Technical Director Watch - Johan Lange

[fishhhandaricecake]

The young players we've bought have mostly been impressive.

Solanke has been a good centre forward for us with the qualities the team needed. There have been a number of people suggesting Levy tried to veto the Solanke deal.

I think the current transfer strategy is to concentrate on 3 types of players:

1) young players on low salaries to develop. If we create a superstar then we'll pay the higher salary as we did with Son and Kane but overall this is a pretty low risk purchase.

2) The middling signing of players coming into their primes. Your Maddison, Bissouma etc. This will likely cost a bit of money but we'll focus on players who'll only ask for a reasonable salary. Hence why we'll buy a Johnson over a Palmer.

3) Ageing players on short salaries and can push out on a higher salary. At this stage Werner fits this mould.

The above model is a financially sustainable mode. It means we won't get stuck with an Ndombele on a very high salary with a long contract taking up money and a squad place. It also means we won't be buying the Palmer's of the world.

This model can work if the people in charge have a good eye for talent and know how to put a squad together.

But it does appear control freak Levy will never sit back and allow this to run as it should.

I watched the recent Lange interview and it seemed pretty clear that he'd been halted from making early signings.

Pretty sure he was just saying that players we wanted didn’t want to join right at the very start of the window.

 

[dontcallme]

Pretty sure he was just saying that players we wanted didn’t want to join right at the very start of the window.

Either my memory is becoming shit or I just completely misinterpreted that part of the interview when I first watched it.

 

[TheHodFather]

Pretty sure he was just saying that players we wanted didn’t want to join right at the very start of the window.

I'm wondering if I imagined it now, but in the press conference where Ange was talking about the Tel signing I'm sure he said there were one or two players that he'd spoken to this window but then decided not to pursue as he didn't think they'd be a good fit.

 

[Impspur1]

I see John Major when I see Lange

 

[dontcallme]

MSN

Not the most credible of sources but suggestions his job might not be very safe.

 

[Booney]

Oooh…new scapegoat claxon

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

The usual cycle then.

Levy hires the sporting director and manager. Results suffer and they get the boot, it’s never the person that hired them fault is it dear Daniel.

 

[sidford]

Yea it's always the people that Levy employs who are in the wrong....

 

[Albertbarich]

MSN

Not the most credible of sources but suggestions his job might not be very safe.

It’s quoting John we ham who is Lilywhite Rose on X. He definitely has contacts, all about the youth team and seems to follow those as much as he does the first.

He is no troll either way.

 

[Misfit]

Wot? His remit is promising youngsters and quite frankly, the Yamal's of this world aside, we've just two of the most promising anywhere on the planet, with a couple of others who look like they might be handy in time.

Give him a phat budget and I'm sure he could repeat the trick with a couple of senior signing as well.

 

[Hotspur33]

The usual cycle then.

Levy hires the sporting director and manager. Results suffer and they get the boot, it’s never the person that hired them fault is it dear Daniel.

Not gonna sack himself is he.

 

[mil1lion]

Probably will end up with Paratici again in the summer.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Wot? His remit is promising youngsters and quite frankly, the Yamal's of this world aside, we've just two of the most promising anywhere on the planet, with a couple of others who look like they might be handy in time.

Give him a phat budget and I'm sure he could repeat the trick with a couple of senior signing as well.

Agree. Apart from Dragusin I really don’t think he’s made any dud signings.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Probably will end up with Paratici again in the summer.

I certainly wouldn’t be against this. Just don’t let him select the manager.

 

[G Ron]

Probably will end up with Paratici again in the summer.

Pretty sure that’s exactly where this is heading.

 

[TEESSIDE1]

Pretty sure that’s exactly where this is heading.

Lange comes across as a nice guy whereas Fabio is an alpha. Lange hasn’t to our eyes done anything wrong but Fabio is what you want and need in a highly competitive transfer market.

 

[Westmorlandspur]

Agree. Apart from Dragusin I really don’t think he’s made any dud signings.

Paratici was quite possibly involved in that as he originally bought Dragon for Juve as an 18yr old from Romania.

 

[ripley]

Pretty sure that’s exactly where this is heading.

Milan leaning towards Italian overhaul: Paratici and Allegri links intensify - Football Italia - March 10 latest

Milan are due to meet with potential candidates for their vacant sporting director role in the coming days, including former Juventus and Tottenham executive

football-italia.net

 

[Yiddo100]

Hard to fully know how good/bad Lange has been without knowing what his remit actually is. If the remit was to sign young European players with high potential then he’s not done bad, if it’s to build a good CL quality squad then he’s bought the wrong players.

 

[fecka]

Can't say I'm surprised. There were question marks around Lange's squad building at Villa and that seemingly hasn't changed with us, even if he's been a part of signing some incredibly exciting youngsters.

But as some are saying, without knowing what his remit is it's difficult to fairly judge his work.