Its been reported well sign 2 CBs one of which may likely be overpaying for Brainewaithe whilst we are also linked with Todibo, Bremmer, Scalvani, Silva none of which are freeAt the moment, it looks like a promotee, a free transfer and a purchase for CB's, plus whatever we get for selling (Maguire, Varane, Lindelof), so it's not that out there (should sales come off); from our own kitty, it sounds like a pipe dream given all the other areas we need in, but with sales at CB and CM, it really doesn't seem particularly improbable.
I doubt it's two big CB purchases; one from the above or some such, plus Kambwala and a free transfer or veteran/youngster is most likely, imo.Its been reported well sign 2 CBs one of which may likely be overpaying for Brainewaithe whilst we are also linked with Todibo, Bremmer, Scalvani, Silva none of which are free
I wouldn't bet on tenuous links to Tosin whos recently been linked to Spurs.
I would not be surprised at all if Mainoo ends up a more forward thinking midfielder tbh. I think him and Neves in a pair would see Neves doing more work in the defensive phases than Mainoo. With KMs quality, I think in a Mason Mount sort of advanced 8 role, he can get 8 PL goals next season, which would not be a bad return at all.Great looking player but a bit of an awkward fit with Mainoo. Both highly technical players probably best as 8s, linking play and creating solutions. In the PL, I don't think either is cut out to be a DM that sniffs out transitions, covers big spaces if necessary, and helps control matches with counter-pressing. You could play them together in front of a player like that. But you still need that DM player and probably you need a very high scoring front three because while both Mainoo and Neves seem plenty capable of contributing in the final third with their technical quality, neither of them is a KDB/Bruno/Odegaard/Wirtz/Musiala/Bellingham type of final third attacking force.
It seems like over the course of the season Benfica has become less likely to pair Neves with an expansive player like Kokcu in the double pivot and more likely to pair him with a bruising DM like Florentino Luis, especially in bigger games. I think that is probably the way you get the best out of him, just like Mainoo.
Yeah, that seems workable as long as it’s a three and there is a defensive anchor behind them.I would not be surprised at all if Mainoo ends up a more forward thinking midfielder tbh. I think him and Neves in a pair would see Neves doing more work in the defensive phases than Mainoo. With KMs quality, I think in a Mason Mount sort of advanced 8 role, he can get 8 PL goals next season, which would not be a bad return at all.
Contrary to most reports.I doubt it's two big CB purchases; one from the above or some such, plus Kambwala and a free transfer or veteran/youngster is most likely, imo.
Certainly.Yeah, that seems workable as long as it’s a three and there is a defensive anchor behind them.
I apologize for my language. I just don't think it's as easy as that, since there are many other factors that come together (other teams demanding more money from us, (which leads to) longer negotiations, inability to sell high wage players, players who want to stay, etc). It's not gonna be easy to have a budget of let's say 300m this summer. So we can't pay 100m on one player whose position overlaps with Mainoo's unless we play ONE style of play (which would mean we gotta sell Bruno, too which I doubt would happen). There are so many other position we should fix first and maybe next year Neves is still available (as I don't think there is much urgency for other top teams on that position to spend that much).Again, thanks for your polite tone.
To answer your question, yes, see my post above. If we manage to offload just a few others, we will definately have room.
For example, selling Sancho would save us combined ~£30m a year in wages and amortisation alone, before taking a potential fee into account. That is basically another £100m player if we don't give out silly wages, like in Sancho's case.
What you're essentially asking about is a question of cash flow rather than the actual cost on the books. Buying a player for 100m will cost the club the transfer fee divided by the length of the contract for each year, i.e. 100m/5y = 20m a year in cost. Add to that the yearly wage of that player and you have the total yearly cost of that player. It does not matter on the cost whether the transfer fee is paid in one lump sum or spread out. This only affect our cash balance.Is that presuming we spend in payments for neves rather than all upfront?
Agreed. You’d think in terms of fit he’d be a very good option as the Jorginho / Partey replacement. Rice - Neves - Odegaard seems to have more balance to it.Great looking player but a bit of an awkward fit with Mainoo. Both highly technical players probably best as 8s, linking play and creating solutions. In the PL, I don't think either is cut out to be a DM that sniffs out transitions, covers big spaces if necessary, and helps control matches with counter-pressing. You could play them together in front of a player like that. But you still need that DM player and probably you need a very high scoring front three because while both Mainoo and Neves seem plenty capable of contributing in the final third with their technical quality, neither of them is a KDB/Bruno/Odegaard/Wirtz/Musiala/Bellingham type of final third attacking force.
It seems like over the course of the season Benfica has become less likely to pair Neves with an expansive player like Kokcu in the double pivot and more likely to pair him with a bruising DM like Florentino Luis, especially in bigger games. I think that is probably the way you get the best out of him, just like Mainoo.
That's not a horrible profile for us, then. Basically look like those for say 2 seasons:Neves is even more hyped but I would say the talent is similar. Neves is better defensively and more of a workhorse, Vitinha is a magician like Mainoo.
Neves could become a Modric level player, though with fewer trivelas.
Brainwhat?Its been reported well sign 2 CBs one of which may likely be overpaying for Brainewaithe whilst we are also linked with Todibo, Bremmer, Scalvani, Silva none of which are free
I wouldn't bet on tenuous links to Tosin whos recently been linked to Spurs.
This is he part of his game which makes me think he'd be a success here. He is terrier-like and weirdly does very well in the air too for someone not of great height. He seems a bit like Joao Moutinho in his youger days, who would have been a fantastic signing.One of the biggest challenge for our team is winning duels, we lose most of duels and also lack physicality. You can win duels even if you lack the strength, of you are agile and have good balance, can he offer that?
How good is he defensively?
La liga will always have bunch of midfielders who are ball magnet and also have good close control. I hope we do proper research and scouting before spending big money. We will always have players who are not hyped but offers similar skillset.
Thank you.This is he part of his game which makes me think he'd be a success here. He is terrier-like and weirdly does very well in the air too for someone not of great height. He seems a bit like Joao Moutinho in his youger days, who would have been a fantastic signing.
These two need to go, one is too expensive but has massively declined and the other is just not a midfielder. Both could bring in some money and the wage savings from the former's departure would be huge. If we are to sign Neves then we need our scouts to come up with a DM on the cheap.Watched Benfica's match against Marseille last night.
For the majority of the game Neves was the deepest of the two centre-mids.
He often split the CB's collecting the ball off them to initiate moves from the back.
Other times he took turns with Florentino in bringing the ball forward.
I could see a double pivot of Neves-Mainoo work well with Bruno just in front of them.
Keeping Casemiro for another season would give us an option in other games to go a bit more defensive as he could play behind both Mainoo-Neves as a single pivot providing a more solid base.
Mainoo (18), Neves (19), Bruno (29), Casemiro (32), McTominay (27) & Mount (25) would be a decent midfield pool of talent for ten Hag to work with next season I think....
I could see it working, for sureThat's not a horrible profile for us, then. Basically look like those for say 2 seasons:
-------------------------------Bruno
Mainoo-Joao Neves----
and then Bruno move on and maybe it's:
Mainoo-----DM-------Neves
with Mount getting games backing up Bruno and then as a more attacking option or rotation with Mainoo and Neves, and we can always use Mainoo or more likely Neves as a #6 when that DM is unavailable.
And in both cases we probably have to move on from Casemiro and maybe McTominay just to get some money in to pay for a backup DM type.
Option b) for me. Our current 10 isn’t impacting games and we’re conceding like mad so it makes sense to have a dedicated dm with 2x forward thinking 8sReally depends how we are going to play. But a good coach can make a Neves-Mainoo double pivot a fearsome proposition. If one signs Neves you face some difficult decisions. It’s not that a double pivot with both as 6/8 hybrids wouldn’t work, it’s just that it will naturally slightly stifle their offensive instincts. They are both more than capable of playing that way, and both have the defensive nouse to do the job.
But signings Neves means you choose between (a) playing them both as double pivots, creating essentially a 4-2-3-1 shape and a “if you go, I stay” symbiotic relationship, with a Bruno or Mount in front of them, or (b) you sacrifice your 10, play both of them as forwarding thinking 8’s, and have a defensively minded single pivot behind them; which likely necessitates another signing.
Before pulling the trigger we need a clear idea of how we are going to play, and the stomach to make the difficult choices. Assuming those factors are in place, then you don’t miss the opportunity to sign a player of his calibre, age, and potential. He will be a world class player, and together with Mainoo, a midfield pair that the club can build around for the next decade plus. The midfield is the heartbeat of the team, so this is one signing I would make before any other.
How any of us see this lining up, is pretty immaterial. It’s the head coach knowing how we are going to play, and building the team to fit that, that matters. Personally I would like to see us prioritise players that treat the ball with care, have exceptionally high technical ability, a good work rate, and are team orientated, as opposed to individualistic. I’d like to see a team that treats the ball like it is precious, and can retain possession under extreme pressure and duress. Mainoo and Neves both fit the bill in every regard. It’s also why I’d prefer to see Mount, for example, as our LW or third midfielder. He is quietly excellent, works hard, rarely gives it away. He’s not flashy, he’s not particularly quick (although no slouch), but he’s technically superb, and intelligent on and off the ball. I’d like our team to be full of players like that, because that’s how a team becomes greater than the value of its parts. Not through repeated feats of individualistic marvel.
Onana often gets touted in here as a more appropriate midfield option, as a deeper, more physical midfielder. A “true DM”. One that will allow Mainoo to play as a more advanced 8. But he’s a very misleading player. His gifts are primarily physical, although on a technical level he’s quite capable, and because of this he struggles to play as a single pivot. He doesn’t have the first touch under pressure to receive the ball facing his own keeper, and turn and play a line breaking pass. So more often than not, he just plays it back the way he is facing.
Yes, he is physically dominant when he can turn and face the play, and will get stuck in to the opposition and rarely be run past; but in order to have effective build up play from the back, Mainoo is still going to have to drop deep to pick up the ball, because he’s the only one of the pair with the technical ability to receive under pressure and turn upfield. So if you’re going to have to play a double pivot, no matter which one of Onana or Neves you buy, then buy the far better player in Neves.
There’s this rampant assumption that because Onana is a big powerful unit, he’s the player we need to sign so we can have two forwarding thinking midfielders in front of him. But it’s flawed thinking. His ability to screen the defence by himself is decent, but that’s only half the proposition. The part where we have the ball, he’s just not adept or experienced at playing as the sole pivot. And that’s a problem. If we want to play with a single pivot, then we’ll need a player who is as good receiving the ball under the pressure of a high press, as he is screening the defence from attacking transitions.
I think he can be both to be honest. In the U21 tournament, Dantas was the 6 and he was one of the 8s in a 3 and he covered loads of of ground and was good on the ball.Don't really see "the Neves is an 8" argument tbh. Any time I've watched him, he looks like a 6 in the mould of Rodri. I think Mainoo by contrast is a clear 8.
Squawka posted this last month:One of the biggest challenge for our team is winning duels, we lose most of duels and also lack physicality. You can win duels even if you lack the strength, of you are agile and have good balance, can he offer that?
How good is he defensively?
La liga will always have bunch of midfielders who are ball magnet and also have good close control. I hope we do proper research and scouting before spending big money. We will always have players who are not hyped but offers similar skillset.
His fbref shows how much he excels in pretty much all defensive areas: https://fbref.com/en/players/c2a15a27/Joao-NevesThanks, so looks like he wins lot of duels.
Plenty of big money signings from Portugal measure up.João Felix vibes. Big money player from Portugal, never live up to the hype.
Such as?Plenty of big money signings from Portugal measure up.
Ever heard of this guy called Bruno Fernandes?Such as?
BrunoSuch as?
Big money?!Ever heard of this guy called Bruno Fernandes?
Big money?!Bruno
Ruben Dias
Ederson
Hasselbaink
Carvahlo
Nani
Luis Diaz
Pedro Porro
Raul Jimenez
Nemanja Matic
Ruben Neves
Diogo Jota
erm, Cristiano Ronaldo
And then others who came to England via a different stop like Cancelo and Bernardo Silva.
we'll see. everything will depend on whether we get decent offers for them (and other players) and if the players are willing to leave...they're still under contract.These two need to go, one is too expensive but has massively declined and the other is just not a midfielder. Both could bring in some money and the wage savings from the former's departure would be huge. If we are to sign Neves then we need our scouts to come up with a DM on the cheap.
I don't think this deal is financially feasible if we are also signing two CBs because we are losing Varane and Evans for nothing, though I am keen on keeping Evans around as he has been generally a positive player to have around. As a 4th or 4th choice, playing a covering and mentorship role he'd be perfect iny view. Depending on how the next few weeks go for Kambwala I would like to see a situation where we have -
Todibo/RCB signing
Martinez
LCB signing
Maguire
Kambwala
Evans
As our CBs with Kambwala seeing more action in the EL group stages and Martinez moonlighting in defensive midfield because there is no way we are spending what Everton would want for Braithwaite and then sign Neves plus a DM on top whilst we also need something in attack and at LB.
With the way both are playing we will be lucky to. If the Saudis don't bite on Casemiro I can see us loaning him to Inter or Brazil whilst covering a significant portion of his wage. We are truly fecked on that one.we'll see. everything will depend on whether we get decent offers for them (and other players) and if the players are willing to leave...they're still under contract.
Yes.Big money?!
Good lord. Seriously?Yes.
Yes?Good lord. Seriously?
