I feel like that one’s not going to go. Everything is on about him being too expensive for us and others. Either his desperation to move to England gets everyone to cut the money involved or he’s moving next year. Plus he’s a bit of a rough diamond still. The Shane Long of midfield for me.
I like him a lot. I figured he would re sign with them after the takeover was sorted but apparently he went very off the boil after some initial good performances. I reckon he’s perfect for a Leeds or Fulham. Two coaches that could teach him a lot. It’s weird to see a home grown player starting over and taking free agency at 22 with no obvious interest. That feels worrying. Like maybe he’s damaged in some way.
While I still don't see us signing him, 40m EUR over the course of a five year contract isn't actually a huge expenditure for us. A 20m GBP transfer fee and 61k p/w (after bonuses) gets you there, which isn't crazy at all.
He is a yank tho, and I've always hated them trying to be the star of the show, so I say **** him and move on.
Yep, all teams are going to have to deal with more injuries this season I think. We were pretty fortunate this season, and particularly after the restart, that we didn’t get many injuries, and that was important as our squad depth means we basically have a solid 11 players and then not too much quality beyond that. Add that to our high pressing, high energy style, you would expect that we could be susceptible to hamstring injuries etc like Armstrong got on the last game. The purists might not like it but I’d happily sacrifice both cups this season if it keeps us fresher for the league. Usually I’d rather we aimed for a cup run but I think the future of Ralph and some key players might depend on playing in Europe. And if Ralph continues with his project that would be better for the club long term rather than a couple of cup quarter/semi finals.
Weston McKennie looks like he is being badly advised. Everything about him seems to be too expensive. His agent (it isn't always the agent) or someone he trusts is telling him he is worth way more than he actually is. Getting turned down a few times might give him a reality check. I think Matty Longstaff is worth a punt on a free if he wants to play for Saints though I think Newcastle would be due a development fee.
Sort out the issue of shooting ourselves in the foot with in letting soft goals and getting the GA column down and I think top 6-10 is achievable especially if Che continues his form from the end of the season. We can beat anybody on the day so a good cup run is always possible with a decent draw and I think that we will be better at breaking sides down at SMS next season as Ralph appears to have got the team playing quicker and more incisively there.
Does saying that all 300m+ citizens of the USA are all 'trying to steal the show' qualify as an opinion?