2025/26 Adam Aznou

[preposterousvelios]

Right, here's the thing - I'm annoyed about how we've handled this, but he played half an hour as a left mid and didn't really have to do any defending. What he did with the ball though was decent, so we know he can play a bit.

You've got 3 games people have been able to see him in before that where he stunk the gaff out and looked completely disinterested, you've also got Moyes repeatedly saying that he's physically lacking.

It's baffling to me that with what we know about his limitations, people base an entire opinion about his ability to play as a left back from 30 mins of a cup game where he played a different position.

I think we can be annoyed about him not being given more minutes in a wide midfield role (in the way Moyes did with Coleman etc) and I think we can raise questions about whether he was a sensible signing given we only had Mykolenko in that position and desperately needed another viable option there, rather than a long term project. I think being annoyed that Moyes won't play a kid at left back who nobody on this forum has watched actually play left back (unless they were avid viewers of Real Valladolid last season) is just a bizarre take.

Surely it's the point that we've not seen him play left back though. Can see what your saying about his performance on the wing not being an indicator of whether or not he could play left back.

For me though the fact that we saw that he can be useful on the ball is enough for me to want to see how he would do at left back, the position he was signed to play. Might be a risk but its a risk worth taking imo.

Would be a different story if Myko was putting in even half decent performances, but he isn't and we've again failed to find a solution in the window. Hence my original post, just give him a go with Branthwaite next to him to help him through the game.

Its not good enough to go the rest of the season with either 4 centre backs playing, or 3 and Mykolenko. A solution needs to be found.

 

[Lanolin]

For me the issue isn't really whether we should be playing him - I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on that - it's whether we should have bought him. I'm all for buying players who have their best years in front of them but we needed someone who could at least be decent cover or an alternative option, if not an actual upgrade. To have brought someone in who looks likely to not even step on the pitch in a PL game all season was absolutely crazy all things considered.

 

[mahermi1]

For me the issue isn't really whether we should be playing him - I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on that - it's whether we should have bought him. I'm all for buying players who have their best years in front of them but we needed someone who could at least be decent cover or an alternative option, if not an actual upgrade. To have brought someone in who looks likely to not even step on the pitch in a PL game all season was absolutely crazy all things considered.

Well put, especially with Mykolenko's limitations as an attacking fullback.

 

[pfim]

For me the issue isn't really whether we should be playing him - I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on that - it's whether we should have bought him. I'm all for buying players who have their best years in front of them but we needed someone who could at least be decent cover or an alternative option, if not an actual upgrade. To have brought someone in who looks likely to not even step on the pitch in a PL game all season was absolutely crazy all things considered.

We thought he’d be cover, played him against Roma and realized quickly that wasn’t an option.

The fee was peanuts, I think it’d be pretty difficult not to get that back if we didn’t want to wait for him to come good. Or at least recoup a few million.

 

[Lanolin]

We thought he’d be cover, played him against Roma and realized quickly that wasn’t an option.

The fee was peanuts, I think it’d be pretty difficult not to get that back if we didn’t want to wait for him to come good. Or at least recoup a few million.

You say that as if it's totally normal to sign a player and then realise after half an hour of a friendly that they're not as good as you thought. It isn't. That's what scouts and recruitment teams are supposed to be working out before you buy.

Like I said, we needed someone who could give us something this year, ideally an upgrade but at the very least a decent alternative option. It's not about whether we get our money back on him, it's about things like whether we've just wasted a year of Grealish on loan and the costs involved in that by having an absolutely abysmal full back behind him who he quite clearly chooses not to give the ball to more often than not.

 

[pfim]

You say that as if it's totally normal to sign a player and then realise after half an hour of a friendly that they're not as good as you thought. It isn't. That's what scouts and recruitment teams are supposed to be working out before you buy.

Like I said, we needed someone who could give us something this year, ideally an upgrade but at the very least a decent alternative option. It's not about whether we get our money back on him, it's about things like whether we've just wasted a year of Grealish on loan and the costs involved in that by having an absolutely abysmal full back behind him who he quite clearly chooses not to give the ball to more often than not.

That’s all we saw, we’re obviously not privy to training.

Im not sure the staff agreed that they needed another upgrade or another option. I guess if a guy who looks like he can’t tie his shoes costs 7 mil, what does an actual player look like?

The guy has obvious physical abilities, that’s what the scouts are looking at.

At the end of the day we’re about where many thought we would be and what I think Moyes has been consistent in his messaging, I don’t think anyone’s year (or half year in this instance) was wasted by a LB

 

[Lanolin]

That’s all we saw, we’re obviously not privy to training.

Im not sure the staff agreed that they needed another upgrade or another option. I guess if a guy who looks like he can’t tie his shoes costs 7 mil, what does an actual player look like?

The guy has obvious physical abilities, that’s what the scouts are looking at.

At the end of the day we’re about where many thought we would be and what I think Moyes has been consistent in his messaging, I don’t think anyone’s year (or half year in this instance) was wasted by a LB

It was you who said it?!

 

[pfim]

It was you who said it?!

I don’t typically use “we” when referring to the football staff, I’m not on it-for good reason.

 

[Joey66]

I don’t typically use “we” when referring to the football staff, I’m not on it-for good reason.

Judge him when he plays left back - if he is still here?

 

[catcherintherye]

For me the issue isn't really whether we should be playing him - I haven't seen enough of him to have an opinion on that - it's whether we should have bought him. I'm all for buying players who have their best years in front of them but we needed someone who could at least be decent cover or an alternative option, if not an actual upgrade. To have brought someone in who looks likely to not even step on the pitch in a PL game all season was absolutely crazy all things considered.

I think this is often what gets lost when people talk about good recruitment. A good player, or a player with good potential can just lose that if they're not getting games.

Will the manager play him? Does he suit their style?
If he plays, will he avoid making mistakes and getting dropped?
If you pick too many, do you end up like Brighton/Bournemouth etc or do you end up like Norwich, Ipswich, Southampton etc.

It's what worries me a bit about having ever larger recruitment teams, but ultimately if the managers not going to pick them, it's kind of irrelevant.

A lot of it is about having a coach that both suits who you are buying, but also suits what you're trying to do as a club.

Re Aznou, I'm not entirely sure we got that.

 

[HalfTimeSayers]

He surprised the Bayern hierarchy by complaining about not getting minutes. Bizarre if he is suddenly happy getting zero minutes here and being told via press conferences that he’s still not physically ready to play in this league in the position he was bought for.

In decades gone by we’d have given him decent minutes left mid, got him working hard, tracking back, get his crosses in. Feels like those days are gone, even though he offers a directness our wingers don’t have (until today).

The fact that our reliable (but heavily criticised) starting left back finally gets an injury he can’t hide and play through and Aznou isn’t given a second thought is mad.

 

[brittcop1]

I don't know why anyone is surprised. He did the exact same thing to Coleman at first. He played him exclusively as a sub winger as he felt he was a liability defensively, then shunted him off to Blackpool in the championship where he smashed it at right back and forced him to bring him back and play him in his preferred position. Moyes likes his players well seasoned, as well all know, and he particularly loathes youth in defence, for obvious reasons.

He likes the salty vets who dont ever make mistakes or look rattled....like Keane.

 

[EFC_FRANCIS]

Whether he should be playing or not, he might have the worst agent OAT for forcing his way out of Bayern in an AFCON and WC year to play 30 mins all year for us.

 

[DualityNSNO]

Whether he should be playing or not, he might have the worst agent OAT for forcing his way out of Bayern in an AFCON and WC year to play 30 mins all year for us.

Yeah cuz he was gonna play so much at Bayern.

 

[whiteshadow]

It amazes me that some people defend Moyes position on not playing Aznou, when it was Moyes that signed him.

Moyes should have the guts to at least try him at left back and give him another chance on the wing. If he plays really badly and looks out of his depth fans will be more understanding but when Moyes won't even give him another try at left midfield, despite playing well there, let alone left back, it makes Moyes look like an idiot, who is more concerned about not being proven wrong than giving the player a chance.