Summer transfers

[Ravo19]

I meant the season we won the title.

I thought we played a 4 3 3 last season but others have pointed it out im wrong.
Macallistair,jones have mentioned a change of set up in midfield and maybe others can tell me more.

[Daffydd]

Linked with Kennet Eichhorn which feels a bit.....soon.....if we think he'd be featuring in a 25-man squad.

The sort of transfer you want to make with a view to loaning him back out.

Could be a good future-proofing acquisition but we need someone ready-made for in there.

I heard it's a 20 year contract lol

Maybe he's a Hoeness signing...

[jozza800]

I thought we played a 4 3 3 last season but others have pointed it out im wrong.
Macallistair,jones have mentioned a change of set up in midfield and maybe others can tell me more.

How we set up in our title winning season was pretty different to how we lined up under Jurgen.

Jurgen's set up was a 433. With Szoboslai oporating as the right hand side of the 3 often drifiting wide and linking up with Mo.

-----

Under Slot, in our title winning season - Szobo would frequently push forward as a second striker from the 10 position, with the two holding midfielders sitting and doing a lot of the dirty work that we'd been accustomed to under Jurgen.

Grav would be the deepest of the two and he would drop between the two CBs and pick up the posession from the back and bulding out from there.

Mo sat a lot narrower.

------

This season, whilst the basic formation is the same as last season, the way it behaves is very different.

Grav no longer drops to pick up the ball from deep. Neither of the 'defensive' mids do, they are often hidden/marked, leaving Konate to build from the back by either going long or out to the full backs.

Both DMs are very different from last season defensively. They are asked to push as far forward as possible to overwhelm the opposition. However, in doing so, they leave great big holes in midfield. Or, they sit right on top of the CBs, leaving great big holes in midfield.

The number 10 role hasn't changed too much this season, except for personel. Wirtz's numbers are only a couple of goals/assists short of Szobo's last season. Szobo is great and coming back and helping when he can. Wirtz's defensive stuff isn't at the same level, but it often goes unoticed. He's obviously not as powerful as Szobo but he tracks back a lot and covers passing lanes etc. but he's is pretty innefective at winnig the ball back. Reminds me a lot of Lallana's defensive play.

Mo played a lot higher and wider. Although he's been absoloute bobbins this season, it feels like he's been less involved.

---

We've gone from coloured chalk, to plain white chalk, to mouldy cheese (and not the nice kind of mouldy cheese!

[Insidious]

I heard it's a 20 year contract lol

Maybe he's a Hoeness signing...

He's absolutely the sort of business I want us to be doing, but as-well-as, not instead-of, as it were.

[faridtoxteth]

Reading that Alonso wants Wirtz at Chelsea. I know some on here don't rate him. I think he is potentially a great player, look at how he plays for Leverkusen and Germany. I would be gutted if he went to London, Xabi got the right tune out of him and he sets the prem alight.
Also talk about Nyoni leaving. Where are all those boys that won the league cup? Under Slotball not being used and allowed to leave. I would feel pretty angry about Trey Nyoni being allowed to just walk away. He is a great player and even played alright at centre back I remember, and still a teenager.

[miller0863]

But that’s exactly the point mate. He looks good in International football and in the Bundesliga but completely anonymous in the ultra competitive English Premier League.
I very much doubt there is anything whatsoever in the link anyway, FSG would want their money back and having seen a full Premier League season of him, no one in England would pay half that.

[RedMagic]

Given that FSG haven't and aren't looking like they'll get rid of Slot, I'd say that the only way they get rid of Wirtz after just one season is if another club are prepared to pay what we shelled out for him, if not actually pay more than that.

Irrespective of what players join or leave us this summer, whilst Slot and Hedwards are at the club we're going to struggle to even qualify for the following season's CL.

[justme]

I'd sell Wirzt. immediately, we work better with a proper 3 in midfield.

[Daffydd]

Fernandez wants out of Chelsea, according to reports, for roughly what Wirtz cost.

[Daffydd]

Barcelona have agreed a deal worth more than £69m with Newcastle United for England forward Anthony Gordon.

[miller0863]

I'd sell Wirzt. immediately, we work better with a proper 3 in midfield.

Amen

[justme]

What summed up Wirzt for me at the weekend. He came on, off the bench. About 2 minutes in.. our forward had 2 players around him, Wirzt was about 6 feet away from him and instead of holding the ball up. he did a little up and under ball to the forward. and of course the forward lost out.. bizarre attempt at a pass. But hey hes Wirzt so it appeared clever and hes world class.

Anyway he may play better at Chelsea if he gets sold (he won't though) with 3 at the back system. like at Leverkusen,
but Bayern Leverkusen.. often conceded 2 goals a game and won in the last minute 3-2, they won numerous games like that.

I want us to play more possession and be less likely to get countered. and with natural 3 in there you have more of chance of defending a break.. playing Wirzt in there you basically have 2 midfielders.

Fucks everything up. means your fullbacks have less chance of sprinting forward., we play better with 3 natural midfielders.

[miller0863]

Rumours of a swap with Fernandez.

99% likely to be just click bait bollix

[justme]

Hopefully. Probably from Chelsea sources. I think we should sell Wirzt and get back close to the 100 million we paid out
It's not an 112 million, To trigger that, he needed to win 4 major trophies with us,, Ie 2 leagues and 2 champions league, or a combination of the 4.
Never happen with him in the team.. I see people, questioning perhaps the departure of Jones as well. Like it's some crime. Hes been kind of a regular for 3/4 seasons now. and not improved consistently at all . one good game and one bad.
He will be no loss either.

[Insidious]

I want us to play more possession and be less likely to get countered.

A massive issue that will still exist even if we parted ways with Wirtz is the 4-2-4 shape we employ when we press.

Once the opposition beat the press of the line of 4 lads who engage, there are two players left to cover about a third of the pitch. One of these two lads is often Mac Allister.

If we continue this pattern next season, then us having (or not having) Wirtz will have very little impact on how easily we're broken against.

It's one of the reasons I'm a little concerned about Wharton links. Wharton will be excellent at getting the ball forward quickly, which will be incredibly useful if we end up with pacey wide lads again (Wirtz will function well with this too) but Wharton isn't terribly quick in recovery, so we could look weak going the other way.

That's why I'd love someone like Anderson in there instead, though the money will be ridiculous for him.

But ideally we need to alter our pressing shape in a big way, or ensure that the four who do engage do so in such a way that we actually win the ball back high up the pitch much more often, rather than the half-assed push to create cover shadows that we seem to employ.

Certain systemic issues like this are a mess and transfers will only take it so far.