He is an absolute steal for that amount of money. Good footballing brain and a canny dribbler in opposing half.
Good player but I wouldn't get too carried away. He is the new Emlyn Hughes for me, reminds me of him a lot. Absolute crazy horse the way he charges round the field. Sometimes its a good thing, sometimes it isn't. I do think he is made for a back three where there is freedom to drive forward.
I raise you Ayoze Perez! £1.7m, works his nuts off, been up and down with us, taken **** pretty much since he arrived but still delivers every week/year! 10th joint top scorer in the EPL for us, if he stays another 2 seasons and gets 10 a year and he'll be outright second behind Shearer and he'll only be 27 by then, just about to hit his peak!
Got a lot of time for The Pharcyde instrumental as the background music... And yes, he was an absolute bargain.
Just an average PL player though. We need better for the first team. I like him though and do wonder if he would look better in a more attacking team.
Just more speed around him will probably do. He's been our runner too often, both defensively and offensively. Since Almiron's took some of that burden he has looked better. He'll still go missing in games but that's the reason he's here.
I'd quite like to see us go 4-4-2 next season with him playing just off a target man. Miggy and Ritchie on the wings (maybe even Yedlin at RW). People forget he has played most of the last 2/3 years out wide and out of position but still gets the goals. When he went up top vs Everton in the second half he showed what he can do in the box (2 goals and assist I think it was).
We can't ignore though all the times he has had opportunities through the middle and in favoured positions, then just doesn't turn up. We can't blame all of his poor performances on managers or tactics. Sometimes he is just poor or comes up against players much better than him. He is also a complete tart. As Rob says though, that is why he is with us. We are his level. Mid to lower echelons of the PL. Nothing wrong with admitting that either, not everyone has the capacity to be a top player. He is clearly a proper professional. He never sullies the club, you never hear him agitating for a move, you never hear he is being disruptive. There is something to be said for a player being fully committed, being grateful for what the club gives him and respecting the club. He gets as much out of himself as he can and as a fan that is all I would ask any player.
