A lot of us value your knowledge on Turkish football/politics, just ignore anyone that’s trying to wind you up, it’s just some banter
The one player I’d want in that holding midfield position right now for City is Cheick Condé as I just think he’s perfect for Walter’s style of football and the Championship. You’re looking at £3-4 million at least for him though. Venezia are now interested in him but Zürich are being firm with their valuation. Meffert lacks mobility but he was Walter’s first-choice holding midfielder for four seasons at both Holstein Kiel and Hamburg. I’d be happy with Meffert replacing Seri for now. I would imagine Meffert comes straight into the team considering Walter was so reliant on him at the base of his midfield so I’m not sure where that leaves Simons and especially Zambrano. Given he was linked with much bigger and better clubs than us six months ago and he’s regarded as a big talent, I don’t imagine we’ve signed him on loan with a buy-option for him to be a squad player.
I saw Conde in the Shelbourne game and he's extremely classy & that price seems very fair. Venice would be an incredible place to live though so we couldn't compete with that. 2. Bundesliga isn't the Championship though and I think Meffert's use would be short term. I don't think he's a player you'd want as a starter if you're challenging at the top end of this division but would do a job in the short term. I don't think it solves the Mika issue either, we'll still lack legs in there but you're swapping Mika's passing for Meffert's defensive attributes. And considering we've severely lacked midfield control, I'm not sure it's the solution.
Something wild I just noticed when looking at league appearances for us in this squad. Jones is out in front on 135 league starts, then Coyle about 20 behind him, then it's Slater (likely not to start much from now on), McLoughlin (ditto), and Seri, then our next most experienced are Longman and Oscar! Just underlines how much turnover there's been.
I've seen a couple of reports on German sites saying Meffert has put in a transfer request. Whether true or not, I guess time will tell.
Morton had No.80 on his shirt at Liverpool, but it was noted that in training last week, he was wearing No.28 (which was Carvalho's number), so many think he's being kept around for this season (rumours that RB Leipzig are interested in getting him on a permanent, with £20m being quoted).
Wilder on Jesurun Sak-Rakyi... “Jez couldn't do more than 10 minutes. We had an email from Crystal Palace regarding his last week at work. “It’s a saga for us but it has been a saga for the boy, more importantly, as we have not been able to get him out and train. “He was here on Tuesday and did not do anything until Friday afternoon at 4pm when he got registered. If people want him to play 25 minutes or half an hour and he pulls a hamstring, groin or calf or something and is out for six weeks, well done… “We are getting medical advice from Crystal Palace over the load he has done over the past two weeks since coming back from America (pre-season) and the advice was be very careful.
I get what you’re saying but one of the things Meffert is praised for is his energy and work rate. A lack of mobility is an issue but from the games I’ve seen of Hamburg under Walter in those full-match replays, he doesn’t hold onto the ball as long as Seri does. He receives the ball from the back four during build-up and quickly gives it to one of the #8s or someone else. I think that’s why Meffert and the #6 position is so important to Walter. He doesn’t want someone who dwells on the ball, takes several touches and slows the tempo; he’s said as much. From what I can tell of Walter’s football, the build-up starts off slow from the keeper and back four as they invite the opposition press and rotate into positions but as soon as the ball reaches the holding midfielder in the middle third, the tempo quickens as they look to play forward passes to players in space. We’re not at that stage yet as the players are still learning and Walter has said he wants the current players to be braver in possession but watching Hamburg games under Walter is a good indicator of what it’s like when it’s fully-rehearsed. The holding midfielder in Walter’s system doesn’t need to drop deep to show for the ball like Seri under Rosenior because the goalkeeper and rotating back four are supposed to provide that advantage during build-up. Walter’s #6 just needs to be the springboard once the back four have successfully beat the opposition press.
It definitely requires someone confident who is not afraid to turn on the ball. I’m not sure about Xavier Simons in this role. He has looked good technically, but he has a strong tendency to go backwards on first instinct. Omur turns on the ball a lot but I guess this position requires the defensive work/physical presence too. Perhaps Drameh has the attributes needed? Especially if Coyle and Giles make the positions their own like they might. I know we’ve only seen little of him, but he has looked very confident on the ball and not afraid to get his head up first before playing it. Food for thought?
What the hell? Signs a couple of days before the PL season begins on a loan for £2M and he can only manage 10 minutes? Palace have had their pants down there
Probably. Walter signed him for Holstein Kiel and was his first-choice defensive midfielder for the 18/19 season then signed him for Hamburg in 2021 and was his first-choice there for three seasons. I think having a player who knows Walter’s system like the back of his hand will be a huge plus.
