Transfer Rumours Summer Transfer window

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Didn’t Ancelotti deploy something similar at Madrid last season when Benzema left? Remember Valverde and Bellingham playing the dual 10 roles with Vini and Rodrygo wide when they attacked but were almost like a block of 4 in midfield with Kroos and Tchouameni off the ball
Might have done mate. I didnt watch a lot of them to be honest.

Ancelloti can get players into any system mind. That fella is tactically one of the best of all time imo.
 
It is where you have 4 midfielders, broadly in a square / rectangular shape, in the middle of the pitch. Two deep lying two attacking areas. Two 6s and two 10s almost. You give up the wide areas, hence pace at full back/wing back helps.

Man City did it really well season before last at times. It helped drive their possession stats really high. You get a lot of control through the middle where you essentially have 7 or players from back to front. De Zerbi got big success with it when he first landed in this country. Emery at Villa uses it.

Out of possession your two higher lads in the box formation split a bit wider but not a flat 4. They should split the full back and centre back on their side. Basically block the passing angles into the middle, trying to keep them wide. If you do have 3 CBs and wing backs you dont mind crosses into your box, in theory. You dont like them playing through the middle though.

In possession the box shape can morph a bit, but always 4 points of a shape. So box, rectangle, diamond. Always in the middle, rarely out to a wing. You want to try and open space for the wing back. Also trying to get an overload onto their holding player if you can.

It really maximises the chance to control possession and territory. That may not be our best tactic next season, but I think it could be a great one when we target away points. Make teams play round the sides and protect the middle of the goal. When we have it keep it due to numbers.

Sounds like an improvement on my diamond formation I,ve been shouting for for weeks. not having heard of this set up before, but it sounds great to me Thanks for the explanation mate . <ok>
 
Gray feels like a championship signing only, was a promising youngsters and has shown glimpses in the PL but can't see us signing him
For a reasonable fee he's the sort of player who lower half PL teams sign and then goes on to make a solid impact for the cost. Basically what he did at Everton. Not too sure if that calculation would work after a while in Saudi, though. Always used to like what I saw from him, mind. Maybe makes sense if we're looking for a few wingers.
 
4 goals and 3 assists in 47 games playing in a pretty awful league...

He wouldn't be a bad signing in my opinion and at £8m would just about fit into the model, any outlay like that for a 29 year old on something like a 3 year deal, so long as wages are incheck and realistic, isn't too wild. He can play both sides, has bags of Premiership experience and I wouldn't be too bothered by his performance in the money leagues, I remember when Tevez went to China on mega money and posted some of the worst stats I've ever seen for a high level striker, he then went onto Boca Juniors and looked good again.
 
Gray would be a weird one for me. As rotation for Mundle it might be fine but I expect better to be honest.

We're down to Mundle and Roberts as our only true wingers (Poveda will be off surely), so we could probably use two in, if Gray is one of them, it's not bad business in my opinion.
 
We're down to Mundle and Roberts as our only true wingers (Poveda will be off surely), so we could probably use two in, if Gray is one of them, it's not bad business in my opinion.
I'd rather trust in Mundle, bring in a kid to develop under him (like Blake we were linked with) and go big on a right winger.

My guess is that this is an agent putting his name out there.
 
we can do so much better

We need premier league experience somewhere on the pitch as well though, when we're linked with someone who has racked up 200 games I think it's worth a look. Not saying we can't scout the FM wonderkid with 200 potential, I hope we do, but I'd take solid experience when it's offered.
 
I know we all need to be patient but I'd love a signing by Tuesday (when the mini window closes).

At the moment we really have no idea what kind of market we're shopping in, other than hints from ITKs and precedent from previous windows (ie Le Fee).
 
Maybe sacrificing the wingers is an option and go for wing backs instead, a Post Xmas Cirkin and the dynamo that is Hume are ready made as are others on the way up from our existing squad , Mundle would be fine in a two counter attacking alongside either Mayenda or Isador at least unyil the mid season window and see where we are from there.
 
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