Gazza M wrote:
USArsenal wrote:
Ehhh. I wouldn't necessarily say that. He can't get shoved off the ball like a feather. He will definitely have to put on a little bit of muscle or he'll end up getting hacked to pieces. We've seen it before
yeah I underestimated how skinny he was. will definitely need to put on a little more size. it shouldn't encumber him
Didn’t want to say too much earlier till I had a better feel for the player through his comps. Now I’ve gone through a few, and while he sparkles here and there I’m still not convinced. Too many risky passes. Plus he really is uber light weight. Folks can dismiss it all they want, but this is the premier league we are talking about here. We’ve been begging for physicality in the midfield for ages, and finally got some in Big YakaP. But we are still lacking badly there with Odegaard being as powderpuff as Bellerin, and Xhaka being Xhaka.
He is going to be in for a rude surprise with the physicality and speed of the league, and it’s not one he’ll adapt to over a summer or two, in my opinion. Refs are going to swallow their whistles a lot when he gets barged off the ball, so he will have to have that quality of being a step or two ahead of the play before he even gets the ball so he knows what he wants to do with it and gets off the ball quickly. He’s no Santi Cazorla either. Santi was older, more skilled and physically more robust when he got here.
This guy is a signing for the future and/or for bench or Europa league games, but I bet once we begin to go through our (inevitable) scoring and creativity droughts under Arteta fans will begin to call for him to be brought on regularly. I fear those calls will come way too early, and possibly result in a fair bit of disappointment for many.
