Fact that ~20% of Ajax’s xG are is from set pieces, and considering nobody in our current squad can do set pieces decently, Garner probably has a high chance of making the team next season.
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We really do need 2 midfielders. Filling in gaps with youngsters is not the answer imo. Youth is great but I think they need to support incomings which are required to set the standard.
VdB will definitely play a role, and that's with a manager who has used him in pretty much every midfield position. Don't think he's good enough as a starter, but he'll make up the squad. Bruno, Fred, Mctominay, Garner, Van de beek and 1 new defensive midfielder. That's a pretty number quantity, especially if you consider Hannibal part of that group as further depth. Don't see us buying more than 1 midfielder though.
Let's see. I think that could be a disappointing set of CMs to go into the new season with given Bruno is not really a midfielder, VDB has been terrible, two are kids and Mctominay is well Mctominay.
But it also depends on what ETH can get out of individuals and the collective. Assuming he can't work miracles I'd go with
Fred
New DM
New CM
As the main three
Mjebri / Mctominay / whoever as backups
Hannibal is a great deliverer of the ball too.
There's a big difference in signal of intent between selling a player, with buyback clause, and loaning him out. There's no way we're selling Garner this summer, buyback clause or not.
Bruno is part of the midfield 3 though? He's not a deep midfielder but the most advanced midfielder is still a midfielder. It'll be the new DM, fred and Bruno in the starting 3, and then Mctominay, Garner and VdB in the backup, with Hannibal being further depth. Ten Hag before anything has to improve what he has, that's basics for any manager. VdB is an obvious one given he knows him well, so its pointless to want him out when he will get his chance for sure. It just depends on who the new DM is, I wouldn't say a midfield of Tchouameni, Fred and Bruno is disappointing at all. But we'll see who we get.
Surely this has a lot to do with Haller also?
Like I said I'd add two. Bruno isn't much of a part of the midfield. And VDB, Garner and Mctoninay sound a miserable second choice bunch unless Garner suddenly develops big time.
The expectation I guess is that Garner did develop big time to be a deep playmaker next to a ball winner like McTominay, and Van de Beek shows his best Ajax form. Could also be a horrid 3. But it could be a very good 3 as well. For season 1.... I would assume that they'll hope it works and that Ten Hag coaches improvement into it. Its impossible to do it all at once and managers will also try to improve what they feel they can. If they see potential in that 3 that they feel they can work with, then it's unlikely they'll replace anyone from it.
What do you count Bruno as though? If you count him as the forward line, you only play with 2 midfielders so either way you see it, its Fred and 1 new guy. So we sign 1 new starter and you would like 1 new depth guy? I just don't see us putting the effort in signing a depth midfielder when VdB will have his old manager back and a hugely improved Garner is back from loan. That would be 4/5 players who can play as the 6 or 8 (Fred, New DM, Garner, Mctominay, VdB), with 2/3 players who can play as the 10 (Bruno, Hannibal, VdB). Just unrealistic to expect 2 midfielders unless we sell VdB and loan out Garner again. Seems unlikely with Ten Hag in.
And I hope he will be in the team next season, along with Garner. He’s definitely ready for first team football, his temperament will settle with more games at the level. I reckon he’ll get a season’s loan out to a foreign league though. I think McT can improve with proper coaching as well, and he would be a good enough rotational B2B midfielder.
No doubt, but I’ve not looked into the scorers from Ajax’s set pieces. We have Varane and Maguire. Varane has shown (when he’s played) that he can attack the ball decently, so with better delivery both of them surely can add some goals to the team. We got that set piece coach but without a good and consistent set piece taker it’s quite useless.
See that's what I disagree with. Fred is good in the context of our midfield however I wouldn't say he's this excellent first name of the sheet starter material. For me we need three really good CMs - one holding midfielder, one passer/playmaker and one uber energetic machine. Fred could be the latter but he has to perform of course. Assuming he can I still think we need the other two. A holding midfielder and a more creative.
Maybe Garner can fill one of those roles but I'm not convinced a kid can walk and have such a big impact. I'd rather have him as one of the options outside the main three.
Anyhoo to each their own. Maybe I rate our current midfield lower than some others.
I'm just wondering where you see Bruno. Because you keep mentioned we 3 starting midfielders without Bruno, which is a non starter because Bruno will almost certainly be a starter. So either we punt him out to the wing, or he's a #10, which means he's part of the midfield 3. So it's 2 players around or behind him, as he's that creative one, while like you say, Fred is the energetic guy.
I agree Garner won't be a starter, in fact it'd probably be better for him too he loaned out again. But like... In terms of pure numbers, I don't see us needing or buying 2 midfielders without further outgoings. And in my mind, Bruno and Fred are pretty much certs to be starters, so that leaves a DM and then the depth 3 (of which VdB and Mctominay will pretty much certainly be a part of). Just being realistic here. Not seeing 3 years from now that's what it'll be. Just next season what we can get by with and what is likely to happen. I just don't see a situation where we get more than 1 midfielder.
If Forest go up, it makes 100% sense to give him a loan back to Forest for one more year to get a full year experience at the PL. I think after that, then he will be ready to potentially start for us the following year. It will allow him to knock out the growing pains without doing it for United. If it can make it here, it would go a long way to allowing us to invest those funds elsewhere and give us true cover for a DM.
The post from the Forest fans are nothing but glowing for him. I'm really excited for his future after the way this year has gone.
I dont have high hopes for him or that he is ready to start games for us
If Forest come up, Garner will have been integral to that, so he might prefer next season with Forest anyway; he won’t necessarily see it as a negative. That said, he’s better than McFred, more reliable than Bruno. He would get into our midfield no problem.
Quality player, if he been so instrumental in what forest have done he has defo got the mentality to contribute and develop further now here.
Some people always overhype the academy players. He is not better than McTominay or Fred at all, and how is he more reliable than Bruno?What an absurd statement, no offence.I think in general filling the squad with youngsterrs is a real possibility this summer, there are alrady a few, a few on loan and a few almost breaking through.
In central midfield though we have a tonne of options though several could leave, with Matic goign though we dont have ONE defensive midfielder, a few who have failed there.
I actually think we will sign two central midfielder this summer, think one will be a relative cheap surprise thoug, already seeing a few linked like Fernandez for example, if we get Kamara on a free Id expect it to be a cert in fact.
I do wonder where Garner fits in though even if we only sign one as there may still well be McFred, Hannibal, Fernandes and VDB...that is six for three spots already if we sign just one signing....ideally though majority of those ideal position is probably Fernandes position
Scott came from the academy. Garner is better than Scott right now.
These are the people who said don’t sign a RB as we have Laird. Do people not realise that top level football is miles about u21/23
Apologies for jumping in half way, but having watched us be unable to control a game for 4 years (or more) I think it’s scary how you think we only need 1 mid signing and asking a lot of garner.
If we start a new season with Fred and Bruno being 2 of our 3 man midfield then I’ll give up before a ball is kicked
I think that’s his point,
Scott is shit
Insane isn’t it. McFred are best without the ball and Bruno is sloppy in possession. I always said when people here called him better than KDB that if they swapped teams Bruno be on the bench and KDB still be a star here.
Got called a troll
I wonder if Garner will make the EFL team of the year and if he does that will be a big achievement given he is on loan and his age. I don't get to see any EFL games but I do read the reports on the games and he always seems to have good things said about him so all I can gauge is that everything is going well and I am sure ETH will be made aware of this.
I only think people have got used to this level we’ve spewed out. McTominay is not good enough, neither is garner, Fred should be a squad player, Bruno needs to offer more than flashes.
Mitrovic has scored 40+ goals in the championship, he scored 3 in the prem, too early to call on garner
We don't know Garner's true level yet, so he shouldn't be lumped into "not good" enough. McTominay is a bench player at best, which isn't a bad thing. Fred can be a starting player in central midfield as he has shown. Bruno's output has been amongst the best since his arrival, even if this has been his worst year. And let's see how he plays within a more systematic team. If EtH can leverage Tadic at Ajax and have him captain, wouldn't limit Bruno to anything under EtH.
Mitrovic is the classic inbetweener. Too good for Championship, but too limited to be a true PL striker.
But that’s it, I rate Garner but people are asking him to go from Championship into a team that is aiming for top 4 minimum against some of the best teams in the world
3 quality midfielders for 2 places. Bruno as the 10 but if his performances drop you have the option to leave him out and go with a 3.
What is the issue with that?
The fact that the step up is huge and he has no experience in the PL.
I was aiming this at the people who seem to think we are ok with 1 CM signing as we have Garner.
Nor did Reece James and now he is arguably the best English RB.
Garner has had two productive loans in the EFL now and he is the right age to come into the first team squad and stake a claim to a first team spot and I am sure he will be given the opportunity.
Again as I stated I was aiming this at the fact people where mentioning only signing 1 CM as Garner can step up.
I’m all for him being in the squad and staking a claim and when I watched him in our academy I was sure he would make it but still you can’t rely on him as he is untested at this level
Garner is just to be part of the squad. Literally the 6th midfielder choice. Van de Beek will be back in, which normally I'd say "meh" but with Ten Hag there is some hope there. Mctominay will be a squad player too. Fred and Bruno likely starters, so 1 new signing to be the DM. It's fine for next season. We'll need more to compete for the title and take the next step, but that'll come in time. For next season, 1 DM is fine for a group of the new DM, Bruno, Fred, VdB, Mctominay, Garner/Hannibal. After all, you don't ever need more than 1 backup for each position essentially, as youth can round out the deeper depth past that.
Just out of interest then;
Are the CMs that you would like to see join the club Premier League players?
Your argument is fine, but we're giving Scott a free starting role when he's utterly shit. There's no way Garner can't beat him for a starting role if he's given a chance.
Passing accuracy, interceptions, tackles won: there are metrics. You could also try watching Garner play before mouthing off, no offense.
Itt really is an outrageous statement to say that a kid in the championship is better than a bloke that starts for fecking Brazil.
I rate Garner, but his nationality isn't why he's not starting a Copa final.
Currently Garner is a better player than anyone in our midfield. I've never been impressed with Fred, I don't care what he does for Brazil.
While others love to underhype the academy players...
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