isnt he coming back form an injury?
if so him playing in the development squad is just to help get his fitness and match sharpness back before joining the squad
we are just too good these days.
players like bentley and giovani can't make the bench and neither would guys like bassong & keane if we had no injuries.
I think he was a good player, but an example of a guy loooking better in a lesser team than he really was. A good player, blackburn enabled him to shine and he still is a good premier league player.
What he was not and never has been is a superstar player, not worth the type of money we spent on him I don't think.
Technically gifted yes, Premier league quality no doubt, but personally I rate Niko as a better player than him.
I don't think he is as bad as some people make out, he still has quality and is useful squad player. £16m for a squad player though hmmm, I think we and he would both be better off parting company, he could easily leave and become a star again in a a club like West Ham or Sunderland, which I feel would better suit his ego being the big fish in a smaller pond and we can easliy replace his postion in our squad.
Thats massively harsh on Bassong-was a crucial player last year
Its not really, its just fact. But your quite right Basssong came in and did very well with Daws last season and that shouldn't be forgotten. That said Kaboul is ahead of him, without question and so is Gallas for his experience and he will only improve with more match fitness. With King and Daws first choice and when both are fit, he simply is 5th choice.
I also think Kaboul will edge past Dawson in time, as controversial as that might sound. I love Daws and rate him highly now, but I think Kaboul has everything and could go on to be one of the best at CB.
Its not really, its just fact. But your quite right Basssong came in and did very well with Daws last season and that shouldn't be forgotten. That said Kaboul is ahead of him, without question and so is Gallas for his experience and he will only improve with more match fitness. With King and Daws first choice and when both are fit, he simply is 5th choice.
I also think Kaboul will edge past Dawson in time, as controversial as that might sound. I love Daws and rate him highly now, but I think Kaboul has everything and could go on to be one of the best at CB.
I agree with you about Kaboul's potential. He really could develop into a very special player.
I don't think that Bassong will be "nowhere near the bench" when Dawson and King are back, even if he is 5th choice. We'll have other injuries, players tire and fixtures become congested. When not starting games, Bassong will be on or very close to the bench.
When Bentley gets back to fitness I think he'll be quite useful. We'll see what happens in January, obviously, but I think he'll show his worth in the second half of the season.