bluesince76
Well-Known Member
Agree Ric. Personally not excited at the prospect of him signing at all. Still hope we don’t. But he knows the premier league and nobody will convince me he isn’t a better option than Mangala. And with Stones out of form he may get a chance even sooner unless Vinny manages to get himself fit.
Don't think Stones is out of form - first two games back he had to play with Bravo and Mangala, which is a combination that would have tested Maldini and a player at left back who's clearly trying to work it out. The Burnley goal was just one of those things, if he'd caught the ball an inch differently, it'd have been no more than a hoofed ball into the stand. Against Bristol, it was a daft tackle to make, but it was Mangala's mistake that put him in that position and did he trust Bravo to make a save if he stood off the player?
Against Liverpool there were mistakes, especially in that 10 minutes, but Ottamendi wasn't much better at that point.
Hopefully a full week of training will help him get back to where he was before the injury, which was definitely the best English defender and possibly the best defender in the league.
As for Evans, a safer pair of hands than Mangala, but that's not much praise. I can't believe there's not a better option available at the prices quoted, but let's hope he's someone who Pep wants and not someone recommended by the same scout that found Mangala.