29 Mar 2024 07:19:31
Hi Ed. Are we showing any interest in Marc Cucurella at Chelsea?
{Ed002's Note - Marc Cucurella (LB) Attracting interest from Atletico and Manchester United still. Real Madrid enquired but they should now be able to secure their first choice. Wants to stay at Chelsea but he will be made available.}
29 Mar 2024 10:43:44
Thanks Ed. I like him as a player - seems to have not worked out at Chelsea for some reason.
{Ed002's Note - He has been out injured for three months.}
29 Mar 2024 16:42:00
Chelsea spent big on him and Chilwell though - was always going to be a tough assignment.
30 Mar 2024 11:35:06
Would be a great addition.
31 Mar 2024 12:28:11
To be fair, he's the player we should have got last summer on loan instead of Reguilon. Unfortunately we couldn't even afford the loan fee, which just highlights the mess the club has been left in.
31 Mar 2024 14:01:49
Shappy, I’m fairly certain it was our insistence on a break clause that held the deal up. Then they played him in the cup and made it that he could only play for one more team this season so if we broke the loan in January they wouldn’t be able to loan him again.
01 Apr 2024 09:39:27
Branders that was my understanding too, but it’s all paper talk.
01 Apr 2024 12:21:12
Think we should be be aiming higher.
While a fine squad player I’d prefer someone who immediately levels up the team like Theo Hernandez, Udogie, Balde or aestupian.
02 Apr 2024 11:38:27
I think it's a bit of both to be fair. I'm sure if the loan fee was 1-2m for the season then we'd have seen Cucurella at United this season regardless of break clauses etc.
Utd Road, I think Cucurella would be a really good fit for us currently. He's similar to Shaw in that he can play LB, LCB, invert into midfield or play on the overlap (although he's better when played deeper) . He's not a physical as Shaw, but is slightly better technically and more tactically astute.
I'm a little torn over what to do with the LB slot. Shaw and Malacia's continued injury issues means we have a issue there that needs sorting out. Yet if we sign someone and Shaw and Malacia are both fit then we have an embarrassment of riches in that position while probably not having well balanced first 11, as other positions need a first choice player signing, let alone squad depth.
While the young Harry Amass continues to impress and if he develops a little more physically over the summer he could be ready for a few minutes next season (given his age he could develop physically very quickly and at any time over the next 6-24 months.
Personally I think there is something more a miss with Malacia than is being made public. The constant delaying of his return to injury without any clear information on what his injury has been or why his return keeps getting delayed just seems a little off. Maybe because he's a squad player the media aren't asking the questions about him during the press conferences??♂️
If we buy someone for LB then we should probably look for someone in the 21-24 age bracket who is ready to push or even take Shaws place off of him. With Shaw then becoming the back up allowing Amass to take Shaws place in a couple of seasons time, while looking to challenge the current first choice for his place. Although that does leave us with what to do with Malacia. Maybe keep him around due to Shaw's injury issues. New player as first choice with two injury prone players in Shaw and Malacia as back up.
No point signing a young prospect under 20 years old as we have Amass on the books or even Alvaro Fernandez if we want that profile of player. Signing someone that young would only block the pathway for Amass.
It needs to be someone either top class or on the cusp of becoming top class.
Although signing a LB this summer probably means not signing a RB and keeping AWB for a the final year of his deal to be back up to Dalot.
While RB does need an upgrade (although Dalot has probably been our most consistent player this season), the continued injury issues at LB probably means that it is the left hand side that has become a higher priority oddly.
02 Apr 2024 21:18:30
Speaking of LB's Rayan Ait Nouri has really had a break out season at Wolves under Gary O'Neil. He'd be the kind of player I'd personally be looking at to bring in at LB. Someone whose star is rising and they look ready for a bigger stage to step up to, but who has a good level of experience and is well suited to playing in the EPL.