Kalidou Koulibaly

I have the feeling - and good hope - that Txiki & Co. want to have a player fully on board before entering high stake negotiations from now on. Sanchez and Jorginho surely have hurt.

So, returning to that Napoli snake again tells me Koulibaly wants to join us, otherwise we wouldn't go that road again.

Look how good that has worked out with Ferran today, he obviously was keen joining and then negotiations are a lot easier.

Hope I'm right and he wants to join as well.

Less concerned about the willingness to join and more concerned about the ability to meet expectations. I admittedly wanted de Ligt last summer because I felt his youth, in time, would justify the extraordinary outlay. Koulibaly would give us an imposing physical presence immediately, and having listened to him it's evident that he has it upstairs to do well, but I do find the outlay for a 29-year-old a tad rich.
 
Don't know if it's just me, but the more people whine and woman about the prospect of us signing someone who's been regarded as one of the best defenders in the world for years, the more I want him to sign for us.
I know what you mean mate, posters going on and on, yadda yadda yadda.

For the record my 'maybe he is just shit' post was based on absolutely nothing and was in fact me being a dick.
 
In truth, I think he is a decent player, but I do fear that he might not live up to our expectations. let alone the price tag. The amount being bandied about is as much as we paid for Otamendi and Mangala together, so we'd expect something special. The fact that he will be deemed Kompany's replacement just heaps more on his shoulders.
Defensively he isn't the rock everyone is hoping for. He's decent, but he'd be exposed time to time. If we do get him it's because there really isn't any decent defenders that are also capable with their feet. He played under Sarri and so does have experience in playing out from the back. It's of high value they can do this in our team. It's the reason why Garcia plays ahead of Ota, Stones and Dinho. It's the reason Pep tried to go for Bouncci or requiring a GK like Ederson or Bravo. You could have a defender who is a beast at defending, but if they can't kick the ball we won't be in for them.
 
Defensively he isn't the rock everyone is hoping for. He's decent, but he'd be exposed time to time. If we do get him it's because there really isn't any decent defenders that are also capable with their feet. He played under Sarri and so does have experience in playing out from the back. It's of high value they can do this in our team. It's the reason why Garcia plays ahead of Ota, Stones and Dinho. It's the reason Pep tried to go for Bouncci or requiring a GK like Ederson or Bravo. You could have a defender who is a beast at defending, but if they can't kick the ball we won't be in for them.

If he signs, I'll certainly feel for him. Just like Bernardo and Jesus, there'll be an extra layer of expectation on him that other signings might not endure, but I think he's mature enough to step up to the challenge. If we also tighten up the midfield defensive cover this summer, then his task will be made much easier.
 
He hasn't looked happy to me. The infectious smile hasn't been seen as much this season

And that business with the scouse guard of honour… although hilarious at the time... it's just not Bernardo's style

I thought that was *very* Bernardo. He's a shithouse and the fans love him for it
 

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