
RedSky said:
Plenty of games to be had this season. Martinez won't be match fit for months. Shaw is made of fibreglass. De ligt suffered injuries too.

It's only really Maguire, Yoro, Maz and Heaven who are somewhat reliable.
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And from the few games he played, he looked better than most.
 
Insanity said:
I would love see him play centrally. We need someone who is good on the ball and has decent pace for that position. I would like to see either Yoro or him start there. Would hate to see plodders like 'Arry or de Ligt start there.
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Yes I agree. Amorim needs CBs that are quick, mobile and very good on the ball. With all due respect Maguire and de Ligt aren‘t exactly that.
Yoro - Heaven - Mazraoui would be my preferred option for now.
 
Cnaiür urs Skiötha said:
Yes I agree. Amorim needs CBs that are quick, mobile and very good on the ball. With all due respect Maguire and de Ligt aren‘t exactly that.
Yoro - Heaven - Mazraoui would be my preferred option for now.
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While I do suspect Heaven will end up CCB, it's probably too early for that yet. I presume he'll play a wider position for another year or two yet. In saying that he might get the odd game there due to injuries or resting players, and if he does well enough in those times then maybe it'll be fast-tracked.
 
Cnaiür urs Skiötha said:
Yes I agree. Amorim needs CBs that are quick, mobile and very good on the ball. With all due respect Maguire and de Ligt aren‘t exactly that.
Yoro - Heaven - Mazraoui would be my preferred option for now.
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Getting towards that hopefully in a year or two. For now it seems we have a very strong core of defenders who can play across those three positions Yoro - Heaven - Mazraoui - DeLigt - Maguire - Lisandro even Shaw if not injured so there will be a healthy competition there if Lisandro and Shaw can stay fit. Otherwise we are down to just one spare defender.
 
Ekeke said:
Laughable
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He’s slow, weak, small, can’t cover ground. Completely the wrong profile. Then add in the fact he’s been available for less than half our games over a three year period.

He needs to go. I don’t doubt his passion, but he’s not good enough.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
He’s slow, weak, small, can’t cover ground. Completely the wrong profile. Then add in the fact he’s been available for less than half our games over a three year period.

He needs to go. I don’t doubt his passion, but he’s not good enough.
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Hes our only CB good at playing out from the back which is the preference for our manager. He's one of the best CBs in the world at reading and intercepting the ball and overall very good defending with the ball on the ground. He's strong, especially for his size. He has a clear weakness in the air which needs to be worked around with a partner who is good in the air but especially with 3 (and the goalkeeper) its a simple enough task.

The only issue is his injuries. Yes he's been injured too often in recent seasons. I think some top clubs would be after him if he wasnt.
 
I’m a big fan. Think he has the potential to be very very good.
 
DWelbz19 said:
I’m a big fan. Think he has the potential to be very very good.
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Likewise.

I could see him playing in midfield. I believe he played there for Arsenals youth teams?

The injuries were unfortunate last season. I think without them he’d of cemented himself as a starter.
 
Should be starting Yoro-De Ligt-Heaven as our back 3 to begin with. Only way we can get some serious pace and athleticism into our defence.

If it looks like it's too much too soon for Heaven, switch to Maz-De Ligt-Yoro.
 
Dominos said:
Should be starting Yoro-De Ligt-Heaven as our back 3 to begin with. Only way we can get some serious pace and athleticism into our defence.

If it looks like it's too much too soon for Heaven, switch to Maz-De Ligt-Yoro.
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I agree with this. Yoro - De Ligt - Heaven is the back three I would go with from the start of the season. With Mazroui - Maguire - Shaw as the understudies in each position until Martinez is fit. Then one of Martinez or Shaw needs to be moved on.

De Ligt is a very good defender who lacks some pace and mobility, flanked by Yoro and Heaven that becomes moot.
 
RedSky said:
Plenty of games to be had this season. Martinez won't be match fit for months. Shaw is made of fibreglass. De ligt suffered injuries too.

It's only really Maguire, Yoro, Maz and Heaven who are somewhat reliable.
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To be honest I don't think there will be that many games to be had this season. Especially not for defenders who don't tend to rotate much if they don't need to. We'll rarely have midweek games, which means less travelling, fewer injuries, more consistency in selection and fitness.

The main 3 will be Maz, De Ligt and Yoro. Maguire will compete with De Ligt, while Heaven will compete with Shaw for the backup to the LCB position until Martinez is fit. Then you have 2 of Yoro, Maz or Licha starting, 1 of them a sub and Heaven becomes injury cover.

He really won't play much this season, which is fine. He's young. I'd expect a lot more football the following season if we get back in European football. But this season will definitely be slow for a few of ours.
 
bosnian_red said:
To be honest I don't think there will be that many games to be had this season. Especially not for defenders who don't tend to rotate much if they don't need to. We'll rarely have midweek games, which means less travelling, fewer injuries, more consistency in selection and fitness.

The main 3 will be Maz, De Ligt and Yoro. Maguire will compete with De Ligt, while Heaven will compete with Shaw for the backup to the LCB position until Martinez is fit. Then you have 2 of Yoro, Maz or Licha starting, 1 of them a sub and Heaven becomes injury cover.

He really won't play much this season, which is fine. He's young. I'd expect a lot more football the following season if we get back in European football. But this season will definitely be slow for a few of ours.
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I have a feeling heaven will be the first change. I don’t see a point in giving Shaw any game time. what are we going to gain from playing Shaw. Maybe little more quality than playing Heaven but that too I’m not sure.
 
CCB role requires decent anti press ability which De ligt or Maguire dont posses. Think Heaven can shine in that role.
 
Reading the comments here, I’m clearly over-rating the guy. I think he’s a starter for us. Bloody love the guy. Seems to have all the attributes to be a star for us.

A combination of Yoro De Ligt and Heaven will do me well - especially while Martinez is out.
 
Hernandez - BFA said:
Reading the comments here, I’m clearly over-rating the guy. I think he’s a starter for us. Bloody love the guy. Seems to have all the attributes to be a star for us.

A combination of Yoro De Ligt and Heaven will do me well - especially while Martinez is out.
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I'm absolutely with you. Granted, his sample size of matches is quite small, but him and Yoro can both cover large spaces and de Ligt is a leader. That's the back three I'm hoping for, swapping de Ligt for Maguire when de Ligt is injured.

He's also a very positive example to every other young player we try to go after.
 
He's been very good in the small amount of games he's played. He just needs to play more games so we can see him in different challenges and see if he has more weaknesses than hes shown till now and how he will cope if his form dips. Because it will at some point. After like 15-20 matches we can be a bit more safe in assuming he's going to be a longtime starter at the club and not a player who just started off well
 
simonhch said:
I agree with this. Yoro - De Ligt - Heaven is the back three I would go with from the start of the season. With Mazroui - Maguire - Shaw as the understudies in each position until Martinez is fit. Then one of Martinez or Shaw needs to be moved on.

De Ligt is a very good defender who lacks some pace and mobility, flanked by Yoro and Heaven that becomes moot.
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I like Yoro and Heaven as the wide centre backs but I think I'd have Maguire between them for his aerial ability. De Ligt v Maguire is a nice problem to have though.
 

Started as a winger/forward and seemed to be a talented one, could help him a lot further in his career.

Central defenders with a lot of ability on the ball are key, guy is a giant as well. Wonder if he would or should fill out in terms of muscle.
 
There's a player that knows, all that glitters ain't gold, and he's Ayden Edford Heaven.
 
Definitely an outside shout but if he has a good season, I think stranger things have happened than him sneaking in the England squad. Probably a year or two too early in truth, but if Tuchel does revert to a back three, we lack left footed CBs other than Branthwaite and Colwill - neither of whom are nailed on England starters.
 
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