Yes, but if he doesn't settle then any quality he has shown before is cancelled out, unless we get points for what quality a player has showed before he arrived, then we should have been awarded the league title based on Soldado and Lamela! At the moment with the money in our game, foriegn clubs must see English clubs as a good way to offload players they aren't intrested, especially duds with a decent pedigree.
He does look pretty handy, busy player, not shy of getting involved. Wonder if AVB wanted to sell him as he's manager of Zenit.
As I've said, there's never any guarantees when you buy a non proven EPL performer. Soldado has been banging in goals again back in Spain. Lamela isn't a bad player, but we grossly overpaid for so called "potential" Pato, is undoubtedly a top quality striker. Whether he can cut it or not in the Prem is the risk you take.
He was at Milan (before injuries), but until he moves back to European leagues then we won't know if he is still that player, but of course a club has to take a risk. You only need to look at Falcao, viewed as world class, top quality striker, but ridiculed in the premier league. Some players are never the same after injuries.
I don't think there are guarantees whatever we do. We can't afford to sign people like Aguero or Sanchez (Thank God for the latter), so to get someone in the same class we've got the choice of signing a youngster and keeping our fingers crossed or signing someone og high quality who's had injury issues and keeping our fingers crossed. Lamela as worth the risk I think - better than putting the Bale money in the bank or on signing two players each at half the price.
No one mentioned guarantees, but signing an injury prone striker that is scoring in a low class Brazilian domestic league, while also needing to settle isn't what I view as a risk, more signing a dud. Pato was a top quality striker at Milan, however I think his injury has allowed his previous performances there to go up another level, which often happens when players are injured. If we're to make a signing that is a risk, I would rather Austin (even if I don't personally rate him that highly) as while he isn't suited to Pochettinos system to be a regular starter, he would offer something from the bench, which is often needed, while also giving the opposition defence a threat to be concerned with.
At the mooted £7mill, Pato is worth the risk - it is, unfortunately, next to nothing in this crazy market. At double that price, which has also been mentioned, I'd rather go for the proven Premiership scoring record of Austin.
That's the most painful thing about the Lamela debacle: whereas most of us were struggling from day 1 to work out how the 4-2-3-1 system would get the best out of Soldado and Paulinho, it was Lamela of those 3 big 'uns who looked to be exactly what we needed post-Bale. Somewhere in a parallel universe, he came on for his debut against Arsenal with 10 minutes to go, slalomed past 4 defenders before burying a 25-yard worldy into the top corner to give us a point. He then goes on to score another 20 in his maiden season, avoiding even the faintest hint of injury, and is promptly crowned the successor to Bale's throne. If he goes I'll genuinely wish him all the best as his attitude and desire - like Soldado - always seemed to be top notch. Oh, and I see City have signed De Bruyne. We might as well declare the league now and give them a year off to do charity work in impoverished countries.
Have read some ITK today suggesting we're done for transfers in this window. If that's true then, despite Son, despite Alderweireld and the rest, it'll have been a shocking window - purely because we won't have a backup to Kane. We also still need a DM, though Dier seems to be growing into the role, so I guess we might limp to January there. I only hope Rooney starts scoring for United, otherwise they might fancy a late bid for Berahino (which is exactly what WBA have wanted all along).
I still don't get why everyone is so obsessed with having more 'strikers'. We could field a perfectly decent XI without Kane. A combination of three of Son, Chadli, Prtitchard, Townsend, Alli and Njie in a 433 ahead of Bentaleb, Eriksen and Mason would be quite hard to play against. I'd much rather watch that than a second rate striker 'doing a job'.
Even with our track record of **** windows, there's no way we can be finished. We're too short of cover up front. There'll be a striker at the very least. I can't see Levy repeating the Ramos season where we were terribly short of quality after selling Berbatov. I can see us giving up on Wanyama though. I think Saints are going to take the same stance they did with Schneiderlin, where they'll make him stay for another year. Koeman has come out again today saying he 100% won't be sold, despite being left out of the squad and handing in a transfer request. I tend to believe him.
Most teams have players that are viewed as "second rate" as they can do a job, Stoke have Charlie Adam, while Ferguson had a few "second rate" players like John O'Shea who done a job, you can't simply have a squad with potential or players with decent pedigree, you also need unfashionable players that simply get the job done.
I think there will be too much pressure for us not to get another striker. Pato for 7 is an interesting choice. He probably will be a minor disappointment, but he just might be a big win. He clearly is capable of the kind of quality that could lift other players. I wonder who’s a good lone striker who’s available. From what I know, Austin hasn’t been a lone striker. (EDIT--I posted the following in the wrong spot, and put it where I meant to, in the Everton match thread).This game looks better by comparison with the way some of our rivals played this week. Liverpool get mullered by West Ham. Man U look not quite good enough against Swansea. Chelsea lose while Mourinho loses the plot. Spurs looking good but not getting the win again...well, at least I’m seeing progress.
The league gets closer all the time, all PL teams have some decent players because they all have a lot of money to spend.
Out of all of those players you've named, and in the absence of Kane, I'm struggling to see 1 player in that list who would be good at holding the ball up in an attacking position, in what is a physically demanding premier league. Granted, there's lots of ways to play football, but in the same way that our lack of pace is hindering us at present, not having a viable target man as an option, doesn't bode well either IMO.
I think further movement now depends on dropping some more deadwood, lest out net spend actually be in the red for the first time since someone thought £16m for David Bentley was a good idea. Ade, Lennon, Fazio and Lamela out easily frees up the funds for 2 more players. It's just taking a heck of a long time to shift them. I for one am shocked that Lennon hasn't been snapped up yet. Easily one of the best wingers in the league who would improve most teams from 10th downwards (ourselves included )
At this point I think we finally have a pacy right winger with an end product in Son. Even so, having a pacy right winger to provide width like Lennon would be a useful option. Son apparently does nothing but cut inside. On the other hand, since we already refuse to use the two pacy right wingers who provide width we have, I guess we ain’t gonna see another one.
does anyone know what has lennon done to not even be considered good enough/ worthy of a squad place/shown the exit door? years of service and some exciting football when he played, where we actually threatened going forward. Yet the likes of Lamela are preferred with no justification whatsoever. Baffling.
He was supposedly involved in the whole Adebayor/Kaboul argument thingy and there was some talk about him doing something worse. He's also been involved in a few off-field things that made the papers, which can't have helped.
