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Jhon Lucumi - Transfer Rumour


Far be it from me to offer my completely unfounded opinion on the absolutely stellar work our recruitment team have done / are no doubt doing but… maybe the moment has passed with this one.

I’d rather they looked for a young (<23 years old) centre back to complement the quality 3 senior ones we have now.
 
Plus much to the chagrin of some on here 09 09 09 oooooooo09 rocking all over the back 4.More importantly Reggie loves him, so if we have decent amounts of wonga available it needs to be invested in attack.21 goals is all we have scored and if we all want to be lying about supping Estrella on the Ramblas next season this has to be massively improved.
 
ReadingMackem87 said:
I assumed we signed Alderete instead of this bloke - RW is surely more of a priority
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This could also be agent talk. Lucumi is clearly desperate for a move elsewhere with zero intention of staying at Bologna. I remember it was said last Summer that his agent was all over Europe trying to get him a top move. We were clearly in for him at one point and it's possible his agent is just using us and Man City to drum up interest
 
blackcat said:
This could also be agent talk. Lucumi is clearly desperate for a move elsewhere with zero intention of staying at Bologna. I remember it was said last Summer that his agent was all over Europe trying to get him a top move. We were clearly in for him at one point and it's possible his agent is just using us and Man City to drum up interest
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🤞hope ya right, . bits I have seen of him looked poor.
 
poolie said:
Agree with this IF its one or the other!

However I feel we still need another centre back option in this squad. If they feel the same that a Lucumi or someone of that quality is needed to challenge Alderete for the LCB spot then so be it.

If Lucumi came in and became just as good as the others then happy days!
Click to expand...

We don’t need another CB option.
 
ReadingMackem87 said:
I assumed we signed Alderete instead of this bloke - RW is surely more of a priority
Click to expand...
I dont think RW is remotely a priority. I think its clear that RLB is a big fan of Traore and everything he brings to the team despite him being someone the fans seem to like complaining about. Then with Talbi also in that position i dont think they'll consider this a need at all.
 
Thunder Road said:
That could potentially work in our favour mind.

This is their last chance of getting a huge fee and his injury will put off those that are desperate.
We aren't desperate for a defender so we could call their bluff and bring the price down.
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Agree, I see Lucumi as succession planning now, not that I want any of our defenders to go ever ha ha
 
There appears to be several reservations about signing Lucumi. Perhaps they should be addressed in turn.

Firstly, there is the suggestion that good players will be unhappy and discontent if the signed player (or the player they replace) is only on the bench. I don't think that this is true. The modern footballer seems to accept that it is a squad game these days, with clubs rotating players to manage the workload and thereby keep people fresh. This now sits alongside the developing strategy of 'Starters' and 'Finishers' (which Le Bris is an advocate of), where players get game time each week, through the use of the subs. bench.

Also, no player should be signed with a guarantee of a place in the starting line up or matchday squad. That is something that needs to be earned through performance.

Any 'unhappiness' is likely to be assuaged by players checking their bank balances at the end of each week. In the phrase - 'Professional footballer', the key word is 'professional'. They do it for money. They may love the game and they will get to play every day in training, but in the end it comes down to money. For example, Lucumi would only sign for Sunderland if he (and his agents and advisors) are satisfied that the remuneration will be better here than he could get elsewhere.

Secondly, others have said that signing Lucumi will marginalise Geertruida and making his permanent transfer more unlikely. I don't think that this is true either. Geertruida is very much a right-sided player (right-back, right centre-back or right side of central midfield). By contrast, Lucumi is exclusively a left-sided centre-back. The two players are not competing for the same place in the team/squad. Geertruida should certainly be signed as a priority. But the signing of Geertruida and/or Lucumi are not mutually exclusive alternative options. Both can (and should) be done.

As other posters have remarked, the club can't have to many good players. After the revolutionary and generally fantastically successful changes brought about by the Summer transfer window, the objective must surely now be a continuous incremental improvement in the players in the squad, with the 'least good' being marginalised and replaced. Geertruida would seem to pose an threat to O'Nein's and Neil's playing time. Lucumi would seem to be a threat to Hjelde's place in the squad. But they are not in competition with each other.

Thirdly, there is the suggestion that the transfer budget should be spent on other positions. None of us knows what the 'transfer budget actually is, beyond the need to remain within the parameters of PSR, which doesn't appear to be problematic.

Clubs don't sign players in a strict priority order. There is far greater opportunism involved. If a good player is identified, is available and will sign, then he will be brought in at that time. The club can't include a "Just hang on for a bit, we will get around to signing you, but we've just go to sign a right-winger/central midfielder/left-back/striker first" as part of the negotiating gambit. Signing Lucumi would not mean that the club wouldn't or couldn't also sign players in other positions.
Comeback_Kenwyne said:
We don’t need another CB option.
Click to expand...
Of course we don't, we've got Hjelde waiting in the wings.
 
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Baxter the maestro said:
There appears to be several reservations about signing Lucumi. Perhaps they should be addressed in turn.

Firstly, there is the suggestion that good players will be unhappy and discontent if the signed player (or the player they replace) is only on the bench. I don't think that this is true. The modern footballer seems to accept that it is a squad game these days, with clubs rotating players to manage the workload and thereby keep people fresh. This now sits alongside the developing strategy of 'Starters' and 'Finishers' (which Le Bris is an advocate of), where players get game time each week, through the use of the subs. bench.

Also, no player should be signed with a guarantee of a place in the starting line up or matchday squad. That is something that needs to be earned through performance.

Any 'unhappiness' is likely to be assuaged by players checking their bank balances at the end of each week. In the phrase - 'Professional footballer', the key word is 'professional'. They do it for money. They may love the game and they will get to play every day in training, but in the end it comes down to money. For example, Lucumi would only sign for Sunderland if he (and his agents and advisors) are satisfied that the remuneration will be better here than he could get elsewhere.

Secondly, others have said that signing Lucumi will marginalise Geertruida and making his permanent transfer more unlikely. I don't think that this is true either. Geertruida is very much a right-sided player (right-back, right centre-back or right side of central midfield). By contrast, Lucumi is exclusively a left-sided centre-back. The two players are not competing for the same place in the team/squad. Geertruida should certainly be signed as a priority. But the signing of Geertruida and/or Lucumi are not mutually exclusive alternative options. Both can (and should) be done.

As other posters have remarked, the club can't have to many good players. After the revolutionary and generally fantastically successful changes brought about by the Summer transfer window, the objective must surely now be a continuous incremental improvement in the players in the squad, with the 'least good' being marginalised and replaced. Geertruida would seem to pose an threat to O'Nein's and Neil's playing time. Lucumi would seem to be a threat to Hjelde's place in the squad. But they are not in competition with each other.

Thirdly, there is the suggestion that the transfer budget should be spent on other positions. None of us knows what the 'transfer budget actually is, beyond the need to remain within the parameters of PSR, which doesn't appear to be problematic.

Clubs don't sign players in a strict priority order. There is far greater opportunism involved. If a good player is identified, is available and will sign, then he will be brought in at that time. The club can't include a "Just hang on for a bit, we will get around to signing you, but we've just go to sign a right-winger/central midfielder/left-back/striker first" as part of the negotiating gambit. Signing Lucumi would not mean that the club wouldn't or couldn't also sign players in other positions.

Of course we don't, we've got Hjelde waiting in the wings.
Click to expand...

Helde is 10th choice. We are ludicrously stocked.

First, you’ve got Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Gertrudia and O’Nein. Then you’ve got Alese if he comes back to fitness. Then you’ve got two full-backs - Hume and Reinildo - who both play centre back at international level and can do a job. Then you’ve got Seelt. Then you’ve got Hjelde.

That’s ten f***ing players!

We don’t need a centre back.
Mackem Al said:
I dont think RW is remotely a priority. I think its clear that RLB is a big fan of Traore and everything he brings to the team despite him being someone the fans seem to like complaining about. Then with Talbi also in that position i dont think they'll consider this a need at all.
Click to expand...

I think it’s a priority in the summer. Because I think Traore will be seen as, at best, an understudy and while he’s a good player, I’m not a boo boy on him at all, he’s not the youngest and he’s on a short-term deal.

I also think they have now realised that Talbi is probably better as a left winger in our system.

We won’t be signing one. I actually don’t think we’ll sign anyone, other than a midfielder perhaps if and when Neil leaves.
 
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Comeback_Kenwyne said:
Helde is 10th choice. We are ludicrously stocked.

First, you’ve got Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Gertrudia and O’Nein. Then you’ve got Alese if he comes back to fitness. Then you’ve got two full-backs - Hume and Reinildo - who both play centre back at international level and can do a job. Then you’ve got Seelt. Then you’ve got Hjelde.

That’s ten f***ing players!

We don’t need a centre back.
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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.
 
Baxter the maestro said:
There appears to be several reservations about signing Lucumi. Perhaps they should be addressed in turn.

Firstly, there is the suggestion that good players will be unhappy and discontent if the signed player (or the player they replace) is only on the bench. I don't think that this is true. The modern footballer seems to accept that it is a squad game these days, with clubs rotating players to manage the workload and thereby keep people fresh. This now sits alongside the developing strategy of 'Starters' and 'Finishers' (which Le Bris is an advocate of), where players get game time each week, through the use of the subs. bench.

Also, no player should be signed with a guarantee of a place in the starting line up or matchday squad. That is something that needs to be earned through performance.

Any 'unhappiness' is likely to be assuaged by players checking their bank balances at the end of each week. In the phrase - 'Professional footballer', the key word is 'professional'. They do it for money. They may love the game and they will get to play every day in training, but in the end it comes down to money. For example, Lucumi would only sign for Sunderland if he (and his agents and advisors) are satisfied that the remuneration will be better here than he could get elsewhere.

Secondly, others have said that signing Lucumi will marginalise Geertruida and making his permanent transfer more unlikely. I don't think that this is true either. Geertruida is very much a right-sided player (right-back, right centre-back or right side of central midfield). By contrast, Lucumi is exclusively a left-sided centre-back. The two players are not competing for the same place in the team/squad. Geertruida should certainly be signed as a priority. But the signing of Geertruida and/or Lucumi are not mutually exclusive alternative options. Both can (and should) be done.

As other posters have remarked, the club can't have to many good players. After the revolutionary and generally fantastically successful changes brought about by the Summer transfer window, the objective must surely now be a continuous incremental improvement in the players in the squad, with the 'least good' being marginalised and replaced. Geertruida would seem to pose an threat to O'Nein's and Neil's playing time. Lucumi would seem to be a threat to Hjelde's place in the squad. But they are not in competition with each other.

Thirdly, there is the suggestion that the transfer budget should be spent on other positions. None of us knows what the 'transfer budget actually is, beyond the need to remain within the parameters of PSR, which doesn't appear to be problematic.

Clubs don't sign players in a strict priority order. There is far greater opportunism involved. If a good player is identified, is available and will sign, then he will be brought in at that time. The club can't include a "Just hang on for a bit, we will get around to signing you, but we've just go to sign a right-winger/central midfielder/left-back/striker first" as part of the negotiating gambit. Signing Lucumi would not mean that the club wouldn't or couldn't also sign players in other positions.

Of course we don't, we've got Hjelde waiting in the wings.
Click to expand...
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.
 
Comeback_Kenwyne said:
Helde is 10th choice. We are ludicrously stocked.

First, you’ve got Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Gertrudia and O’Nein. Then you’ve got Alese if he comes back to fitness. Then you’ve got two full-backs - Hume and Reinildo - who both play centre back at international level and can do a job. Then you’ve got Seelt. Then you’ve got Hjelde.

That’s ten f***ing players!

We don’t need a centre back.


I think it’s a priority in the summer. Because I think Traore will be seen as, at best, an understudy and while he’s a good player, I’m not a boo boy on him at all, he’s not the youngest and he’s on a short-term deal.

I also think they have now realised that Talbi is probably better as a left winger in our system.

We won’t be signing one. I actually don’t think we’ll sign anyone, other than a midfielder perhaps if and when Neil leaves.
Click to expand...


Mukiele - first choice right back
Geertruida - Utility player that has mainly covered in CM
Alderate - Brillant player
Ballard - Brilliant player but has a bit of a worrying injury record
O'Nien - jury is out on whether he is good enough
Reinildo - have no doubt he can cover at CB if needed but he only plays there for Mozambique because the rest of his national team are very poor
Hume - Plays for Northern Ireland as a RCB in a 3. Can be an option but I'd be worried if he was starting at CB in a 4 man defence.
Alese - If he was a horse he'd have been put to sleep
Hjelde - If he was a horse he'd moo
Seelt - Out on loan and apparently his club are looking at signing him.


It's all good and well saying we have this many options but how many of them are viable options for a team chasing a top half Premier League finish?
 
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