Renato Sanches

cesc's_mullet

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Seems that Arsenal, amongst other teams, have been linked with Sanches.

A pretty flimsy rumour has it that Sanches has some sort of gentleman's agreement with the club, which would allow him to leave at a reasonable price.

Now I haven't watched him play at all since his move to Lille. Has anyone kept tabs on him? I understand he's allegedly improved.

Based on the highlights package I've just watched he looks electric - he seems very physical (quick, very strong, aggressive with a low centre of gravity) and has quick feet and this makes him a hard dribbles to stop.

Has he improved in his midfield craft? Can he play in a midfield two?

I really like how he uses his body in challenges, and how he takes kents on. Are these common themes or is this just that highlights package doing him a favor here?
 

Lash

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Overrated as hell, even now still. Definitely got talent though, I just don't think he's consistent enough to be the player Arsenal need.
 

DWelbz19

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Bit injury prone, isn’t he? Doesn’t seem to have ever started more than 17 league games for Lille since joining 3 years ago
 

Devil81

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Didn’t he play for Swansea and was shite?
If I remember right I think he had one of the worst debut performances I've ever seen in my life.

Didn't even look a footballer he was that bad and it didn't get any better from there.
 

Ekeke

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I liked him for Portugal at the euros. Thought he was vastly overrated before that but he played well there, short sample size of course
 

RU Devil

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Plays well at times, but definitely inconsistent. Arsenal would probably suit him, not sure if we would want a hot/cold player.
 

TwoSheds

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As a 20 year old, in fairness to him.
A 20 year old who'd been crushed by moving to Bayern far too young to be precise. He was class at Benfica but should have stayed there a couple more years, similar to João Felix in that sense although Munich is a much more difficult step than Madrid. I think the injury record someone mentioned would be what would put bigger teams off. I also don't quite get where he'd fit in at Arsenal. They spent crazy money on Partey and have no.10s aplenty so if the idea is that he slots in as DM next to Partey I don't see it working.
 

Tarrou

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would like to see him have another crack at the Prem

don't think he'd suit a possession side though
 

Lee565

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He could easily turn out to be another teilemans who also struggled initially moving to a big club too soon but just needed to mature and be in the right environment to realise his potential.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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If you want to show patience and persist with a young, inconsistent midfielder, you might as well let Hannibal play and develop.
 

Yagami

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Seems Arteta is keen for a press resistant midfielder with the links to Sanches and Arthur. Arsenal haven't had one since Cazorla and Arteta seems to realise how vital a player of that ilk can be, which is why he's targeting them and loaned Ceballos for two seasons who didn't live up to the hype.
 

Gopher Brown

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His time at Swansea and Bayern should put anybody off. I don't care if he was young, he was dreadful.
 

TwoSheds

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He's a terrific player but, a bit like Thiago, he'd be a luxury signing for most teams due to his injury record.
 

BayernFan87

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I always hoped for his breakthrough when he was at Bayern, but the transfer was obviously too early and much for him.

He's a type of player you rarely see. He has the technique, ball control and those narrow turns Modric and Thiago are known for. But he is also built like a beast and fast. His passing is also very good.
Some years ago I thought he could become the best midfield player in the world if he could achieve his full potential.

That obviously didn't happen, also due to injuries, but he is a good player and can be quite exceptional on his day.

I'm glad he's an important part at Lille and think we'll see him at a bigger club again.
 

Lash

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He's only ever played over 30 games in a season once. That's a huge worry for a big club wanting him. No doubt he's talented, but what's the point if you can't rely on him for the season.
 

Varun1

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I always hoped for his breakthrough when he was at Bayern, but the transfer was obviously too early and much for him.

He's a type of player you rarely see. He has the technique, ball control and those narrow turns Modric and Thiago are known for. But he is also built like a beast and fast. His passing is also very good.
Some years ago I thought he could become the best midfield player in the world if he could achieve his full potential.

That obviously didn't happen, also due to injuries, but he is a good player and can be quite exceptional on his day.

I'm glad he's an important part at Lille and think we'll see him at a bigger club again.
Sounds a bit like our Ando.
 

afatzp

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He is a bit like Modric without the football brain. He is press-resistant for sure, but can't really read the game well to find space and distribute the balls quick enough. Sometimes a simple one touch ball to keep the ball flowing would be much better choice while he would keep dribbling till the dead end.
But you never know, maybe a coach like Guardiola could massively implant the knowledge of how to read games into his mind and improve the football IQ, then you harvest a Modric from there.
 

DMacgraw

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His decision-making in the final third is very sub-par. He can't see a defense-splitting pass to put his striker in on goal. He missed two such opportunities in today's game, where a forward pass to Jonathan David who was onside behind Thiago Silva would likely have resulted in a goal. Instead, he passed the ball sideways both times. Not good enough.
 

Reapersoul20

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I used to rate him really highly; it seemed like every match I watched he had a worldie.

But....he's the kind of player where if he goes to Liverpool, he becomes a superstar. If he goes here, with our current regime and setup, most likely he'd be a feck up. Perhaps that's an unfair thing to say as Rangnick is probably more pragmatic than most of our managers.

Either way, I really think there's a great player in there somewhere - jury is out on what coach and setup would be able to unlock that player and get them to consistently perform.
 

Klopper76

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I thought he would’ve made a decent Wijnaldum replacement. Not sure we’ll even go in for him but it seemed to make sense at the time.
 

flappyjay

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This is the route he should have taken from Portugal to the big time.
 

mctrials23

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Never understood the appeal of him. One of those players who seems to have everything you need to be a top footballer apart from the actual football part... Strong, powerful, quite quick and athletic but poor first touch, not great close control and lacking in other areas.
 

Irrational.

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Never understood the appeal of him. One of those players who seems to have everything you need to be a top footballer apart from the actual football part... Strong, powerful, quite quick and athletic but poor first touch, not great close control and lacking in other areas.
A bit similar to Anderson-son-son. Flatters to deceive.
 

V.O.

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This is the route he should have taken from Portugal to the big time.
Seems like a decent deal for both parties. I fancy him to look pretty good in Serie A and Milan get their Kessie replacement on the cheap.

Lille must have felt like they could have cashed in for more than that at some stage I suppose.
 

Bebestation

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If he does move to Milan then I’d love to see him start playing games with some sunglasses on!
 

Bojan Djordjic

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People are definitely underrating him because of his disastrous spell at Swansea. He’s an excellent player now but I don’t think he would be right for us. €17mn is an absolute bargain though. Reckon his injuries have taken a few mill off that price tag.
 

Lay

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Won a lot in his career already despite being considered a flop.

That said, I’m unsure about his ability for Italy. Don’t think he’s tactically someone you can pin down. Can see him being benched a lot