From what I've heard the keeper is key to how Thorup sets up his team. I can't see how Thorup will be able to play the way he wants to and retain Gunn.
As said previously, replacing Gunn likely won't be a priority this season, but it would be interesting to see what would happen if a decent bid were to come in for him later in this window. Knapper has had plenty of time to form an opinion after all, and if the keeper's role is as crucial as Canario suggests, who knows.
We are in debt but why can't we replace Gunn with the money we would get for him? We don't need a world class keeper - there are plenty of keepers stuck as a number 2 at other Clubs in England and abroad who would jump at the chance. On the continent Keepers have been adjusting to the modern needs a lot longer than in England.
From that list LB looks incredibly weak, as does CB, DM has repeatedly grown into a long term dearth position that nobody seems to want to deal with. Kamara surely plays at RW, in which case LW looks weak, relying on Sainz (assuming he stays). Plenty of improvements to make.
From what I hear and read, Thorup likes his midfield three to be fluid, both horizontally and vertically. The nearest to a specialist DM at Nordsjaelland seems to be Tsverskov, whose primary position according to transfermarkt is DM, but whose secondary positions are CB and CM. Against Copenhagen, he was flanked by Nygren (2nd striker, ACM/M, striker) and Sertdemir (CM, AM, DM). It doesn't look from this as though we are likely to bring in a Skipp or even a Tettey; on the other hand, we might see e.g. Sørensen stake a claim to occupy the centre of the midfield three.
McLean, Sara, Núñez, Sørensen and Gibbs are all reasonably suited to the midfield roles Robbie describes and Kenny is the only one over 26. McLean had an outstanding season as POTS and Núñez evolved into a combination CM/DM very effectively. Sara was very effective in a variety of midfield roles, but the defensive side of his game still needs work. Sørensen and Gibbs had a less effective season, but hopefully Thorup and his team can get the most out of them in the versatile midfield he is planning. Sørensen also has the useful ability to play anywhere in the defence in case of injuries.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cd114x94nd7o.amp Stoke giving Gibson 3 years seems brave.
Marcondes, former Bournemouth player on loan to Hibs, is being touted. A Danish lad, but at 29 doesn’t seem to fit the new younger player mould. Available on a free transfer seems to fit the ‘cheap’ mould though
Stoke are a prime example of what I feared we would become under Wagner. A Club who, having dropped out of the EPL and not getting back with the parachute payments, pack their squad with reliable seasoned Championship players plus a few older players who have played in the Premiership but have now dropped down to the Championship, and just hope for a miracle. It very rarely works apart from keeping a grip on the budget. I do not know if our new approach will work but it does promise more hope and entertainment than what the Stoke supporters face.
Our new manager is described as youth oriented, but as the Pinkun points out: "Thorup did work with experienced professionals during his time at Nordsjaelland. His captain was 35-year-old Kian Hansen who played over 40 matches, likewise 31-year-old Jeppe Tverskov – who was a regular fixture. In fact, the age profile of the squad during his time there increased slightly." I hope we will see some good football, but for me 'possession based' conjures images of a lot of sideways passing in our own half. I'll keep an open mind and hope for the best but the chances of bettering our playoff finish last season seems over optimistic at the moment and even moreso if we sell our best players to buy more Rashica or Lees Melou type players.
"Possession-based" simply means keeping the ball and thereby restricting the opposition's chances of putting it in your net. Where the action takes place is a separate matter. Over the season just finished, Man City averaged 66% possession; but when you look at where the more than 30000 touches took place, less than 20% were in the defensive third. Nearly 30% were in the attacking third, and the remainder in the middle third. If, for example, you look at the Player Positions in their final EPL match, against West Ham, only two Man City players are in their own half of the field, the keeper Ortega and Diaz the RCB. True, Man City frequently engage in recycling the ball, but when that happens, as it mostly does, high up the field, the most frequent outcome is a shot on goal.
That's all very well, but the drawback is that we are not ManCity and our players are not anywhere near the level of their players who have been honed to near perfection and who play with a confidence and assurance that other teams can only admire. By contrast, we have a new Head Coach installing a new system with a youth based approach. It just ain't the same.
To be blunt Rick I am delighted that we have a new Head Coach, a new system and a new approach. i don't think that many supporters wanted another season of the poor performances and lack of entertainment they endured last season.
Agreed, we are not Man City, but playing possession-based football doesn't require us to be. I referenced them purely to illustrate the point that dominating possession doesn't have to translate into "a lot of sideways passing in our own half". I could have used Southampton to make the same point; they finished the season with much the same possession percentage as Man City, while also heading the table for progressive passing and completed passes into the opposition penalty box.
Rumours from Celtic fans that we want Mikey Johnston + cash in a deal for Idah. Johnston is a 25 year old winger with 7 goals, 1 assist in 18 games on loan with WBA in the Championship last season. https://thecelticblog.com/2024/06/a...ns-to-make-on-idah-and-johnston-respectively/
I would take that deal. He's quick and a good dribbler. Same position as Sainz so one would have to player another. Perhaps Johnson could play the 10 role.
