Fair enough
.Kalidou Koulibaly
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
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.Reddit ITK suggests Koulibaly is being worked on amongst other tidbits.
Saw that earlier. Hope people don't think that he's saying that it will happen, just that the club are working on it.
I dont think we have a chance for De Ligt, but Koulibaly would be alright for me.
Would love for this to happen and pair him up with Lindelof
Isn't Koulibaly weak in the air?
No. He's not dominant, but he's certainly not weak.
Is he a leader? Is he vocal? Because we really need more of those at the back.
Besides De Ligt, do you consider there's a better option to improve our defense than Koulibaly?
Pair him with Alderweireld, bin jones and Rojo. Sign Muenier or Hysaj from Napoli and our defence is sorted.
Sign him up already.
No
Just bumping my own post from January.
We would have had a pretty good chance of getting this guy in January window. What are the odds of getting it done now?
I agree, I think De Ligt is too high a profile player now to be joining a team in need of a major overhaul with no solid idea this will actually happen quickly.
Hmm, I'm conflicted about this. Great player, but 28 by the time he kicks a ball for us. I'd rather we kept away from Alderweireld for the same reason, and he's a lot cheaper. That said, what other centre halves are out there? Maguire? Probably looking at a similar fee for him.
I don't think beggars can be choosers, we're desperately in need of a new CB. I just hope we don't get rinsed.
I don't think beggars can be choosers, we're desperately in need of a new CB. I just hope we don't get rinsed.
What’s his passing like?
If we are going to have to pay the big bucks for a CB, let’s throw the money at De Ligt. If we really cannot get De Ligt then Koulibaly or Maguire will be a good second choice.
Don’t think age is an issue. Him and Lindelof would be a perfect blend. It could turn out to be a partnership for 5-6 years.
Good, as far as I know. As you mentioned, he would be my 2nd choice, close behind De Ligt. He is younger than Smalling and Rojo, and is of a prime age for a CB.
Very good with both feet is Koulibaly, likes to play balls between the lines. Lukaku probably won’t like him
I think we'd pay the money in a heartbeat if he'd shown an interest in joining us. It's a bit like when Mbappe was leaving Monaco - sure, we threw our hat in the ring but was it ever likely?
I'm just a bit wary of anyone approaching 30 really. I know i'll get the FM jokes thrown at me, but how many top tier CBs in recent years have maintained their form into their mid-30s? It can't be many. Rio, Vidic, Thiago Silva, Godin, Kompany...their injury problems all ramped up as they hit 30, and they all seemed to decline at around 31-32. I seem to remember Koulibaly struggling with injuries in the past too. He could be a massive success for us, who knows? But I just have a bad feeling he might be a bit of a van Persie signing. We'll get 1-2 good seasons out of him then he'll decline and we're stuck with this 100m defender on huge wages, and we'll need to replace him again anyway.
A van Persie-esque catalyst signing is all well and good when he's the final piece of the jigsaw like RVP was in 2012, and you just need one big player to lead your team to success that season. But I don't think we're at that point yet. It's a big gamble is all I'm saying.
Rio was 30 when we won the UCL. Problem is I cannot think of a better defender bar Koulibaly if we do not get De Ligt. Even at the moment, I would say Koulibaly is the better defender, just that De Ligt has a much higher ceiling and longevity of course.
If he is coming, then that would be our mega signing.
He was, then his back gave way at 31 iirc. I'm not saying I'm totally against signing him though. Mainly for what you've said here.
Yes please.
I understand your worries all too well. After Sanchez I don’t really want anyone around that age either but for this fella I’m willing to make an exception provided he’s got a good injury record. If you’re right that he’s got injury issues then I’d rather not to be fair.
If he doesn’t then 28 would be fine for me as we need some experience beside Lindelof. I feel like Lindelof can become an exceptional player if he learns from someone who is great themselves — it’s all conjecture, of course, but hey; nice to dream.
Anyway, my first choice is De Ligt, would be absolutely superb but that’s a pipe dream.
Thank you. And I take it he’s competent on the ball? Anyway encouraging.Very good with both feet is Koulibaly, likes to play balls between the lines. Lukaku probably won’t like him
Same as in January. Offer Napoli upwards of £100m and he's probably yours
I like Koulibaly but I started to see him a bit unrealistic.
I guess Ole will sign a defender for the league. Who would you prefer? Maguire, Ake, Alderweireld?
I guess Ole will sign a defender for the league. Who would you prefer? Maguire, Ake, Alderweireld?
Yeah I agree with all of that. De Ligt is a no brainer, let’s hope agent Edwin can put in a good word for us.
I’d go for slabhead out of those 3, as long as we can get him for a nice fee. Anything above 60m is probably a bit much.
So 28 is old now? 
He’s a month older than VVD FFS and how many people are discussing Liverpool having to replace him soon?
At this present time, who are the experienced heads that we will be looking to move forwards with? We have Jones, Smalling and Young. I think we can all agree we don’t want those three anywhere near our starting XI.
He’s a month older than VVD FFS and how many people are discussing Liverpool having to replace him soon?At this present time, who are the experienced heads that we will be looking to move forwards with? We have Jones, Smalling and Young. I think we can all agree we don’t want those three anywhere near our starting XI.
It’s about 2 years away from declining, which isn’t a problem for a 20m signing, but Koulibaly will cost 5 times that. No-one is debating his quality, but is it value for money? That’s all I’m asking. I don’t know the answer by the way, I’m on the fence.So 28 is old now?
At this present time, who are the experienced heads that we will be looking to move forwards with? We have Jones, Smalling and Young. I think we can all agree we don’t want those three anywhere near our starting XI.
Pique just had his best season at 32, Chiellini is 34, Ramos 33, Godin 33; all playing at top clubs. The best CBs are still at the best clubs well into their 30s. If we are to improve the quality of our squad to a sufficient level then we will need to sign a bit of experience or go completely without. If he’s here for 5 years and in that time he facilitates the progression of the younger players around him, then it would be money well spent. He will still only be 30 when he has finished his 3rd season for us.
Godin has been on the decline for a while now, and has just signed for Inter on a free. A bit like Vidic did when he couldn’t hack it here anymore. Pique has it easy in Spain, he looked poor against Liverpool the other day when a team actually had the audacity to challenge their defence a bit. Chiellini, Barzagli and the rest manage to look good for Juventus into their mid and late 30s, but Serie A is renowned for being a slower pace and ideal for ageing players. Not saying they’re poor examples but they play in far less challenging leagues.
I’m all for us signing Koulibaly if the club thinks that’s what we need, it’s not my money after all. He’s far better than what we have and like I said, beggars can’t be choosers. All I’m saying is that a few alarm bells are ringing, and we can’t have too many complaints if we only get a year, 18 months of his peak.
I don't know much about Koulibaly, but 27 turning 28 is a very good age to get a centre back, that's 5 years of peak centre back-ing right there I'd say, it's not like a midfielder or a striker.
With other options like De Ligt and Alderweireld probably not achievable this summer, I say get Koulibaly, we need to buy the strongest defence we can get this summer, a strong defence and a clinical attack is a recipe for success.
I think you’re been incredibly disingenuous with regards to Pique. And the others, while now declining, are still at a level to compete for some of the biggest trophies in football. As I say, he’ll still only be 30 by the time he finishes his 3rd season, if he then begins declining but still playing to a very high standard for 2 years, that’s 5 very important years we get out of him.
Hey I’m open to being wrong, you could well be right. As it is, I hope we sign him because god knows we need him.
Someone, anyone!
As much as we're desperate for a decent centre back surely it will only happen if at least 2 are sold. Rojo is useless but will be hard to shift, Bailly is injured and i can't see Jones going anywhere either.
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