What single position with a ballon d’Or level player in would enhance us the most?

Fortitude

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The Vinicius discussion in the Transfer Forum is quite the read. It’s speculation based around Mourinho going back and thus having Vinicius get the hell out of dodge. Thing is, it’s extremely rare for that level of player to be available and it’s been a very, very long time since we’ve had a player who could directly challenge for the Ballon d’Or, it’s the kind of level up in a position I don’t think we can really process, such is the leap in quality from what we’ve had coming into the club since we fell a few notches.

The conversation isn’t about Vinicius as what I want to know is in the header: if you could pick a player of the calibre that is one of the best in the world by nearly all accounts, what position would you want that player in. I don’t think it’s a clear cut answer, as midfielder - we’ve conceded 48 goals this season; our highest goalscorer is on 11 in the league; we have no wing wizard who is a sure thing on take ons; no fullback that is a force of nature and so on and so forth. Elite level in any of those positions could be a revelation, so not just midfield, right?

Where would you place this marvel?
 
A much as I like Sesko, a balon d’or level striker (basically Harry Kane) is the most valuable position in football for a reason imo
 
Given the current squad, a partner for Mainoo that has the physical presence and passing range that Mainoo lacks.
 
Defensive/Deep lying playmaking midfielder.

If any one position has a multiplying effect on the players around him, and can systemically change the effectiveness and control of an entire team, it's that one.
 
Give me Valverde any day, Kane a good shout and I’d normally agree but we’re so desperately in need of CMs
 
simonhch said:
Defensive/Deep lying playmaking midfielder.

If any one position has a multiplying effect on the players around him, and can systemically change the effectiveness and control of an entire team, it's that one.
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Goals for me, it will always be goals.

Mo Salah playing at Balon Dor levels last season made Liverpool champions and Ryan Gravenberch looked like a great Defensive/Deep lying playmaking midfielder. Salahs levels dropped and all the sudden Ryan G is just a decent midfielder.
 
We're desperate for a top level midfielder so a Pedri or Vitinha type would probably make the most dramatic difference.

Love watching Kvaratskhelia though, such a graceful player and one who would be really fun to have in your team every week.
 
RedStarUnited said:
Goals for me, it will always be goals.

Mo Salah playing at Balon Dor levels last season made Liverpool champions and Ryan Gravenberch looked like a great Defensive/Deep lying playmaking midfielder. Salahs levels dropped and all the sudden Ryan G is just a decent midfielder.
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Exactly. This is something Fergie understood very well. Cantona, Cole, Rooney, Ruud, RVP etc

A world class attacker papers over a lot of other issues a team might have.
 
A ballon D'Or level winger/attacker. Every team needs one if they want to be an elite team.

We need to address the midfield, but we aren't challenging for the league and CL if we don't address the front line beyond what we've already done. Which is fine, that a few years away. What we have are stepping stone attackers, though maybe some of them can step up themselves.
 
I’d usually go wing forward (Olise, Kvicha, Vini) or center forward (Kane or Mbappe but not Haaland). But considering our exact needs, give me Vitinha or Valverde.
 
Best 23-26 year old DLP in the world for me. Otherwise a winger. If we had a young Robben we'd be a scary prospect as long as we could get a couple of decent midfielders in too.
 
Kane obviously.

(I assume you're talking about right now, not 'ever'?)
 
This team is currently crying out for a top class CM to solidify the midfield and bind everything together. We'd get so much more from our forwards if we could more effectively dominate games and keep possession.

But of course it comes down to what you assume we get in the transfer window. If we get competent enough midfielders, the true difference maker will always be a winger/forward/striker type of the highest caliber.
 
A high volume goal scoring right winger. Picture Bale in his last season at Spurs before leaving for Madrid. Will totally transform our team, win us valuable points and push us high up the table.

That or a Suarez-like striker that one season where he couldn’t stop scoring for Pool and he’d single-handedly win games.
 
A real goalscorer. At least for the time being.
 
Be great to get world class striker, but we have to admit we’re so still largely set up to play as if we want to deny the existence of that position. Sesko’s goal scoring record this season has been remarkable given that he’s been feeding off Dickensian-level scraps for most of it.

Chucking £75m at someone only for virtually the entire team to actively pretend he isn’t on the pitch, wouldn’t be a great idea
 
A world class attacker, someone like Rooney,Rudd,Benzema,Suarez, I understand all of these guys are very different, but they know how to score and make others around them better. The levels of all the attackers in the team would improve if you have a world class striker.
 
Peak Salah would be my choice. A goalscorer and playmaker.
 
Doesn't have to be Ballon d'Or level. Osimhen who is "just" a world class CF would elevate the team immediately. 20-25 league goals guaranteed. Proper, proper CF. Unfortunately he seems to be a bit of a diva but then again loads and loads of strikers do have an overinflated ego.
 
Red Pumpkin said:
Doesn't have to be Ballon d'Or level. Osimhen who is "just" a world class CF would elevate the team immediately. 20-25 league goals guaranteed. Proper, proper CF. Unfortunately he seems to be a bit of a diva but then again loads and loads of strikers do have an overinflated ego.
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Sesko has a non-penalty league goal every 149 minutes. For reference Haaland is every 128 minutes.

What is there to suggest Osimhen would even be able to better Sesko's output?
 
Honestly I reckon wingers in general. They're your match winners through individual brilliance who will win a game even when the overall balance of a game is even. It's much easier to get the rest of the side "functional" and focus on feeding the ball to your winger to do his thing.

Elite strikers still rely on service to create chances for them generally which is why I'd choose winger. Wingers generally winning you games through dribbling, assists and goals for a greater variety of threats to the opposition.

Salah last season might have been worth 20+ points by himself compared to having a half decent wide player instead of him.
 
The answer that you're looking for... and that we've been looking for since 2008... is Rodri.
 
Dominos said:
Sesko has a non-penalty league goal every 149 minutes. For reference Haaland is every 128 minutes.

What is there to suggest Osimhen would even be able to better Sesko's output?
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Career statistics and eye test.

Osimhen is really a TOP player no matter if he plays for Napoli, Galatasaray or Nigeria.

It's not a knock on Sesko, there are just levels to the game. Whoever watch Napoli knows that Osimhen is at the same level as Kvaraskhelia. One for some reason ended up at Galatasaray, the other at PSG. But they are both WC.

It's the same as Lewandowski and Reus. One went to Bayern and Barcelona, the other stayed at Dortmund while all the top talent kept leaving season after season (+ injury troubles).
 
We need a world class CM more but the answer is still CF.

That's how important goals are. Put Kane or even Haaland in this team and we're 10-15 points better off. Would it be chaotic? Yes. Would it turn us into inconsistent, one-off champions, rather than true winners? Also yes.

But the instant improvement would be undeniable. There is a reason for why Fergie loved signing strikers and famously only would consider creators and goalscorers "world class".

Imagine how many more assists Bruno would have. Imagine how much more space Mbeumo, Amad and Cunha would get.
 
Scandi Red said:
We need a world class CM more but the answer is still CF.

That's how important goals are. Put Kane or even Haaland in this team and we're 10-15 points better off. Would it be chaotic? Yes. Would it turn us into inconsistent, one-off champions, rather than true winners? Also yes.

But the instant improvement would be undeniable. There is a reason for why Fergie loved signing strikers and famously only would consider creators and goalscorers "world class".

Imagine how many more assists Bruno would have. Imagine how much more space Mbeumo, Amad and Cunha would get.
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Agree with all of this -- the answer with these questions is always a centre forward and this won't change one bit as long as the main objective of association football is to score more goals than the opposing team.

World class, Ballon d'Or-level centre forwards are exceedingly rare because creating and finishing chances is fundamentally harder than 'destroying' through defending. Just recently I watched an interview with Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand and he used the analogy of 'building a house' to illustrate that anyone can eventually tear something down with enough time/effort, but building it requires innate skill and talent.
 
If this team had Balon d’Or winning Rodri in it we’d win the league.
 
We never had much problem in scoring even under ETH or Amorim, problem was always on conceding more than we scored. A CB would help, although Ballon dOr hardly recognised a CB. So a Makelele #6 instead then.
 
1v1 dribbler by a long way, and it's been the case for about a decade. Who was our last genuinely brilliant dribbler? Nani? Maybe I'm forgetting somebody obvious since then.

You see how many games - especially vs a low block - are won by players like Yamal, Olise, Vini, Kvara...even Doku.
 
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Someone who used to play as a DM but turned into a very good goal scorer. Who is a Serie A Champion. Name could have been in a menu at McDonalds.
 
A great dressing room DJ and dabber by a long way, and it's been the case since Lingard left.
 
Red Pumpkin said:
Career statistics and eye test.

Osimhen is really a TOP player no matter if he plays for Napoli, Galatasaray or Nigeria.

It's not a knock on Sesko, there are just levels to the game. Whoever watch Napoli knows that Osimhen is at the same level as Kvaraskhelia. One for some reason ended up at Galatasaray, the other at PSG. But they are both WC.

It's the same as Lewandowski and Reus. One went to Bayern and Barcelona, the other stayed at Dortmund while all the top talent kept leaving season after season (+ injury troubles).
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I don't see it to be honest.

Someone like Kane is an elite footballer in terms of passing, assisting etc. giving him a unique advantage over other strikers.

Osimhen is just a goalscorer but not a great footballer.

Osimhen would need to put up Haaland type minutes per goal to be a significant upgrade on Sesko's current output. In a more difficult league than he's used to... And at the end of the day is still reliant on service rather than individual brilliance.
 
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A Ballon d'or level holding mid that can dictate the tempo, stay deep and protect the defence, would win this team win the title.
 
Dominos said:
I don't see it to be honest.

Someone like Kane is an elite footballer in terms of passing, assisting etc. giving him a unique advantage over other strikers.

Osimhen is just a goalscorer but not a great footballer.

Osimhen would need to put up Haaland type minutes per goal to be a significant upgrade on Sesko's current output. In a more difficult league than he's used to... And at the end of the day is still reliant on service rather than individual brilliance.
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- Osimhen has 35 goals and 14 assists (49 points) in 52 games for the national team. All time record holder by far. Elite! #2 on the list Obafemi Martins "only" (still very good record) has 18 goals and 1 assist in 40.

- Top scorer in Italy and Turkey
(30 games, 26 goals, 5 assists in Turkey)
(32 games, 26 goals, 5 assists in Italy)

- He is more of a Haaland type if you want to call him that but since when is that a bad thing? Haaland ripped the EPL to shreds when he arrived from the "Farmers League". Osimhen is a proper CF that might not be able to play as a #10 but he is far from a shitty passer. 297 games, 171 goals and 44 assists which is his career record is a world class return. His career average equals to roughly 22 goals and 5 assists in a season with some a bit higher and some a bit lower.

Dude is tall, strong, fast, can head the ball, has a great shot, scores from all angles and speaks great English. Essentially a perfect EPL striker. I'm not saying he would turn into Henry all of a sudden but if he could equal what Aubameyang did his first few seasons (which were great by the way) would that not be good enough?
 
It's against the grain purely to play devil's advocate but, what would a balon D'or level full back look like and just how good would they have to be?

For instance Hakimi is probably the best full back in the world at the moment and he's nowhere near the conversation, so to get in the conversation they'd probably need to lock down an entire flank and be scoring and assisting as regularly as a forward.

Yes, I know that's unrealistic and there isn't a player that exists, but if we're talking Balon D'or hypotheticals I'd take that please.

20 goals a season from a left back, that stops every right winger in their tracks would enhance us more than a jump from Cunha to Vini or Casemiro to Rodri (of a few years ago)
 
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