13 Jul 2015 17:35:48
With the benteke deal seemingly inevitable in the near future I just want to say I have a gut feeling he's going to be another Andy Carroll and we will sell him at a huge loss next season

I'm not slating his quality but our style as we all know isn't how benteke plays. World cup, Belgium play high pressing attacking football so they played origi as you need pace and stamina to put the defenders under pressure, I can't see him fitting our system.

If we want benteke as our striker that means we would have to change our whole style to accomodate him, which would be long balls and playing with wingers which I really don't want to see again.

If we were due to buy a striker anyway then I'd use the sterling money to do what we should of last season and bought someone to replace Suarez. A fast, skillfull and determined striker. Higuain springs to mind and I imagine a deal could be done at the right price

It would be interesting to hear people's views and why you think benteke will be a success

1.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 17:54:11
I completely agree. Imo we should go proper marquee signing e.g. Higuan as you said OR alternatively don't buy anyone. Essentially all or nothing.
I would be more than happy to see us start the season with Origi, Ings, Sturridge as our strikers with youngsters and Firmino (if needs be) as back up.

2.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 18:00:09
Aubemeyang. Walcott. Menez.

3.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 18:07:09
Benteke will be fine. Aubemeyang (spelling?) would be incredible but not going to happen. Higuain is just not for me; I've never rated higuain that highly. He's a good player but that's it.

4.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 18:27:19
We should just leave the striking options alone, which I will explain my reasoning on in a minute.

We should focus on getting our very top midfield target. That is were we are weakest (yes yes yes we have plenty of bodies there, but it doesn't mean it's not our weakest in terms of quality) and have been for 3 seasons, games are won and lost there and ours just isn't strong enough. Medel would sort that out

And Kovacic would enable us to use the ball better.

But with the striking options, benteke isn't going sign a new deal and will be much cheaper next season.

What if ings or origi pull a kane this season and benteke and sturridge would want game time and will get it more thanks to their wages and transfer fee. It would be great to have all these top strikers on super form but I would rather let one of them make the step up, get sturridge back and focus all our scoutung on a striker for next season if it turns out it is still a problem. If this was 6/7 years ago and maybe torres, villa, agueroooooo were all available when striker was a string available position but benteke is just not worth the money in my opinion and especially when wr have 20 million invested in origi and ings who won't get a sniff if benteke comes in.

I would rather sell Enrique, Allen/lucas, sterling, aspas, Alberto, borini, ballo, lambert

Bring in medel/kovacic

And go ahead with what we have.

One player I would like is cheryshev, as we need a left footed winger (I know ojo but he can't be considered for next season)

5.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 18:45:31
Yes origi played over Benteke in the world cup because of belgiums style of play, nothing to do with the fact that Benteke was out injured with a severe achilles injury. I see u didn't mention the fact that now that he is fit he is keeping both Origi and Lukaku off the team? Even if u don't think he suits our style just by having him in the team creates a handling for defenders because of his huge physical prescence. Seriously, name one current bpl defender who has a bigger physical prescence than benteke. The man is an animal. Before when our wide players got the ball every team knew they were going to cut inside because we were not going to cross to sterling. Benteke would create so much confusion for the defenders, knowing we could do damage by cutting in or going down the wing.lets be realistic the like of lacazette and higuain will not be joining us this window. And please don't compare him to carroll. We bought carroll after he had only played half a season in the premier league and was unproven when bought, benteke has just completed his 3rd premier league season, and has 42 premier league goals in 89 premier league appearances for an aston villa side which has been fighting relegation in all 3 of those seasons. Carroll was extremely slow but anyone who has seen benteke play will know that the guy has pace as well as his huge strength. He might not be as fancy or creative as other premier league strikers such as aguero or sanchez, but the guy knows where the net is and playing in front of the likes of coutinho lallana and firmino, the guy is destined to score goals

6.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 19:15:46
If we get him it will be to play as a lone front man, back to goal. Him knocking the ball back to a three man line of runners behind him.

7.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 19:28:13
I never realised he was injured and I respect your point of view jowens. I hope he is a success but I'm not particularly optimistic

8.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 19:29:39
Wow I think that was reply to mine so I'll go ahead and defend myself lol

I didn't one say origi was better than benteke. I said we have 10 million invested in him and I would like to see if he can make the step up this season than buy benteke and pretty much commit the boy to no future at the club.

Ings or origi playing infront of the players you have mentioned could very well do aswel as you think benteke will.

And onto my actually critics with benteke. How different is he in terms of style to ballo? He doesn't actually fix any problems

Are wingers and full backs can't actually cross it's not about no targey man.

9.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 19:36:56
Benteke will workout good, I wonder how many doubt Oan Rush at first?

10.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 20:14:04
That's like saying how many doubted Ronaldo when he first came to the prem

Benteke ain't rush!

Benteke won't work its as simple as that.

Well atleast with Brendan and the majority of our players.

Oour fullbacks and wingers can't cross. Our number 10 wants to play through balls and wr have no real creativity in cm

If benteke would work with Brendan, then we would of atleast seen Brendan get Abit of form our of lambert, Southampton managed it.

Point being Brendan doesn't work well with big front men, he gets his team best when thete pressing from the front (looks at the 3-5-2 used to press the opp with sterling up top)

Benteke won't press like wr want him to and therefore Brendan and this team won't work well together.

11.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 20:37:46
I respect both opinions and I too believe that ings and origi will prove worthy long term signings, but to be fair, yes kane did come into his own last season but he has been at the club since the age of 11 and made his senior debut for them in 2011 and has been sniffing around the first team since. Origi clearly has pace and power but at a new club at 19 I think its kind of unfair to put so much pressure on him. As for ings I think he is ready and may surprise a few, he seems a genuine guy who wants to improve his game and I can see him forming a deadly partnership with a fit Sturridge. My post was simply trying to suggest that signing benteke really wouldn't be the end of the world and he is not like carroll imo, not trying to undermine either post

12.) 13 Jul 2015
13 Jul 2015 21:15:21
I don't expect them to bang in the goals kane did.

But they could really make there own mark on the team like flanno but they have no chance if we spend 32mil on benteke

I would rather see them get a chance and fail rather than spend the money in benteke for that not to work