25 Jun 2018 10:53:21
I wonder if Werner has been looked at? With Firmino’s versatility, they could rotate at the front with Firmino dropping back to AM and compete with Fekir (fingers crossed) . Still think we also need a quality winger to compete/ rotate with Mane/ Salah. Gelson Martins anyone? On a free, quality, young and has been strongly considered previously. Add Allison to the mix and job done. It’s so easy on paper.


1.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 11:51:53
Martin's hasn't been released from his contract yet. It's still got to be finalised. Not a bad about and we might be wai5iny on that one before going for another winger and commuting away more funds from maybe a primary target.

Do not think we will ever want to deal with rb again.

I think we do have to look at the front four as no lock in with regards to positions. Aslong as there starting. There going to be effective anywhere across the board.


2.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 12:50:29
Gelson martins will end up being very expensive for the team brace enough to take him, he will want a big signing on fee, agents fees and whatever the courts rule on how much sporting should recieve (unknown) but I would imagine the will take his buy out clause into consideration which is masssive.


3.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 13:13:04
Werner would likely want first team football and cost a fortune. Not sure why we'd want to spend so much just to move Bobby (a stand out from last year) from his preferred position? Bobby also plays a vital role allowing Salah and Mane to run in behind, Given that Werner likes to run in behind himself I can't see it working. Great player though. Fingers crossed for Fekir.


4.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 13:49:53
Brace yourselves for my unpopular opinion of the day, but I still don't know what people see in Werner. He is not a special talent in my opinion. He's very lucky that a team has been built around him at a young age, but I don't see a supreme talent. He's like a poor man's Michael Owen.

His finishing is erratic at times, he doesn't play with his head up, his touch is average, and his decision making is average. He is at a similar level to Jamie Vardy as an all around footballer and would cost close to our transfer record.

The more I see of him, I just don't see him becoming the great player everyone seems to be tipping him to become. If you built a top 5 team around Solanke or Origi in the Bundesliga and gave them 3000 minutes of football, I reckon they'd both get 13 league goals no bother. Werner will be a good striker but he'll never be worth what he'd cost right now, in my opinion of course.


5.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 14:38:28
Well said mk. You actually used my thought re Owen. He might turn out good but at this moment in time we should keep clear and check his progress over the coming seasons.


6.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 14:47:04
Not so unpopular MK. I do agree with most of what you've said, and I prefer my CFs a little taller and bigger. I think people are just swayed by his younge age, otherwise he doesn't offer much beyond most of the CFs in the top teams. Do I see him being the next Klose or Lewandowski? Nope.


7.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 15:14:38
Oh wow, surprised but pleased to hear a few others agree! I just think strikers need to offer a lot more nowadays to play at the highest level. For me, his level is 4th-8th place in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga or La Liga.


8.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 15:47:55
I'm not sure my opinion of him is quite as harsh as that MK but I do agree he's not a ready made star. I think he is at a crossroads in his career - he's a talented boy but without the natural talent to become a superstar. Will he double down, work his socks off, do everything his coaches ask of him and make himself into a star? Or will he coast on his belief in his own ability, assume that he'll keep improving and maturing and trust the lack of competition for the first striker for Germany to keep him in the limelight as a sought after striker? Only time will tell but for a team that cannot afford more super-expensive mistakes, I do agree that pursuing him would be a mistake and don't think he'd be able to move Bobby from that top spot at the moment.


9.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 17:09:28
We have one of the world's finest centre forwards. There is no way we are going to sign a huge name to fight Bobby for the starting role. We have our first 11 (almost) gk and am still needed. Other signings will be squad players.


10.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 18:50:54
It's clear to me that Werner isn't good enough. Just look at the Germany team. He's surrounded by some of the best midfielders in the world, but they still have to wait for an aging Mario Gomez to come on before they even look like scoring.


11.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 20:48:58
Mk

From what i've seen of werner before and at the world cup i tend to agree with your points simply because of what he would cost.

I by no means have watched numerous amounts of full games he has played. So based on what i have seen here we go. I stand corrected on anything people feel im getting vaststly wrong but its just my opinion on a small sample base of games that i've seen im play.

While i can see were your coming from about his overall game to be fair to the lad his biggest flaws in decision making and playing with his head up will or should get better as he gets older.

Just to play advocate in terms of what he would bring to us i think he runs the lines quite well and he looks like he would do quite well in an interchanging front 3. He has blistering pace too which would be scary when added to salah or mane with both or with one or the other with bobby there too.

I also think from what i've seen of him he ain't extemely selfish (kane selfish i mean) either which would be appreciated greatly in our love fest of a front line.

At 22 he still has plently of room for improvement and playing in a front 3 with two other world class attackers would most likely see him improve naturally.

I think he would be deployed starting at right and left foward for us if he were to sign. don't think he would get near the central striker position.

But like your said qualites compared to cost don't add up in this one. If he was in the 35 to 55 range it might be worth it but the 80 or 90 range is just madness for where he's at at the present time.

Its a good post in terms of bringing peoples opinions in on a player. The player doesn't have to be on the definate radar for his qualities to be discussed in terms of what people think he would or wouldn't bring to the team.


12.) 25 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 21:25:56
MK, don't be surprised that many agree with you on the Werner tip and nothing you posted is unpopular. Having watched RBL a lot this season (to keep tabs on Naby), I saw a lot of Werner as well and he is as you described. Erratic, indecisive, poor touch and at the level we wanna play at, still rough around the edges. In fact, he spent a while on the bench last season behind the young, talented and promising Frenchman Jean-Kevin Augustin who is pretty good, mind you. Werner is not who we need, would command a HUGE fee and would not come here and sit behind Bobbie. That just ain't going to happen. Origi had a rough season at Wolfsburg (three managers in one season) YET still managed to score 7/ 8 goals and Solanke still has a lot to prove so if we can't get a decent back up for Bobbie then go with them cos at least, they both know the system.


13.) 26 Jun 2018
25 Jun 2018 23:54:05
Everytime I've seen Werner I am not impressed either, seems to play better wider when he has chance to get the ball under control first - but that wouldn't suit our quick play. Plus he'd offer little defensively. He would suit a team like Bayern who have a lot of possession as he can beat a man in little space, but picking up a moving ball, holding off a defender and getting a shot away, doesn't seem like anything he's comfortable with.


14.) 26 Jun 2018
26 Jun 2018 01:47:03
I recall a while ago it being mentioned that the kid is happy on with his employers and equally so are they with him. Already on decent wages makes me wounder how much we would need to offer him to consider coming to us and probably join another high profile striker in Stud on the bench. Just when we seemed to get it right with Bobby we want him to accommodate a very fast kid who's might not hit the ground running by asking him (Bobby) to play in position he started with when joining us. Sorry not bashing the idea but just don't see it happening.


15.) 26 Jun 2018
26 Jun 2018 11:25:38
Den82 if he has his contract rescinded then sporting won't be due anything as i understand it as he is no longer contracted to the club which would need to be formally sanctioned anyway.

Could be wrong but I suspect if the contract is cancelled any part of it is no longer relevant.