Central midfield

[taio]

Would Leeds United players be your specialist subject on mastermind?

Doubt it. At every opportunity last season Dusty was telling us Leeds were nailed on for automatic promotion.

[Steve1956]

It'll be a short one. I don't like the guy, but the difference is, I'll say it offline - he won't. That's what annoys me.

Come on Frank chill,how can you dislike someone on here it's a bit of fun.

[willsclarets]

Totally off topic, but there's a weird overuse of the laughing emoji on this thread

[Steve1956]

Totally off topic, but there's a weird overuse of the laughing emoji on this thread

[Bosscat]

[Bosscat]

Care to explain?

Feel free to login with one of your other accounts to clarify and agree with yourself.

I'm Frankacus

[Bosscat]

I imagine if you search 'Mooy' you'll see loads of people suggesting him. It won't take much effort - a couple of minutes to get the gist. I'm confident there will be many because I recall loads of people suggesting him. Same with Taylor at the time. There's no bigger troll than someone who chooses to use multiple accounts

More chance of signing CJ De-Mooy than the 'Uddersfield lad

[FactualFrank]

I'm Frankacus

[expoultryboy]

Little britton : its obvious that Drinkwater isn't in Lampards future plans , so why not go for a cheeky loan bid and pay half his wages ( 50k ) ?

[FactualFrank]

Little britton : its obvious that Drinkwater isn't in Lampards future plans , so why not go for a cheeky loan bid and pay half his wages ( 50k ) ?

Can you loan from one Prem team to the other?

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Little britton : its obvious that Drinkwater isn't in Lampards future plans , so why not go for a cheeky loan bid and pay half his wages ( 50k ) ?

Hasn't he been out on their preseason tour?

[Swizzlestick]

Can you loan from one Prem team to the other?

Yeah. Ings was on loan to Southampton.

[bfccrazy]

Just having a chat with my brother in law and he mentioned a possible great signing that’d solve a lot of our midfield woes.

Victor Wanyama is surplus to requirements at Spurs and would cost around 20 mil and is on around 50k a week.

Not breaking the bank either fee or wages wise and has prem experience and is a class player.

[Little_britton]

Little britton : its obvious that Drinkwater isn't in Lampards future plans , so why not go for a cheeky loan bid and pay half his wages ( 50k ) ?

You'd always get a West ham, Everton, newcastle etc who'd pay 80% of his wages and he'd choose them over us

[Quickenthetempo]

Just having a chat with my brother in law and he mentioned a possible great signing that’d solve a lot of our midfield woes.

Victor Wanyama is surplus to requirements at Spurs and would cost around 20 mil and is on around 50k a week.

Not breaking the bank either fee or wages wise and has prem experience and is a class player.

Would be a superb signing

[Quickenthetempo]

Can you loan from one Prem team to the other?

We had the lad from Chelsea and Keane from United.

Everton loaned Zouma from Chelsea last season.

[Quickenthetempo]

You'd always get a West ham, Everton, newcastle etc who'd pay 80% of his wages and he'd choose them over us

After not playing for a year and the drink drive charge, I can't see many clubs being keen on him.

I hope Burnley stay well clear to be honest.

[turfytopper]

Would someone like this guy fit in.

Used to love watching DC glide across the Turf.

Me too ..what a player!

[turfytopper]

I think McNeil has a future in central midfield...just needs to get a bit more experience and strength....but as things stand today unless one of the youngsters is exceptional then we need strengthening now..... I'll give Sean a ring in the morning and let him know I'm available.

[Darnhill Claret]

I like Moody, he seems to play his best football in and around the opposition’s penalty area, often when there doesn’t seem to be much on.
Wanyama has too many fitness issues.

[Long Time Lurker]

Just having a chat with my brother in law and he mentioned a possible great signing that’d solve a lot of our midfield woes.

Victor Wanyama is surplus to requirements at Spurs and would cost around 20 mil and is on around 50k a week.

Not breaking the bank either fee or wages wise and has prem experience and is a class player.

Good player, but given the knee injuries that plagued him last season he would be a risky signing. £20m and 50K a week is a huge amount of money and an astronomical amount if he turns out to be an ongoing crock. Maybe as a loan.

The Leeds fans seem to have a belief in Shakleton that borders on being fanatical. I think some of that is down to the " one of our own " sentimental claptrap. He did well in his various bit parts last season, but he is largely untested at even Championship level.

I'm not sure if he has the stature to be a centre midfielder, or the heart and tenacity to make up for it that Westwood has, which is probably why he was shifted out to right back. One to watch, but the Leeds fans would revolt if he went for anything less than a ridiculous amount of money in this window.

The impending departure of Billing will leave Huddersfield with 3 centre midfielders, including Mooy. That could make them less likely to sell and bump up his price. He has a year left on his contract ( with an option ) so they are under no pressure to sell and doing so would throw them into the difficult situation of having to find 2 midfield replacements in 2 weeks.

A good player, experienced, expensive, slightly younger than what we have, little chance of making any money off him over the long term - another player who would represent the expenditure of money we will have to write off over time.

If we go into the season with three midfielders that will be very risky. Should anything happen to Cork or Westwood then Hendrick can slot in, but we would lose the tactical option of playing him out wide in support of midfield which worked so well for us last season. Granted, we have Defour, but with the way things look we can't bank on him playing a big part. Nice, if it happens, but we need to insure ourselves against it not happening.

We really need a quality central midfielder, who won't break the bank, has development potential, decent resale value going forwards, is available and might be interested in coming here. With two weeks to go that is a very big ask.

In respect to those requirements it probably sounds a bit harsh for me to be critical of three players that fit the bill in some respects. However, we really need someone who ticks every box or a cheap stop gap.

My own pre-season picks have all been snapped up by other clubs, so I'm at something of a loss regarding any more suggestions. The only players left on my tombola list are Bourigeaud and Dru Yearwood as a 500K "one for the future" purchase from Southend.

Unless we have some minor miracle signing in our back pocket it is going to be a struggle and we might end up paying a rival way over the odds for a lesser Championship player like Harrison Reed, just to put a body on the bench ( please, please, no).

If it came to that I would rather we scraped the barrel with a cheap option like Remi Walter on a free transfer and fairly low wages. He turned down an offer from Trabzonspor of about £14K a week ( rumour ), but I would like to think that we could do slightly better. Although not by much.

Is he any good?

He would be okay as a last ditch emergency option. He came across as the most level headed and down to earth player at OGC Nice, always put in a shift and he could slot in on the left and perform a similar role to Hendrick on the right if needed. In all fairness I was suprised that Nice didn't make better use of him when he was with them.

Surely there must be a player that fits all our needs. What happened to putting together an extensive list of 40 targets for each position, in four key groups, from 22 different leagues. Was that complete ******** or did we clog up our target lists with a bunch of unrealistic expectations in respect to players like Maehle.

It is a little disheartening that we appear to be drifting into the last couple of weeks of the window with a very pressing need and a " cross all your fingers " hope that an opportunity opens up and drops in our lap. After 8 months of dedicated planning by the recruitment team we really shouldn't be in this position - again.

[Blyclaret]

Dyche likes players like Mc Arthur at Crystal Palace
And Sam Clucas at Stoke
Not light weights... steady eddie no risk players

[Duffer_]

Jonathan Hogg from Huddersfield. A bit off with my date but still pretty confident on this one.

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... g#p1009275" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

UTC!

[Blyclaret]

Definately has the profile thats Dyche likes
Tought tackling central midfielder
But 30 so not bringing the age of the team down

[SGr]

Jonathan Hogg from Huddersfield. A bit off with my date but still pretty confident on this one.

http://www.uptheclarets.com/messageboar ... g#p1009275" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

UTC!

Please no.

[SGr]

Tell you what though, I reckon central midfield will stop being mentioned once it is no longer a position to worry about. Which it still is.

[FactualFrank]

Tell you what though, I reckon central midfield will stop being mentioned once it is no longer a position to worry about. Which it still is.

Ha, that will be nice.

[bobinho]

Just having a chat with my brother in law and he mentioned a possible great signing that’d solve a lot of our midfield woes.

Victor Wanyama is surplus to requirements at Spurs and would cost around 20 mil and is on around 50k a week.

Not breaking the bank either fee or wages wise and has prem experience and is a class player.

Good player and no mistake. I'd be very happy to see us land him.

Two queries tho… 1, would he be happy to leave London? Got Palace written all over this - and 2, not quite sure the figures you mention would please our board enough to be seriously interested.

[Guller Bull]

Victor Wanyama - that would be nice.

Can anyone tell me what Long Time Lurkers posts are like? They seem alright but I never get past paragraph five. Do we find out who the murderer is or does it just keep going from series to series?

[Sproggy]

I thought Wanyama looked awful for Spurs at the end of the season.

[Lord Beamish]

Good player, but given the knee injuries that plagued him last season he would be a risky signing. £20m and 50K a week is a huge amount of money and an astronomical amount if he turns out to be an ongoing crock. Maybe as a loan.

The Leeds fans seem to have a belief in Shakleton that borders on being fanatical. I think some of that is down to the " one of our own " sentimental claptrap. He did well in his various bit parts last season, but he is largely untested at even Championship level.

I'm not sure if he has the stature to be a centre midfielder, or the heart and tenacity to make up for it that Westwood has, which is probably why he was shifted out to right back. One to watch, but the Leeds fans would revolt if he went for anything less than a ridiculous amount of money in this window.

The impending departure of Billing will leave Huddersfield with 3 centre midfielders, including Mooy. That could make them less likely to sell and bump up his price. He has a year left on his contract ( with an option ) so they are under no pressure to sell and doing so would throw them into the difficult situation of having to find 2 midfield replacements in 2 weeks.

A good player, experienced, expensive, slightly younger than what we have, little chance of making any money off him over the long term - another player who would represent the expenditure of money we will have to write off over time.

If we go into the season with three midfielders that will be very risky. Should anything happen to Cork or Westwood then Hendrick can slot in, but we would lose the tactical option of playing him out wide in support of midfield which worked so well for us last season. Granted, we have Defour, but with the way things look we can't bank on him playing a big part. Nice, if it happens, but we need to insure ourselves against it not happening.

We really need a quality central midfielder, who won't break the bank, has development potential, decent resale value going forwards, is available and might be interested in coming here. With two weeks to go that is a very big ask.

In respect to those requirements it probably sounds a bit harsh for me to be critical of three players that fit the bill in some respects. However, we really need someone who ticks every box or a cheap stop gap.

My own pre-season picks have all been snapped up by other clubs, so I'm at something of a loss regarding any more suggestions. The only players left on my tombola list are Bourigeaud and Dru Yearwood as a 500K "one for the future" purchase from Southend.

Unless we have some minor miracle signing in our back pocket it is going to be a struggle and we might end up paying a rival way over the odds for a lesser Championship player like Harrison Reed, just to put a body on the bench ( please, please, no).

If it came to that I would rather we scraped the barrel with a cheap option like Remi Walter on a free transfer and fairly low wages. He turned down an offer from Trabzonspor of about £14K a week ( rumour ), but I would like to think that we could do slightly better. Although not by much.

Is he any good?

He would be okay as a last ditch emergency option. He came across as the most level headed and down to earth player at OGC Nice, always put in a shift and he could slot in on the left and perform a similar role to Hendrick on the right if needed. In all fairness I was suprised that Nice didn't make better use of him when he was with them.

Surely there must be a player that fits all our needs. What happened to putting together an extensive list of 40 targets for each position, in four key groups, from 22 different leagues. Was that complete ******** or did we clog up our target lists with a bunch of unrealistic expectations in respect to players like Maehle.

It is a little disheartening that we appear to be drifting into the last couple of weeks of the window with a very pressing need and a " cross all your fingers " hope that an opportunity opens up and drops in our lap. After 8 months of dedicated planning by the recruitment team we really shouldn't be in this position - again.

LTL; how would you feel about playing Tarkowski in midfield?

[bfccrazy]

Good player and no mistake. I'd be very happy to see us land him.

Two queries tho… 1, would he be happy to leave London? Got Palace written all over this - and 2, not quite sure the figures you mention would please our board enough to be seriously interested.

I think the wage side would fit the bill very well. The fee could be offset if Defour is moved on at some point and it’d be a less risky signing than some we’ve had recently for me.

[hampsteadclaret]

81..
I think you may have hit on something there LB.

- or is it common knowledge what you are suggesting, as I don’t come on here much these days.

[SGr]

Good player, but given the knee injuries that plagued him last season he would be a risky signing. £20m and 50K a week is a huge amount of money and an astronomical amount if he turns out to be an ongoing crock. Maybe as a loan.

The Leeds fans seem to have a belief in Shakleton that borders on being fanatical. I think some of that is down to the " one of our own " sentimental claptrap. He did well in his various bit parts last season, but he is largely untested at even Championship level.

I'm not sure if he has the stature to be a centre midfielder, or the heart and tenacity to make up for it that Westwood has, which is probably why he was shifted out to right back. One to watch, but the Leeds fans would revolt if he went for anything less than a ridiculous amount of money in this window.

The impending departure of Billing will leave Huddersfield with 3 centre midfielders, including Mooy. That could make them less likely to sell and bump up his price. He has a year left on his contract ( with an option ) so they are under no pressure to sell and doing so would throw them into the difficult situation of having to find 2 midfield replacements in 2 weeks.

A good player, experienced, expensive, slightly younger than what we have, little chance of making any money off him over the long term - another player who would represent the expenditure of money we will have to write off over time.

If we go into the season with three midfielders that will be very risky. Should anything happen to Cork or Westwood then Hendrick can slot in, but we would lose the tactical option of playing him out wide in support of midfield which worked so well for us last season. Granted, we have Defour, but with the way things look we can't bank on him playing a big part. Nice, if it happens, but we need to insure ourselves against it not happening.

We really need a quality central midfielder, who won't break the bank, has development potential, decent resale value going forwards, is available and might be interested in coming here. With two weeks to go that is a very big ask.

In respect to those requirements it probably sounds a bit harsh for me to be critical of three players that fit the bill in some respects. However, we really need someone who ticks every box or a cheap stop gap.

My own pre-season picks have all been snapped up by other clubs, so I'm at something of a loss regarding any more suggestions. The only players left on my tombola list are Bourigeaud and Dru Yearwood as a 500K "one for the future" purchase from Southend.

Unless we have some minor miracle signing in our back pocket it is going to be a struggle and we might end up paying a rival way over the odds for a lesser Championship player like Harrison Reed, just to put a body on the bench ( please, please, no).

If it came to that I would rather we scraped the barrel with a cheap option like Remi Walter on a free transfer and fairly low wages. He turned down an offer from Trabzonspor of about £14K a week ( rumour ), but I would like to think that we could do slightly better. Although not by much.

Is he any good?

He would be okay as a last ditch emergency option. He came across as the most level headed and down to earth player at OGC Nice, always put in a shift and he could slot in on the left and perform a similar role to Hendrick on the right if needed. In all fairness I was suprised that Nice didn't make better use of him when he was with them.

Surely there must be a player that fits all our needs. What happened to putting together an extensive list of 40 targets for each position, in four key groups, from 22 different leagues. Was that complete ******** or did we clog up our target lists with a bunch of unrealistic expectations in respect to players like Maehle.

It is a little disheartening that we appear to be drifting into the last couple of weeks of the window with a very pressing need and a " cross all your fingers " hope that an opportunity opens up and drops in our lap. After 8 months of dedicated planning by the recruitment team we really shouldn't be in this position - again.

People will take the p*ss no doubt, but I’m struggling to see anything in this post that I can argue with...

[Lord Beamish]

81..
I think you may have hit on something there LB.

- or is it common knowledge what you are suggesting, as I don’t come on here much these days.

I miss Ablueclaret. It’s great to see his spirt still haunts the Messageboard.

[Long Time Lurker]

LTL; how would you feel about playing Tarkowski in midfield?

No thanks, I'm very happy with him playing in defence and he seems to be our emergency right back. We can't have the lad doing everything. Although we might be forced to squeeze square pegs into round holes again this season.

I think Bertie Bee is very under used, he could be an option if we are hard pressed.

Still, two weeks to go, plenty of time to sort something out, business as usual.

[FactualFrank]

People will take the p*ss no doubt, but I’m struggling to see anything in this post that I can argue with...

Apart from the bit about Shackleton. A very good player and he'd meet the board's criteria of sell on, which we know they like. Seen him enough and so comfortable on the ball and releases it quickly. No turning like a tank, a very good technical player. All this nonsense about the Championship - Andre Gray had never played Prem football - loads of players haven't.

Not taking the Michael, I just disagree.

[DCWat]

Good player, but given the knee injuries that plagued him last season he would be a risky signing. £20m and 50K a week is a huge amount of money and an astronomical amount if he turns out to be an ongoing crock. Maybe as a loan.

The Leeds fans seem to have a belief in Shakleton that borders on being fanatical. I think some of that is down to the " one of our own " sentimental claptrap. He did well in his various bit parts last season, but he is largely untested at even Championship level.

I'm not sure if he has the stature to be a centre midfielder, or the heart and tenacity to make up for it that Westwood has, which is probably why he was shifted out to right back. One to watch, but the Leeds fans would revolt if he went for anything less than a ridiculous amount of money in this window.

The impending departure of Billing will leave Huddersfield with 3 centre midfielders, including Mooy. That could make them less likely to sell and bump up his price. He has a year left on his contract ( with an option ) so they are under no pressure to sell and doing so would throw them into the difficult situation of having to find 2 midfield replacements in 2 weeks.

A good player, experienced, expensive, slightly younger than what we have, little chance of making any money off him over the long term - another player who would represent the expenditure of money we will have to write off over time.

If we go into the season with three midfielders that will be very risky. Should anything happen to Cork or Westwood then Hendrick can slot in, but we would lose the tactical option of playing him out wide in support of midfield which worked so well for us last season. Granted, we have Defour, but with the way things look we can't bank on him playing a big part. Nice, if it happens, but we need to insure ourselves against it not happening.

We really need a quality central midfielder, who won't break the bank, has development potential, decent resale value going forwards, is available and might be interested in coming here. With two weeks to go that is a very big ask.

In respect to those requirements it probably sounds a bit harsh for me to be critical of three players that fit the bill in some respects. However, we really need someone who ticks every box or a cheap stop gap.

My own pre-season picks have all been snapped up by other clubs, so I'm at something of a loss regarding any more suggestions. The only players left on my tombola list are Bourigeaud and Dru Yearwood as a 500K "one for the future" purchase from Southend.

Unless we have some minor miracle signing in our back pocket it is going to be a struggle and we might end up paying a rival way over the odds for a lesser Championship player like Harrison Reed, just to put a body on the bench ( please, please, no).

If it came to that I would rather we scraped the barrel with a cheap option like Remi Walter on a free transfer and fairly low wages. He turned down an offer from Trabzonspor of about £14K a week ( rumour ), but I would like to think that we could do slightly better. Although not by much.

Is he any good?

He would be okay as a last ditch emergency option. He came across as the most level headed and down to earth player at OGC Nice, always put in a shift and he could slot in on the left and perform a similar role to Hendrick on the right if needed. In all fairness I was suprised that Nice didn't make better use of him when he was with them.

Surely there must be a player that fits all our needs. What happened to putting together an extensive list of 40 targets for each position, in four key groups, from 22 different leagues. Was that complete ******** or did we clog up our target lists with a bunch of unrealistic expectations in respect to players like Maehle.

It is a little disheartening that we appear to be drifting into the last couple of weeks of the window with a very pressing need and a " cross all your fingers " hope that an opportunity opens up and drops in our lap. After 8 months of dedicated planning by the recruitment team we really shouldn't be in this position - again.

Perhaps we are not in such a position and it’s just taking time, though recent history doesn’t fill me with a lot of hope.

[SGr]

Apart from the bit about Shackleton. A very good player and he'd meet the board's criteria of sell on, which we know they like. Seen him enough and so comfortable on the ball and releases it quickly. No turning like a tank, a very good technical player. All this nonsense about the Championship - Andre Gray had never played Prem football - loads of players haven't.

Not taking the Michael, I just disagree.

That’s fair enough, I haven’t seen much if any of him myself that I can recall.

[bobinho]

The “championship” argument stands for me frank, especially with your reference to Andre gray who has still barely played decent PL football. Mainly because he isn’t good enough for this level. It was obvious when he turned out for us, and it seems Watford have worked that out too.

[Long Time Lurker]

Apart from the bit about Shackleton. A very good player and he'd meet the board's criteria of sell on, which we know they like. Seen him enough and so comfortable on the ball and releases it quickly. No turning like a tank, a very good technical player. All this nonsense about the Championship - Andre Gray had never played Prem football - loads of players haven't.

Not taking the Michael, I just disagree.

Nods, he definitely has something about him. I just think he would be risky as an immediate first team option. Definitely one for the future, but anything less than a ridiculous amount would see the Leeds fans burning effigies of Bielsa in the street.

It is that old chestnut of taking an expensive punt or waiting until he establishes himself further ( lowering the risk ) and watching his value rise or the prospect of signing him disappear if Leeds surprise everyone and manage to avoid bottling it.

I'm not averse to the idea of us signing Championship players. Neither would I draw the line at signing players who look like they might only have the potential to develop into good Championship players. I'm more opposed to spending huge amounts on young players with the view towards Premiership potential.

The way I see it speculating on young development players with Championship potential is as high as we should be aiming in terms of expenditure.

We aren't guaranteed to be in the Premiership forever, so we could find ourselves in a position that would allows us to make good use of any players with Championship ability in the short term. Failing that they will still be worth a bob or two and if we choose wisely they could also have an outside chance of developing into something more.

[FactualFrank]

The “championship” argument stands for me frank, especially with your reference to Andre gray who has still barely played decent PL football. Mainly because he isn’t good enough for this level. It was obvious when he turned out for us, and it seems Watford have worked that out too.

As a poster, you know I think you're as sound as they come - but you don't think Andre Gray is good enough for the Premier League?

I'd have him back at Burnley in a shot.

[bobinho]

Thanks frank. Likewise. But here we differ I think. No, I don’t think Gray currently has the skills required to be a prolific PL striker. The skill levels, fitness and pace of the PL defenders, right across the entire back line nullify Andres only asset -his pace. His footballing skills aren’t good enough to create any problems for the PL lads. He’s a ten goal a season striker at this level imho, and onlynthen if he plays week in week out. Drop him down a level and he’s a very good striker.

[Iloveyoubrady]

you don't think Andre Gray is good enough for the Premier League?

No Wood is much better as a complete goal scoring striker at this level.

[FactualFrank]

No Wood is much better as a complete goal scoring striker at this level.

I rate Wood a lot, think I've made that pretty obvious but they are chalk and cheese. Wood is more a target man and Gray is a forward running off the defence.

I'd love to see them upfront together but still think SD can see Wood/Vydra as a partnership.

[Vegas Claret]

There are loads of midfielders scattered across Europe that would walk into our starting eleven that we could afford. So either we don't want to pay the wages or our scouting is still league two standard

[warksclaret]

CM should have been on our radar since Defour got injured mid last season. There is no shortage of them and they are not all out of our price range. We have been in the PL for the fourth year and a good player would likely start most weeks-that's something most PL clubs cannot offer
We have a Director Of Football now and all the stats in the world-so sorry guys no excuses. We need to pull our finger out
We were lucky last year that we had Huudersfield Fulham and Cardiff in the PL. Trying to think who might be below us this season. Villa look strong and Sheff Utd will be no push overs. Norwich I am not sure about but they were the stand out team in the Championship
Lets hope we can pull some quality rabbits out the hat in the next 10 days-its not looking god from where I sit

[Steve1956]

FB_IMG_1564341468797.jpg (37.01 KiB) Viewed 2725 times

will this do? Sunday night

[FactualFrank]

Fail - made up account.

[TVC15]

Wow