Transfer Rumours | Tactics | Who to buy/sell etc

He has gotten his chances, to be fair.

He just isn't good enough.

In any case, when a coach doesn't select you this isn't the way to respond. You keep your head down and show them on the pitch, whether it's at this club or another.

It's the same with llorente, he is a decent player, I don't think he is good enough for Madrid, but he is ok.

He has kept his head down, put in good performances when given the chance and now he'll probably move to a good club and start there.

Ceballos will probably become another la Liga journeyman

Ceballos really wasn't given a fair chance. Definitely not under ZZ. You can't expect a player to be consistent when he isn't given consistent playing time. Didn't he score a brace on his debut and couldn't get a whiff of the pitch for weeks?

I mean, disrespect- what do you expect Ceballos to say when ZZ tells him to f*ck off basically?

Same with any of these players- and there will be many more. We have something like 35+ players who could be in the conversation for the 25-man first team squad.

I do think it is a shame because the likes of Ceballos and Llorente have been good when they have been on. Both have been told they are surplus, but it's not exactly forward thinking to favor Modric over Ceballos and _____ a blank space over Llorente. Speaking of, who exactly will be backing up Casemiro if he is out and Llorente is gone? We don't have anyone with the defensive qualities. Ceballos at least might have been able to do a job there.

futbol_bill wrote:Mariano is leaving, Deez

Hasn't been confirmed, but if Mariano leaves then either RDT will stay or someone else will come in. Either that, or Rodrygo is seen as the 3rd option ST, but I doubt that.

Yea Deez, the lack of a quality defensive mid replacement was evidence this season

If I remember correctly, Zidane suggested the possibility of new systems.

I don't know what that means, but a change is definitely needed.

Maybe a 4231

Ceballos definitely didn't get a fair shot at the 1st 11 but that's how things are at big clubs. I am positive he'll still have a good career. The man could kick a ball quite well. As lead sufferer Freeza wrote, coaches have their favourite and rarely see beyond those guys (see Sarri and Jorginho).

While Ceballos could be understandable, I really do not see the point in getting rid of Llorente when we got no actual DM back up. Is the club gonna invest in another one? Are we, as Cyborg mentioned, gonna change the system (you still need a physical type in your midfield anyway you take it)?

Question is how do we change the system when we just tied down Kroos to an extension? Combine that with the idea of how badly ZZ wants Pogba, and how much ZZ loves playing Casemiro.

If anything, if we switched to a 2-man midfield (which I don't buy for a second), the first person to be 'surplus' would be Kroos, and actually Ceballos would be useful. Kroos is absolutely useless in a pivot. The only player that can cover for Kroos' lack of pressing and overall defensive frailty is Kante and we aren't getting Kante we are getting Pogba (probably). Could you imagine a pivot of Kroos and Pogba?

Raul de Tomás going to Benfica for 20 mil

Ceballos is shite and I hopped off the acne cabbage train rather shortly after signing him as I could tell he would not succeed. Surprises me how stubborn some of you are with your bad opinions.

In other news, selling Llorente, Hermoso, and Morata, (Madrid's best youth products of those specific positions in the last few years) to Atletico is the ultimate cuck move by Don Thanostino.

I hope we don't go after Neymar, Pogba will prob come, and we prob won't get a RW. We can talk all day about ideal player acquisitions but usually this club is not known for ideal acquisitions. Same with all clubs for that matter.

Doc wrote:Ceballos definitely didn't get a fair shot at the 1st 11 but that's how things are at big clubs. I am positive he'll still have a good career. The man could kick a ball quite well. As lead sufferer Freeza wrote, coaches have their favourite and rarely see beyond those guys (see Sarri and Jorginho).

While Ceballos could be understandable, I really do not see the point in getting rid of Llorente when we got no actual DM back up. Is the club gonna invest in another one? Are we, as Cyborg mentioned, gonna change the system (you still need a physical type in your midfield anyway you take it)?

I think it's absolutely insane that you would indulge a proven dud like Isco for years and years when you have a probable spectacular upgrade on your bench.

Isco is not a dud and can you stop hurting my feelings ffs. Shit. Also, Isco is not a fking dud lol

vanDEEZ wrote:Could you imagine a pivot of Kroos and Pogba?

One who honestly is as mobile as an anvil in water and another who got the highest distance while walking stat in the PL. Somewhere in England or Sweden, Hala just jumped off a roof thinking about such things.

James such a good player wasted hope he finds success elsewhere when he is given a proper chance, Napoli is a team he can dominate and be the man, always been better than isco never understood why he couldn't be given the 10 role or free role after left like zz did for scrubsco guess he wasn't Spanish enough, look like zz learned a lesson hopefully lighten up on the Spanish dead weight that been hurting the team since a certain midget joined.

There's hardly been any doubt regarding James' talent, but both Zidane and Kovac don't seem to appreciate his attitude. Zidane publically denied any rift between them, but based on multiple reports, it's quite clear that he's not always been an easy individual to deal with. I think this Goal.com article summed up his situation pretty well. Personally, I think it's a good thing that clubs and managers are starting to put their foot down when it comes to entitled and ego-fueled individuals.

The fact that he went to Bayern, played loads of games, titles and could not even get signed in a team which is undergoing a complete rebuild and need WC player says a lot about him lol

Mr Nick09 wrote:The fact that he went to Bayern, played loads of games, titles and could not even get signed in a team which is undergoing a complete rebuild and need WC player says a lot about him lol

Surely has to do with a confusion about his position though.
Neither Heynckes nor Kovac regarded him as an attacker, both used him as an 8 or even in CM.
Ancelotti used him 10ish or wide a bit more often, but also in midfield, so it's definitively not like he can be called a winger for us (which is where we needed fresh blood).
Really can't complain about his workrate contrary to what people believe, he wasn't averse to defensive work either, but he was inconsistent.

And in these positions, we have enough players.
In midfield, Thiago is easily as good technically and in possession, and far better against the ball.
Thiago is a proper world class midfielder.
Only thing James has got on him is goal threats and shots, by far.
We bought Tolisso for loads of money who plays in the same areas of the pitch.
We brought in Goretzka who plays in the same areas of the pitch, who scores loads of goals without making a fuzz.
As for a 10/behind the strikers/quasi-right wing position, there's still Müller whose movement and attacking nose creates more danger than James silky left foot ever could.

In the end, he just didn't impress enough to clearly state he should be preferred to any of the above, and then he had a problem with Kovac too, apparently, like two thirds of the other Bayern top players.

Think he could be great for Jjuve.
He'd also be an upgrade to all of Herrera/Mata/Lingard/Pereira at Man United.
He could also replace Eriksen at Spurs (better than Eriksen IMO).
City could buy him just be sure.

There's lots of places he could go.

Zidane putting even more pressure on the club. Says he wants all signings on first day of preseason

halamadrid2 wrote:Zidane putting even more pressure on the club. Says he wants all signings on first day of preseason

It's really refreshing lol

I hear Perez is still asking Zidane about Eriksen. I wonder if Pogba deal doesn’t materialize in Zidane’s timeline, would he settle for Eriksen or Ndombele? The latter apparently is determine to go to a new club, so they better not wait too long on Pogba!

I would prefer to have both. Ndombele is immensely talented and still very young, so there's still room for improvement. Plus, if Madrid is ever planning on signing him, they'll not have him any cheaper than now because his price is going to keep rising up.

Eriksen is an established player and he's in the final year of his contract and has publicly stated that he would love to play for Madrid. It's a no brainer.

Signing both would improve our squad immeasurably.

If not Pogba then definitely Ndombele. Eriksen should be 3rd choice.

Zidane has 0 interest in Eriksen, I can tell you it's Pogba, Ndombele and even Pjanic before Eriksen. All the "new" reports are just repeating the same information, there is nothing new lol, Zidane wants Pogba and he wants nothing to do with Eriksen, that's a player the club had engaged on their own

A midfield consisting of erikson and kroos would be brutal to watch.

halamadrid2 wrote:Zidane putting even more pressure on the club. Says he wants all signings on first day of preseason

That should be ideal for any manager far less for Zizou.

Man u is ramping up its pursuit of Ndombele according to RMC (radio).  They're also after Eriksen (various; 5-1 odds according to bookmakers lol).

Do I not like that

Looks like we missed out on Ndombele. Likely going to spurs now.