Yeah usually you'd prefer a Left on the left and a right on the right like Stones/Dias.
Both of them are right footed actually.
Ah i'm thinking of Laporte.
Botman is just 21 as well. Ive definitely swung towards him over any of the others we've been linked with. We're obviously putting together a young team for longevity and Botman would certainly add to that. Hes a good height as well and is already decent in the air. Plus hes left footed.
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What's his release clause again? It always changes
Because there is only two types of centre backs? Lindelof and not Lindelof?
Especially when Maguire has played on the left all his career pretty much
Last I checked €50m rising to €65m in the last fortnight of the window
65m for us then.
Side note but I was reading a series of blog posts the other day on how not to use stats in football. This is what they said on defensive stats:
That goes with what he's saying though. He doesnt like Lindelof's style and Torres' stats suggest he is similar. Of course it tells you what their style is
Oh I was responding to the "Botman has the best stats of any CB in europe this season" part rather than the rest. As in I'm not sure what having the best stats even means in this context and even if he did have them, I'm not sure what that would tell us about his quality as a defender.
Ah I see what you mean now
Dunno if its another part of the pod or what, but here is a slightly different translation:
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Whats interesting about that list is that they are 3 very different CB’s but they all complement Maguire in different aspects.
Makes me wonder if despite someone like Torres having a release clause, this is an area that will be on the back-burner until other positions (most notably attack) have been dealt with. I'm assuming the likes of Varane, Kounde and Torres will all be available at slightly different prices, so it may be that we don't move until we know what we can afford in relation to other signings this summer.
He strikes me as someone that likes where he is and wouldn't jump at the slightest opportunity for a big move.
Fabrizio said the same thing on united stand, we know Pau’s and Kounde’s RC’s , but we need to know A) how much we are spending on Sancho and B) if Varane will be available and for what price , until we do a move.
Botman plays in a low block with Lille. This really suits him but is not how we would expect to play. From what I've read up on him, he got really exposed for Dutch U21s when he had a lot more space to cover. He's not particularly fast by all accounts.
Nothing special, Villarreal played with a low block so there weren't many one on one situations to look at him.
We're surely after a Ferdinand rather than a Vidic? I don't see 5ft 10 Kounde being a big physical upgrade on Lindelof to be honest..
Varane is actually quite passive too, by the way.
Yes his size may be an issue against the like of Burnley and 3 -4 others, however in C1, and against 2/3 of the Premier League it wont be much an issue. Also what i meant with "being aggressive" is to be strong on tackles, able and willing to anticipate, push up the pitch, being rapid. Those are attributes Victor doesn't have at all, from what i have seen Torres doesnt have either (he looks faster though).
If you want to compliment Maguire, you need someone who don’t push too much as that is Maguire’s strength. Varane is imo that style, just like Lindelof. Torres also seem to be that kind. On the other hand we need someone who can replace Maguire to rotate him and be backup when he’s injured. None of Torres or Varane is an upgrade aerially.
How has he progressed this season?
He seems to have had a very good season after being criticised by his own fans early in the season. He beat out Saka to be the U21 player in the top five leagues with the most minutes and is pretty much an ever-present for Monaco. I know its not the most insightful stat but for a 19 year old to be playing week in week out for a title challenger says a lot. He's also been selected for the French U21s which is genuinely one of the most impressive under age squads I've ever seen and could probably challenge for a senior Euros themselves if they had a decent coach.
