Keisuke Honda

[Armstrong_11]

WANT!!!

but he is gonna need time to settle... maybe sign him, let him get use to life in london, and slowly introduce him into english football. quality player thou.

 

[Strikeb4ck]

I thought this guy was destined for Milan and just waiting for his contract to end? His boyhood club and all?

 

[Cavehillspur]

Yes please, quality player.

 

[Japhet]

Why are we looking at this dude? I've always liked him but we've got shit loads.

We should be looking to improve on Rose, Naughton and Walker. By improve I don't necissarily mean replace

Free transfer and adding depth (to answer your question). I'm sure we're looking at many other deals for other players too.

 

[Curtis Peterson]

It's one thing to add Pirlo to our already stacked midfield, but this is completely different and I see nothing in it. Not that I doubt Honda or his ability, but he's not world class or an immediate improvement on any of our players or anything like that.

 

[E17yid]

Free transfer and adding depth (to answer your question). I'm sure we're looking at many other deals for other players too.

Add depth to:

Gylfi
Lamela
Holtby
Eriksen
Azza
Townsend

EDIT: And Chadli

 

[chinaman]

Sign him for free and sell a few million shirts in Asia. If we can't give him a 1st team place, then sell him for 12-15 million pounds. I can see profit all the way.

 

[Hoddle&Waddle]

Add depth to:

Gylfi
Lamela
Holtby
Eriksen
Azza
Townsend

EDIT: And Chadli

I'd say Honda is better than most of those at this minute, he really is a superb player, just my opinion.

 

[SFCS]

How much Russian football and Japan internationals do you guys watch? I haven't seen much of him but he didn't look all that in the Confed Cup. Like others, I'm not really fussed about us signing another player that likes to play in the 3 of a 4231, free transfer or not.

Show me a left back and an out and out striker in January and if we don't get top 4 then it's the manager we need to look at, not a lack quality attacking mids and wingers.

 

[only1waddle]

How much Russian football and Japan internationals do you guys watch? I haven't seen much of him but he didn't look all that in the Confed Cup. Like others, I'm not really fussed about us signing another player that likes to play in the 3 of a 4231, free transfer or not.

Show me a left back and an out and out striker in January and if we don't get top 4 then it's the manager we need to look at, not a lack quality attacking mids and wingers.

I disagree about Honda in the confederation cup, in a couple of those group matches he really got the ball moving for Japan, he is like Carrick and Modric in the sense people don't get the hype, they don't see how influential he is to a teams style until they are gone.

I made the same statement about AM's and being overloaded.
I just wonder whether we will shift Sigurdsson on in January and move Eriksen wide with Chadli, bring in another left back and move to a 433 with Sandro/Cap, Dembele/Paulino Holtby/Honda as a middle 3.
Just a thought, it seems strange how we have been linked with two metronome style players (Pirlo/Honda) in the last week or so, must be some truth to us looking for a another midfield link man.

 

[SFCS]

I disagree about Honda in the confederation cup, in a couple of those group matches he really got the ball moving for Japan, he is like Carrick and Modric in the sense people don't get the hype, they don't see how influential he is to a teams style until they are gone.

I made the same statement about AM's and being overloaded.
I just wonder whether we will shift Sigurdsson on in January and move Eriksen wide with Chadli, bring in another left back and move to a 433 with Sandro/Cap, Dembele/Paulino Holtby/Honda as a middle 3.
Just a thought, it seems strange how we have been linked with two metronome style players (Pirlo/Honda) in the last week or so, must be some truth to us looking for a another midfield link man.

I'm not so sure we should be trying 433 again, it didn't work too well in the opening games.

The Pirlo rumour is for next season, isn't it? I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out we're only being linked with him to put pressure on Juve to get him a new contract.

Personally, I don't think our problem is a lack of a Modric type player, we're getting the ball forward to our wide players and Eriksen well enough(generally) but we're just missing that spark and knowledge of eachother's game in the final third, which will come with time(I hope!). I like the system we play but we could do with having some more width at times and I see no reason why the players we have can't provide that.

I might've veered off topic a bit but my general point is that I don't think it's new personnel we need but for AVB to start earning his corn and getting the attacking players we have working.

 

[fatpiranha]

I've always liked Honda and on a free it looks like a no-brainer but i've been disappointed the last few times I watched him. Perhaps playing in Russia has demotivated him a bit and there's still a fine player in there. The problem is though, if he is no longer the player he used to be, on those wages he still represents a gamble. As we have discovered with Adebayor we won't be able to sell him on if nobody want to buy him or the player is happy to stay and collect a large wedge for nothing.

 

[only1waddle]

I'm not so sure we should be trying 433 again, it didn't work too well in the opening games.

The Pirlo rumour is for next season, isn't it? I wouldn't be at all surprised if it turns out we're only being linked with him to put pressure on Juve to get him a new contract.

Personally, I don't think our problem is a lack of a Modric type player, we're getting the ball forward to our wide players and Eriksen well enough(generally) but we're just missing that spark and knowledge of each other's game in the final third, which will come with time(I hope!). I like the system we play but we could do with having some more width at times and I see no reason why the players we have can't provide that.

I might've veered off topic a bit but my general point is that I don't think it's new personnel we need but for AVB to start earning his corn and getting the attacking players we have working.

I think the lack of a Modric style player is exactly why the 433 didn't work so well.

 

[DaSpurs]

I think the lack of a Modric style player is exactly why the 433 didn't work so well.

I think the problem is the absurdly high line we play. It works great defensively. But as you may have noticed both the last two seasons, once we win the ball back in the midfield and turn towards our opponent's goal, we're already facing a stacked box or one that is easily stacked by the time we get there due to compression.

 

[EQP]

Would absolutely love to see Honda here. Would potentially mean the end of the line for Siggy tho, unless he gets on a scoring run and we decide to abandon the Honda deal altogether.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Like Honda a lot but if we are looking to add anyone it should be a right footed inside left forward of superstar quality. Eriksen, Lamela and Holtby all need to play as much as possible if we want them to develop into superstars, it won't happen if they are playing once every two weeks or constantly out of position. Honda would demand a central starting role especially if there are clubs such as Milan and Monaco after him. We do not need another left footed attacking midfielder ATM. I would like us to use some of hat Bale money and go for Remy Cabella or El Shaarawy.

 

[bceej]

How much Russian football and Japan internationals do you guys watch? I haven't seen much of him but he didn't look all that in the Confed Cup. Like others, I'm not really fussed about us signing another player that likes to play in the 3 of a 4231, free transfer or not.

Show me a left back and an out and out striker in January and if we don't get top 4 then it's the manager we need to look at, not a lack quality attacking mids and wingers.

In the game against Brazil I think he lost the ball (dribbling and passing) about 4 times, yet was always driving forward, looking for a pass. Think he'll be going to Milan anyway, as he has come out and said this at some point.

Agreed that we should focus on shoring up the defence.

 

[SFCS]

I think the lack of a Modric style player is exactly why the 433 didn't work so well.

Possibly but I'm not so sure. I saw it as a problem in our final third again, except there was also a lack of anyone getting close to our striker. You look at our games since playing 4231 and Sigurdsson, Eriksen and Soldado have all been positioned together for our goals. I look at our midfield options and see a squad far better suited to playing 433. Sigurdsson, Holtby and Eriksen are all best off as number 10s so it'd be strange not to play one of them in their favoured position whilst Townsend and Lamela are the only of our wingers I can see as working well in a 433 but they all work in a 4231.

 

[TheAmerican]

I don't think Honda can play the Modric role, he is too direct. The only players that could give us something close to Modric (and be attainable to us) would be Rakitic (Sevilla), Benat (Athletic) or Banega (Valencia). Otherwise, we will have to buy young and develop someone (like Muaniain).

My opinion of course.

 

[michaelden]

He will pay for himself in shirt sales 10x over!