MistaT Also, how does that help Martinelli or Saka?
It doesn't, but it helps us win the league is the thing. 9 is the position we're weakest with Jesus's absence. Martinelli and Saka are playing 90 minutes at a high level all the time. We don't have a great impact striker to bring off the bench either. Nketiah is doing a job but he's only doing a job.
I'm not so sure Martinelli will ever work out as a striker, I think that's unproven..
There’s absolutely space for both Nketiah and Balogun next season. We can bring in one more elite forward, have those 3 plus Jesus, Saka and Martinelli. Then send Marq on loan and sell Nelson.
Claudius
I wouldn't sell Nelson. At least not yet. He looked really good this season before the injury. The goals were great, but I thought he generally looked much more decisive than before. He made quick, good decisions and were much more impactful than I've seen previously.
Vlahovic would give us the ability to bully opposition defences and therefore allowing us to switch up tactics. He’d occupy defenders thus making the wide men’s job easier.
We need a striker and cover on the wings really though.
@Claudius If that elite forward is a striker rather than winger it's very center-heavy with Nketiah, Vlahovic, Balogun, Jesus, Vlahovic, Balogun, Jesus, and, for example, Vlahovic.
I mean, it's extremely centre-heavy if you count Vlahovic twice, and he's one of the heavier out of those forward options too.
Whoops.
You just got Quincied …
Hilarious. In terms of elite forward, in my mind I have another Saka or Martinelli. I’ve said before we need to be able to play these guys for 60 minutes and swap out. You see how exhausted all our forwards are by the end of each game. I don’t think it’s as much about giving them days off. I think it’s for each game - play 3 to 4 elite wingers. Press and run hard. We left goals on the field yesterday because Spurs were scrappy in the last half hour but all our forwards were spent.
Yeah, I agree, it's not just the injuries we need to cover, it's injuries we need to prevent and we can't compromise our pressing game. We are the best pressing team in the country, its effectiveness is a critical part of our football and performances this season. We lose a lot if don't sub and the team starts to fade.
Nketiah is another one who is leaving it all out there. Boy is putting in an honest shift each game.
Clrnc Agree but that also mean shipping out both Balogun and Nketiah as they won't want to be 3rd and 4th choice. But if we are the title winners we would have to be ruthless to move up another level.
Only if you don't use Jesus wide at all.
Pepe LeFrits would prefer a proper wide forward and keep Jesus in his best position
Kel Varnsen I pray he still has a shot with us. Been waiting for it since 2017!
You're right, he's finally looking like he belongs.
Belongs where? On the treatment table? The squad quality and ability is rising so quickly that we can’t really afford to host stragglers. For us and for them. I would feel more comfortable if Nelson was in Ligue 1 tearing it up, but he’s been here with about 90 solid minutes to boast of this season. We should move on and let him rehabilitate his career properly.
https://www.thesun.ie/sport/football/10060098/tottenham-leandro-trossard-transfer-offer/
Rejecting a £12m bid from Spurs for a player who is being frozen out and has six months left on his deal? Don't think they'll get much better. Don't think they'll get the £25m being bandied about but these days, who knows.
1.5 years to run on his contract I think.
Wonder what the attitude issues are? We've got a very stable dressing room and great atmosphere within the squad, very important not to disrupt that even if player available on the cheap.
1.5 years are left as Brighton triggered an extension (in early January) https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/clkx4vypv3do
20m feels about right, and I think we should do it. Provides cover at LW and even in dire circumstances for Nketiah/Odegaard.
Brighton need to stop snapping up all the top talents
Clrnc
Brighton is probably also very appealing to the kid given their success with other talents from Ecuador.
We have to learn from 2016... We can't go the rest of the season with the squad we have. Our squad depth is going to haunt us at one point. We're missing a winger at minimum, midfielder and striker would be icing on the top unless Jesus comes back in Feb. The rumours about Rice are fine but now's the time to win it, not in the summer.
