Kalidou Koulibaly

I've never seen a centre back charge down the opposition goalkeeper before, I'll give him that!

We need someone who brings a calming influence to the defence. Koulibaly looked out of form, erratic and low on confidence last night.

If the club decide he's the best player to partner Laporte then obviously he gets full support and hopefully he'll be a great signing. He's vastly experienced and very highly rated, but at this point there are a few question marks about him and when you're talking about a £65 mill plus player that doesn't inspire confidence. I think people are entitled to be a bit concerned about that.
This is partially Gattuso's fault. Can't see Pep letting our CB's doing similar things like being out of position like that. The truth lies somewhere in the middle with KK. He'd be better under Pep, but isn't the world beater everyone was thinking. He's not worth 80mil. More like 50mil tops. If Napoli isn't willing to drop his value then move on to Diego Carlos or someone else.
 
He adds height, a touch of pace (not much though) and strength to a backline that has missed these things this year without Kompany. How many times last season did Pep favour starting Kompany against the bigger and more physical attackers? Plenty. He also has plenty of skill on the ball and has previously played at a very high level, albeit in Italy.

I'm sure these are the attributes he has been scouted for and that Pep has identified we need. Sadly it does not look like he is the kind of bloke to marshal a defence but hopefully Laporte and Ake can step up in that regard.

Personally I'm not convinced paying what Napoli want for a 29 year old with those question marks over him is good business, but if the club believe it is I will trust them - and lets face it with Skriniar/Dias having a bad year there isn't much else out there right now.

Pau Torres is another left footer and we don't need a third. That leaves Diego Carlos who may look great, but he was a laughing stock for a long time in a faster more physical league in Brazil, and really only has one good season in Europe under his belt. Since he'll cost largely the same I can see why he is only considered a backup.
 
A couple of years ago I was a big fan of KK, however, from what I’ve seen this past season, granted only maybe 6 or so games I haven’t seen the same player. I used to be impressed by his reading of the game and his decision making, his passing was excellent. I don’t know if he’s just had a poor season with a dip in form. But if the club decide he’s a player they want, who am I to argue.
 
This is partially Gattuso's fault. Can't see Pep letting our CB's doing similar things like being out of position like that. The truth lies somewhere in the middle with KK. He'd be better under Pep, but isn't the world beater everyone was thinking. He's not worth 80mil. More like 50mil tops. If Napoli isn't willing to drop his value then move on to Diego Carlos or someone else.

Doubt that Gattuso advised that, though I’m sure he admired the sentiment. Think Koulibaly felt responsible and sensed a need to drive his teammates up the park.
Agree with the price, but if we cannot land him and he is our number one target, then I’m not sure there is another viable alternative.
 
Apart from Laporte he’s better than what we currently have even if he isn’t as good as previous years but I’m another one in the Soyuncu camp. Quick,brave,excellent in the air,good on the ball and Prem proven only 24 so could be world class under Peps guidance.
 
De Laurentis has always proved a very tough negotiator in previous transfer dealings with Napoli and it will cost us very heavily to sign this player so we better be sure we are getting a top class player at his peak if we are going to complete his signature. I've no objection to signing him so long as we know precisely what we are getting for the money. If he costs close to VVD money then he better be THAT good or damn near it.
 
Doubt that Gattuso advised that, though I’m sure he admired the sentiment. Think Koulibaly felt responsible and sensed a need to drive his teammates up the park.
Agree with the price, but if we cannot land him and he is our number one target, then I’m not sure there is another viable alternative.
Yeah but Pep is a lot more structured and position for all the players is important. When playing out from the back the position of all the players allows more passing options so he may not have gotten caught on the ball like how he did against Messi. Some of those things gets sussed out in training so he wouldn't be wandering in the midfield susceptible to counter attacks.
 
Yeah but Pep is a lot more structured and position for all the players is important. When playing out from the back the position of all the players allows more passing options so he may not have gotten caught on the ball like how he did against Messi. Some of those things gets sussed out in training so he wouldn't be wandering in the midfield susceptible to counter attacks.

Can’t remember exactly, but I think they were already two down at that point and nobody in the midfield was showing the same desire. To me it showed leadership and probably a desire to atone.

Walker often does similar in games. He chases/sprints deep into the opposition half to drag a man back or push a midfielder outside his comfort zone. It‘s a psychological marker to intimidate the opposition and gee up the crowd. Don’t think Guardiola opposes it as long as someone drops to cover.
 
De Laurentis has always proved a very tough negotiator in previous transfer dealings with Napoli and it will cost us very heavily to sign this player so we better be sure we are getting a top class player at his peak if we are going to complete his signature. I've no objection to signing him so long as we know precisely what we are getting for the money. If he costs close to VVD money then he better be THAT good or damn near it.

The other party can only be a tough negotiator if you let them. Name your price and give them time to say yes or no. If they say no to your best price - simply walk away. From the outside we don’t know the actual figures but if Napoli won’t accept €70m then we should just walk away and look elsewhere. We need a new CB but we are no ones fool.
 

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