With rare exceptions if your gunna be good you'll be good at 21.

Poor decision making is one of the harder skills to improve. Like shooting, either you are calm in your head and can execute under pressure or you aren't.

You can teach a soldier to stay calm under fire, from what I've read, but only some will be able to act calmly and rationally of their own initiative.

3 hours ago, doctorblue said:

You're probably right but I'd happily give the lad a chance...besides SWP is finding Didier OK in Canada 

A chance to do what ? Replace Pedro? If Adama is the level of players signed this summer, Conte will leave.  Does the club have a transfer Budget the size of Burnley's?

1 hour ago, lchk said:

A chance to do what ? Replace Pedro? If Adama is the level of players signed this summer, Conte will leave.  Does the club have a transfer Budget the size of Burnley's?

He will be loaned out, chill.

Edited June 21, 20179 yr by jack_super_class

10 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

In two years time he may well be that step up we looked for. I'm not saying buy him and expect him to start but for the rumoured 8M there is a little no no risk in what could be a class player in a couple of years. 

You could argue that people said this about Walcott when he was 21.  

21 hours ago, TheChelseaBlues said:

Surely you should hate this idea, he's not expensive or world class and it's the kind of signing a mid table or top 4 hopeful would make. 

What made me seem like I liked this idea at all? He's a poor winger, questionable wingback at best. His traits are more suited in midfield but if we're buying Bakayoko then his signing would be a waste of 20m

6 hours ago, jack_super_class said:

He will be loaned out, chill.

Another Papy? Forget it

3 hours ago, Deino said:

What made me seem like I liked this idea at all? He's a poor winger, questionable wingback at best. His traits are more suited in midfield but if we're buying Bakayoko then his signing would be a waste of 20m

I said surely you would hate it

7 hours ago, lchk said:

Another Papy? Forget it

Why not? If we end up doubling our investment after paying him wages for 4 months Id say thats good business

15 minutes ago, Xfaxtor said:

Why not? If we end up doubling our investment after paying him wages for 4 months Id say thats good business

It also broke relationships within the club and contributed to our worst season in recent memory.

Not that i think this deal would be similar but we should have just signed no-one instead of Papy when we couldn't get deals done for those Mourinho wanted. Getting Djilibodji was borderline disrespectful.

4 minutes ago, Sindre said:

It also broke relationships within the club and contributed to our worst season in recent memory.

Not that i think this deal would be similar but we should have just signed no-one instead of Papy when we couldn't get deals done for those Mourinho wanted. Getting Djilibodji was borderline disrespectful.

It really didnt, Mouribho digging his heals in in targets, wearing out his preferred 11 and chastazing Eva had a lot more to do with it. How on on earth was it disrespectful?  Really struggle to grasp some of the stuff being said on here. 

10 hours ago, Deino said:

You could argue that people said this about Walcott when he was 21.  

You could argue it about any player, including the ones that turned out good.

4 hours ago, Sindre said:

It also broke relationships within the club and contributed to our worst season in recent memory.

Not that i think this deal would be similar but we should have just signed no-one instead of Papy when we couldn't get deals done for those Mourinho wanted. Getting Djilibodji was borderline disrespectful.

I love how Mourinho gets no blame for what happened that summer.

He went all out for Stones and Pogba and offered no plan b's to the board. That's not to say the board are blameless, they should have overruled him earlier or pressured him to look for alternatives but Jose deserves NO sympathy for the mess that caused the panic buy of Papy and it's certainly no excuse for the beyond abysmal job he did from then on.

I imagine he'll act as backup for Moses on the right. I think he has all the physical attributes to be an RWB, however the tactical awareness and defensive workrate seems to be lacking. I have a couple of mates who are Villa fans and they said he never ever tracked back, all he wants to do is run with the ball and as we saw with Boro' he has zero end product. 

However, still a real raw talent and if Conte feels he can man manage him and work on the tactical side he could be a bargain at sub £10m.

This screams buy loan to Germany or Italy and sell for profit

9 minutes ago, PedroMendez said:

This screams buy loan to Germany or Italy and sell for profit

That would probably make sense, there always be some gullible manager's/board who will be duped by the pace and occasional skinning off the fullback. 

He has serious problems with tracking back. He is very quick, strong, good technique, but he can't be good RWB if he doesn't have the ability to defend and track back.

Kakuta 2.0?

If its Conte who is behind this transfer, then he must have thought about something to perfect this huge load of potential. I still remember how he toyed with our midfield and defense only to give away the ball cheaply (again and again) after doing all the hard work.

But still 20m is too high.Max 12m and I think even that is high because this guy has been showing the same weakness, rubbish final product, for maybe 3 seasons.

2 hours ago, frendz said:

If its Conte who is behind this transfer, then he must have thought about something to perfect this huge load of potential. I still remember how he toyed with our midfield and defense only to give away the ball cheaply (again and again) after doing all the hard work.

But still 20m is too high.Max 12m and I think even that is high because this guy has been showing the same weakness, rubbish final product, for maybe 3 seasons.

He will have been showing it longer than that. We have only become aware of it in the last three years.

14 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

He will have been showing it longer than that. We have only become aware of it in the last three years.

Obviously the reason Barcelona didn't keep him.

18 hours ago, Batshuayi said:

I imagine he'll act as backup for Moses on the right. I think he has all the physical attributes to be an RWB, however the tactical awareness and defensive workrate seems to be lacking. I have a couple of mates who are Villa fans and they said he never ever tracked back, all he wants to do is run with the ball and as we saw with Boro' he has zero end product. 

However, still a real raw talent and if Conte feels he can man manage him and work on the tactical side he could be a bargain at sub £10m.

He thinks he's a winger/forward when he really should play as a box-to-box CM or a water carrying DM. 

23 hours ago, RIP Mourinho said:

You could argue it about any player, including the ones that turned out good.

The ones that turned good all have 1 similar trait. Good decision making and technique. It's all well and good having amazing physical traits but without a good footballing IQ these players will never breach that top bracket. He won't thrive as a winger/forward. It's telling when a La Masia alumnus couldn't break into the bench while possessing great physical traits and good dribbling technique

1 hour ago, Deino said:

He thinks he's a winger/forward when he really should play as a box-to-box CM or a water carrying DM. 

Can't see him playing CM. That requires you to be very good on the ball and be able to pick out a pass, he's shown nothing of that note from what I've seen.

On 6/22/2017 at 14:47, Xfaxtor said:

Why not? If we end up doubling our investment after paying him wages for 4 months Id say thats good business

Add that 8 million pounds for someone who can compete.  

9 minutes ago, lchk said:

Add that 8 million pounds for someone who can compete.  

Or add that 16 million for someone who can compete next year, would go a much longer way