McGeady linked with a return - I’d imagine there might be something to this. He certainly needs to leave and I doubt Everton want much for him. I’d expect a couple of lower EPL teams to think about him too though.
Kristoffer Ajer, a 17-year-old Norwegian midfielder with Start is coming for a week-long trial. This seems to be fairly certain, though it’s only a trial. He has 45 appearances already at the age of 17 so I guess he has something about him. We certainly don’t need another attacking midfielder but no idea what his style is.
AS are reporting we’ve bid for 28 year old Basque striker Borja Viguera who plays for Athletic Bilbao. Here’s a compilation of all his goals for Athletic:
Deila denied we had any interest in Viguera apparently. We’re now linked with Wout Weghorst instead. He’s a 23 year old Dutch striker. 6’5" - 6 goals in 16 appearances this season; 8 in 31 last season.
Yeah I agree. If he’s a decent player then fine, Zlatan is tall. But we seem desperate to buy a tall striker even though we don’t play with natural wingers usually and we rarely play it long from the back. The likes of Scepovic wasn’t really good enough, and wasn’t strong enough really, but a goal scorer like that needs a chance to play with someone. The good form of Griffiths is masking our deficiencies.
I could on a big long rant about my gripes with Deila at the minute so I will try and condense them into bullet points:
His refusal to drop Johansen irrespective of form, he’s a decent player but has been woeful this season and doesn’t deserve his spot
Most of all his refusal to pick a formation that suits the players at his disposal 4-3-1-2 or even alter the cunting 4-2-3-1 he has had since day 1 which clearly is not working. This is the crux of all our problems, a 4-3-1-2 would give far more defensive stability to the team and carry a greater goal threat
The endless chance offered to Ambrose to redeem himself in contrast with ostracizing Stokes who has been brilliant for us since he joined
For January, I would most of all like a cull of the shit in our squad, I couldn’t care less who we signed if we could offload dross like Armstrong, GMS, McGregor, Ambrose, Janko, Boerrigter, Blackett, Cole etc.
I think yer man Christie is going to turn out to be another piece of garbage.
Linked with Erik Sviatchenk. A 24 year old Danish international centre back. Regular with FC Midtjylland. Seems like the sort of profile player we should be going after anyway.
This seems to be at medical stage so I’ve watched a few videos. He looks good. Not slow, though it’s hard to tell, good in the air, a goal threat, seems good on the ball and he is really 2 footed. Hits long raking passes with both feet.
Good stuff, think we will be much more solid when we get a competent partner for Jozo.
We should just return Blackett back now.
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Agreed but we need at least one defensive midfielder, possibly two. And I think (as I know you do) that we badly need to revisit the system. Even when Bitton and Brown are there - they’re both good players but neither are brilliant defensively. Imagine those two playing ahead of Wanyama - we’d be rock solid. Brown’s combative style of play suggests he’s more defensive-minded than he is. He’s too much of an all action player to have in there as a real screener. Bitton holds the shape much more but even then we rely on him on the ball an awful lot so he gets pulled up field and leaves us vulnerable on the break. Part of that problem is caused by the fact our wingers are often redundant and our #10 gets caught playing too far upfield.
I agree, the goal we conceded last night was evident of our malaise, Johansen isn’t good enough to play there. We only have Brown and Bitton who can do that job and as you said they’re probably not naturals, Allan could definitely play deeper as well and I hope he gets a few more opportunities.
We need to move on about 4 of those no.10 players - I’d keep Rogic, Commons and Johansen and get rid of GMS, McGregor and Armstrong. If we’re going to play with wide players then buy wide players and stop playing guys like Commons, Armstrong and Johansen out on the wing. Forrest is the only natural wide player we have.
