Antonio Nusa

Viking78 said:

Begs the question how did Norway not qualify for Euros with Haaland, Ødegaard, Nusa and Bobb

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Nusa and Bobb first came in the side when chances of qualification were very small. And yeah, the other 7 are (mostly) shite.

Trix said:

That sounds.... erm....... not very likely.

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It has been reported so lets see, Palace dont have any good RBs either.

zicomerc said:

It has been reported so lets see, Palace dont have any good RBs either.

Man Utd prepare swap deal 'not universally supported within Old Trafford' for Liverpool, Chelsea target

Man Utd are hoping to conclude a swap deal in the summer transfer window for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, according to reports.

www.football365.com

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You can bet Wan Bissaka is on huge money at United.. won’t happen.

zicomerc said:

It has been reported so lets see, Palace dont have any good RBs either.

Man Utd prepare swap deal 'not universally supported within Old Trafford' for Liverpool, Chelsea target

Man Utd are hoping to conclude a swap deal in the summer transfer window for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, according to reports.

www.football365.com

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The article states what manure "hierarchy" have discussed with themselves and what they would like to do. Unfortunately, completely the opposite of what Palace want, i.e money.

Viking78 said:

Begs the question how did Norway not qualify for Euros with Haaland, Ødegaard, Nusa and Bobb

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Horrible defense/goalkeeping, and Haaland/Ødegaard haven't been tearing up trees either.

I don't think you can expect Haaland to do more than score 1 in 1. But he did miss crucial games with injury in the campaign. Coach, team mentality, poor GK and def more of an issue though.

Viking78 said:

Begs the question how did Norway not qualify for Euros with Haaland, Ødegaard, Nusa and Bobb

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You need more than 3 good players in a team.

In an effort to get this back on topic, we now have the Nusa thread for your breakdown @Ghost Hardware

rabbikeane said:

I don't think you can expect Haaland to do more than score 1 in 1. But he did miss crucial games with injury in the campaign. Coach, team mentality, poor GK and def more of an issue though.

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Think the Norway gk is orjan nyland who was villas third gk when they were in the championship.
Not exactly a talent

This link is definitely very exciting.

Looks a very good young prospect from my, albeit, limited viewing.

Hopefully we hear some more positive developments on this possible transfer soon.

So Antonio Nusa in my opinion is one of the most exciting WF in European football in his age bracket, if not THE most. He is certainly the only one I can think of that is not attached to a bigger club such as Arda Guller (Rail Madrid), Bynoe-Gittens (BVB) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) being amongst the more high profile ones. On a side note, im really impressed with the new cop or Turkish youngsters coming through, in few years they could have a very good team if they develop obv. Yildiz in particular has impressed me a lot recently and I'd strongly suggest those of you who like to follow youth prospects to give him a watch.

Anyway on to Nusa. So Brugge picked him up off Stabaek for €3 mil. Why did they buy him? Well because at tender age of 16 he already 6 senior starts at LW and a further 5 sub appearances scoring 3 goals including one against Brodo/Glimt. Bellow you can see your standard youtube highlights video of Nusa at 16 playing for Stabaek...



From a young age he was already very impressive. So in the summer of 21 he joined Brugge who had just won the Jupiler Pro League. His first season in Belgium he only featured briefly for the senior team making just 3 appearances however he did grab a goal after coming on as a sub in 87 min against Union. Brugge also won the league that season. The 22/23 season is when he started to feature more heavily for Brugge. when they first started to play him it was at RW rather then LW. It was around 22 when Brugge started to loose their grip on the League and started going through a period of upheaval after winning the league 3 times in a row. They hired and fired Scott Parker (he lasted 12 games) and as I mentioned are currently sitting 5th in the league which is of great disappointment to club. In Nusa's short time there he has already had something like 5 or 6 senior team managers (i need to double check that but im fairly sure its around that number). But despite that upheaval he has developed and developed very well. But when asked why Nusa's numbers aren't better I think this constant changing of ideas does not help a 17/18 year old.

Ronny Delia, the current manager, tends to favour a classic 4231. They tend to move the ball up the pitch quickly and are always looking for a counter. Nusa in his system, in the games ive watched at least, is often given quite a bit of freedom. As the full backs tend to go for an overlap Nusa will often drift inside with Meijer providing the width. It's not unusual for Nusa to almost move into the position of an AM at times, likewise he will often look to get into the box and for a goalscoring opportunity. I've compared him to Soulé in the past, another player I really like, and there is certainly cross over in regards to movement and positions the players take up. Both players like to feel the ball at their feet and play a large role in the development of a game. Whilst Nusa has incredible versatility and can play across the fron line he is primarily a LW. If you look at the heat map from the beginning of the season you can see he still spends most of his time sitting out on the wing but you can see that he likes to cut in rather then go to the byline, again fairly normal behaviour for a team that plays overlapping FB, and I would hazard a guess that if you found one from later in this season it would be more varied.



In regards to skill set Nusa, forr an 18 year old, he has an abundance of natural talent. I mean he looked special at 16 and has continued to impress since his senior team debut. He is a fantastic dribbler, his balance is exceptional and he is excellent at catching a defender off balance by swiftly moving the ball in the opposite direction. It’s not just his dribbling that is impressive but he actually has really good vision. He seems to always have a clear image of the pitch and his teammates movements. Much like his finishing, that i will mention bellow, he needs to work on the weight of his passing at times as often he will see something but not quite pull it off but the understanding is there. On a defensive side of things he is perfect for Ange, he track backs, tackles and works hard for the team. Also as mentioned Nusa is extremely versatile and can very comfortably play on the right. He is decent with his left foot but not anywhere near Rowe who we were also looking at. Still i'd have no qualms about starting him RW for a few matches even if he will certainly give his best LW. He has also played CF.

In regards to weakness he does have some. His finishing needs work. He actually has decent shooting technique when he settles himself but it needs refining and sometimes he can just put too much power on his efforts rather then taking a beat and picking a spot. Physicality is a big one, and I can imagine that setting off alarm bells for many people reading this. Yes its true he is slight and yes he can be bullied off the ball quite easily at times... que the Gil comparisons. Interestingly Gil was also one of the leading dribblers in La liga when we bought him if I remember correctly. Statistically he was excellent on the ball so I can understand why some would be worried with Nusa at first glance. Big difference is Nusa's acceleration plus ability to cut and manipulate the ball at speed. Nusa isn't that fast, i mean he is quick (hes certainly not slow) just not super fast but he does have great acceleration, balance and very quick feet so that helps a lot when running with the ball. Also Gil has a very different style of dribbling which is less nuanced and more direct. Nusa in general has more flair, using a roll over to gain an angle. He will need to bulk up but already I think he'd be in a better place to deal with a more physical defence.

In general tho its good to remember he is only 18 and still has a lot of physical developing ahead of him. That goes for his ability as well. IMO, as I said at the start, he has all the tools to become one of the best WF in the world but he will need time and help getting their. I don't have the stats too hand and in all honesty i can't be bothered to search for them now, ill leave that to @Nick-TopSpursMan, but he really is up their with the best in his age group on paper as well. IF we were to get him then we would have to do what we can to aid his development. Part of me wonders if it might even be wiser to loan him out next season as well as this one. But in general it would be a phenomenal signing and one of the most exciting youth players we would have brought to this club in years when considering where he already is at 18 in his development.

I probably forgot some info and im by no means an expert but hopefully this will give you a basic outline of who he is.

Ghost Hardware said:

Physicality is a big one, and I can imagine that setting off alarm bells for many people reading this. Yes its true he is slight and yes he can be bullied off the ball quite easily at times... que the Gil comparisons. Interestingly Gil was also one of the leading dribblers in La liga when we bought him if I remember correctly.

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I'd rather have someone who can put their laces through the ball and needs to work on when to take some off than someone like Gil who doesn't seem to have the ability to use a heavy foot.

Great summary @Ghost Hardware

I haven’t got too much to add to that, only that I think he could really accelerate his development working with Ange coaching and training against quality defenders with strong physicality like Romero, Udogie, VdV etc.

If we got him I’d like to see him loaned back until the summer but then brought in as an impact player. I wouldn’t be surprised if his development accelerated working with Ange.

Here are his fbref stats:

His playing profile is perfectly suited to the LW role in Ange system. Explosive acceleration, good top speed, superb agility and very quick feet, high level of technique, capable of dribbling either way against a defender and has the technique and intelligence to link play with passing combos too. Movement is good and he can make runs in behind but I’d say he would need to add more of these off the ball runs as he develops further.

Development areas would be:
- Physicality
- Finishing
- Decision Making. He loses the ball quite a lot at the moment because he constantly tries things. As he develops I imagine he will gain a better understanding of when to dribble, when to keep it simple, when to go for it etc.
- Utilising weak foot more for cutbacks and weak foot shots.

In the youtube video whenever he is rushed he loses the ball, I don't know how long it would take for him to adjust to the prem based on that. Almost gives me Gil vibes in that sense.

Obviously very hard to tell just from a few videos, but he looks quite far off being the finished article.

That's obviously not surprising considering his age, but if we feel like we need a ball carrying threat out wide then that would suggest we might need to get Nusa plus a more established option.

I'm not sure we're likely to do that.

Or do we see Solomon as that sort of player already?

Ghost Hardware said:

So Antonio Nusa in my opinion is one of the most exciting WF in European football in his age bracket, if not THE most. He is certainly the only one I can think of that is not attached to a bigger club such as Arda Guller (Rail Madrid), Bynoe-Gittens (BVB) and Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) being amongst the more high profile ones. On a side note, im really impressed with the new cop or Turkish youngsters coming through, in few years they could have a very good team if they develop obv. Yildiz in particular has impressed me a lot recently and I'd strongly suggest those of you who like to follow youth prospects to give him a watch.

Anyway on to Nusa. So Brugge picked him up off Stabaek for €3 mil. Why did they buy him? Well because at tender age of 16 he already 6 senior starts at LW and a further 5 sub appearances scoring 3 goals including one against Brodo/Glimt. Bellow you can see your standard youtube highlights video of Nusa at 16 playing for Stabaek...



From a young age he was already very impressive. So in the summer of 21 he joined Brugge who had just won the Jupiler Pro League. His first season in Belgium he only featured briefly for the senior team making just 3 appearances however he did grab a goal after coming on as a sub in 87 min against Union. Brugge also won the league that season. The 22/23 season is when he started to feature more heavily for Brugge. when they first started to play him it was at RW rather then LW. It was around 22 when Brugge started to loose their grip on the League and started going through a period of upheaval after winning the league 3 times in a row. They hired and fired Scott Parker (he lasted 12 games) and as I mentioned are currently sitting 5th in the league which is of great disappointment to club. In Nusa's short time there he has already had something like 5 or 6 senior team managers (i need to double check that but im fairly sure its around that number). But despite that upheaval he has developed and developed very well. But when asked why Nusa's numbers aren't better I think this constant changing of ideas does not help a 17/18 year old.

Ronny Delia, the current manager, tends to favour a classic 4231. They tend to move the ball up the pitch quickly and are always looking for a counter. Nusa in his system, in the games ive watched at least, is often given quite a bit of freedom. As the full backs tend to go for an overlap Nusa will often drift inside with Meijer providing the width. It's not unusual for Nusa to almost move into the position of an AM at times, likewise he will often look to get into the box and for a goalscoring opportunity. I've compared him to Soulé in the past, another player I really like, and there is certainly cross over in regards to movement and positions the players take up. Both players like to feel the ball at their feet and play a large role in the development of a game. Whilst Nusa has incredible versatility and can play across the fron line he is primarily a LW. If you look at the heat map from the beginning of the season you can see he still spends most of his time sitting out on the wing but you can see that he likes to cut in rather then go to the byline, again fairly normal behaviour for a team that plays overlapping FB, and I would hazard a guess that if you found one from later in this season it would be more varied.

View attachment 136812

In regards to skill set Nusa, forr an 18 year old, he has an abundance of natural talent. I mean he looked special at 16 and has continued to impress since his senior team debut. He is a fantastic dribbler, his balance is exceptional and he is excellent at catching a defender off balance by swiftly moving the ball in the opposite direction. Its not just his dribbling that is impressive but he actually has really good vision. Much like his finishing, that i will mention bellow, he needs to work on the weight of his passing at times as often he will see something but not quite pull it off but the understanding is there. On a defensive side of things he is perfect for Ange, he track backs, tackles and works hard for the team. Also as mentioned Nusa is extremely versatile and can very comfortably play on the right. He is decent with his left foot but not anywhere near Rowe who we were also looking at. Still i'd have no qualms about starting him RW for a few matches even if he will certainly give his best LW. He has also played CF.

In regards to weakness he does have some. His finishing needs work. He actually has decent shooting technique when he settles himself but it needs refining and sometimes he can just put too much power on his efforts rather then taking a beat and picking a spot. Physicality is a big one, and I can imagine that setting off alarm bells for many people reading this. Yes its true he is slight and yes he can be bullied off the ball quite easily at times... que the Gil comparisons. Interestingly Gil was also one of the leading dribblers in La liga when we bought him if I remember correctly. Statistically he was excellent on the ball so I can understand why some would be worried with Nusa at first glance. Big difference is Nusa's acceleration plus ability to cut and manipulate the ball at speed. Nusa isn't that fast, i mean he is quick (hes certainly not slow) just not super fast but he does have great acceleration, balance and very quick feet so that helps a lot when running with the ball. Also Gil has a very different style of dribbling which is less nuanced and more direct. Nusa in general has more flair, using a roll over to gain an angle. He will need to bulk up but already I think he'd be in a better place to deal with a more physical defence.

In general tho its good to remember he is only 18 and still has a lot of physical developing ahead of him. That goes for his ability as well. IMO, as I said at the start, he has all the tools to become one of the best WF in the world but he will need time and help getting their. I don't have the stats too hand and in all honesty i can't be bothered to search for them now, ill leave that to @Nick-TopSpursMan, but he really is up their with the best in his age group on paper as well. IF we were to get him then we would have to do what we can to aid his development. Part of me wonders if it might even be wiser to loan him out next season as well as this one. But in general it would be a phenomenal signing and one of the most exciting youth players we would have brought to this club in years when considering where he already is at 18 in his development.

I probably forgot some info and im by no means an expert but hopefully this will give you a basic outline of who he is.

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How the hell do you know so much about these niche players? Do you actually watch THAT much football?

Ron Burgundy said:

How the hell do you know so much about these niche players? Do you actually watch THAT much football?

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FM2024

Agree that he'd have to be matched carefully to begin with, however he is already one of the best 1v1 wide men there is. Premier League defenders would struggle to contain him. The upside to sign him however is in the future, like it was with Destiny when we bought him. There's hardly anyone (within reason) I want us to sign more at the moment. He's taller than he look and will grow into his body in coming years, which will take him to new levels. This is a player we either sign now or never get the opportunity again.
Ange will love his character as well; he is a smart, humble kid who keeps his feet on the ground. Very professional, dedicated to his development and proven to make decisions that will gain his career the most rather than what brings in the most money and status.

Nick-TopSpursMan said:

Great summary @Ghost Hardware

I haven’t got too much to add to that, only that I think he could really accelerate his development working with Ange coaching and training against quality defenders with strong physicality like Romero, Udogie, VdV etc.

If we got him I’d like to see him loaned back until the summer but then brought in as an impact player. I wouldn’t be surprised if his development accelerated working with Ange.

Here are his fbref stats:

Antonio Nusa Scouting Report for Last 365 Days Men's Next 14 Competitions | FBref.com

Compare Antonio Nusa to others in passing, goal scoring, attacking, defense and more for the Last 365 Days Men's Next 14 Competitions

fbref.com

His playing profile is perfectly suited to the LW role in Ange system. Explosive acceleration, good top speed, superb agility and very quick feet, high level of technique, capable of dribbling either way against a defender and has the technique and intelligence to link play with passing combos too. Movement is good and he can make runs in behind but I’d say he would need to add more of these off the ball runs as he develops further.

Development areas would be:
- Physicality
- Finishing
- Decision Making. He loses the ball quite a lot at the moment because he constantly tries things. As he develops I imagine he will gain a better understanding of when to dribble, when to keep it simple, when to go for it etc.
- Utilising weak foot more for cutbacks and weak foot shots.

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Thanks bud, much appreciated

You’re 100% spot on re decision making, certainly something he needs to work on. Like you say he will often try to force things that result in a turnover. But tbf that’s to be expected at his age. Agree that having a good manger who understands his talent will go a long way in helping his development.

Only a silver so that's cheap. Have a look at that pace and drive, those are well good. I say buy!