The new number 9…
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Yeah, Cunha def not the guy for us, for sure, now I've seen this.
I mean...the way Wolves started the season, could he do anything else but walk?
Joke aside...we're not linked with him.
Looks like he's Man U bound, although I did see something about Man C also being interested.
And that's more than fair, he's not who I would want in an ideal world, but cost is a huge factor this summer. We've potentially a lot to do and bringing in an established CL quality striker isn't a bad idea for free. Whether he's good enough I don't know, but the links have been there for years and now seems a good a time as any.
We're never buying Isak though.
I think CF is a position where you must spend extra money - sometimes big money - to ensure you get the right fit for your team. We’ve suffered through too many mediocre and not-quite-right strikers to know how important that position is. Save money on other positions and buy the right striker.
David is a better player than that imho.
The radar above shows his percentiles in Ligue 1 compared to other forwards this season, which shows a well-roundedness to his game. He’s not only great inside the box but he’s capable of creating chances and driving his team forward.
It is genuinely hard to pick a standout attribute for Jonathan David because he does a lot so very well. One of his strongest attributes though is his ability to receive the ball with a defender at his back. His excellent first touch allows him to break away from the press, then he uses his acceleration and balance to turn and burst away from the defenders.
His impressive burst of pace is what helps him get away from defenders after he’s used his body to get round them. Whether it’s playing with his back to goal or facing it, he’s a constant danger with his athleticism and movement.
He has the perfect attributes to play as a lone striker;
- Great hold up play
- Can carry the ball on his own
- Can drop deep AND run in behind
- Can occupy multiple defenders
- Creates space for himself and others
Exactly, it's describing someone who's thrives in counter attacking scenarios. That doesn't really work inside the box with teams parking the bus.David is a better player than that imho.
The radar above shows his percentiles in Ligue 1 compared to other forwards this season, which shows a well-roundedness to his game. He’s not only great inside the box but he’s capable of creating chances and driving his team forward.
It is genuinely hard to pick a standout attribute for Jonathan David because he does a lot so very well. One of his strongest attributes though is his ability to receive the ball with a defender at his back. His excellent first touch allows him to break away from the press, then he uses his acceleration and balance to turn and burst away from the defenders.
His impressive burst of pace is what helps him get away from defenders after he’s used his body to get round them. Whether it’s playing with his back to goal or facing it, he’s a constant danger with his athleticism and movement.
He has the perfect attributes to play as a lone striker;
His teammates always have two options when he’s up top, firing the ball in behind the defence or lumping it up to him and letting him bring others in to play. This only adds to his value, especially since most teams play with one striker.
- Great hold up play
- Can carry the ball on his own
- Can drop deep AND run in behind
- Can occupy multiple defenders
- Creates space for himself and others
We have been fucking crap at counters since prime Manè and Firmino were here. We used to be lethal. Now I expect us to miss when we are in the counter.
Well, no. It describes an all-round player that can suit us. He's also a big game player.
He's extremely efficient and is a great finisher with both feet. Anticipation and the ability to pounce on returns/loose balls is something we've missed. He's deadly inside the 18 yard box. Perfect for us.
Its Serie A, it ain't worth the risk. Ligue 1 is where we should look. These would be my short list. Not sure Biereth is eligible for transfer. Other than Kalimuendo and David, they're all above 6ft
| G | A | GP | | ||||||
3
| J. David Lille | 16 | 4 | 28 | 0.65 | 138 | 63 | 25% | 51% |
4
| A. Kalimuendo Rennes | 14 | 3 | 29 | 0.54 | 167 | 67 | 21% | 45% |
| | | |||||||
5
| E. Emegha Strasbourg | 13 | 2 | 25 | 0.55 | 163 | 55 | 24% | 58% |
| |||||||||
7
| M. Biereth Monaco | 12 | 2 | 13 | 1.02 | 88 | 39 | 31% | 54% |
| |||||||||
11
| E. Guessand Nice | 11 | 7 | 30 | 0.41 | 221 | 58 | 19% | 43% |
]
He's won more aerial duels than Isak this season... Isak has 7 headed goals in his entire Newcastle career btw.
Lille play predominantly 4-2-3-1, possession based football with focus on short passes and controlling the game in the oppositions half.
He's a great fit. For free.
Ekitike is the best if imho. But the 100 mill fee will need to be lowered if its gonna be a deal we want to do.
datamb.football
DataMB | Compare Strikers
Compare the statistics of strikers (centre-forwards) in the Top 7 Leagues. Visualize player performance. Find similar profiles. Use our radar tool to compare aerial duels; goals; crosses; dribbles; xG; xA; passes received and more for strikers in Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A...
Why is headed goals the most important attribute for you?
Because we're constantly crossing the ball into the box.
We run out of ideas when playing against "park the bus" type teams all the time and resort to "trebucheting" balls into their penalty area.
Also it's not the most important attribute, but it's a good thing to have in the locker.
Aren't we constantly crossing deep into the box from the left to the right, to get it onto Salah's incoming runs? I don't think we're crossing it in for the chance of an odd headed goal.
Yes and Salah in many cases doesn't get anywhere so he floats a ball into the box and it gets headed away.
The profile of the player we go for should depend on our medium to long-term plans for the LF / RF positions.
Are we planning to bolster the flanks with pace and goals? Salah is great but we all know he's lost a yard of pace and struggles to beat the fullback these days. Gakpo on his day can be good but he's a very "straight" type of player and lacks the dynamism and intimidation factor of someone like Mane / Salah in their prime.
If we're sticking with the status quo more or less then the top attributes have to be goals, technical ability, tactical intelligence (though that should really be a pre-req for all players) and ideally, pace. Aerial threat is a nice to have but not a must.
TLDR - we need one or two more attackers that defenders are scared of.
Are we planning to bolster the flanks with pace and goals? Salah is great but we all know he's lost a yard of pace and struggles to beat the fullback these days. Gakpo on his day can be good but he's a very "straight" type of player and lacks the dynamism and intimidation factor of someone like Mane / Salah in their prime.
If we're sticking with the status quo more or less then the top attributes have to be goals, technical ability, tactical intelligence (though that should really be a pre-req for all players) and ideally, pace. Aerial threat is a nice to have but not a must.
TLDR - we need one or two more attackers that defenders are scared of.
I don’t think we are after Andy fucking Carroll.
We need more of a floating 9/10. Not an outright goal scorer who loves a header. We have a massive gap between left and right wing. We need someone with pace but also has good control and can bring wingers/overlapping full backs into play. A Firmino Jota hybrid. Or Luis Suarez minus the biting and racism.
We need more of a floating 9/10. Not an outright goal scorer who loves a header. We have a massive gap between left and right wing. We need someone with pace but also has good control and can bring wingers/overlapping full backs into play. A Firmino Jota hybrid. Or Luis Suarez minus the biting and racism.
I don't think thats true in all honesty. But to counter your issue I'd say its better to have a new 9 with better movement and more creativity and pace in the side. Not getting in someone who excels in headed duels but is lacking in other areas.
Bar Delap and Ekitike. David has the best headed duels win rate btw.
Those Salah crosses to the back post are magical and has gotten him several assists. Jota should have scored from one of them against Leicester.
Still think delap and David makes the most sense. Very different options for varied approaches.
What we think, 40m and 200k (125k David, 75k delap) a week gets the pair of them? Arguably more value than just getting an Isak?
Ekitike is my guy, but he's too much
What we think, 40m and 200k (125k David, 75k delap) a week gets the pair of them? Arguably more value than just getting an Isak?
Ekitike is my guy, but he's too much
And Jota is... let me answer it for you: good in the air.
Okay, so you think he's an option because he good in the air but at the same time his body is broken, he can't stay fit, he can't get involved in our build up (next to no touches of the ball) and has 6 goals this season.
13 big chances missed and 1 headed goal.
Sounds ideal for the type of 9 we want. At least he's good in the air though.
Yeah, I like the idea of David and Delap. Would compliment our attack and they both have different qualities/strengths.
Ekitike is the one. Shame about the asking price though.
I'm not saying keep Jota, but if we do find someone like Jota but a little better, yeah we should definitely go for him.
That's not David.
If I was forced to bet then I would put the money on Sesko emerging as the top target. He's come through the RB Academy/programme, which the club admire and value, he's 21, he's scored one in two in the CL this year, doubling last years tally, 6ft 5, playing international football, one of the fastest players in the Bundisliga. Release clause is a sliding scale, thought to be below £65M currently. Of all the players, other than Alverez/Isak, Sesko is the one that fits our profile of transfer target the most, IMHO.
Delap's one to keep an eye on, but I think the recruitment team put a lot of emphasis on players playing a lot of games at a high level from a young age, so whilst there's is a chance of good value there, I think the club would probably rather pay more and get a more established player. At £80M, Ekitike can get in the bin.
Nobody looks perfect, Sesko feels a bit more like an Arsenal player than a Liverpool player to me, but it boils down to what Slot wants to make us.
Delap's one to keep an eye on, but I think the recruitment team put a lot of emphasis on players playing a lot of games at a high level from a young age, so whilst there's is a chance of good value there, I think the club would probably rather pay more and get a more established player. At £80M, Ekitike can get in the bin.
Nobody looks perfect, Sesko feels a bit more like an Arsenal player than a Liverpool player to me, but it boils down to what Slot wants to make us.