Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
This Mori and Van Dijk stuff is based off absolutely nothing. Maybe he didn't want to come here?
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This Mori and Van Dijk stuff is based off absolutely nothing. Maybe he didn't want to come here?
We could have got VVD - his agent offered him about to a few clubs.
He went for the same price as Mori did.
I think we'd have had a good chance of getting him over Southampton. Only thing would have been the Koeman factor (if that was such a thing).
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
A Dutch defender with the chance of working under one of the best defenders in the world ever who just so happens to be Dutch and a club who were actually in a better position than us at the time. I would say it was a big factor.
There are loads of possible reasons why he didn't end up here or why we didn't make a move for him.
He is a massive phony anyway.
Hang on...
Not gonna lie, I'd do unspeakable things to have Van Dijk in the centre of our defence.
We were in for him. We could have afforded him. We could have afforded the wages. I wouldn't say Southampton were in a massively better position at all. They'd finished higher and done very well and then done the usual of selling their best players... I think 2015 Wanyama went Spurs?
Maybe the Koeman factor would have swung it. But I'm just pointing out, Martinez is in equal faults to blame, it wasn't just a case of not having money.
And no, I hate the RS, but he's an excellent defender.
Still switches off, but he's improved them so much, and when he does switch off he has the pace to recover.
Anyway, this is about Gylfi, and he's one player that I'm glad Koeman did sign.
Papa Shango
Player Valuation: £70m
Well if we were in for him and we were his best option then why would he not come here?
We were never in for him, his agent saying he is available is a different thing.
Your Wanyama example works doesn't it? Go to Southampton, play well, move on to a "big" club.
I don't see how Martinez is at fault if we were "in for him". It has got to be one or the other. Being in for him and not getting him would not be his fault.
I don't think he is an excellent defender personally, obviously he is decent but his flaws are too much for me, I reckon he wouldn't look half as good playing for us. Then again I don't rate defenders who "switch off" at all. Obviously I am hard to please. It seems to be a modern phenomenon this. "Oh he is a great defender, he switches off once or twice a game but he is boss otherwise" That's once or twice too often for me!
Gyfli is a Walsh signing.... possibly, maybe...
Supposedly we had the opportunity to pursue VVD or Mori. Martinez decided to go for Mori. A bit like how Koeman could have pursued Josh King in 2017 and decided against it (even though we desperately needed a proven striker).
Pretty much every defender in world football 'switches off' at points now or, actually, maybe a better way of putting it is that they get caught out, perhaps because of how teams now play. There's now more of an onus to be 'more than' just a defender. There's a real lack of truly world class CBs, but VVD is definitely up there with the best in this league.
And well Koeman and Walsh both signed the players, but I think we know that the manager ultimately pressed for what he wanted. It wasn't a case of a 'one or the other' signing with Gylfi, I don't think.
At least with Brands and Silva, it's pretty evident that it's both of them making the decision.
Only Alderweireld is ahead of him in this league imo, with Azpilicueta a close third (but height lets down Azplicueta if he plays CB). VVD is an absolute goliath at centre back and I think it is absolutely no coincidence that they've looked a lot better at the back since signing him.
To think we could have got him but chose mori makes me hate Martinez more. Saying that if we did sign him Martinez would have ruined him most likely
I still think Kompany has to be up there as well.
Alderweireld is excellent. Really gets overlooked how good he is because of his injury/contract troubles last year - he'd walk into most defences in Europe.
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