I'd choose a free agent if it's of the calibre of Berab but if not, I'd go for Nacer up top. Nacer has the power, composure and finishing ability to play as a striker. With the pace of N'Jie and Son out wide, that should be able to create problems for any defence. We suffered against Stoke when Nacer played there for the final 20 mins but there was no one who could run the wings and support him - like he does for Kane - so with N'Jie and Son looking to get into the attacking areas too, the option of Nacer there with those lads isn't so depressing, just not ideal.
Kane keeps getting brought off and having to ice his leg (calf was it?) so he's already not 100% fit. I just think running our best prospect into the ground because our transfer strategy was utter dog crap is kinda criminal. What if he can't handle the pressure, destroys his confidence and he never hits the heights of last season again? Doom and gloom outlook but that is the sort of thing that could happen. With these young players you need to have the option to remove them from the spotlight if the need arises. The crowd at the Lane now have a big part to play, he needs massive support no matter what is happening on the pitch. It was great to see this already happening when he missed that one at Stoke.
On Austin, he does have underlying injury problems which could flair up but he's hardly missed a game for us or for Burnley before that. He regularly plays with a niggle of some sort but then so do many players I'd imagine. It says a lot for him that he doesn't opt out of playing like some do. There is another rumour about him from years ago which it's best not to mention here but if it was true it would have been revealed a long time ago I'd expect, The facts are that he's a rare commodity. A young-ish English player who has always scored goals at every new step up available at a realistic price considering the fees for comparable players. Wickham was only £6m less than the asking price for Austin. When you look at the lack of strikers at most of the top clubs and their mutual obsession with attacking midfielders, it makes no sense to me. If I was manager of any Prem club except City I'd have seen £15m as worth paying.
You misunderstand me Spurf. I'm referring to the dozens of games that Kane nominally wouldn't be expected to play in; Europa, COC etc. Who plays up front then? If it's to be Chadli or Son as a number of people are suggesting, doesn't that mean that our regular starters from the PL will also become regular starters in cup competitions and QED will be exhausted by February? That's my point - the two players touted to 'fill in' for Kane whenever he's not playing happen to be two players who will 99% be starting regularly in the PL anyway.
The first XI is better than last season, I don't think there's any argument against it, we've strengthened the defence, the CM has remained the same with deadwood sold and Carroll & Alli taking their positions while we've added skill, speed and hopefully goal scoring threats from out wide. The problem is we don't have a natural alternative to Kane, we have a lot of games in the coming months with League, Cup and Europe so facing that with one recognised striker is somewhat ludicrous, even more so at the fact Kane hasn't had much of a rest nor has he had a pre-season and is already looking fatigued in games. If we'd have signed a striker, then I think everyone would be looking forward to a positive few months with the squad but instead there's a fair bit of concern over our striking options. Hopefully, when Sunderland comes around, Kane will be a bit fresher (hope he won't play/ play much for England), Son and N'jie will be ready to start and we can face the Mackems with a side ready to impress and excite and put to bed any worries over our striking concerns, at least for a while.
All being good reasons for pursuing Berahino no doubt. What I am saying is that we have the resources to at least make everything work until January. We are certainly no worse off than last season and in fact we have MORE options. Let's not confuse the ideal situation with a good situation and turn it into a poor situation, it is not.
No, we don't. I agree that our regular starting XI is now marginally improved on last season, and I'm pleased about that. But who plays up top in the cup competitions? So far the suggestions are an already exhausted Kane, or one of Son or Chadli, with Njie/Dembele/Lamela covering for them in midfield. But do we want Son or Chadli to become as exhausted as Kane is now? If they're playing all PL games and all cup games they'll be shot by February, no? Or am I missing your point?
We'll get him in January, then, for the price that Levy wants to pay, because Peace won't dare leave it to next Summer.
Son may or may not be able to work as a striker. At the moment, however, if Kane gets injured, we're out of strikers. I'll also feel a lot less uneasy once Eriksen is back.
CK all this is until January and we are yet to see what we do with Adebayor who could easily play in the cup games.
In regards to over-using players, theoretically we could approach games like this: League games: Lloris, Walker, Toby, Vertonghen, Rose Dier, Mason or Bentaleb or Dembele Son, Eriksen, Chadli Kane Cups/ Europe: Vorm, Trippier, Fazio, Wimmer, Davies Dembele, Bentaleb/ Mason Townsend, Alli, Pritch N'Jie With players like Lamela, Carroll, Onomah, Winks, McGee, Carter-Vickers and Walker-Peters in reserve. We could of course re-instate Ade in to the picture, which in fairness, may be needed.
I wrote, several pages back, that if Kane gets injured, we are royally ****ed. Again, as I have said several times before, provided that Levy had told Poch that the pressure is off for anything other than a top half of the table finish, and that his job is to develop our youth, then I have no problem. My only caveat is, that I want to see genuine progress with our youth, and for us to retain the real talent, and not simply use the first team as a shop window for Levy to flog it to Chelsea, United and/or Real just at the point that we start to look competitive again.
