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Nicolas Nkoulou

Yousif Arsenal

On Vinai's payroll & misses 4th place trophy 🏆
Trusted ⭐
Weak sources. N'koulou been decent since joining Torino he been thier captain the problem he lack leadership he always quite on the pitch
 

Slartibartfast

CIES Loyalist
Haven't seen much Serie A this year since ESPN moved nearly all the games behind an online paywall, but he was voted Torino's Player of the Season last year. I saw them play two or three times last year, but can't say I formed an opinion on this guy. But if Sven likes him, that's good enough for me. Now we just wait to see if there's actually anything to this.
 

dashsnow17

Doesn’t Rate Any Of Our Attackers
Trusted ⭐
Call me superficial but a 28 year old from Torino doesn't strike me as the sort of world class addition that's gonna solve our defensive ineptitude, just sounds like another guy for us to complain about in 12 months time as we search for yet another defender.
 

Red London

Anti-Simp Culture
Trusted ⭐
He might be a solid player but theres so many depressing factors here.
He's ANOTHER small defender. Only 6 foot and not a strong guy. He is more of a 3atb player considering hes good on the ball and I dont see the point in signing a player who will only suit 3atb, but then be too weak to handle a 4atb. He's another 'alright' player who can easily slip into the mustafi or elneny category upon moving to the EPL.

What is the point in signing all these players for £10-20m on 70-90k a week and having to keep them when they potentially flop. Lets sign a serious CB around 24-28 who is an asset for years... for god sake its more worth the money kroenke you idiot
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
A 28 year old CB/DM hybrid? Reminds me of - Stephane M'Bia and Daniel Carrico...who have played under Emery at Sevilla. This sounds so bonkers it might actually have legs.
 

Dutch D

Well-Known Member & FPL Champion 19/20
He might be a solid player but theres so many depressing factors here.
He's ANOTHER small defender. Only 6 foot and not a strong guy. He is more of a 3atb player considering hes good on the ball and I dont see the point in signing a player who will only suit 3atb, but then be too weak to handle a 4atb. He's another 'alright' player who can easily slip into the mustafi or elneny category upon moving to the EPL.

What is the point in signing all these players for £10-20m on 70-90k a week and having to keep them when they potentially flop. Lets sign a serious CB around 24-28 who is an asset for years... for god sake its more worth the money kroenke you idiot
Dont know anything about this player, but if you're saying that a ballplaying defender is primarily good in a 3atb, I think you are sorely mistaken. If your cb's in a 4-3-3 (or whatever variant, doesnt really matter what you call it) cant find the forward (diagonal) pass to the midfielders, you can't start a dominant posession based game strategy.

If we want to play 4atb we desperately need a defender who is also good with the ball.
 

Red London

Anti-Simp Culture
Trusted ⭐
Dont know anything about this player, but if you're saying that a ballplaying defender is primarily good in a 3atb, I think you are sorely mistaken. If your cb's in a 4-3-3 (or whatever variant, doesnt really matter what you call it) cant find the forward (diagonal) pass to the midfielders, you can't start a dominant posession based game strategy.

If we want to play 4atb we desperately need a defender who is also good with the ball.
That wasnt the only reason he's primarily suited to 3atb in this league. He isn't physically imposing at all. What top top CBs are skinny and relatively shortvin this league? And if they are they are partnered by a beast. For me the biggrst priority in the summer window is a tall, calming presence.
 
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Tosker

Does Not Hate Foreigners
That wasnt the only reason he' primarily suited to 3atb in this league. He isn't physically imposing at all. What top top CBs are skinny and relatively shortvin this league? And if they are they are partnered by a beast. For me the biggrst priority in the summer window is a tall, calming presence.
something like Holding, for example - we have missed him more than I would have expected
 

Dutch D

Well-Known Member & FPL Champion 19/20
That wasnt the only reason he's primarily suited to 3atb in this league. He isn't physically imposing at all. What top top CBs are skinny and relatively shortvin this league? And if they are they are partnered by a beast. For me the biggrst priority in the summer window is a tall, calming presence.
Fair enough. I would argue he would also need to be comfortable on the ball though, given that Sokratis is nothing special in that area.
 

Red London

Anti-Simp Culture
Trusted ⭐
Fair enough. I would argue he would also need to be comfortable on the ball though, given that Sokratis is nothing special in that area.
Sokratis is weird he is bad at playing from the back but against fuham he had a moment where he looked like douglas costa on the wing :lol:, and he assisted Auba.
But yeh I fully agree. I noticed when i watched us at the Emirates vs Huddersfield that Sokratis was so uncomfortabe at coming forward on the left side.

We need a top left sided defender. If I could I'd splurge our entire transfer budget on Kalidou Koulibaly. Left CB, can play out with literally both his feet and is very confident with it too. He is also insanely strong. He'd cost like£100m so its essentially impossible but he is the kinda mould we need imo
 

Toby

No longer a Stuttgart Fan
Moderator
We primarily need a CB who's good at reading and understanding the game with a good anticipation of what's going to happen and percepton of what's going on around him, who can organize a defence and thus help the backline keep its defensive structure. Good passing and height would be a sure plus. A Mertesacker MK.2.

We don't need another physical and pacy per se CB, we have enough of this kind of proactive opposition engaging defenders in Koscielny, Sokratis and Mustafi.

Don't think N'Koulou is this guy, but neither think we have to spend 100m - which we don't have anyway - on Koulibaly. We got Merte for just a little more than 10m and with Kos he built the best defence of 15/16, iirc. Sokratis for 16m was a good start to replace what Kos brought to the team, Mustafi is an ample backup to him, Mavropanos seems made of the same mold and so is a nice one for the future, but that defense needs a perceptive organizer now.

If Mats Hummels wasn't on a clear downward trajectory and more occupied with preparing for his post playing days, I'd say try and get him as he seems unsettled in Munich. Holger Badstuber, too, fits the profile of intelligent, perceptive and commanding, but he's a crock and slower than a grammie with a walker. I'm too less immersed in CBs to be able to point to a younger, healthy alternative. But I seriously doubt it's N'Koulou.
 
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We need a stopgap to finish out the season until Holding and Mavropanos are completely healthy. I’m hoping we bring him in.
 
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carlito'sway

Established Member
I have not seen him much of him in Italy but I knew him well when he played in France first at OM then Lyon. He was decent at Marseille but totally tanked at Lyon. Unless he has improved by leaps and bounds, he is not good enough for AFC though.
 

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