Why did we buy him for a pretty decent price and just have him sitting around? Can we not find a team to loan him too? We bought him and Sakho at the same time and looking at our midfield, would it have not been better to use that funding from him for a midfielder? I can't even say if he has high potential or not as I have never seen him play, all I know is he has the speed record at Sporting and was faster than CR. He is one of a handful of players I think should be going out on loan or else we will just stunt his development.
Honestly it's absolutely ridiculous. £8m for Ilori and £7.6m for Alberto (reportedly) for what? You can't complain about squad depth and then go and completely spunk away money for players you either haven't scouted properly or have no intentions of playing.
You put those two together and you have a fine addition to the first team. I have heard good things about both players and in pre-season Alberto was showing those flashes and composure on the ball but since then have not seen them at all, even in the cup games we have played. That money combined gets you Eriksen for example.
Exactly. I understand the buying for the future policy, but for the right price! They are both massive sums of money, the sporting fans couldn't believe they got that sort of money for Ilori. I do realize that usually managers will have a 40-60% hit rate with signings, but sometimes you have to step back and look at everything and realize the glaring fact that the money could be better spent elsewhere. And that's not knocking either of Ilori or Alberto, I honestly hope they both make it with us.. I just want us to be smarter with our money - We got Coutinho for the same price as we got Ilori.
Same. We needed cover for the backs and got Cissokho, Illori, Sakho, and Toure..... a lot of cover to add to Agger, Skrtel, Coates ( remember him), Kelly, Wisdom, Johnson, Enrique, Flanno. Yet we look light in midfield and up front you can see we lack that other quality addition ( Aspas has a lot to prove and was suppose to be a bit better). What is also funny/not funny is that we bought all of this help and yet have conceeded in the last ten games and for the first time ( ever I think) conceeded 3 goals in back to back games.
Illori is apparently a prospect but I agree with both of you. Too much money for potentially good players in the future when we need players that are good now.
and you hear " out squad isn't big enough" or "need that bit more quality" yet you had the money to add that one player that does both! I do want them to do well, not just due to the price but their attributes are things we need. A ball playing CB who is pretty good in the air but his strength is on the ground, in his recovery and an AM/SS/Wide player who can chip in with goal and assists, eye for a pass, and looks to provide for others. Just sucks when you see Sterling getting the chances for example in a full game but LA come in the last few minutes against say a United? What does that do for him?
I was surprised to see Flanno (who as done very well in the two games he's played) ahead Ilori TBH. Sure, RB (Johnson over to LB) isn't Ilori's best position but I expected us to pick him, especially considering the speed tests that were reported not so long ago.
You can at least see where his age is a good age, decent price for the amount of goals he scored but he has to start getting them in or else it will just be another Borini situation. Has to rely on his pace, skill, and movement. Maybe even look to be a poacher for a bit to get the confidence up.
22 mil attacker. Provide quality in the eleven and you will build the depth. Illori and Alberto at about 15 mil have played as many minutes ( or less) than Moses, Ibe, Sterling, Kelly, Flanno, Wisdom could have stayed, Coates could have stayed ( before getting injured and ultimately coming back), Borini could have stayed. I think you have to make sure those players can come in and help. I can understand the potential type of signing, I really can, but this is a big season for us, and that 22 mil could have helped our immediate first team out a lot.... In the middle, outwide, the left or right back, etc. EDIT: and again all the players named, you should be able to send these players ( Illori and LA) on loan to make sure the potential has a better chance to come to fruition! Buy LA and loan him right back to Barca B, Get illori to a team in the prem or championship so he can get to the understand the pace of the league.
I'm just not convinced there is a £30m pot of cash left over from the summer because we didn't sign Henry Ryan, Eriksen, Will.I.Am, Costa, etc. We spent £24m on two CB's!
But money was not an issue. We tried to sign Willian for £32m, but instead got Moses on a £2m loan deal. So we could have spent an extra £30m!
Would just like them to be given a chance. Flanno was right for the derby, local lad and all that, but overall he's never going to be good enough surely Illori should be given a chance as some time at RB. And Alberto, can't be any worse than Moses was at Hull and the time he's been played in the centre. In fact Yesterday Moses or Sterling should have come off at half time (they were that bad) and someone like Alberto would have been a better option. When you spend all that money as a club it'd be nice to see the players actually being played now and then
