Neymar

[alexmcity]

It makes zero sense. Bernie can leave if he wants and we will not block it, which is what the article claims.

And certainly if the PSG offer was Neymar.

You don't make an offer for a house but also stipulate it must include the next door neighbour too.

Of course a club can offer a swap deal, and a high profile swap deal can happen as history shows.

Bernie can leave if a club meets our valuation. A Neymar-Bernardo deal doesn't make sense from our perspective. In other words, it doesn't meet our valuation.

 

[WallyA]

There are few complete ones.

Recently, the highly rated fullbacks are the attacking ones. We are even seeing wingers turned into fullbacks for this reason (Alfonso Davies).

Defensive fullbacks are dying out, and probably coinciding with why we see back 3 systems more to facilitate these attacking fullbacks.

Defensive fullbacks like Walker are exceptionally rare and probably not something we should be building towards for this reason.

Name a couple world class full-backs we could have signed in recent seasons?

Defensively sound ones at that?

 

[Coatigan]

I'm well aware we've bought LB's, but the only specialist one I can recall is Mendy. Angelino was brought back to the club, but dispensed with within a season IIRC. This meant in the intervening period up until now, we've applied a mend & make do approach to LB which I don't agree with. It's that simple.

At RB we have Walker & Cancelo. At LB we HAD Mendy & Zinchenko. The way many are talking, they'd be happy with only Cucu arriving, with Cancelo, Aké & Laporté filling in again.

Maybe that'll be a way of keeping Cancelo playing & happy with his game time, but again what happens if injuries strike like they did in the final 6 weeks of the season?

I just don't get our apathy for having 2 quality LB's in a world class squad competing over 60+ games per season (hopefully) on four fronts? )(

How many RBs have we bought since Walker?

 

[hilts]

I'm well aware we've bought LB's, but the only specialist one I can recall is Mendy. Angelino was brought back to the club, but dispensed with within a season IIRC. This meant in the intervening period up until now, we've applied a mend & make do approach to LB which I don't agree with. It's that simple.

At RB we have Walker & Cancelo. At LB we HAD Mendy & Zinchenko. The way many are talking, they'd be happy with only Cucu arriving, with Cancelo, Aké & Laporté filling in again.

Maybe that'll be a way of keeping Cancelo playing & happy with his game time, but again what happens if injuries strike like they did in the final 6 weeks of the season?

I just don't get our apathy for having 2 quality LB's in a world class squad competing over 60+ games per season (hopefully) on four fronts? )(

I agree I don't believe you need 2 players for every position except in defense. I certainly think having 4 fullbacks with at least 2 who can actually defend is a very good idea. Walker Cancelo Curucello and Zinchenko would be ideal if we could pull it off.

Conceding too many goals in europe has been our problem. In many games you can get away with Cancelo and Zinchenko just not some of the big ones.

 

[Dribble]

Name a couple world class full-backs we could have signed in recent seasons?

Defensively sound ones at that?

There were loads mentioned. Alaba, Davies, Hernandez, Bernat, Guerreiro there's loads who we've missed out on or not pursued in the past.

My point isn't about the past which we can't affect, it's about the coming season. We've been linked with Cucu, & Raum & Sosa have been mentioned in dispatches as competition/backup.

If we've got such a world class scouting network, are you seriously suggesting sourcing two decent LB's in a global population of 7.5bn people is beyond us? :-|

 

[Dribble]

I agree I don't believe you need 2 players for every position except in defense. I certainly think having 4 fullbacks with at least 2 who can actually defend is a very good idea. Walker Cancelo Curucello and Zinchenko would be ideal if we could pull it off.

Conceding too many goals in europe has been our problem. In many games you can get away with Cancelo and Zinchenko just not some of the big ones.

And Zinchenko's now gone to Arsenal, so now we're down to we're still at zero because after Mendy, all we had left were a midfielder, & right & centre backs who could cover LB.

As you say, we can get away with it in 95% of games, but it's when it comes to the Dippers, Chelsea, Real, Bayern, PSG's et al where we tend to come undone. At the highest level, it only takes one slip up & we're out.

 

[Dribble]

How many RBs have we bought since Walker?

Danilo & Cancelo IIRC. Why?

 

[Manx Blue]

Which world class left-backs?

Real Madrid held on to Marcelo for a decade for a reason.

Give me four our five that were either available or not at an elite club already.

I'm not disputing left back is an issue for us, just that the world class solutions haven't been there.

To me we don't need a World Class Left Back.

We need someone a bit better than solid and steady, who elevates where we are, who will minimise errors but provide an option going forward. Razor sharp Pace is handy.

The most important thing is they intigrate/ partipate in the squad ethic.

 

[hilts]

And Zinchenko's now gone to Arsenal, so now we're down to we're still at zero because after Mendy, all we had left were a midfielder, & right & centre backs who could cover LB.

As you say, we can get away with it in 95% of games, but it's when it comes to the Dippers, Chelsea, Real, Bayern, PSG's et al where we tend to come undone. At the highest level, it only takes one slip up & we're out.

Didn't know he had gone or about to, tad gutted can't see us signing 2 left backs. We need the Brighton lad big time.

 

[WallyA]

There were loads mentioned. Alaba, Davies, Hernandez, Bernat, Guerreiro there's loads who we've missed out on or not pursued in the past.

My point isn't about the past which we can't affect, it's about the coming season. We've been linked with Cucu, & Raum & Sosa have been mentioned in dispatches as competition/backup.

If we've got such a world class scouting network, are you seriously suggesting sourcing two decent LB's in a global population of 7.5bn people is beyond us? :-|

I admire your attempt to make a list of defensive fullbacks but in doing so perhaps made tolmies point.

Bernat and Guerreiro are not good defensively, ask bayern or dortmund fans.

Alaba is a rare hybrid of a player who can play many positions.


The other 2 are very fast like Walker that is closer to the type of player you would want, they are indeed hard to find.

You would have better luck converting a fast winger to a fullback in this way imo.