Transfer Rumour Sami Khedira

[Papa Shango]

A lot of players seem to land here to get one last lucrative paycheque

Like who?

 

[The_La]

I'm going to hope and pray this is more Gareth Barry than Morgan Schneiderlin

 

[kenada_blue]

I think Delph is actually an ok number 6. If you ask him to do much else he struggles but he's ok there. The big issue is his fitness. Unlike a James, who is class when he plays, he's only ok when he plays, so we can't afford him to miss games as he does. I'd be delighted with any fee, as I wiuld be for Bernard too and indeed Tosun.

As for Khedira, I think the question becomes, have you got a manager who knows how to manage older players, and one who is tactically adept enough to "cover" those players and make the system work. For me it's an overwhelming yes. I've seen great Italy and Spain teams, filled with 4 or 5 lads who can't run outplay England teams with far more mobility.

You really don't need enormous mobility to play in a 6 position. It's about positioning and reading of the game. We are seeing that with Davies, who has decent legs, but his weakness is his reading of the game. To a degree Doucoure to.

I would personally avoid binary conclusions such as we can't win with Khedira and James in the same 11. It's not to say it's ideal or without challenges but I think it wouldlift the level of the squad. If we got a James clone to play, he would play and we would be better. Godfrey, Holgate, Doucoure, Richarlinson, DCL etc are all good athletes. So is DIgne.

As for United, they are the in form team in the league. We didn't just get run over, we got outplayed. Had we have had a calmer head in the team, who could use the ball better from the 6 position it would have helped us. It's unlikely we would outrun a Liverpool, or a United. We would need a different way to defeat them.

Is Khedira potentially a big upgrade on what we have? Yes. Will it present problems having 2 slower lads? Yes. Have we got a tactically flexible manager who can find solutions? Again yes. Is it a relativdly low risk, short termoption to allow us to get Gbamin and to a degree Allan fit? Yes.

Can't argue with any of that.

 

[MACCA75]

This transfer can only work if delph is out of the door. Carrying two ageing injury prone midfielders would be a huge risk

Especially when we have Gbamin, Allen and Gomes. Not exactly injury free.

 

[FTY]

This been nailed on since the “maybe in January” line a month or so ago

 

[riddick]

18 months 140k a week is what is being said.

How much is he on at Juve if THAT is his big pay cut??

 

[jazzy]

This one has so much potential for going very badly wrong
No doubt he was a quality player but that was some time ago and now he is too old , too slow and invariably injured.

 

[jazzy]

How much is he on at Juve if THAT is his big pay cut??

£200 k per week apparently!

 

[catcherintherye]

Hmm again. He is very skilled and when fit in an open game, fantastic . I just think he is not robust enough for this league. Great to have him but you cant depend on him being there from one game to the next. He is a luxury and I dont think we have a deep enough squad for that. He will look good at Wembley though.

Well when he was playing he was the best player in the league or one of. So all I can say, is we must be very very good if we cant accommodate him.

 

[billybeeru]

I fear this is gonna be another Delph or Rooney - signed for their past accomplishments and nothing else. Please vault me if I’m wrong.

 

[Exeter_Gently]

I get peoples trepidation with signing older players but this could be similar to the time we signed Gareth Barry. Similar positions, similar pedigree,both had been there and done it. These players raise bars in terms for professionalism within squads,so as far as this one goes i'am all in.

 

[Egil Olsen]

Well when he was playing he was the best player in the league or one of. So all I can say, is we must be very very good if we cant accommodate him.

That is a bold statement. By all means, he has been a good football player. But he was no Radja Nainggolan.

 

[matty1878]

By then it's too late.

I trust carlo not fans on forums

 

[Efcjake]

Apparently that Italian journalist that was pretty reliable over the summer said it in a podcast.

Welcome back to GOT buddy

 

[Egil Olsen]

I trust carlo not fans on forums

“Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another".