Kalidou Koulibaly

Coatigan said:
Are we? Does it? Is there even a transfer there to speak of, let alone be protracted?

It is all complete speculation, the interest never mind any approach, which to date hasn't happened.

We played as much of a part in that summer's 'mess' and how it turned out, however the player played the biggest part. That isn't me criticising Tixi, it is just a comment on what happened.

I personally would have no issue with the club decided not to do business with Napoli, i just don't think it is true nor can anyone claim it with such certainty, based on very third hand interpretation of fourth hand rumours.

All part of a waiting game of bluff and bluster, it won't happen till the last minute, if it does at all.
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You are taking all the fun out of the transfer window...:)
 
skyblues said:
Rumours are we officially reached out to Napoli but I don’t trust anything until Fabrizio says it.

Aké - Laporte - Koulibaly - Walker

I doubt we’ll concede at all with a line-up like this.
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Ake is not a fullback and no rarely is it true players can play to a decent standard in multiple positions
 
kaz7 said:
Ake is not a fullback and no rarely is it true players can play to a decent standard in multiple positions
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He has actually played an entire season in the Premier League at full back, when he was at Watford.

Ake is a strange case - he was a DM when he was at Chelsea (in the youth team, and in his very limited first team appearances), then a full back at Watford - and only started being played regularly at CB when at Bournemouth.

He was 21 by that stage, so had spent his entire development career to that point being played anywhere but CB.

Given how Pep asks his full backs to tuck into central positions when we're attacking up the pitch, Ake has all the attributes to fill that side of the role perfectly.

He definitely won't provide the attacking threat Mendy has in him, but against teams where we want a more solid defensive option, he'd actually be a very good choice at left back.
 
Gabriel said:
I doubt there’s a team in the world that would agree to Napoli’s starting price for any player. It’s the final selling price that matters.
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True but I am still not convinced that Napoli will budge that much, even if they haven't qualified for next season's Champions League and could with the cash.
 
RayCTID said:
True but I am still not convinced that Napoli will budge that much, even if they haven't qualified for next season's Champions League and could with the cash.
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Well, I guess they could survive on their match day ticket sales and takings in the midst of an economic catastrophe... ;-)

It’s not just the lack of Champions League that will drive the price down.

I imagine the negotiations will be a bit like this:

cfaf04a5965aab2d94e794c4bb08523b56e9b51c.png
 
I'm hoping this is all posturing by De Laurentiis but I suspect out of sheer stubbornness he won't budge by much.

Don't forget this is not a run of the mill chairman we're dealing with it & he can get emotional with the mid season team mutiny as the most recent example. He made his money & probably identifies himself first as a film producer, rather than football chairman.
 
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He was clumsy and errorprone before Sarri and it seems some of that has come back since Sarri left.

I'm sure he'd be a vast improvement on the other RCBs we have but it's still quite a gamble for the money involved and his age
 
Diego Carlos has €75m release clause but he is not world class either.

No real bets out there.... shame our CB signings bar Laporte (and now hopefully Aké) have flopped. So it is what it is.
 
Nicholas van Whatsisface said:
He has actually played an entire season in the Premier League at full back, when he was at Watford.

Ake is a strange case - he was a DM when he was at Chelsea (in the youth team, and in his very limited first team appearances), then a full back at Watford - and only started being played regularly at CB when at Bournemouth.

He was 21 by that stage, so had spent his entire development career to that point being played anywhere but CB.

Given how Pep asks his full backs to tuck into central positions when we're attacking up the pitch, Ake has all the attributes to fill that side of the role perfectly.

He definitely won't provide the attacking threat Mendy has in him, but against teams where we want a more solid defensive option, he'd actually be a very good choice at left back.
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I stand corrected,thanks for that info
 
Nicholas van Whatsisface said:
He has actually played an entire season in the Premier League at full back, when he was at Watford.

Ake is a strange case - he was a DM when he was at Chelsea (in the youth team, and in his very limited first team appearances), then a full back at Watford - and only started being played regularly at CB when at Bournemouth.

He was 21 by that stage, so had spent his entire development career to that point being played anywhere but CB.

Given how Pep asks his full backs to tuck into central positions when we're attacking up the pitch, Ake has all the attributes to fill that side of the role perfectly.

He definitely won't provide the attacking threat Mendy has in him, but against teams where we want a more solid defensive option, he'd actually be a very good choice at left back.
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great analysis, im of the same thinking
 
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