Xanth
Active Member
Hope we get Partey, who is cheaper & a more versatile player.
Aouar is a passenger without the ball and can't play in 3-4-3 which would be our main formation this season.
What do you mean by versatility? His physicality or athleticism is perhaps the only thing lacking in our squad, and I don't think that alone warrants 50m. He can't pass as well as Xhaka and his dribbling isn't necessarily better than that of Ceballos, and who is just as good in tight spaces. Also, people can meme about it but resale value and high wages are real concerns that have plagued us over the past few years. Aubameyang is in a special class of players for whom we can excuse such things.
Aouar is one of the most highly-rated young talents in Europe who has the incisiveness in the final third that we desperately lack. We don't have a midfielder who can receive the ball near the penalty box and dribble through the defenders or take players out of the game. A presence in the final third that would have helped us against Brighton and Aston Villa last season. He's not a passenger just because he's positioned higher up the pitch.
We're not playing a strict 3-4-3 like Wolves are. If you see the heatmap against Fulham, it's actually closer to a 4-3-3 with AMN having a free role in the left and often linking up with Auba or making runs into the box. Aouar can easily slot in there but more centrally, although he's also capable of playing as a left midfielder.