Would Love Giroud! Agree with you 100% here. Great first touch, Great header, very good hold-up play, instinctive in the box. Can't understand why Arsenal fans never really appreciated him. He wasn't Henry but he is quality.
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A couple of things about that though. Firstly, a striker who scores 15 would still be a top striker and likely to cost. 15 goals would have put you in the top 10 scorers in last year's PL, so getting someone who can be relied on to get those sort of goals is probably a £25m+ job. Following on from that, to find TWO wingers who can be expected to get 10 goals each would be quite remarkable. That would be more than Pedro, Willian, Eriksen, Sterling, Ozil, Lallana, Martial or De bruyne got last year to put it into perspective.
That isn't to say your point isn't correct, just that it would take some fantastic business on our part to put it into practice.
That might be because Rom is still here and at present no one even looks like submitting an acceptable bid for him.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Thankfully David you are VERY wrong.
Ronny builds his whole game on the big man up top, we WILL sign a quality number 9 to replace Lukaku. We dont have to JUST replace Lukakus goals, its quite clear that hardly anybody but Rom chipped in with any goals last season, this upcoming season is all about adding attacking threats and building a squad able to play the press all season by having back ups to come in and share the load.
So Lukakus goals will be shared by Sandro, Klassen, OUR NEW NUMBER 9 and whoever we buy for LW.
Pop gun my arsehole, we will replace
with
Well let's hope you're right about someone to lead the line. I'm seeing things that persuade me that this season we'll be heading down a very different approach to attacking play.
You touch rightly on the imbalance last season of Lukaku + luggage (something I pointed out all too often). And I think that may have persuaded Koeman to draw the conclusion that the best way of resolving that is to play an attack that has threat right across the line and one that can tirelessly press. That's the theory he seems to be following at least. The reality - for reasons I outlined - is another matter maybe and may lead to a type of forward play that brings us little cutting edge (think Liverpool between January and March this past season when they were without Mane and then Coutinho).
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Going 'for options and depth' in the event of Lukaku going is how I see this panning out. But we need a big signing guaranteed to be able to lead the line and get goals. Doesn't have to be a big bustling CF, just someone who we all know is a totem that the rest of the attacking elements know they have to service or play off.
I distrust the blunted attack line of a 'three attackers'. There's no responsibility taken by any of them...something Lukaku shouldered manfully in the last four seasons, even when he was slightly out of form and off target.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Maybe. Think the Chelsea hold up is Conte and his mitherings, tbh.
Does make you wonder what's going on at Chelsea, a few weeks ago Conte wanted Morata, and he was nailed on to sign for them.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
I think he splits opinion amongst their support. Many love him.
He's what we need. If we let Lukaku go I'd feel confident that a Giroud playing every week could come in and get the goals required that makes RL's departure bearable. 69 goals in 167 games. That's very decent in this league.
I've wanted this exact approach for years, and Lukaku has never fit the bill. So I'm perfectly happy with not going for a like for like Lukaku replacement for a few reasons.
First, it's impossible - Lukaku is the best at what he does in my view. There's no point trying to replace him in that way, as it's a downgrade no matter what you do.
Second, there's a ceiling on what you can achieve playing football the way we do with Lukaku. He could bag 35 goals and we could still finish 6th, because we're incredibly predictable in what we do.
I agree we probably don't have the class to play well and get results with current personnel, but we're only a striker and an inside forward away from being able to do so. Schneiderlin, Gana, Klaasen, Barkley are all either top drawer or potentially top drawer players. Lookman could explode into life next year and so on.
So that has to be the aim - play winning football based on movement. Lukaku isn't conducive to that, and for that reason I'd be actually pretty annoyed if we didn't cash in and sell this summer while money is booming into the league and clubs are foolishly looking for 'goalscorers' when the reality is the game has moved on from that.
Giroud would be an instant upgrade on Lukaku and would double our overall effectiveness in attack as a team. That type of player should be the aim for us.
First, it's impossible - Lukaku is the best at what he does in my view. There's no point trying to replace him in that way, as it's a downgrade no matter what you do.
Second, there's a ceiling on what you can achieve playing football the way we do with Lukaku. He could bag 35 goals and we could still finish 6th, because we're incredibly predictable in what we do.
I agree we probably don't have the class to play well and get results with current personnel, but we're only a striker and an inside forward away from being able to do so. Schneiderlin, Gana, Klaasen, Barkley are all either top drawer or potentially top drawer players. Lookman could explode into life next year and so on.
So that has to be the aim - play winning football based on movement. Lukaku isn't conducive to that, and for that reason I'd be actually pretty annoyed if we didn't cash in and sell this summer while money is booming into the league and clubs are foolishly looking for 'goalscorers' when the reality is the game has moved on from that.
Giroud would be an instant upgrade on Lukaku and would double our overall effectiveness in attack as a team. That type of player should be the aim for us.
Well thats another reason for people having a pop at Lukaku and claiming he "gave up" near the end, he was coming off the back of the Euros, played a whole season basically up top on his own for 90minutes every game, yes maybe he did "give up", but fatigue will have certainly been a factor.
Koeman will employ the full press, its how he likes to play, he will expect his 3 front liners to press and the midfield, the wing backs will also press high up the pitch.
You say you are seeing things, you aint seeing anything, your assuming the lack of links in the media to suggest that we are just sitting on our hands. We WILL have targets lined up, we WILL move for these targets once the Barkley/Lukaku saga is settled, there is probably a desire within the club for us to retain both, I personally think both will move on, but we will have replacements ready to go.
The players we have signed and are going to sign all help the squad, Sandro, Klaasen will no doubt slot into the first 11 and of course Pickford, as ive said, we havent spent a penny of the Lukaku or Barkley sale, cos neither has happened, so if they are moved on, they will be replaced.
Lukaku will be replaced up top, Barkley will be replaced in the middle and we will also have money left over to improve other aspects of the squad, as normal, as you have all through this window, you have soaked the bed and taken us all to 1st Sept. Put that date in your Diary, cos im going to utterly ram you everywhere on that date.
davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Please take part in the spirit of the thread. If you dont want to then dont spoil it for others.
Thanks.
Do you have confidence in anything besides the brilliance of Roberto Martinez, the dunceness of Damo, and the administrative impotence of Bill Kenwright?
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