Admittedly only half a dozen games or so but instinctively I like him.
I see him competing with Siggy for the attacking midfielder slot or on the left of the diamond in midfield competing with Ki. Longer term he might develop into a Leon type.
I used to play CM (so have stronger opinions on players who play this position than some of the other positions that I know less about) and for me Ki (like Shelvey) is a luxury player.
To play CM you need to be a jack of all trades technically (tackle, decent touch, close control, skill, see a pass, execute a pass, sense when the time is right to get forward, have a decent shot).
But the most important aspects are mental. A CM needs to have game intelligence. I'm not sure you can coach it to be honest. It's all about the way your mind works....the ability to predict to a high degree of accuracy what your team mates and opposition players are going to do next, to see how the situation is going to develop, and position yourself to intercept. To smell danger and close the space down. To anticipate the way the opposition player is going to take the ball and/or turn ad nick in there and steal the ball away.
Most important is to be a hustler and relish the battle. I would love it, LOVE IT when you'd start to get to people....they'd get so frustrated they started to lash out. Made me play better. I enjoyed the fight.
Ki doesn't think like a midfielder.
He doesn't smell danger.
He doesn't anticipate what the opposition are going to do, often he seems to have no clue where they are....this is why he can seem to dwell on the ball and get caught.
He doesn't fight for the ball. It doesn't seem to bother him that much when somebody steams into him shoulder to shoulder and knocks him over....at least you certainly never see him up the nasty side of his game.
That's not to say he's not a good player, just flawed. He'd be better in the Siggy role but Siggy can do all the things he does and works his nuts off.
....to me Johnny Williams looks like he can hustle, has good technical ability and has game intelligence.
Much like Leon had (and still has) when he moved from wide right to CM.
Much like Joe Allen has.
So in short, I'd ship Ki out this summer and bring back Joe Allen.
...and replace Shelvey with Johnny Williams ASAP.
Leon's not going to go on forever and the more HG intelligent, hustlers we have in midfield the better.
Spend the big money on top quality attacking players for the front 3 slots instead.
