Oh I agree, its never going to be anything other then a gimmick even if they try to buy themselves into the CL or some super league nonsense. I don't think anyone is going to start following it beyond player fanboys as you say. But obviously from their perspective the more established foreign players they bring in the more legitimate their league becomes (in their eyes at least).
At least the Chinese SL had fans inside the stadiums.
True, but competition… if there’s a Saudi league game at 3… but down the road there’s a beheading at 3:30…
I actually think RW is our bigger need. Johnson he's clearly there to play LW and I'm happy with solomun as back up but we have no RW back up and I think Kulu can be upgraded.
He signed a relatively long new contract towards the end of the summer. Not sure how restrictive that would be to a move but seems to suggest he is staying at Rennes for at least this season.
Back in the late 70s and early 80s I spent time working in Yemen and used to go to watch football matches in Sana’a. The admission cost was around 25p but usually waived because “you are a guest in our country”. The players were not very skilled but played hard on dreadful pitches (basically rolled earth with many stones) and the fans were proper football supporters - engaged, vocal and enthusiastic.
I guess there the question tho of if Johnson is playing LW because that's where Ange see's him long term or because thats the position that is currently free. Guess time will tell, these guys have all been talked about but ether way id happily go with any of..
If the hojbjerg links to juve are true I’d hope we’d use that to negotiate for chiesa, if again it’s true their open to selling him, but in reality if we went down that road iling would be the deal we’d more likely look at
Would be more the happy if we went back for him
‘One of the secret players’... Fabrizio Romano says Tottenham quietly tried to sign ‘very talented’ player
Giorgio Scalvini has just been crowned the best young player in Italy, and the future looks bright for the defender.tbrfootball.com
Possibly one of the most exciting young CB in world football. At 19 this is already his second full season starting for Atalanta. He was already getting a lot of game time in 21/22. He’s tall and right footed, he has exceptional awareness and reads the game incredibly well for someone so young. In Italy they view him as the true heir to Maldini, seriously they think he is one of the most talented young Italian players in years. His potential is through the roof. Although he is right footed he can play ether right or left comfortably. He’s comfortable on the ball although his dribbling needs refining (not that he’s bad at all) and he’s technically good all round. His passing is good and he has an eye for it. In general he likes to get forward and join attacks. He’s also fast so if he does get caught out he has the recovery pace plus his long legs mean he can snatch the ball of an opponent when he shouldn’t be able to. Whenever he gets the ball of an opponent he is always looking to move the ball forward fast. He will often push high up the pitch and you will see him making tackles in the opposite half regularly.
totalfootballanalysis.com
Possibly one of the most exciting young CB in world football. At 19 this is already his second full season starting for Atalanta. He was already getting a lot of game time in 21/22. He’s tall and right footed, he has exceptional awareness and reads the game incredibly well for someone so young. In Italy they view him as the true heir to Maldini, seriously they think he is one of the most talented young Italian players in years. His potential is through the roof. Although he is right footed he can play ether right or left comfortably. He’s comfortable on the ball although his dribbling needs refining (not that he’s bad at all) and he’s technically good all round. His passing is good and he has an eye for it. In general he likes to get forward and join attacks. He’s also fast so if he does get caught out he has the recovery pace plus his long legs mean he can snatch the ball of an opponent when he shouldn’t be able to. Whenever he gets the ball of an opponent he is always looking to move the ball forward fast. He will often push high up the pitch and you will see him making tackles in the opposite half regularly.
He is still very young tho and with that sometimes his decision making can catch him out. He will sometimes play a little too risky a pass or try to do too much resulting in a turn over. As a defender at a basic level he is a natural but sometimes his decision making needs work, he can be a little rash at times and gives away the odd foul. But he’s 19 you have to remember. This is only to be expected but probably why he hasn’t moved to one of the big boys yet.
I’ve mentioned Scalvini on here over the last two summers as someone I’d love us to sign. Essentially he has all the potential to be one of the best, if not THE best, defenders in world. His maturity and understanding for the game at his age is astounding tbh even if he does give away the odd foul. Honestly his anticipation is one of his biggest strengths. This is why Atalanta would require a huge fee, they know what they have on their hands. TBH if he’s not at City, PSG, Chelsea or RM in the next two seasons once he’s developed a little more I’d be gobsmacked.
Here’s a far more detailed report and a standard YouTube sizzle reel.
Giorgio Scalvini: Why Atalanta must hold on to the elite defender
Read our tactical analysis scout report of Giorgio Scalvini and his role in Atalanta's tactics. This is our tactical analysis scout report of Giorgio Scalvini and his role in the tactics of Gian Piero Gasperini.
Especially now our Italian DoF and Head Scout have moved on.
