Coates - 7M, Mertesacker - £8M, Savic - £7M

T T

The Fat el Hombre

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Fees there or thereabouts. Now first off, let me say that I've seen very very little any of these three players, so I'm not in a place to judge but other people on here might be. Just looking at the players pedigree - Savic is only 20 but is a full international with 7 caps and 2 goals, so looks like he might have a lot of potential. He's 6 foot 1 and fairly comfortable on the ball and looks assured but his build is maybe a little slight at the moment. Obviously he'll get bigger but he lookes like an ectomorph to me so I doubt he'll ever be a beast.

Coates is also 20 and a full international with 5 caps for Uruguay. At 6"6 he's a beast and with him being the Copa América Best Young Player: 2011 he's obviously got a bit of talent about him.

Then there's Mertesacker - about to turn 27, 6"6 and already a whopping 75 caps for Germany. From what I've read in various places people are saying he might not be suited to the prem because of a severe lack of pace.

Now my point is this - with the other 2 centre halves going to arsenal and liverpool and with us currently being the far more desirable option than those two (despite what deluded scousers will spout and yes I know Coates is mates with Suarez but in the real world that wouldn't have meant dick), did we pick the right centre half? With Coates and Savic being the same age that's going to be a fairly straight forward comparison but maybe only time will tell, but with Mertesacker there looks to me as though there is a ready made, experienced centre half who could possibly have slotted in very well next to Vinny? Lescott appears to be the weakest link in the team at the moment and maybe signing a ready made centre half like Mertesacker would have benefitted us the most? If you're looking more long term (and Bob obviously is), then maybe Coates would have been the better option as by all accounts he has huge potential and his much bigger build may make him an instant force in the prem ala Phil Jones (who I haven't included in this comparison due to the much higher fee), unlike Savic who might need a bit of beefing up.

Obviously I have faith in Mancini and the scouting system but I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on this and these players?
 
Start by watching Arsenal vs. Partizan. Savic, even though playing out of position at right back, kept Nasri & Co. in his back pocket in the biggest of all club stages, the Champions League. Remember that he was very highly rated before coming here.
 
Time will tell between Coates and Savic, though what i have seen of Savic is that he does look aggressive in the Vidic mould, and also similar size. Not a fan of the german, ok in the german league where its a bit more technical, think he will def get caught for pace in the premier. I have watched Boateng a couple of times for Bayern and he seems to be strolling it, never under much pressure, in the Premier he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

The difference here is that Mertesacker and Coates have been bought to go straight into the team, whereas Savic will prob be 4th choice once Kolo is available, this gives him time to adjust and grow into the position and league. I think if we needed to get someone to go straight into the team we would have made a bid for Cahill.
 
Lescott is playing very well and a fully proven premier league player and we have Kolo in reserve (plus Micah can move over if we have a crisis) so a player more for the future sounds right to me.

Fed up of hearing about Lescott being the weak link. I just don't think he is.
 
jjeangi said:
Start by watching Arsenal vs. Partizan. Savic, even though playing out of position at right back, kept Nasri & Co. in his back pocket in the biggest of all club stages, the Champions League. Remember that he was very highly rated before coming here.
Click to expand...

That's a bit narrow minded though mate. You're pointing to one game - liverpool fans will point to Coates winning the Copa América Best Young Player: 2011 and arsenal fans will point to Mertresackers 75 caps.

IBlue said:
Time will tell between Coates and Savic, though what i have seen of Savic is that he does look aggressive in the Vidic mould, and also similar size. Not a fan of the german, ok in the german league where its a bit more technical, think he will def get caught for pace in the premier. I have watched Boateng a couple of times for Bayern and he seems to be strolling it, never under much pressure, in the Premier he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

The difference here is that Mertesacker and Coates have been bought to go straight into the team, whereas Savic will prob be 4th choice once Kolo is available, this gives him time to adjust and grow into the position and league. I think if we needed to get someone to go straight into the team we would have made a bid for Cahill.
Click to expand...

I thought that Boateng would be the dogs - full international, comfortable on the ball, tall, fast but just did not have the balls or the aggression. I still think he has all the physical skills to be a top player though. Boateng is proof of what an important attribute aggression can be in particular for a centre half in this league, so I hope that Savic is aggressive like you say

Mertesacker was obviously brought in to hit the ground running, but with skrtel, carragher and agger I'd say coates is pretty like for like with our signing of Savic
 
Coates i think is a really good prospect, would have liked us to have got him tbh, he isn't slow neither for his height

I watch alot of bundesliga games on ESPN and Mertesacker despite his height seems to get beat in the air alot and he makes stupid decisions at times- Not a good signing IMO and he lost he place in the Germany squad to Badstuber(who has improved ALOT and Hummels who is Germany's best CB)

Savic looks very composed, havent really seen him that much in pressure situations to comment. looks a good prospect though.
 
Mertesacker is like Bambi on ice when trying to mark a quick forward with the ball on the pitch. Arsenal need him as a presence. We have a powerful enough squad as it is.
 
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