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General Reserves Talk

  • Thread starter M+D
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Country: Iceland
yunus musah extends with Valencia till 2026 with a RC of 100m

sigh the one that got away

Think he made the correct decision leaving us. You look at Edu or Raul as a youngster and I think you will have zero faith of the direction the club is going.

A bit long contract with such a high RC to sign for. Guess its give him safety, but think it also gives Valencia a huge power over his future too.
 

Dutch D

Well-Known Member & FPL Champion 19/20
@MutableEarth

I'm looking at the squad and thinking we should just clear out all the deadwood in one go and rely on youth/reserves as back-up if we have to.

Do we have any fullbacks, cdm's or cm's coming through that could step up as a backup option?
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
@MutableEarth

I'm looking at the squad and thinking we should just clear out all the deadwood in one go and rely on youth/reserves as back-up if we have to.

Do we have any fullbacks, cdm's or cm's coming through that could step up as a backup option?
Full back is a bit tricky - we're absolutely loaded with promising RBs, but only one LB (Joel Lopez, a La Masia talent who's done well so far this season). All the RBs are incredibly young and not ready (Ryan Alebiosu - a much improved full-back talent moved back from RW - is 18, Oyegoke is 17 and Norton-Cuffy is 16). All 3 are very similar - tall, physically powerful full-backs with good technical quality and powerful running. Oyegoke is probably the most skillful while Norton-Cuffy is the strongest defensively IMO. Oyegoke is also very versatile, being able to play DM and CB. None of these guys are ready though, so I don't think they will be realistic options. Of the 3, I think Norton-Cuffy is arguably the most promising, but Oyegoke is also very talented. That's not even mentioning Zak Swanson, not as athletic but a very good solid defender with good technical skill.

We've got quite a bit of central midfield talent. I think the closest one to being a decent back-up currently is Matt Smith. What he lacks in genuine physicality, he more than makes up for with intelligence and technical quality. His distribution is very good and he can unlock defences. He also makes a lot of timely interceptions. Failing that, Miguel Azeez is arguably the top dog. Not quite the most defensive #6 but a very promising technical CM with a very strong athletic base. One of the best ball progressing players at the club in terms of both passing and dribbling, his movement is also very good. Ben Sheaf has had a decent loan in the Championship this year but he's arguably being fattened up for sale. Behind all of them are the likes of Patino and Bandeira, both very talented but both quite far away from being considered at this stage of their careers.

I think it's moot tbh, because I don't see the club even bothering to utilise them correctly at the moment.
 

teamsoutheast

Well-Known Member
Full back is a bit tricky - we're absolutely loaded with promising RBs, but only one LB (Joel Lopez, a La Masia talent who's done well so far this season). All the RBs are incredibly young and not ready (Ryan Alebiosu - a much improved full-back talent moved back from RW - is 18, Oyegoke is 17 and Norton-Cuffy is 16). All 3 are very similar - tall, physically powerful full-backs with good technical quality and powerful running. Oyegoke is probably the most skillful while Norton-Cuffy is the strongest defensively IMO. Oyegoke is also very versatile, being able to play DM and CB. None of these guys are ready though, so I don't think they will be realistic options. Of the 3, I think Norton-Cuffy is arguably the most promising, but Oyegoke is also very talented. That's not even mentioning Zak Swanson, not as athletic but a very good solid defender with good technical skill.

We've got quite a bit of central midfield talent. I think the closest one to being a decent back-up currently is Matt Smith. What he lacks in genuine physicality, he more than makes up for with intelligence and technical quality. His distribution is very good and he can unlock defences. He also makes a lot of timely interceptions. Failing that, Miguel Azeez is arguably the top dog. Not quite the most defensive #6 but a very promising technical CM with a very strong athletic base. One of the best ball progressing players at the club in terms of both passing and dribbling, his movement is also very good. Ben Sheaf has had a decent loan in the Championship this year but he's arguably being fattened up for sale. Behind all of them are the likes of Patino and Bandeira, both very talented but both quite far away from being considered at this stage of their careers.

I think it's moot tbh, because I don't see the club even bothering to utilise them correctly at the moment.

Norton-Cuffy definitely looks promising physically. I can't believe the size of him considering he's just 16. If he can stay injury free, and develops over the next 2 years, he could be incredible.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Norton-Cuffy definitely looks promising physically. I can't believe the size of him considering he's just 16. If he can stay injury free, and develops over the next 2 years, he could be incredible.
Yep, both him and Oyegoke are in excellent physical shape. Both strong, powerful and quick. Norton-Cuffy looks to have a really high ceiling, but I need to see a lot more of him - particularly as he's pretty much jumped U18 level and gone straight to U23 and looks very much at the level, if not higher.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐

One of our best prospects at the club currently. A youth international and one of a plethora of talented young RBs coming through.

Very athletic player, pretty tall for a full back too. Strong 1v1 and doesn't get beaten often, but interestingly he's also very comfortable in possession and makes good, progressive decisions in possession. Very interesting profile of player.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Still no word on the contract situation of Kido Taylor-Hart, which is unfortunate. With Reiss Nelson becoming increasingly likely to peter out at Arsenal, I'd like for Taylor-Hart to be the one to try to succeed where Nelson may potentially fail. He has the right blend of attributes (speed, technique and trickery), and while he may not have had the explosive rise Nelson has had, he's still very talented.

We need to get that contract sorted ASAP. Would say the same for Dan Oyegoke aswell, who also has yet to sign his first pro deal.
 

teamsoutheast

Well-Known Member
Still no word on the contract situation of Kido Taylor-Hart, which is unfortunate. With Reiss Nelson becoming increasingly likely to peter out at Arsenal, I'd like for Taylor-Hart to be the one to try to succeed where Nelson may potentially fail. He has the right blend of attributes (speed, technique and trickery), and while he may not have had the explosive rise Nelson has had, he's still very talented.

We need to get that contract sorted ASAP. Would say the same for Dan Oyegoke aswell, who also has yet to sign his first pro deal.
Really disappointed with Nelson. He still has time and I would like to see how he fares in the No 10 role in rotation with Smith Rowe. Either Taylor-Hart or Omari Hutchinson are our next best bets. Cirjan seems to be well liked too and seems to portray a very professional attitude off the pitch.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
Really disappointed with Nelson. He still has time and I would like to see how he fares in the No 10 role in rotation with Smith Rowe. Either Taylor-Hart or Omari Hutchinson are our next best bets. Cirjan seems to be well liked too and seems to portray a very professional attitude off the pitch.

With Reiss, it's the timidity that's disappointing. He should be fired up in matches - he's not getting playing time, he needs to be pulling out all the stops to impress, instead he's scared to put a foot wrong and ends up just not doing anything. That's worse than trying things and making mistakes. Take AMN for example. Terrible game today, but most of his mistakes came from him attempting to make progressive plays and kept trying even though he was ****ing up the entire time. I'd like to see Nelson tried out in the #10 role but it would be a last roll of the dice more than anything. He's not especially creative in comparison to ESR but he connects play well and can lay on decent chances - plus we might actually see more of him in front of goal. But he has to be brave with the few chances he gets.

With Taylor-Hart, we haven't seen him tested at a high level yet so can't say if he will falter or prevail but he is a good bet IMO. He seems to have the edge on Nelson in terms of athleticism - has the speed and acceleration, has good height and power aswell. Omari Hutchinson is interesting because I don't know if he will end up central or wide. He's become a decent athlete and seems to be of the physical demands of a wider role - however his technical quality is such that he could easily end up in a more central role over time. He's dovetailed with Flores extremely well and Flores could be someone that ends up wider, even though he's less powerful than Hutchinson.

Cirjan will probably end up central but I wouldn't rule him out of a wide role either. His aggressive nature in possession would probably see him do quite well on either flank, but I see him being a central player most likely.
 

akhil

Well-Known Member
With Reiss, it's the timidity that's disappointing. He should be fired up in matches - he's not getting playing time, he needs to be pulling out all the stops to impress, instead he's scared to put a foot wrong and ends up just not doing anything. That's worse than trying things and making mistakes. Take AMN for example. Terrible game today, but most of his mistakes came from him attempting to make progressive plays and kept trying even though he was ****ing up the entire time. I'd like to see Nelson tried out in the #10 role but it would be a last roll of the dice more than anything. He's not especially creative in comparison to ESR but he connects play well and can lay on decent chances - plus we might actually see more of him in front of goal. But he has to be brave with the few chances he gets.

With Taylor-Hart, we haven't seen him tested at a high level yet so can't say if he will falter or prevail but he is a good bet IMO. He seems to have the edge on Nelson in terms of athleticism - has the speed and acceleration, has good height and power aswell. Omari Hutchinson is interesting because I don't know if he will end up central or wide. He's become a decent athlete and seems to be of the physical demands of a wider role - however his technical quality is such that he could easily end up in a more central role over time. He's dovetailed with Flores extremely well and Flores could be someone that ends up wider, even though he's less powerful than Hutchinson.

Cirjan will probably end up central but I wouldn't rule him out of a wide role either. His aggressive nature in possession would probably see him do quite well on either flank, but I see him being a central player most likely.

I imagine it's hard for Nelson if he can't trust his body. Keeps picking up knocks. Seems to be having a similar time of it to ESR over the last couple of years in terms of injuries.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
I imagine it's hard for Nelson if he can't trust his body. Keeps picking up knocks. Seems to be having a similar time of it to ESR over the last couple of years in terms of injuries.
Yeah, I think one of the reasons why he gets so many of these niggles is the overall lack of football. I think a decent run of games would iron out those muscle issues sufficiently. He makes the most sense for the LW spot stylistically and has for a long time, so it's frustrating that his development has been so staggered.

With Taylor-Hart seemingly on his way out of the club this Summer aswell, LW is looking pretty bare. Butler-Oyedeji also doesn't seem to have been offered a pro deal. I'm unsure as to why neither player has been signed up unless they're trying to make space for Flores and Hutchinson. Maybe they will eventually move Cirjan wide left but I'd rather we use more natural wide players.
 

MutableEarth

Reiss' Dad
Trusted ⭐
@MutableEarth What's happening to Joel Lopez? He's the only player resembling a left back after Tierney now unless we move Saka there too.
Injured, has been for a little while. Ryan Alebiosu has been playing in his place and has actually been pretty decent but it's unlikely to lead to anything this season. Best bet is that Saka & AMN will fill in there, especially given Arteta's reluctance to blood youngsters in while cold.

With Lopez, he has apparently performed well in the times he's been played this season but needs to stay fit and possibly go on a loan with guaranteed minutes.
 

lomekian

Essays are my thing
Taylor Hart and Nelson are similar players. And I never rated them. Don’t get how people called them tricky/technical/skillful players.

Nelson has been one of the most technically advanced in the country in the age groups, but as with his physical attributes hasn't really kicked on since he was 18. Taylor Hart never been quite as highly rated, but has more physical potential.
 

lomekian

Essays are my thing
With Reiss, it's the timidity that's disappointing. He should be fired up in matches - he's not getting playing time, he needs to be pulling out all the stops to impress, instead he's scared to put a foot wrong and ends up just not doing anything. That's worse than trying things and making mistakes. Take AMN for example. Terrible game today, but most of his mistakes came from him attempting to make progressive plays and kept trying even though he was ****ing up the entire time. I'd like to see Nelson tried out in the #10 role but it would be a last roll of the dice more than anything. He's not especially creative in comparison to ESR but he connects play well and can lay on decent chances - plus we might actually see more of him in front of goal. But he has to be brave with the few chances he gets.

With Taylor-Hart, we haven't seen him tested at a high level yet so can't say if he will falter or prevail but he is a good bet IMO. He seems to have the edge on Nelson in terms of athleticism - has the speed and acceleration, has good height and power aswell. Omari Hutchinson is interesting because I don't know if he will end up central or wide. He's become a decent athlete and seems to be of the physical demands of a wider role - however his technical quality is such that he could easily end up in a more central role over time. He's dovetailed with Flores extremely well and Flores could be someone that ends up wider, even though he's less powerful than Hutchinson.

Cirjan will probably end up central but I wouldn't rule him out of a wide role either. His aggressive nature in possession would probably see him do quite well on either flank, but I see him being a central player most likely.
I basically agree with every word of this...
 

Football Manager

Copy & Paste Merchant
Nelson has been one of the most technically advanced in the country in the age groups, but as with his physical attributes hasn't really kicked on since he was 18. Taylor Hart never been quite as highly rated, but has more physical potential.
Back when they were all in the U23, I have posted that: If there is one player making the first team, it would be Saka. And I said Saka is the best out of Amaechi, Nelson and Saka. I always think that saka is the most skillful one. Never understand what is so skillful about Nelson.
 
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