CDM is a more physical position than RB though, so I'd guess that it's more difficult for a youngster to flourish there. Luckily it's not a position in which we desperately need to improve though. Also, Tino was also somewhat of an anomaly. How often does an 18 year old step on the pitch and instantly look like the best player in the team? Not often. If Lavia is at the same level then happy days.
One of the advantages of having stable, well-heeled ownership is that we can take risks on future performance. If we got relegated with Gao at the helm, our options would have either been to liquidate the all of the useful parts of the squad immediately or go into administration; our finances were that bad. Now I'm not even remotely concerned about the financial implications, and given our moves I'm confident that those running the club aren't, either. And it reminds me of when we first came up in the Liebherr era. We took a risk in replacing our manager at a time when the team had only just found its feet. How many newly-promoted teams sack a manager after a run of good performances that carried them out of the drop zone, including immediately after an away point against the defending Champions League winner? It seemed like madness to me at the time, but we feared mediocrity more than we feared the team (which had gotten promoted ahead of schedule) dropping back down a level. Every possible route this year was a risk, because our base of talent is really pretty dire outside a couple bright spots. Relegation is a distinct possibility no matter what we do. But I'm excited to have a club that actually has long-term ambitions again rather than simply lurching from crisis to crisis and hoping to stay a step ahead of the line.
Looks nice, but muscles don't tell the whole story. Otherwise Anthony Joshua would be the greatest heavyweight of all time, and Tyson Fury would be at best a nightclub bouncer.
And Chelsea may currently be saying “But soft what de ligt through yonder transfer window breaks” (Edited)
Sure, because boxing isn't just about raw strength. But if the question is 'can Lavia handle the physicality of the PL', the fact that he can deadlift a mammoth and every profile of him mentions his ridiculous strength on the ball and in challenges speaks pretty well to the likelihood.
This. I accept he's so far only come up against players his own age apart from the odd cup game but his physical attributes suggest he won't struggle with the physicality of the PL.
We won't know until he's thrown in. The Premier League is so fast and draining, that he might only last 45 minutes. Won't matter how strong he is if he is knackered and unable to keep up. It's a huge step up from the U23s.
For me, this is it. We’ve been most exciting as a club when we’ve been taking risks. Are we in danger of relegation? Yeah, every year! But then, so are about 12 other clubs. The league is stretched long and thin. We are so far away from the talent pool that a City or Liverpool have that it’s actually kind of hilarious. I’m pleased that we’re trying to do something that is (for the EPL) a new and inventive approach. If we were hedging all our bets on a couple of “experienced” signings and only got Mee and Henderson because they were so expensive then Christ alive, shoot me now. They may well have not worked out too and then we’re stuck in the same way we have been historically, by having players we don’t have a use for on huge contracts. We could still be relegated and then we’re trying to move a twice relegated CB and GK who are paid a lot! I’m well prepared to accept the potential negative consequences of this approach. The leadership of the club are trying something. It’s clear what the aim is and we’ll see if it works.
I know what you mean, but the pedantry in me insists that “wherefore” means “why” rather than “where”.
Romano says Romeo will sign soon. Romeu asks Romano, where were you born in Italy? Romano replies Naples.
