brap2 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:46 am
Look at the rest of his profile, and also watch him!
Have a look at the metrics that correspond to my comments on how he plays. For a player who has played for CL clubs (and been the main man at a mid table club in palace). How does he look? Does the ball go through him?
Or is he a pressing ankle biting shin pad snapping final third involvement machine?
Cracking player but it's a question of profiles...and maybe you don't see profiles the way I do is all.
He's involved all over though, he's not a Doucoure type like you seem to suggest.
He's not what we need right now, but as I've said before I don't think we can afford what we need right now.
Ask yourself this, would Connor Gallagher be a really good replacement for Gana next season?
For me the answer is a resounding yes, so if we have to get him in now on loan with an option to buy to ensure it happened next year I'd snap your hand off.
Edit - by involved all over I don't mean in a possession way, I understand he's not a creative deep lying playmaker.
Haven't done what I've suggested obviously but listen, like I say, we understand profiles differently.
And no, I think a player who operates in a diametrically opposed manner to our most important midfielder of the last decade, would not be a good replacement.
TheRam wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 10:35 am
Just posted in the match day thread but it’s probably better here than tarkowskis defensive numbers are significantly better than Keanes.
Tark stays in all day for me. Him and Brathwaite have a good understanding. Keane and Brathwaite always seems like a disaster for some reason.
Don’t think we’ve looked that good at the back so far this season but happy to concede some solidity for creativity going forward.
The 4th best defence stat from last season was massively skewed by horrible dycheball. We won’t be anywhere near as solid this season.
Tarkowski starts every game that he's fit for me as he's the only talker/organiser out of our 4CBs - you see the massive difference when he's not on the pitch
brap2 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 7:44 am
He'd play and we'd probably like him a lot as he's a frantic ankle biter who gets on the end of stuff, but again he's not a MIDFIELD player.
Tbh I would see him as competition alongside Garner rather than replacement for Gana.
Says something about Garner's up turn in performance that we dont see that as a critical spot to fill in the 1st XI and we're more concerned about what if Gana gets injured. I think we probably need a hybrid of both of them if we cant afford 2 specialists in the 2 roles.
Bluedylan1 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 10:21 am
The way Tark is playing, Keane will be replacing him at this rate.
He doesn’t look well to me.
Face is looking drawn.
I fear he’s been on an amazon prime, celeb couple inspired diet (low starchy carb, therefore calories way into a deficit, typically 500-1000, which is sub-optimal for athletic performance)
StirlingBlue wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 11:27 am
We're talking about £40m+ for Gallagher, there's absolutely no way we can't afford a good sitting DM for that to dictate play from deep
Yeah tbf I agree, however we need to replace Gana next season too... We also need to buy Grealish. Lots of big money buys so if Garner continues to impress maybe we skip the big DM buy and go for a young cheaper option to develop or Armstrong becomes the under study.
Who knows eh? Just don't think we can go in to next season relying on Gana again, if he's even still here.
sam of the south wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 11:48 am
He doesn’t look well to me.
Face is looking drawn.
I fear he’s been on an amazon prime, celeb couple inspired diet (low starchy carb, therefore calories way into a deficit, typically 500-1000, which is sub-optimal for athletic performance)
Think we've signed really good players, largely good age profile and added a loan player of extremely high quality. That's a huge success in many ways.
However there's gaping holes that haven't been fixed which won't be as obvious to the outside world that make it still feeling like only a partial success at present than a roaring one.
Indiantoffee75 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 31, 2025 1:38 pm
Boubakary Soumare returned to Leicester from a season long loan at Sevilla. Would fill the nunber 6 role and an understudy to Gana.
Surely worth looking at a loan move for him.
We should’ve been in for him 5 years ago but we were still being run like a passé gammony old boys club
