Samuel Iling Junior - now on loan at Middlesbrough

[eamonn]

Very strange...why did he bother joining us at all if only to head back to Italy a few weeks later

Yeah i dont get it either. Illing jr woukd get plenty of minutes here. A perfect player to start in the domestic cups

Who would he play instead of in domestic cups? And how much would he develop playing a handful of games against potentially lower league opposition for us? If he's not ready to push for a starting spot now, a season (or half) playing every week at a high level is the best option for him.

I'd only be questioning this move if it was revealed he threw a strop after 1 game not being in the squad and demanded it.

But thats on the assumption we dont pick up injuries whichis likley considering the volume of games we will play. We have three players coming back from  long term injuries and we know dont know for sure how that pans out. Then add in ramsey as well who seems injury prone. I think its a big risk.

I do hope there is a recall clause should injuries arise or he doesnt get as many minutes at bologna as we would have hoped

There's a lot of salary tied-up in Mings/Buendia/Ramsey. We can't just be buying more players in the event that these three can't contribute consistently upon return. There isn't the finances for it and it would look silly if they came back and were not breaking-down.

Last August we loaned-in Lenglet, Zaniolo and then acquired Rogers in January to cover the crocked trio above. They're back now or about to come back having had the best rehab an athlete could dream of. We gotta trust that.

[ozzjim]

No player hits the road running after an ACL Eamonn. Buendia I don't expect anything from until Nov/ Dec, Mings, new year onwards at the earliest. Kamara I don't think was as bad, so may be ready sooner.

[Duncan Shaw]

No player hits the road running after an ACL Eamonn. Buendia I don't expect anything from until Nov/ Dec, Mings, new year onwards at the earliest. Kamara I don't think was as bad, so may be ready sooner.

And yet Buendia has been on the bench 1st two league games?

[Dave]

Last August we loaned-in Lenglet, Zaniolo and then acquired Rogers in January to cover the crocked trio above. They're back now or about to come back having had the best rehab an athlete could dream of. We gotta trust that.

Although I'd argue we loaned Zaniolo with the expectation that we might end up buying him, so I don't think it's right to say that it was just to deal with Ramsey being out for a few months.

I expect we'll bring in two loans in the next few days (probably a forward and a defender) much like we did last summer. Or Geertruida and a forward on loan.

[Ads]

Champions League PSR rules have made it a lot harder for us to manoeuvre. We're being punished for our success.

[eamonn]

I was equating Zaniolo as cover for Buendia (I know they're not exactly the same but he did arrive after Emi's injury) and Rogers with Ramsey (who are more similar).

[Dave]

I was equating Zaniolo as cover for Buendia (I know they're not exactly the same but he did arrive after Emi's injury) and Rogers with Ramsey (who are more similar).

Fair enough (although Zaniolo tended to play off the left, coming inside like Ramsey did, and Rogers plays more centrally and drifts wider more like Buendia), but the point remains that the intention was still for Zaniolo to plausibly sign permanently rather than just coming in as a short-term injury fix.

[Villatillidie25]

Champions League PSR rules have made it a lot harder for us to manoeuvre. We're being punished for our success.

Agreed. The current prem rules obv aren’t fit for purpose (partly why they’re being ditched) but the UEFA ones are too arbitrary. They should better account for teams who are in and out of Europe and should differentiate between the three competitions, given the discrepancy in prize money.
For example, if you weren’t in the competition last year you get 5-10% extra wage cap wiggle room. The UECL should have ~10% extra buffer vs the UCL. None of these seem complicated but would give teams room to breath.

[eamonn]

Yes, and it's all moving-parts all the time based on players form/happiness/versatility but it was wise to have Zaniolo as a loan. We must have been content to hold the option to buy based on how he adapted as well as how our other attacking options looked come May/Jun 2024.

[Demitri_C]

Did he play for bologna?

[AV84]

Nope. Was on the bench but didn't come on. Weirdly he's listed as a striker on the thing I was looking at.

[Demitri_C]

Nope. Was on the bench but didn't come on. Weirdly he's listed as a striker on the thing I was looking at.

Thank you. Just hope this isnt another pointless loan where he gets minimal minutes. Could be he isnt match fot yet

[Dante Lavelli]

He is closer to a striker than a left back in my opinion.

[AV84]

Do Italian teams get to name more substitutes? Looks like Bologna had 13 on their bench?

[Dave]

He is closer to a striker than a left back in my opinion.

He's also listed as a forward for England U21s.

All the "well, he'll come back and be cover for Maatsen when we sell Digne" takes are bizarre. He's a wide forward.