Klaus wrote:
Coombs wrote:I think you've both got "Top Top Super Super Quality Syndrome".
No, I just don't think he looks good on youtube. He looks like a winger who can't hack it on the wing. I haven't seen him anywhere else so I really can't comment. I'm interested to hear why you think he's a "strong athletic quick tackling defender with a great leap" who "can dribble a few more yards than Sagna" though, because those compilations show anything but. You watch Toulouse regularly I take it?
I don't watch Toulouse regularly, no, but I've followed Aurier's career specifically with some passing interest since he was at Lens and I've seen him grow into what appears to be a a powerful, dedicated defender. His aerial ability has always stood out to me, even when he was younger, and he is a well-built kid who can sprint when he needs to. He's not exactly Mr. Fahrenheit in terms of pace but he's got all the tools to be a solid RB and he'd be an upgrade on Sagna going forward as he actually can take on his man if required.
My concern is if he can integrate himself into a disciplined back line as opposed to the unorthodox free role he has now. He dribbles into the center now more than he used to, and with us he'd be restricted to a more overlapping role. Coordination with the CMs regarding when to press and when to drop off is something our fullbacks already have trouble with so I don't think Aurier would be a downgrade in that regard.
Mertesacker would be the perfect person to go through that process with imo, and when you look at who is actually out there when it comes to RBs I think he's worth a punt if we can't get someone like Coleman or Lichtsteiner. Who else is there? Jung, Rafael, Piszczek...Mallo? I guess we could just play Milner there...
These stupid YouTube compilations all show him at the wrong end of the pitch, and even still he looks handy to me. Very useful on the break and can pick the right pass out of defense at least every once in a while.
