I love Sancho's game and rate him a fair bit above Dembele (sorry Jones!), but even I wouldn't put him in the same category as Joao Felix and Kylian Mbappé.

Klaus wrote:

Sancho is brilliant, but he's also a tale about how good things happen to you when you commit to talent, and I think somewhere along the line we forgot this. We could probably get as much out of Nelson within a few years if we develop him properly. Premier League is a different animal than Bundesliga, but it's just a matter of sticking with what we've got and planning for the long haul.

100%. 

I'm really hoping by the end of the season one or both of Nelson and Martinelli can negate the need for us to buy another winger but they need the chance to show what they can do in more than just the EL and LC. The fact that the former got a start ahead of Mkhi last weekend is a good sign that they'll get plenty of chances, let's hope Emery doesn't lose his nerve.

Sancho is a special talent. That’s why I was surprised that folks were saying Nelson is on the same trajectory, just a year behind.

But I do agree that we will reap the benefits of playing our more talented kid. Guendouzi is paying off. He’s already marked himself as a top 6 midfielder. And at the very least Willock should emulate him and hopefully Nelson and others too. I’m glad we have made spaces in the team for these exciting players.

Ricky1985 wrote:

I love Sancho's game and rate him a fair bit above Dembele (sorry Jones!), but even I wouldn't put him in the same category as Joao Felix and Kylian Mbappé.

No need to apologise, even if you're way off 😉. Dembeles career is at risk given his recurring injuries and stories of unprofessional behaviour (although most of that is probably bollocks). Should be noted though that Sancho plays in a much much better Dortmund team than Dembele does, still to be contributing the way he does is special. Not Mbappe level of special but definitely in that category just behind

goon wrote:
Klaus wrote:

Sancho is brilliant, but he's also a tale about how good things happen to you when you commit to talent, and I think somewhere along the line we forgot this. We could probably get as much out of Nelson within a few years if we develop him properly. Premier League is a different animal than Bundesliga, but it's just a matter of sticking with what we've got and planning for the long haul.

100%. 

I'm really hoping by the end of the season one or both of Nelson and Martinelli can negate the need for us to buy another winger but they need the chance to show what they can do in more than just the EL and LC. The fact that the former got a start ahead of Mkhi last weekend is a good sign that they'll get plenty of chances, let's hope Emery doesn't lose his nerve.

He scored an excellent goal against Burnley too, even if it was disallowed because Monreal's shoelaces were ruled offside. I just think he needs a little push. We have a bit of a tough run coming up in Pool, Spurs and Watford, but after that we've got Aston Villa at home sandwiched in-between the first EL group game and the Carabou cup. I think that'll be where Nelson's season really takes off. I expect 3-4 goals and assists from him during that run.

If he gets 10 games in a row, it will be great for him. Highly unlikely once pepe is up to speed though.

Klaus wrote:

He scored an excellent goal against Burnley too, even if it was disallowed because Monreal's shoelaces were ruled offside. I just think he needs a little push. We have a bit of a tough run coming up in Pool, Spurs and Watford, but after that we've got Aston Villa at home sandwiched in-between the first EL group game and the Carabou cup. I think that'll be where Nelson's season really takes off. I expect 3-4 goals and assists from him during that run.

I do think with Iwobi leaving it is a great chance for Reiss to prove he is good enough to make a career for himself here. With Auba, Laca & Pepe he won't get a free run in the team so important for him to take his chances. Though I don't think Emery will play those three together as often as people may think, especially away from home.

If I were him I would take that trade. Barcelona has been a dumpster fire for him. He should go to Paris, get treated and get his head on right. If Mbappe stays, i think the 2 of them could be famous. He lacked/lacks the maturity for a move to the pressure cooker of Barcelona so early in his career

PSG would be an awful move for him I reckon. He needs to go to a serious, stable club.

Arsenal would be perfect for him to be honest

I was thinking the same, but we do not have enough cash or assets to offer. DAP - Dembele, Aubameyang, Pele.
I’m trying to go back to when the Neymar sale happened. At the the time, there were not a lot of attacking midfielders and strikers available to buy. So Barcelona were in a tough place. But did they need to buy someone immediately or could they have waited. Did they risk a massive tax bill if they did not spend the money immediately? Or was it purely a fear that they might fall behind Real / risk the ire of their fans. Because what they did next with that money was unforgivable. They paid double what they should’ve for both Dembele and Coutinho. They had different pressures to PSG. They did not need to drive up player prices unnecessarily, and neither was a cornerstone player like Neymar.

Iniesta came from Albacete. Messi came from Rosario. As usual, people love to give too much credit to factors which were barely significant. Player recruitment is the true dogs bollocks

Dude, Messi joined at 13 with growth deficiencies. From that point on he could have turned into a Vela or a Quaresma.

This has always been the story with Barca. The finer details might vary but the reason is always the same: neglect. As soon as they get a bit of success they fuck up and forget about La Masia.

deardevil wrote:

Iniesta came from Albacete. Messi came from Rosario. As usual, people love to give too much credit to factors which were barely significant. Player recruitment is the true dogs bollocks

Iniesta was 12 and Messi was 13, fail to see how La Masia was barely significant. There may be an argument that it wasn't the 'only' factor but then we're splitting hairs.

Claudius wrote:

Dude, Messi joined at 13 with growth deficiencies. From that point on he could have turned into a Vela or a Quaresma.

Iniesta was even younger at 12 when he moved to Barcelona. Saying those two aren't La Masia products is one of the most absurd claims in a while

He's right in saying it is about identifying and, these days, paying enough money to win the race to sign, the best talent that emerges. Locally and globally.

If you take your eye off the ball or your hand out of your wallet, you'll fall behind other clubs pretty quickly. La Masia coaches are not wizards, recruitment is the overriding determining factor in the level of success.

Messi is obviously an outlier but do you really think the likes of Xavi Busquets or Iniesta just happened to be in roughly the same area and would've become the players they are if they had been signed by Espanyol?

Obviously recruitment plays a major role but big clubs rarely have that as the major issue even if you can always improve your scouting at that level. Bigger influence however is what you teach them kids from that point on - and clubs like Barcelona have historically always had a strong coaching staff core, e.g. see how Pique or Ter Stegen became world class even though they weren't before at their old clubs.