Jarrad Branthwaite
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Four signings planned and we haven’t even got our Director of Football, Head of Recruitment, etc in place yet! Impressive.
Would he come here ? Martinez is probably the only defender we can reliably say we can build a team around.
Looks a very good player and would fit in well next to Martinez. Todibo I've seen nothing of but he seems to be highly rated, with the Nice link also being very favourable.
Edit: I thought Branthwaite was right footed playing on the left, but saw an interview where he says he's left footed. He appears to use both very comfortably. Interesting.
Edit: I thought Branthwaite was right footed playing on the left, but saw an interview where he says he's left footed. He appears to use both very comfortably. Interesting.
Two lefties?
He’s very impressive. Would take him over Maguire, Lindelof or Evans any day of the week.
Just edited my post after a Google - I'd always thought he was right footed having not watched Everton more than MOTD. He looks comfortable using both to me. Either way I don't share the Dutch fascination with a right and left footer at CB. Either works fine in my opinion.
ETH likely won't be here so I don't think preferred foot for a CB is going to be an issue.
The whole right and left footed CB thing, according to side, was always so self limiting in my opinion. If it ends up that way I can see the advantages, yes. But just putting two really good CBs together usually does the fecking trick. Or am I crazy in thinking that Ferdinand and Vidic was a good pairing, for example?
It's one of those stupid "philosophy" things that ends up becoming self defeating.
Football is really simple on most levels. Things like data give you the edge, if used well, but to build your teams around rigid theoretical principles, not tailored to reality, is just daft.
Think about our last several big transfers, add in the concerns thrown around by fans and pundits, then imagine you're a multi-billion pound organisation with supposedly best-in-class decision makers, tons of industry experience, and access to legions of data and qualified consultation. Then try and imagine how any of these transfers went through:
Sancho - Fan Concern: Fee too big for a player who had only performed in the BL. Rumours of indiscipline and poor attitude, lateness to training etc. - Result: Pay 75M. Player flops hard.
Antony - Fan Concern: Huge fee for a relatively unproven player from a much weaker league. Seemed very one footed with one trick. Result: Pay 85M. Player flops even harder.
Casemiro - Fan Concern: Huge fee for a 30 year old. Profile of player we need now but where will we be with him on huge wages and with a huge fee in 12-24 months? Result: Pay 60+10m. Brilliant for one season, then falls off a cliff.
Varane - Fan Concern: Madrid only ever sell a busted flush, is made of glass, is looking for one last pay day. Result: Pay 40M. Been great in patches, been injured a lot, fallen off a cliff.
That's just four examples. Four examples where a lot of unqualified people on the internet saw problems with the signings, most of which were very obvious, and the club signed the player apparently oblivious to it. In most cases, I am not saying the player definitely shouldn't have been signed, but the fees we paid were mental beyond words. A 30 year old Casemiro who wanted a new challenge? 30M max. Absolute max. Antony, an unproven player from a very weak league? 30-40M max. At 70-80M, the club just has to walk away. Varane at 40M I don't have a huge issue with, he was what? 29 when he came? But Sancho? 75M for a player whop had only ever done it in the BL and had all those behind the scenes rumours, and a player who wanted to play the same position as Rashford, when you had a glaring hole at RW? Nuts.
I went on a tangent. Point was, decision making at this club has been crazy. This player in question seems like a very good signing, but I will reserve any judgement until I see the fee, and who is really driving this recruitment.
It's one of those stupid "philosophy" things that ends up becoming self defeating.
Football is really simple on most levels. Things like data give you the edge, if used well, but to build your teams around rigid theoretical principles, not tailored to reality, is just daft.
Think about our last several big transfers, add in the concerns thrown around by fans and pundits, then imagine you're a multi-billion pound organisation with supposedly best-in-class decision makers, tons of industry experience, and access to legions of data and qualified consultation. Then try and imagine how any of these transfers went through:
Sancho - Fan Concern: Fee too big for a player who had only performed in the BL. Rumours of indiscipline and poor attitude, lateness to training etc. - Result: Pay 75M. Player flops hard.
Antony - Fan Concern: Huge fee for a relatively unproven player from a much weaker league. Seemed very one footed with one trick. Result: Pay 85M. Player flops even harder.
Casemiro - Fan Concern: Huge fee for a 30 year old. Profile of player we need now but where will we be with him on huge wages and with a huge fee in 12-24 months? Result: Pay 60+10m. Brilliant for one season, then falls off a cliff.
Varane - Fan Concern: Madrid only ever sell a busted flush, is made of glass, is looking for one last pay day. Result: Pay 40M. Been great in patches, been injured a lot, fallen off a cliff.
That's just four examples. Four examples where a lot of unqualified people on the internet saw problems with the signings, most of which were very obvious, and the club signed the player apparently oblivious to it. In most cases, I am not saying the player definitely shouldn't have been signed, but the fees we paid were mental beyond words. A 30 year old Casemiro who wanted a new challenge? 30M max. Absolute max. Antony, an unproven player from a very weak league? 30-40M max. At 70-80M, the club just has to walk away. Varane at 40M I don't have a huge issue with, he was what? 29 when he came? But Sancho? 75M for a player whop had only ever done it in the BL and had all those behind the scenes rumours, and a player who wanted to play the same position as Rashford, when you had a glaring hole at RW? Nuts.
I went on a tangent. Point was, decision making at this club has been crazy. This player in question seems like a very good signing, but I will reserve any judgement until I see the fee, and who is really driving this recruitment.
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Dont sound very reliable I agree. But considering the injuries on Shaw and Martinez, Shaw not getting any less injury prone when approaching his 30s, I think a player like him would make alot of sense.
You are not crazy but there is one important thing to note. A LCB isn't necesarily a RCB and vice-versa, the ability to make a challenge with your wrong foot or across your body isn't universal. As an example Vidic was comfortable on the left and he was excellent at covering for Evra while Ferdinand wasn't.
He's been quite magnificent this season. Looks like it's his 10th PL season rather than his breakout year.
Can't see this unless we are binning Martinez or morphing into a team rotating starters. This kid is starting not back up material IMO.
Agreed. You have to find two CBs who compliment each other to some degree, both in qualities and experience playing on one side or the other. But general rule of thumb is that you can stick two really fecking good CBs together and they'll figure it out. As happens with national teams.
I agree, I'm a big fan and hope we do make enquiries for him.
What do you think his potential ceiling is?
A CB pair must be complimentary to work. Thinking two good cbs will just "figure it out" without that quality of complimentary games due to their sheer talent is a classic receipt for disaster. No amount of great coaching can save a non complimentary pair of CBs. For They will always bring out the worst in each others games.
I'd be very surprised if he isn't playing for a CL club and a full England international. He's got everything - left footed, pace, passing, tall and an absolute unit.
Doesn’t seem like there’s any reliable sources.
‘Yes, yes, a thousand times - yes’.
I think he'll go to the Euros, if he doesn't then I'd be surprised.
If Chelsea didn't have Colwill, I think they would be looking at him. Arsenal will probably look at him as a replacement for Gabriel.
If you stay up this season, which I think you will, I'd say he'll give you one more season and then move.
And you've come to the conclusion him and Martinez can't compliment each other because both are left footed?
Colwill is terribly overrated IMO and is nothing special at all. Will be sold within two years I suspect.
Can only imagine how much he will cost.
Haven't Chelsea been playing him at LB?
Haven't we been after this lad since before his PSV loan? I wouldn't be opposed but it's not particularly prudent to wait for his value to explode before making a move.
Says who?And you've come to the conclusion him and Martinez can't compliment each other because both are left footed?
I was simply commenting on cbs in general in the second quoted post.Not about Jarrad in particular.
Not to mention in the first I was blatantly assuming ETH with his RCB right ft and left cb left ft stance would still be in charge come next summer
Judge him when he actually plays cb constantly. TBF ...Right now he is out of postion at left back consistently.
Not at the beginning of the season if I recall. He’s just not that impressive to me.
I agree on all points. Actually think City might make a move for him too with Walker likely to leave this summer and Stones at some point in the future too. Helps their English quota.
That's true, especially with Phillips heading out the door too.
Would be wasted at City as Dias seems like one of the first names on the team sheet.
He looks a terrible player to me, I really don't see what people are seeing in him. I'm praying we steer clear
Tall, fast, reads the game well, excellent on the ball, good passer..
What have you seen him do this season that makes you say terrible? He may not be good enough for a top 4 side but he's definitely been good.
I can't even see him being top 8 quality. I should preface terrible by saying terrible for the money being touted and terrible for a club supposedly looking to get back to the top.
He turns like an oil tanker, when you couple that with how he jumps out of the line it spells trouble. I don't think he reads the game well either, I feel like he spends far too long making last ditch tackles rather than preemptively snuffing out danger.
Excellent young defender. Would be a great addition
Is he excellent on the ball?
Comfortable I'd say. He does look a very well rounded CB for his age, and height wise he's always going to be a real asset if we're relying on keeping Martinez in there.
He's ambipedal, would be a perfect fit.
We can play Martinez LB as an inverted left back, Branthwaite LCB, RCB, new RWB.
But the thing is, Everton would take us to the cleaners and absolutely rinse us.
Anybody know if he has a buyout clause?
We can play Martinez LB as an inverted left back, Branthwaite LCB, RCB, new RWB.
But the thing is, Everton would take us to the cleaners and absolutely rinse us.
Anybody know if he has a buyout clause?
Chandelier and mirrors maybe?
Seems like a confident lad.
I don't like the name "Jarrad" so no thanks.
Mind you, I wouldn't have signed Rooney due to a distaste of "Wayne" either so there may be a flaw in my reasoning.
Mind you, I wouldn't have signed Rooney due to a distaste of "Wayne" either so there may be a flaw in my reasoning.