• The forums will be unavailable for a few hours on Saturday 6th June, when they do return they will initially be in a degraded state with some features missing, but normal posting/reading will be possible. The main website will not be affected by these updates.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.
    Some other features of the forum are also currently disabled.

Jhon Lucumi - Transfer Rumour


Did you read the bit about opportunistically improving the squad incrementally ?

Are you seriously suggesting that we shouldn't bring in an international centre-back with Champion's League experience because we've got :-
Hjelde
Alese (a decent player in the Championship when fit (rarely) and untested at Premier League level),
Seelt (who we haven't actually got, because he's out on loan)
Hume and Reinildo (so long as they aren't actually engaged in playing in their primary positions as full-backs) ?

I really like O'Nein and hope that he remains at the club for a long time, but I think it is naive to consider him as being regularly reliable at Premier League level.

No, I’m seriously suggesting not doing it, because

a) we need other players, elsewhere and money is zero sum however much people pretend it isn’t;

b) if you have too many centre backs of quality, then the ones not playing will get fed up and the extremely coherent, all in it together, morale could be threatened. We’ve got four top, top quality centre backs. The others are all sufficient beneath that.

There aren’t many teams in the league that have four like Mukeiele, Geeetrudia, Alderete and Ballard all happy. No need to rock the boat.
 
All of the data suggests he’s shite in the air. Like seriously weak whereas he’s the new Beckenbauer on the ground.

Given the physicality of the PL and long throws raining in every game, I’m pretty non-plussed about this one.

In Ghisolfi we trust though.
 
No, I’m seriously suggesting not doing it, because

a) we need other players, elsewhere and money is zero sum however much people pretend it isn’t;

b) if you have too many centre backs of quality, then the ones not playing will get fed up and the extremely coherent, all in it together, morale could be threatened. We’ve got four top, top quality centre backs. The others are all sufficient beneath that.

There aren’t many teams in the league that have four like Mukeiele, Geeetrudia, Alderete and Ballard all happy. No need to rock the boat.
Exactly this, for all the talk of 'starters and finishers' no high quality CB with international aspirations is going to be happy to just have the odd 20 minutes every couple of matches. It's only Geertruida's flexibility that has given him sufficient minutes. If he was purely a CB I'd imagine he'd be pretty unhappy with how much he'd be sat on the bench
 
You CAN have too many players to be fair. We are already only a couple of players below our threshold for how many foreign players we can have. Considering the depth we already have in CB I just don't think one of these valuable spots should be taken up by a player in a position we have our most depth in

Hjelde is probably never even given any thought by RLB when he's planning his starting 11 and subs. I'll be shocked if he even gets 5 minutes game time this season.
I accept, without reservation, the fact that a club can have too many players. Indeed, SAFC already has 'too many' players (for example, Poveda, Pembele, Anderson, etc.), which appears to be currently being addressed. And I also accept that the number of overseas players is a relevant consideration.

However, the test is qualitative and comparative, rather than simply quantitative. I suggested that the club couldn't have too many "GOOD" players. This requires an assessment of whether a player who is being considered for recruitment is an improvement on an existing squad member. I would respectfully suggest that Lucumi would be obviously be an upgrade on Hjelde and as both of whom would count in the overseas contingent, swapping out one for the other wouldn't have a material impact on the overall count.

Unfortunately, for the last six games since Hjelde's return to fitness and as a result of the AFCON departees, Le Bris has had to give thought to Hjelde when he has been planning his subs, because he's been included on the bench. I would agree that Hjelde is unlikely to feature on the field this season. And that is the issue. We have a player who is effectively 'unusable'. Surely it would be better to replace Hjelde with someone Le Bris might actually feel confident in using during a game, perhaps in the event of an injury/booking to Alderete/Ballard/Mukiele, none of which are unusual events.

 
I accept, without reservation, the fact that a club can have too many players. Indeed, SAFC already has 'too many' players (for example, Poveda, Pembele, Anderson, etc.), which appears to be currently being addressed. And I also accept that the number of overseas players is a relevant consideration.

However, the test is qualitative and comparative, rather than simply quantitative. I suggested that the club couldn't have too many "GOOD" players. This requires an assessment of whether a player who is being considered for recruitment is an improvement on an existing squad member. I would respectfully suggest that Lucumi would be obviously be an upgrade on Hjelde and as both of whom would count in the overseas contingent, swapping out one for the other wouldn't have a material impact on the overall count.

Unfortunately, for the last six games since Hjelde's return to fitness and as a result of the AFCON departees, Le Bris has had to give thought to Hjelde when he has been planning his subs, because he's been included on the bench. I would agree that Hjelde is unlikely to feature on the field this season. And that is the issue. We have a player who is effectively 'unusable'. Surely it would be better to replace Hjelde with someone Le Bris might actually feel confident in using during a game, perhaps in the event of an injury/booking to Alderete/Ballard/Mukiele, none of which are unusual events.

We aren't spending 20 million + on a Leo Hjelde replacement though. That level of signing would be to replace Alderete or Ballard, if either of those players are on the bench for a significant period they'd want out. Squad spirit as we've shown this season is massively important. You absolutely can have too many good players.
I accept, without reservation, the fact that a club can have too many players. Indeed, SAFC already has 'too many' players (for example, Poveda, Pembele, Anderson, etc.), which appears to be currently being addressed. And I also accept that the number of overseas players is a relevant consideration.

However, the test is qualitative and comparative, rather than simply quantitative. I suggested that the club couldn't have too many "GOOD" players. This requires an assessment of whether a player who is being considered for recruitment is an improvement on an existing squad member. I would respectfully suggest that Lucumi would be obviously be an upgrade on Hjelde and as both of whom would count in the overseas contingent, swapping out one for the other wouldn't have a material impact on the overall count.

Unfortunately, for the last six games since Hjelde's return to fitness and as a result of the AFCON departees, Le Bris has had to give thought to Hjelde when he has been planning his subs, because he's been included on the bench. I would agree that Hjelde is unlikely to feature on the field this season. And that is the issue. We have a player who is effectively 'unusable'. Surely it would be better to replace Hjelde with someone Le Bris might actually feel confident in using during a game, perhaps in the event of an injury/booking to Alderete/Ballard/Mukiele, none of which are unusual events.

To be honest the fact you have to go down as far as Hjelde to make the comparison shows how much we just really don't need Lucumi
 
Last edited:
We aren't spending 20 million + on a Leo Hjelde replacement though. That level of signing would be to replace Alderete or Ballard, if either of those players are on the bench for a significant period they'd want out. Squad spirit as we've shown this season is massively important. You absolutely can have too many good players.

To be honest the fact you have to go down as far as Hjelde to make the comparison shows how much we just really don't need Lucumi
I wonder if we are still working towards some sort of model though, cash constantly flowing in and the club growing, could be succession planning going on.

Like when we got mundle 6 months before Clark left, it’s happened with someone else I’m sure and Speakman has came out and said it before
 
Did you read the bit about opportunistically improving the squad incrementally ?

Are you seriously suggesting that we shouldn't bring in an international centre-back with Champion's League experience because we've got :-
Hjelde
Alese (a decent player in the Championship when fit (rarely) and untested at Premier League level),
Seelt (who we haven't actually got, because he's out on loan)
Hume and Reinildo (so long as they aren't actually engaged in playing in their primary positions as full-backs) ?

I really like O'Nein and hope that he remains at the club for a long time, but I think it is naive to consider him as being regularly reliable at Premier League level.
This. And Nordi should be first choice RB with Ballard and Alderete as the CBs so that’s another option out. I basically see us having 09 as cover and that’s it. If we can get a favourable deal for a decent CB I’d be all over it. Whether it’s this bloke or not
 
I just don't see a world we spend €30m on a CB who isn't automatically going to be first choice.

I don't feel we're at that point as a club yet, and I'm not sure he'd be interested in coming here without being a starter either.

That said, the club may know that Ballard, Alderete or Mukiele are likely away in the summer, they'll know a lot more than us in that regard obviously, and that does change things if a big outgoing was to happen.

There'll be more moving parts to this than any of us are aware of, but as of the time of writing and knowing what we know, I can't see this happening.
 
As good as Nordi is, the play slows down a bit when we are in the final third. He doesn’t knock crosses in like he did against Newcastle very often.

As a defender though, he’s as good as anyone we’ve had.
 
We aren't spending 20 million + on a Leo Hjelde replacement though. That level of signing would be to replace Alderete or Ballard, if either of those players are on the bench for a significant period they'd want out. Squad spirit as we've shown this season is massively important. You absolutely can have too many good players.

To be honest the fact you have to go down as far as Hjelde to make the comparison shows how much we just really don't need Lucumi
Unless you are Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Kristjaan Speakman, Florent Ghisolfi or possibly Regis Le Bris (are you, by the way ??!!) you cannot, with any degree of certainty say - "We aren't spending £20 million + on a Leo Hjelde replacement"

As indicated in earlier posts, the club should now be focussing on incrementally improving the players in the squad, with Hjelde being the 'least good' left-sided centre back. The idea is not to replace the players already in the squad and who are 'very good' with other, alternative players who are very good. That would, at best, achieve a status quo.

Nor can you state that if players are on the bench for protracted periods of time "... they'd want out ...". At best, that is your opinion and you are, of course, fully entitled to form and express that opinion. I believe that modern footballers accept the squad system that now operates in the major clubs in this country and in Italy, Spain, Germany and France. They are prepared to have the workload shared out and do not feel insulted or slighted by not being in the manager's first eleven names on the team sheet. Le Fee, actually said as much at the beginning of the season.

You seem to believe that having the massive drop-off in quality that presently exists between Mukiele/Geertruida/Ballard/Alderete and the next set of centre-backs - O'Nein/Hjelde/Anderson (!!) is something to be applauded, because it maintains the spirit among the squad.

Believe me, if any of the latter group of players are having to be relied upon for any length of time because of injuries and/or suspensions to any of the four players in the first list, perhaps a couple at a time, then results are going to suffer and the impact on morale that will have on the 'esprit de corp' will far outweigh anything that having genuine competition for places in the matchday squad might produce.

The very statement "... You absolutely can have too many good players ..." is patently ridiculous. Do you think that the Arsenals, Man Citys, Liverpools, etc. operate on the basis of having a decent first eleven and then squads made up of significantly less good players ? Of course they don't and that is what Sunderland should be aiming to emulate. It is ambitious, but surely that is a good thing.
This. And Nordi should be first choice RB with Ballard and Alderete as the CBs so that’s another option out. I basically see us having 09 as cover and that’s it. If we can get a favourable deal for a decent CB I’d be all over it. Whether it’s this bloke or not
I actually disagree. I think Geertruida should be the first choice right-back and Mukiele continue to be one of the best performing centre-backs in the Premier League. That said, I do believe that Mukiele would perform admirably at full-back and Geertruida would, similarly, be very good as the right-sided centre-back. And Hume is not to be discounted either. But yes, beyond the Geertruida/Mukiele/Ballard/Alderete cohort, the drop-off in quality to the next available options is frighteningly stark and improving the level of quality should be part of the immediate/short/medium term plans.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like they’ve shit themselves in the foot. He’s running his contract down and we won’t pay what they want.
Cycle clips round your ankles will stop that
This. And Nordi should be first choice RB with Ballard and Alderete as the CBs so that’s another option out. I basically see us having 09 as cover and that’s it. If we can get a favourable deal for a decent CB I’d be all over it. Whether it’s this bloke or not
I’d agree but good as they are our cbs could lose form- Alderete was seized by the spirit of Jack Baldwin at Brentford out of nowhere- and then there’s injuries. We’ve been lucky so far but Ballard is always prone to a niggle
 
Last edited:
Back
Top