8 hours ago, Davey Baby said:

 

Okay I respect your opinion and you obviously know more about his time at Juve than me. I would just respond with a few things. One, maybe we put in so few crosses partly because we haven't had anyone decent in the air. I'm sure we'll cross the ball a lot more with Llorente in there, and Morata for that matter, at least I hope we will. Two, he may lack pace but he has many other strengths, I would say he's strong in every other department, maybe apart from dribbling. Three, to me Batshuayi's all-round game looks weak, which I presume is why he hardly played last season. I'm not writing him off as he's clearly got something but he needs his all-round game to develop a lot more to earn the manager's trust and I'm not sure he'll get enough games next season in order for that to happen.

Batshuayi has really improved over last season imo, and that was with fairly limited minutes. I don't think he needs that season on loan, he has had 200 odd professional games. He looks like he has acclaimatized to the prem now, and I think he conte has got him playing more maturely. He still has flaws in his game, but nothing that can't be worked on. 

I do agree we should be looking to put more crosses in now we have morata, it would be crazy not to, but as @PedroMendez touched on. Llorente hasn't got the mobility to play up top on his own. 

I'd be happy for llorente to come in, under £20m seems fair, but I certainly wouldn't want him here at the expense of Batshuayi.

Batshuayi's hold up play once he's on the ball is good. That was already evident in the one pl game started in towards the end of last season. It was even more evident in the game against arsenal the other night.

Maybe he can be an important player for us this season. Might be.

Morata is unproven in this league so it's nice to have options.

I think the key words there are if the price is right. 30m is just ridiculous and I for one was put off by that. I'd love to have him as our 3rd choice but if we're paying 30m for a 3rd choice forward who has his best days behind him I think something has gone wrong

I never wanted Danilo here as I think he is not an upgrade on Moses but with us now willing to spend 30m on an old forward now makes me think signing Danilo for 30m instead would have been a very good business for us.

2 hours ago, ozboy said:

Morata is unproven in this league so it's nice to have options.

I find comments like this ridiculous, Morata has scored in a Champions League final. Yet people say we don't know if he is good enough for the premier league.

5 minutes ago, kiwi1691 said:

I find comments like this ridiculous, Morata has scored in a Champions League final. Yet people say we don't know if he is good enough for the premier league.

Ozzy vs Kiwi. The battle for the southern hemisphere rages on.

I find comments like this ridiculous, Morata has scored in a Champions League final. Yet people say we don't know if he is good enough for the premier league.

Suit yourself. Lots of great players find problems in one league or another. Doesn't even have to be on the field. Could be cultural, lonely.

Morata most likely will do just fine, but it is a different league. That cold and rainy night North of England way. Endless pressing.

Ozzy vs Kiwi. The battle for the southern hemisphere rages on.

As cartman once said,
RACE WAR

(All in jest obviously)

I find comments like this ridiculous, Morata has scored in a Champions League final. Yet people say we don't know if he is good enough for the premier league.

I don't find it ridiculous. If there is one thing that made me prefer Lukaku over Morata, it's because Lukaku have shown consistently that he can score goals for fun in the EPL. Shevchenko was a world class striker because he scored for fun in the champions league and Serie A but look at his impact when he came here, he looked average.

6 minutes ago, wallosh said:

I don't find it ridiculous. If there is one thing that made me prefer Lukaku over Morata, it's because Lukaku have shown consistently that he can score goals for fun in the EPL. Shevchenko was a world class striker because he scored for fun in the champions league and Serie A but look at his impact when he came here, he looked average.

That's a completely different situation.

Sheva was at the tail end of his career, Morata hasn't even reached his peak but is already very good.

 

 

18 minutes ago, wallosh said:

I don't find it ridiculous. If there is one thing that made me prefer Lukaku over Morata, it's because Lukaku have shown consistently that he can score goals for fun in the EPL. Shevchenko was a world class striker because he scored for fun in the champions league and Serie A but look at his impact when he came here, he looked average.

2 different players at different points in time with different set of circumstances.

How do you even compare?

Sheva was at the tail end of his career, Morata hasn't even reached his peak but is already very good.
 
 

Eto was at the end of his career when he came here same with Ibrahimovic when he went to United. They still scored goals in England but I rate Shevchenko over both of them!

16 hours ago, wallosh said:

I don't find it ridiculous. If there is one thing that made me prefer Lukaku over Morata, it's because Lukaku have shown consistently that he can score goals for fun in the EPL. Shevchenko was a world class striker because he scored for fun in the champions league and Serie A but look at his impact when he came here, he looked average.

Why compare a player we signed when he was 30 to a player who we have just signed who is 24? You'd be better off comparing Morata to Aguero coming to the premier league, not Shevchenko. Lukaku scored bags of goals in the premier league because . . . he has been playing in the Premier League, for mid-table teams nontheless. Morata has been playing for two powerhouses in world football and has done well for both. 

15 minutes ago, RMCM said:

Why compare a player we signed when he was 30 to a player who we have just signed who is 24? You'd be better off comparing Morata to Aguero coming to the premier league, not Shevchenko. Lukaku scored bags of goals in the premier league because . . . he has been playing in the Premier League, for mid-table teams nontheless. Morata has been playing for two powerhouses in world football and has done well for both. 

I don't agree with him and would have taken Morata over a 30 million cheaper Lukaku everyday. However, I believe his (Wallosh's) point was not to compare them (Morata and Sheva) but only to show that it can happen that Morata may find it hard (there are some precedents vs. none when a player was proven in the league). The flaw in that reasoning is that there are several instances of players failing while making a switch within the league - Torres, Benteke, Carroll immediately come to mind. I'm sure there are several others as well.

To take it back to Llorente.  Everything depends on the price. 

I think he'd be great value at 10 or 15m. Great connection with Morata, would give us another option when teams sit deep. Mainly as a second striker not to lead the line individually. 

But for 30 I'm not so sure. He also has a broken arm currently I think and is out for a while.

On 7/23/2017 at 22:06, Davey Baby said:

Llorente would be a terrific signing and we should all be praying he agrees to comes, knowing he would only be playing second fiddle to Morata. You have to look at the calibre of player you can attract for such a role and ask yourself if you can do better. Somebody who will accept their place in the pecking order with little fuss but come in and do a job when you need them. For me Llorente ticks all the boxes.

 

He's recently turned 32, which doesn't mean he's over-the-hill by any means, he could quite conceivably have another 2 or 3 years left in him at a high level, considering his game isn't about pace. Last year he was instrumental in Swansea staying up against all odds, scoring 15 goals in 33 appearances, which is a goal every other game playing for a weak side in a strong league which he was new to, meaning he doesn't constitute a risk because he's shown he can cut it in the Prem and he's also got experience of playing for a big club at the top level, both in domestic and European competition. Did anyone see him play? How can you complain? He was deeply impressive. Furthermore Conte knows him and if he wants to work with him again that should tell us a lot. So let's look at this, he's experienced, he knows the top level, he knows the Prem, he scores goals, the manager knows him and he can play. You're right, what a terrible idea.

 

Oh and he's Spanish so he'll have no problems acclimatising, seeing as everybody else in our squad is Spanish too. Oh and I almost forgot, he also has a fistful of medals. He knows what it takes to win.

 

Batshuayi needs a loan if we're going to go one up top which I suspect we are. He needs regular games in the Prem to develop and to give us any idea if he's good enough. He'll score goals, of that there's no doubt, but being the lone front man is about far more than that, especially in the modern game, otherwise everybody would be after Defoe or Chicarito. You need to have an all-round game, you need to be able to play with your back to goal, you need to know where to stand and where to run, you need to know how to create space for your teammates, you need to know how to link up with them, you need to know where to be and what to do in every moment of the game. You need intelligence and nous as well as a scoring instinct. You need to be able to take instruction, and this is where Batshuayi may be wanting. You only really learn by playing and maybe Conte feels he's not able to give him enough minutes at the moment so he needs to go some place else to learn, while we bring in somebody who already knows the role and who is only a short-term measure.

 

Morata's going to be our front-line striker. Bastshuayi's development will be stifled if he stays and he can't afford another season where he hardly plays, otherwise he has zero chance of ever fulfilling his potential. Of course there's also the possibility Conte wants three strikers next season as he may want the option of going two up top, in which case we should be even more keen for Llorente to come, as he'll know he's vying with two other strikers for a spot which would potentially make the move less desirable.

 

The front man is a reference point for the whole team, in Conte's own words. It's a key position, regardless of whether he's scoring or not. His performance dictates how the whole team plays, and performed properly it allows the whole team to play in the way the manager wants. Performed poorly however the team can only fail in imposing their style of play. Back-up striker is a key position within the squad, as you never know what's going to happen to your main striker, and for that reason the manager needs somebody he can rely on. If he thinks that guy is Llorente I think we should all be trusting his judgement.

 

Llorente would be a great addition to the squad in my opinion.

 

Edit: I've just remembered Remy, who is currently our third striker but will probably leave before the window shuts, a classic example of a player who will get you goals but is nowhere near good enough to perform up front on his own for a top side because his all-round game is nowhere near good enough.

Good to see you posting again Davey 

But despite the lengths you have gone to there, No, we don't need Llorente.

 

Yeah we don't need him and not at the ridiculous price being branded about. We have 2 strikers who score goals and a third would see next to no game time unless we had an injury ravaged season given we only play one up top. We have a wealth of young talent who could easily take the bench role. 

Id hope our efforts are in the wing back area at present and also out wide. 

16 minutes ago, Nibs said:

Good to see you posting again Davey 

But despite the lengths you have gone to there, No, we don't need Llorente.

 

 

Haha. Short and sweet.

 

And wrong as usual ;)

I would have liked Llorente a couple of seasons back. Not now. He has not been doing that well recently. But of course he has not been with the best of teams. He is getting on. But still at a age where he could do 2 good seasons or so. But like i say, He is not exactly in red hot form is he ?. So i would say, No do not bother.

2 hours ago, Chelsbear said:

Yeah we don't need him and not at the ridiculous price being branded about. We have 2 strikers who score goals and a third would see next to no game time unless we had an injury ravaged season given we only play one up top. We have a wealth of young talent who could easily take the bench role. 

Id hope our efforts are in the wing back area at present and also out wide. 

I have a strong suspicion we will be playing 3-5-2 in a few games this season.

It explains why we are linked with the players we are and why we aren’t linked with a replacement/extra for Pedro/Willian 

39 minutes ago, benjsross said:

we aren’t linked with a replacement/extra for Pedro/Willian 

Gonna a go a bit off topic and answer this.

Why would we be looking for a replacement or an extra for those two players though? Neither of them seems to be going anywhere and both have shown that they are capable of playing very good in that position. We don't need 3 players for that position either, and if we buy someone new then one of these two gotta leave. No way Pedro/Willian is going to accept being 3rd choice when they can easily be 1st choice at other clubs that are not too far off CFCs level. Not saying there aren't better players out there, because it is. But I think there are other positions that needs more focus. Either an upgrade or better backup at both wingbacks and a midfielder should Matic be sold (which seems likely too happen).

If we should be looking at "wings" it should be a cover for Hazard on the other side. But as I understand many people want to see Musonda get a shot at that role.

Mousanda is now fit and training with the rest of the squad in Singapore...hopefully he'll get some minutes on Saturday...

I have a strong suspicion we will be playing 3-5-2 in a few games this season.
It explains why we are linked with the players we are and why we aren’t linked with a replacement/extra for Pedro/Willian 

If that is true then I will prefer it if we spend that 30m Lorente money on a younger forward that can also play on the wings like Dembele or Iheanacho. They can play anywhere forward in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation. And unlike Lorente, they can improve there game and we can sell them for profit.

23 minutes ago, wallosh said:

If that is true then I will prefer it if we spend that 30m Lorente money on a younger forward that can also play on the wings like Dembele or Iheanacho. They can play anywhere forward in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation. And unlike Lorente, they can improve there game and we can sell them for profit.

Oh I agree. I’m just responding to why I think we are linked with llorente. We need a very good 3rd striker.

2 hours ago, wallosh said:

If that is true then I will prefer it if we spend that 30m Lorente money on a younger forward that can also play on the wings like Dembele or Iheanacho. They can play anywhere forward in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation. And unlike Lorente, they can improve there game and we can sell them for profit.

But we have 2 young strikers, both of which can play out wide and want to be first choice, I`m pretty sure if Dembele or Iheanacho signed they would also want to play first choice so it would be a ridiculous transfer to make. why cant you understand that Llorente would be either 3rd choice, plan b to break down teams or a great foil for either of our young strikers.