Summer transfer, gossip, speculation and the usual butter ollocks thread

[N'ZMAV]

Leicester had something we haven't got though - a goal scorer.

[Ads]

Leeds have something we've got plenty of; a striker who doesn't score.

[SoccerHQ]

Think it's more a case of Leeds have decided he's their man and gone and got in a first choice striker from a team who made last 16 of CL and won copa del rey in 18/19 beating Barca (rodrigo scored in that).

I've watched him a few times, not that great a scorer but he's a regular starter for Spain and can play across the forward line so actually the type of striker we could do with.

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Another centre forward who is 'not that great a scorer' is the absolute opposite of the type of striker we could do with.

We need a striker who can play centrally or out wide so we play less of Trez and AEG and Jack can go back centrally on occasions e.g. playing the bottom half. Maupay would've been a good pick up last summer as Brighton played him a few times wide last season.

If a striker plays out wide he's obviously going to score less than through the middle but we simply need some more pace and power down the flanks as our counter attacking ability is rubbish.

If we sign Watkins I'm expecting him to play for us at the start our wide.

[SheffieldVillain]

Fair play to Leeds, signing someone from a top European league who has vast Champions League, Europa League and international experience.

It can be done. I'm forever seeing the opinion that we should act our size and then in the same breathe that there's nothing wrong with signing players from the Championship and the lesser European divisions.

There is nothing wrong with signing players from the Championship and the lesser European divisons, as long as they are well scouted and mixed with one or two top notch signings from the better leagues.

Also in the same breath you have people praising teams like Leicester for their recruitment and also saying you shouldn't buy players from the Championship or lesser divisions. Using Leicester as an example that would have meant not signing Vardy, Evans, Maddison, Maguire, Kante, Gray, Schmeichal or Mahrez plus others.

Leicester is interesting example.

In summer 2014 they signed Esteban Cambiasso after 300 games for Inter Milan. The following summer after their great escape they got in Christain Fuchs who'd just played in a CL quarter final for Schalke and Okazaki who was also a regular in Bundesliga so two players there with excellent experienced. Around that time they also got in Robert Huth who'd have a few injuries at Stoke and was seen as finished in premier league but was the kind of experienced head CB we still need now.

In last few years Leicester have signed Johnny Evans, Soynucu, Tielemans, Ricardo Peireria and Iheanacho. All players who are experienced and regulars at international level despite all of them bar Evans being under 25 when they signed.

I think that's the difference between them and us. They sign six players during a summer and 4-5 of them are pretty experienced top league players. Then they sign a good prospect from championship like Harry Maguire or Maddison.

Ours is different. Vast majority is championship or unknown players from europe and at best we get in one experienced head like Drinkwater who was a disaster.

Our best two signings last summer were Heaton who'd played for years in premier league and Luiz who started about 30 games for Girona in La Liga so to me it would make more sense to target players who are used to starting in major leagues.

Comparing our one season back in the Premier League while buying virtually a whole squad, against an established recruitment system over six years whereby they only need to buy 4-5 players per summer isn't really fair though is it? That's the difference between them and us (as regards last summer) - the situation was entirely different. Going forward of course it's something to aspire to.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Seems to have been played as a centre-forward in almost all of his 27 league appearances last season, 4 goals, 7 assists. https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83459/MatchStatistics/Rodrigo-Moreno

He's more of a second striker type. Kevin Gamiero or Maxi Gomez were the Wesley type striker for Valencia last season. Gamiero would be a good pick up on loan.

Which makes him a very strange signing for Leeds as Bielsa prefers to only play one up front.

[N'ZMAV]

Leeds have something we've got plenty of; a striker who doesn't score.

Kienan Davis is a lot cheaper too

[Monty]

Seems to have been played as a centre-forward in almost all of his 27 league appearances last season, 4 goals, 7 assists. https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83459/MatchStatistics/Rodrigo-Moreno

He's more of a second striker type. Kevin Gamiero or Maxi Gomez were the Wesley type striker for Valencia last season. Gamiero would be a good pick up on loan.

Which makes him a very strange signing for Leeds as Bielsa prefers to only play one up front.

But he does like a withdrawn centre forward who scores a decent amount themselves while bringing others into goalscoring contention (thinking of Alexis Sanchez in his Chile team).

[SoccerHQ]

According to Soccerbase Leicester signed 7 senior players when they went up in 2014 so clearly they felt their squad needed a bit of work. Got in the likes of Albrighton, Schwarzer, Matt Upson, Cambiasso and Danny Simpson to go along with the unheard of players like Riyad Mahrez. Then the next summer they got in Huth and Fuchs alongside N'Golo Kante.

I just think that strategy has more long term potential than having another summer where we sign 4-5 more lower league or unheard of players and then halfway through the season we're asking where the experience is when we throw away another lead late on.

[dave shelley]

 

T :)he last goalie we signed from Arsenal didn't turn out too bad did he?

Wasn't that Stuart Taylor?

'e don't count!   

[SoccerHQ]

Seems to have been played as a centre-forward in almost all of his 27 league appearances last season, 4 goals, 7 assists. https://www.whoscored.com/Players/83459/MatchStatistics/Rodrigo-Moreno

He's more of a second striker type. Kevin Gamiero or Maxi Gomez were the Wesley type striker for Valencia last season. Gamiero would be a good pick up on loan.

Which makes him a very strange signing for Leeds as Bielsa prefers to only play one up front.

Bielsa has his ways. Last season he kept on playing Bamford ahead of Eddie Nkeith who then went back to Arsenal and started loads of games for them in the run in. He dosen't really like strikers who just goal hang in the 6 yard box. Rodrigo could easily play out wide or in the number 10 role as has already been said so he gives them more flexibility in final third.

When we signed Samatta it was said he was able to play out wide so found it a bit odd we kept playing him through the middle post lockdown when he was awful.

Edit: Sometimes having a goal hanging striker isn't much use if the team dosen't have much creativity. Think back to Darren Bent post 2011 when his goal return was still o.k but he'd also go through games touching the ball about 10 times.

[SheffieldVillain]

Think it's more a case of Leeds have decided he's their man and gone and got in a first choice striker from a team who made last 16 of CL and won copa del rey in 18/19 beating Barca (rodrigo scored in that).

I've watched him a few times, not that great a scorer but he's a regular starter for Spain and can play across the forward line so actually the type of striker we could do with.

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Another centre forward who is 'not that great a scorer' is the absolute opposite of the type of striker we could do with.

We need a striker who can play centrally or out wide so we play less of Trez and AEG and Jack can go back centrally on occasions e.g. playing the bottom half. Maupay would've been a good pick up last summer as Brighton played him a few times wide last season.

If a striker plays out wide he's obviously going to score less than through the middle but we simply need some more pace and power down the flanks as our counter attacking ability is rubbish.

If we sign Watkins I'm expecting him to play for us at the start our wide.

Maupay had a worse scoring rate for Brighton than Wesley did for us.

I would agree Watkins will start out wide, and I would expect a tally of at least 10 goals from such a position (Jack managed that this season). Which, albeit in lower divisions, he has managed for the last five seasons.

Even if we get a centre forward capable of 20+ goals (which is very rare and by no means guaranteed), if playing one central striker we need wide players who are able to chip in with a good amount too. Signing a player this summer in any of the forward positions who isn't able to contribute that (10+ goals) would be a waste of time. Rodrigo has managed it twice in his whole career.

[paul_e]

Fair play to Leeds, signing someone from a top European league who has vast Champions League, Europa League and international experience.

It can be done. I'm forever seeing the opinion that we should act our size and then in the same breathe that there's nothing wrong with signing players from the Championship and the lesser European divisions.

I think whilst we accept and continue to hoover up Brentford and Brugge we will continue to punch well below our supposed weight.

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong player on WhoScored, but am I right in saying the Rodrigo who has signed for Leeds is 29 years old and has a one in four scoring record (based on last season, at least)?  If Suso had signed someone with that kind of record for us there would have been much wailing and gnashing of teeth, surely?  Throw in the fact he used to play for Bolton and there would have been a mini meltdown. 

You're right about Rodrigo having Champs league experience (scoring two goals in six appearances) but Samatta, according to WhoScored, notched three in six.

1 in 4 goals, loads of assists. Over 70 games in Europe and for his country, who aren't mickey mouse. He isn't a tradional centre forward. He's a good player from a good team in a top league. Supposedly that's out of our range but in the range of a club that hasn't been in the top flight for nearly 2 decades.

I fully agree with the other poster that there is nothing wrong with buying from the lesser leagues and Championship per say. It's when every single player you buy is from that range that you end up struggling the entire season.

As happy as I am to stay up and credit Smith for the job he's done taking us from nowhere to somewhere in a small space of time, I'm also not letting the last 4 games paper over what was a very poor season performance and result wise. We're the 17 best team in the division. That's not good enough.

Dragging one up from a few hours back I know but: Heaton, Luiz, Targett all from the premier league and Engels from a very decent French league suggests that Villa met the exact criteria you're saying we should. Then Reina and Drinkwater from serie a and the premier league in January.

It's almost as if the number of signings and the quality of the scouting is as important as where they're from.

[PaulWinch again]

Can’t say I’m overly concerned about Leeds signing a striker who has a pretty average goal scoring record. More importantly I think Martinez sounds like an interesting goalkeeper link.

[ozzjim]

Think I would sooner have Watkins than Rodrigo.

[Dave P]

I agree we need a striker or two, but have we as a fan base and a club given up on Samatta completely?