January 2025 Scouting Thread
- Thread starter Snarfalicious
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joey55
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- May 20, 2005
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You are the kind of person who tries to order a Big Mac in KFC aren't you?
coysjod
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- Feb 18, 2011
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No I don't frequent those places, but I'm sure you do. What's your point?
joey55
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- May 20, 2005
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I think you might have been posting in the wrong thread.
coysjod
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- Feb 18, 2011
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Ghost Hardware
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- Aug 31, 2012
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Watching the Juve vs Inter game and I really wish we had got Conceição. Absolutely quality down the right flank.
danielneeds
Kick-Ass
- May 5, 2004
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Yeah, we still need to find a real powerhouse midfielder that can dig us out of trouble in games like this and establish some control in the middle.
dontcallme
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- Mar 18, 2005
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Given that Bissouma and Bentancur both have contracts expiring in 2026 and are not consistently performing to a level where they are guaranteed starters, I doubt they'll be here much longer.
I'm not sure we'll find a better player available to us in January though.
TEESSIDE1
Married, new job and Spurs on the up!
- Jul 3, 2006
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We need a Son competition/long term replacement. We need to remember that he consistently provides assists and has an excellent goals return.
The other existing options are nowhere near replacing him.
Odobert - he’s a kid, potential to be a very good winger but there’s very little early signs that he’ll replicate anywhere near Son’s numbers
Werner - just no
Moore - he looks like a young Grealish, bundles of promise but we’re not going to see Son numbers with Moore either and especially not any time soon.
Take Son out of the team and based on the current alternatives at ‘this moment in time’, we’re firing blanks from the left flank.
We’re in effect in the same position as last summer - no first team improvements to either wide left or right forward positions. Johnson hit a purple patch and fingers crossed he’s back in the goals again soon but as actual goal threats our wide forward options are nowhere near good enough.
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TEESSIDE1
Married, new job and Spurs on the up!
- Jul 3, 2006
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It’s not just that, we’ve 5 central midfielders, 3 of whom who are experienced and 2 promising youngsters. We’ve then 2 creative midfielders, 1 of whom has been shoehorned into the position albeit he’s been arguably our best player this season.
You would think with 5 + 2 = 2 central and 1 creative but no, we get 1 central and our only 2 creative players getting run into the ground.
As a team we’ve played better with 2 central, 1 creative yet for some reason Ange religiously reverts back to 1 and 2.
I really don’t get what Ange is thinking as with 2 and 1 we look better right across the field, we play better and we’ve picked up points.
Replacing Bissouma with an ‘elite-esque’ type player isn’t going to magically fix us… we’ll have the same issues as we have now. Look at our defence, we’ve a decent keeper (albeit flaws to his game), two very good centre backs and two attack minded full backs yet in Ange’s approach their weakness are on show for all to see and what they excel at with the exception of VDV’s pace, rarely sees the light of day.
The players most certainly have to take some responsibility for our poor games to points conversion since Ange’s initial purple patch but Ange needs to take the brunt of it. A new approach will always see ups and downs unless you’ve an oil rich owner, world class players and a world class coach…. you take the ‘downs’ on the chin as long as you can see progress but since the Chelsea debacle last season we’ve been going backwards, we’re now the most inconsistent we’ve been in circa the last 10 years.
Anyone seen Borja Sainz play? Apparently been on a completely different level for Norwich this season in terms of general play on the ball and end product, very talented player who's way too good for the championship. LW, 23, will have 18 months left on his contract in January (summer 2026, yes it is that close!), probably going to be back to back championship potm and already has 10 goals this season (second most goals scored in the top 4 leagues in england, only Haaland has more). Lots of opposing team supporters say he was easily the best player on the pitch when playing them and can't wait to see him leave. Only scores bangers as well
Werner out, Sainz in?
Also Dennis Cirkin for LB anyone? Again another one excelling in the championship and counts as club trained, 2026 contract (18 months left). Talented, comfortable on the ball, good going forward and getting in the box, decently quick, good work rate, front foot type of player etc, still only 22. Probably better options out there but there are much worse ones too
Werner out, Sainz in?
Also Dennis Cirkin for LB anyone? Again another one excelling in the championship and counts as club trained, 2026 contract (18 months left). Talented, comfortable on the ball, good going forward and getting in the box, decently quick, good work rate, front foot type of player etc, still only 22. Probably better options out there but there are much worse ones too
Nick-TopSpursMan
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- Aug 4, 2005
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Cardoso getting rave reviews for his performance against Atletico Madrid last night:
Goobers
Well-Known Member
- Jul 29, 2011
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Yes I saw this and no I know nothing about the player but apparently having his tru break out season. Perhaps this si the type of central midfielder that people are referring to us having ?
Monkey boy
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- Jun 18, 2011
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Sign him up. Does the Hojberg thing of celebrating conceding a corner aswell although not sure thats something to celebrate with us Jonny.
jackson
SC Supporter
- Jan 27, 2006
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He's the player we've got a purchase fee agreed with Betis for during the Lo Celso sale so obviously on the radar.
Although fairly sure that previous to the above people said not been that great this season
So did Lee Cattermole.
jpascavitz
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- Aug 8, 2019
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Saw Nanasi mentioned in an earlier post, signed for Strasbourg from Malmo and every time I watch him, I really like him. Gives me Niko Kranjcar vibes.
Not sure if anything stands out from the eye test perspective, but wow, the guy always seems to be in the right place and contributes to goals. 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 7 ligue 1 matches and has 3 in 5 for the national team.
On my limited sample size watching him, not sure if he's cut out for a top 6 PL side yet, but can certainly see him staying under the radar and surprising people one day. Still only 22 as well.
Not sure if anything stands out from the eye test perspective, but wow, the guy always seems to be in the right place and contributes to goals. 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 7 ligue 1 matches and has 3 in 5 for the national team.
On my limited sample size watching him, not sure if he's cut out for a top 6 PL side yet, but can certainly see him staying under the radar and surprising people one day. Still only 22 as well.
fecka
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- Jun 24, 2013
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Had 16 G/A in 17 games in Allsvenskan before moving to Strasbourg too. Just a very intelligent footballer with good technique.
Think he'd be an awkward fit with us as he isn't that pacy, and a LW to boot, but I think he has a great future.
Ghost Hardware
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- Aug 31, 2012
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Was his first notably good game of the campaign. Betis should have scored at least 4 or 5 if not more, Alteti where absolutely shocking (lots of misplaced passes out of defence... eerily similar to us against CP).
I've watched almost every Betis league match (haven't watched the Conference League games) this season and it's certainly not been a particularly remarkable season for Johnny, as i mentioned a few pages ago. I think too many people on twitter are getting over hyped because of this one performance which was very impressive to be fair to him. Needs to be at this level consistently for us to consider him the upgrade we need IMO. Too often he is just a worker bee and hasn't regularly imposed himself enough on games to a degree that he's even been rather invisible at times. Overall he hasn't been particularly bad, just hasn't been anything special ether and I have seen him struggle when faced with technical dribblers running at him and be caught out of position on a counter as he tends to step up quite a bit (not altogether surprising as he does play in a double pivot. Although that does in itself rase another point about how he would perform as a lone DM). In general he is defensively strongest when initiating as he reads play well but he rarely instills any defensive authority or consistently dominates the midfield. I also think he needs to work on his body positioning in certain situations.
That said there is no doubt he has some attractive qualities that would on paper suit our system, in possession and build up for example as highlighted in the clip you posted, so If he can become more defensively imposing and fine tune a few aspects of his game whilst also replicating and maintaining the level of performance he showed against AM then 100% we should be looking at him more seriously. I wouldn't write him off but for me its far to soon to be considering him the answer to our needs given his season thus far.
jpascavitz
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- Aug 8, 2019
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Agreed. Worth a mention but ultimately that's where I end up at currently, probably not the best fit under the current manager/system. I could easily see him moving the PL at some point though and doing well.
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