BFC TRANSFER NEWS SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020 (MUST CONTAIN LINK)

[Somethingfishy]

In the interest of balance, I think we are more likely to sign Baptiste Santamaria than we are John The Baptist.

Yeah but if we did sign John the Baptist we may be able to attract his mate Jesus. I think he is a goalkeeper as apparantly he saves a lot but he is not good with crosses.

[Burnleyareback2]

Paid nothing like £15m. As is the case with most deals, a lot is in add ons. None of the triggers have been met. If he’s screwed anyone it’s likely to be Middlesbrough.

That is a relief and a sign of good management.

[Andreshotboots]

Aren't sell on fees usually based on profit from the purchase price so they'll get sod all.

[Somethingfishy]

All we need now is the Pinta and the Nina, and we've got ourselves a full set !!

Yeah but i've heard the Columbus Crew are in for them.

[huw.Y.WattfromWare]

Yeah but if we did sign John the Baptist we may be able to attract his mate Jesus. I think he is a goalkeeper as apparantly he saves a lot but he is not good with crosses.

As long as it’s not the guy at City.

[Long Time Lurker]

If he’s as good as the article suggests, and plays as stated, he sounds like a great option, if we can beat his other suitors to his signature.

A good age to impact the first team and potentially turn a profit on, down the line as well.

Baptiste Samtamaria

I think the article is being a bit generous in their assessment of him, but only a bit. I've watched Angers quite a lot, because I've been following Angelo Fulgini. He is one of the top picks on my transfer tombola list for this window, to slot in on the right wing ( and also serve as a quality central midfield option ).

Santamaria is the stand out player for Angers, he really is an excellent defensive midfielder. He should have left last season and the promise not to stand in his way if an attractive offer is made for him during this window is widely known.

I expected him to go to one of the bigger clubs and that, along with his probable transfer fee cost, are the only reasons he didn't make my list of players for discussion. Top quality player and I would be super happy to see him at Burnley, cost permitting. Sadly, I'm still leaning towards the probability that he will end up somewhere else.

I’d be interested to see the various stats, referred to on the stats thread, for Hendrick. I’ve never been his biggest fan and I can see why he’s not unanimously a fans favourite.

Lots of stats.

Jeff Hendrick

https://fbref.com/en/players/989d5705/Jeff-Hendrick

Ashley Westwood

https://fbref.com/en/players/495945ef/Ashley-Westwood

Jack Cork

https://fbref.com/en/players/74e12f1e/Jack-Cork

Baptiste Santamaria

https://fbref.com/en/players/5e22e2a4/B ... Santamaria

Angelo Fulgini ( 2018/19 = Right Wing, 2019/2020 = Central Midfield )

https://fbref.com/en/players/4b96c347/Angelo-Fulgini

Lower Leagues

I had to use a couple of different sites to get stats that everyone can freely access for the lower league players we have reputedly expressed an interest in. I've put them in a separate section, because that stats gathered by one group aren't necessarily the same as another.

Cameron Brannagan

https://www.sofascore.com/player/camero ... gan/372522 https://www.footballcritic.com/cameron- ... file/11982

Lewis O'Brien

https://www.sofascore.com/player/lewis-obrien/920936
https://www.footballcritic.com/lewis-ob ... possession

In reference to my own viewing, which isn't much, I'm a bit unsure of this bloke with a transfer figure of 7m being rumoured. He seems to go to ground far more than he needs to, which could quickly see some of those ten yellow cards turn into reds, especially with the referee decisions we are exposed to.

His overall passing is a bit dubious, especially from long range ( which he would have to rely on a lot more with us ) and he seems to be a bit slow. When I've seen him he takes off and then he is quickly caught by the opposition, which requires him to do a risky 180 to retain position or make a quick lay off. Against better quality opposition in a league were the speed of player is a lot faster this could be a problem. Playing further back would also reduce his creative output. His shots on target stats are pretty awful.

O'Brien is a good age and I like the idea of adding a left footer, but I would probably take a closer look at Juninho Baccuna if I was considering buying a player from Huddersfield. Out of contract soon and he might have what we are looking for in a right winger / attacking midfielder ( with a bit of defensive nous ), even though Huddersfield have only played him as a left winger to date. Providing that he was available on the cheap.

Ben Whiteman

I haven't seen any media sources linking him with us, but he is the League One ( which seems to be our new recruitment grounds ) player that I like the look of as a possible midfield addition.

https://www.sofascore.com/player/benjam ... man/775063
https://www.footballcritic.com/ben-whit ... file/13328

Moving Forward

The combination of Taylor and Dwight racks up the progressive distance for us on the left, which is why a lot of our attacking impetus comes from down that side. That is why we seems to suffer with Pieters on the pitch. He doesn't seem to have the legs to cover the whole of the left side. He can assist Dwight by playing an attacking role, which leaves us exposed at the back ( resulting in the horrendous defensive performances we experienced at the start of last season ) or he can focus on his defensive duties which stifles the attacking opportunities of Dwight.

With Taylor on the pitch we look comfortable switching between attack and defence. Despite all the current talk of a new right back, I think we actually need a new back up left wing back for Taylor.

For my money, the thing that we are really lacking in central midfield is a player who can drive forward and carry the ball. For large parts of games we seem to engage in a dangerous game of pass the ball ping pong. We clear the ball and back it comes, repeat x times until we concede a shot or manage to get it up the pitch.It would be nice if we had a player who could do that and match the duties being performed by our current central midfielders.

I know some people are looking for us to add a creative flair winger on the right ( backed up by an attacking full back) to give us a greater forward surge, but I think that would be a mistake. A lot of posters reflected on our last match of the season against Brighton being one game to far. However, that isn't what I noticed. We were pushing forward on both wings in that match with Bardsley playing a lot farther forward that I've seen him do before.

If I had to guess, I'm inclined to think we were testing that idea out. Whatever the reason it didn't work. We made a poor Brighton team look a lot better than they were and we had some very dangerous gaps at the back on both sides. More worryingly we looked soft in the middle and we saw the appearance of scoring opportunities in front of goal that we don't normally give up. Against a half decent team I think the negative score line would have been a lot higher.

I'm still annoyed that the referee basically stole £2-3m from out of our pockets in that match and then handed it to Brighton instead.

One of the reasons that we have done so well in recent seasons ( and why Sheffield did so well in the season just ended ) is that we don't play like other teams. We might not play pretty, but it is working very well for us and teams don't like facing us. If we change our style of play to match how the other teams are playing I'm afraid it will come down to a like for like face off in terms of player quality and in that comparison we will get hammered.

Conclusion

I would be delighted if we could add Santamarina to compete with Cork for the defensive pivot of our central midfield and really happy if we also added Fulgini as a defensive right winger with the ability to carry the ball forward and create - as well as serving as an additional back up for central midfield.

[DCWat]

Cheers for that LTL. I’ve only skimmed through but will have a proper read and look at the links tomorrow

[middleton claret]

Thanks for that LTL an insightful & measured post, with plenty to consider. Enjoyed reading that & agree with most of it. Well done !

[Vegas Claret]

Angelo Fulgini ( 2018/19 = Right Wing, 2019/2020 = Central Midfield )

1 goal and 1 assist in 20 games - not seen him play, but those stats would suggest he's worse than Aarron Lennon !!!

[DanH90]

A friend of mine is a Villa fan and works in football. After they were linked with him last Summer he started paying special attention to Santamaria. Said he’s excellent, good passing range and gets around the pitch well, the only question mark he had is over whether he would adapt to the physicality of the English Game, but he sounds like a good potential bet to me. Might mean Brownhill can provide an option wide right too, in the Hendrick role.

[Mattster]

Good stuff LTL.

fbref can be a bit number heavy if you're not really into the whole stats thing so if that's what you're thinking when you visit those links then I'd recommend using https://www.footballslices.com/ which pulls the stats from fbref and puts them into "slices" which look at a players stats output in relation to other players in the same position in their league, it's only available for players from the top 5 leagues like fbref (so no Championship, Eredivisie etc.) but is an easy way into football "stats" for the uninitiated.

You can also use it to compare players, for example here is Hendrick vs Brownhill for Burnley against other attacking mids/wingers averages
https://www.footballslices.com/compare/86454_138929

Or Baptiste Santamaria vs Jack Cork against other central/defensive midfielder averages
https://www.footballslices.com/compare/236558_22847

[pushpinpussy]

Baptiste Samtamaria

I think the article is being a bit generous in their assessment of him, but only a bit. I've watched Angers quite a lot, because I've been following Angelo Fulgini. He is one of the top picks on my transfer tombola list for this window, to slot in on the right wing ( and also serve as a quality central midfield option ).

Santamaria is the stand out player for Angers, he really is an excellent defensive midfielder. He should have left last season and the promise not to stand in his way if an attractive offer is made for him during this window is widely known.

I expected him to go to one of the bigger clubs and that, along with his probable transfer fee cost, are the only reasons he didn't make my list of players for discussion. Top quality player and I would be super happy to see him at Burnley, cost permitting. Sadly, I'm still leaning towards the probability that he will end up somewhere else.



Lots of stats.

Jeff Hendrick

https://fbref.com/en/players/989d5705/Jeff-Hendrick

Ashley Westwood

https://fbref.com/en/players/495945ef/Ashley-Westwood

Jack Cork

https://fbref.com/en/players/74e12f1e/Jack-Cork

Baptiste Santamaria

https://fbref.com/en/players/5e22e2a4/B ... Santamaria

Angelo Fulgini ( 2018/19 = Right Wing, 2019/2020 = Central Midfield )

https://fbref.com/en/players/4b96c347/Angelo-Fulgini

Lower Leagues

I had to use a couple of different sites to get stats that everyone can freely access for the lower league players we have reputedly expressed an interest in. I've put them in a separate section, because that stats gathered by one group aren't necessarily the same as another.

Cameron Brannagan

https://www.sofascore.com/player/camero ... gan/372522 https://www.footballcritic.com/cameron- ... file/11982

Lewis O'Brien

https://www.sofascore.com/player/lewis-obrien/920936
https://www.footballcritic.com/lewis-ob ... possession

In reference to my own viewing, which isn't much, I'm a bit unsure of this bloke with a transfer figure of 7m being rumoured. He seems to go to ground far more than he needs to, which could quickly see some of those ten yellow cards turn into reds, especially with the referee decisions we are exposed to.

His overall passing is a bit dubious, especially from long range ( which he would have to rely on a lot more with us ) and he seems to be a bit slow. When I've seen him he takes off and then he is quickly caught by the opposition, which requires him to do a risky 180 to retain position or make a quick lay off. Against better quality opposition in a league were the speed of player is a lot faster this could be a problem. Playing further back would also reduce his creative output. His shots on target stats are pretty awful.

O'Brien is a good age and I like the idea of adding a left footer, but I would probably take a closer look at Juninho Baccuna if I was considering buying a player from Huddersfield. Out of contract soon and he might have what we are looking for in a right winger / attacking midfielder ( with a bit of defensive nous ), even though Huddersfield have only played him as a left winger to date. Providing that he was available on the cheap.

Ben Whiteman

I haven't seen any media sources linking him with us, but he is the League One ( which seems to be our new recruitment grounds ) player that I like the look of as a possible midfield addition.

https://www.sofascore.com/player/benjam ... man/775063
https://www.footballcritic.com/ben-whit ... file/13328

Moving Forward

The combination of Taylor and Dwight racks up the progressive distance for us on the left, which is why a lot of our attacking impetus comes from down that side. That is why we seems to suffer with Pieters on the pitch. He doesn't seem to have the legs to cover the whole of the left side. He can assist Dwight by playing an attacking role, which leaves us exposed at the back ( resulting in the horrendous defensive performances we experienced at the start of last season ) or he can focus on his defensive duties which stifles the attacking opportunities of Dwight.

With Taylor on the pitch we look comfortable switching between attack and defence. Despite all the current talk of a new right back, I think we actually need a new back up left wing back for Taylor.

For my money, the thing that we are really lacking in central midfield is a player who can drive forward and carry the ball. For large parts of games we seem to engage in a dangerous game of pass the ball ping pong. We clear the ball and back it comes, repeat x times until we concede a shot or manage to get it up the pitch.It would be nice if we had a player who could do that and match the duties being performed by our current central midfielders.

I know some people are looking for us to add a creative flair winger on the right ( backed up by an attacking full back) to give us a greater forward surge, but I think that would be a mistake. A lot of posters reflected on our last match of the season against Brighton being one game to far. However, that isn't what I noticed. We were pushing forward on both wings in that match with Bardsley playing a lot farther forward that I've seen him do before.

If I had to guess, I'm inclined to think we were testing that idea out. Whatever the reason it didn't work. We made a poor Brighton team look a lot better than they were and we had some very dangerous gaps at the back on both sides. More worryingly we looked soft in the middle and we saw the appearance of scoring opportunities in front of goal that we don't normally give up. Against a half decent team I think the negative score line would have been a lot higher.

I'm still annoyed that the referee basically stole £2-3m from out of our pockets in that match and then handed it to Brighton instead.

One of the reasons that we have done so well in recent seasons ( and why Sheffield did so well in the season just ended ) is that we don't play like other teams. We might not play pretty, but it is working very well for us and teams don't like facing us. If we change our style of play to match how the other teams are playing I'm afraid it will come down to a like for like face off in terms of player quality and in that comparison we will get hammered.

Conclusion

I would be delighted if we could add Santamarina to compete with Cork for the defensive pivot of our central midfield and really happy if we also added Fulgini as a defensive right winger with the ability to carry the ball forward and create - as well as serving as an additional back up for central midfield.

ive read some utter garbage on here but this takes the top prize.

[ian]

Baptiste Samtamaria

I think the article is being a bit generous in their assessment of him, but only a bit. I've watched Angers quite a lot, because I've been following Angelo Fulgini. He is one of the top picks on my transfer tombola list for this window, to slot in on the right wing ( and also serve as a quality central midfield option ).

Santamaria is the stand out player for Angers, he really is an excellent defensive midfielder. He should have left last season and the promise not to stand in his way if an attractive offer is made for him during this window is widely known.

I expected him to go to one of the bigger clubs and that, along with his probable transfer fee cost, are the only reasons he didn't make my list of players for discussion. Top quality player and I would be super happy to see him at Burnley, cost permitting. Sadly, I'm still leaning towards the probability that he will end up somewhere else.



Lots of stats.

Jeff Hendrick

https://fbref.com/en/players/989d5705/Jeff-Hendrick

Ashley Westwood

https://fbref.com/en/players/495945ef/Ashley-Westwood

Jack Cork

https://fbref.com/en/players/74e12f1e/Jack-Cork

Baptiste Santamaria

https://fbref.com/en/players/5e22e2a4/B ... Santamaria

Angelo Fulgini ( 2018/19 = Right Wing, 2019/2020 = Central Midfield )

https://fbref.com/en/players/4b96c347/Angelo-Fulgini

Lower Leagues

I had to use a couple of different sites to get stats that everyone can freely access for the lower league players we have reputedly expressed an interest in. I've put them in a separate section, because that stats gathered by one group aren't necessarily the same as another.

Cameron Brannagan

https://www.sofascore.com/player/camero ... gan/372522 https://www.footballcritic.com/cameron- ... file/11982

Lewis O'Brien

https://www.sofascore.com/player/lewis-obrien/920936
https://www.footballcritic.com/lewis-ob ... possession

In reference to my own viewing, which isn't much, I'm a bit unsure of this bloke with a transfer figure of 7m being rumoured. He seems to go to ground far more than he needs to, which could quickly see some of those ten yellow cards turn into reds, especially with the referee decisions we are exposed to.

His overall passing is a bit dubious, especially from long range ( which he would have to rely on a lot more with us ) and he seems to be a bit slow. When I've seen him he takes off and then he is quickly caught by the opposition, which requires him to do a risky 180 to retain position or make a quick lay off. Against better quality opposition in a league were the speed of player is a lot faster this could be a problem. Playing further back would also reduce his creative output. His shots on target stats are pretty awful.

O'Brien is a good age and I like the idea of adding a left footer, but I would probably take a closer look at Juninho Baccuna if I was considering buying a player from Huddersfield. Out of contract soon and he might have what we are looking for in a right winger / attacking midfielder ( with a bit of defensive nous ), even though Huddersfield have only played him as a left winger to date. Providing that he was available on the cheap.

Ben Whiteman

I haven't seen any media sources linking him with us, but he is the League One ( which seems to be our new recruitment grounds ) player that I like the look of as a possible midfield addition.

https://www.sofascore.com/player/benjam ... man/775063
https://www.footballcritic.com/ben-whit ... file/13328

Moving Forward

The combination of Taylor and Dwight racks up the progressive distance for us on the left, which is why a lot of our attacking impetus comes from down that side. That is why we seems to suffer with Pieters on the pitch. He doesn't seem to have the legs to cover the whole of the left side. He can assist Dwight by playing an attacking role, which leaves us exposed at the back ( resulting in the horrendous defensive performances we experienced at the start of last season ) or he can focus on his defensive duties which stifles the attacking opportunities of Dwight.

With Taylor on the pitch we look comfortable switching between attack and defence. Despite all the current talk of a new right back, I think we actually need a new back up left wing back for Taylor.

For my money, the thing that we are really lacking in central midfield is a player who can drive forward and carry the ball. For large parts of games we seem to engage in a dangerous game of pass the ball ping pong. We clear the ball and back it comes, repeat x times until we concede a shot or manage to get it up the pitch.It would be nice if we had a player who could do that and match the duties being performed by our current central midfielders.

I know some people are looking for us to add a creative flair winger on the right ( backed up by an attacking full back) to give us a greater forward surge, but I think that would be a mistake. A lot of posters reflected on our last match of the season against Brighton being one game to far. However, that isn't what I noticed. We were pushing forward on both wings in that match with Bardsley playing a lot farther forward that I've seen him do before.

If I had to guess, I'm inclined to think we were testing that idea out. Whatever the reason it didn't work. We made a poor Brighton team look a lot better than they were and we had some very dangerous gaps at the back on both sides. More worryingly we looked soft in the middle and we saw the appearance of scoring opportunities in front of goal that we don't normally give up. Against a half decent team I think the negative score line would have been a lot higher.

I'm still annoyed that the referee basically stole £2-3m from out of our pockets in that match and then handed it to Brighton instead.

One of the reasons that we have done so well in recent seasons ( and why Sheffield did so well in the season just ended ) is that we don't play like other teams. We might not play pretty, but it is working very well for us and teams don't like facing us. If we change our style of play to match how the other teams are playing I'm afraid it will come down to a like for like face off in terms of player quality and in that comparison we will get hammered.

Conclusion

I would be delighted if we could add Santamarina to compete with Cork for the defensive pivot of our central midfield and really happy if we also added Fulgini as a defensive right winger with the ability to carry the ball forward and create - as well as serving as an additional back up for central midfield.

Thanks for taking the time to write this, good insight / review.

ive read some utter garbage on here but this takes the top prize.

tl;dr.

[MACCA]

Baptiste Samtamaria

I think the article is being a bit generous in their assessment of him, but only a bit. I've watched Angers quite a lot, because I've been following Angelo Fulgini. He is one of the top picks on my transfer tombola list for this window, to slot in on the right wing ( and also serve as a quality central midfield option ).

Santamaria is the stand out player for Angers, he really is an excellent defensive midfielder. He should have left last season and the promise not to stand in his way if an attractive offer is made for him during this window is widely known.

I expected him to go to one of the bigger clubs and that, along with his probable transfer fee cost, are the only reasons he didn't make my list of players for discussion. Top quality player and I would be super happy to see him at Burnley, cost permitting. Sadly, I'm still leaning towards the probability that he will end up somewhere else.



Lots of stats.

Jeff Hendrick

https://fbref.com/en/players/989d5705/Jeff-Hendrick

Ashley Westwood

https://fbref.com/en/players/495945ef/Ashley-Westwood

Jack Cork

https://fbref.com/en/players/74e12f1e/Jack-Cork

Baptiste Santamaria

https://fbref.com/en/players/5e22e2a4/B ... Santamaria

Angelo Fulgini ( 2018/19 = Right Wing, 2019/2020 = Central Midfield )

https://fbref.com/en/players/4b96c347/Angelo-Fulgini

Lower Leagues

I had to use a couple of different sites to get stats that everyone can freely access for the lower league players we have reputedly expressed an interest in. I've put them in a separate section, because that stats gathered by one group aren't necessarily the same as another.

Cameron Brannagan

https://www.sofascore.com/player/camero ... gan/372522 https://www.footballcritic.com/cameron- ... file/11982

Lewis O'Brien

https://www.sofascore.com/player/lewis-obrien/920936
https://www.footballcritic.com/lewis-ob ... possession

In reference to my own viewing, which isn't much, I'm a bit unsure of this bloke with a transfer figure of 7m being rumoured. He seems to go to ground far more than he needs to, which could quickly see some of those ten yellow cards turn into reds, especially with the referee decisions we are exposed to.

His overall passing is a bit dubious, especially from long range ( which he would have to rely on a lot more with us ) and he seems to be a bit slow. When I've seen him he takes off and then he is quickly caught by the opposition, which requires him to do a risky 180 to retain position or make a quick lay off. Against better quality opposition in a league were the speed of player is a lot faster this could be a problem. Playing further back would also reduce his creative output. His shots on target stats are pretty awful.

O'Brien is a good age and I like the idea of adding a left footer, but I would probably take a closer look at Juninho Baccuna if I was considering buying a player from Huddersfield. Out of contract soon and he might have what we are looking for in a right winger / attacking midfielder ( with a bit of defensive nous ), even though Huddersfield have only played him as a left winger to date. Providing that he was available on the cheap.

Ben Whiteman

I haven't seen any media sources linking him with us, but he is the League One ( which seems to be our new recruitment grounds ) player that I like the look of as a possible midfield addition.

https://www.sofascore.com/player/benjam ... man/775063
https://www.footballcritic.com/ben-whit ... file/13328

Moving Forward

The combination of Taylor and Dwight racks up the progressive distance for us on the left, which is why a lot of our attacking impetus comes from down that side. That is why we seems to suffer with Pieters on the pitch. He doesn't seem to have the legs to cover the whole of the left side. He can assist Dwight by playing an attacking role, which leaves us exposed at the back ( resulting in the horrendous defensive performances we experienced at the start of last season ) or he can focus on his defensive duties which stifles the attacking opportunities of Dwight.

With Taylor on the pitch we look comfortable switching between attack and defence. Despite all the current talk of a new right back, I think we actually need a new back up left wing back for Taylor.

For my money, the thing that we are really lacking in central midfield is a player who can drive forward and carry the ball. For large parts of games we seem to engage in a dangerous game of pass the ball ping pong. We clear the ball and back it comes, repeat x times until we concede a shot or manage to get it up the pitch.It would be nice if we had a player who could do that and match the duties being performed by our current central midfielders.

I know some people are looking for us to add a creative flair winger on the right ( backed up by an attacking full back) to give us a greater forward surge, but I think that would be a mistake. A lot of posters reflected on our last match of the season against Brighton being one game to far. However, that isn't what I noticed. We were pushing forward on both wings in that match with Bardsley playing a lot farther forward that I've seen him do before.

If I had to guess, I'm inclined to think we were testing that idea out. Whatever the reason it didn't work. We made a poor Brighton team look a lot better than they were and we had some very dangerous gaps at the back on both sides. More worryingly we looked soft in the middle and we saw the appearance of scoring opportunities in front of goal that we don't normally give up. Against a half decent team I think the negative score line would have been a lot higher.

I'm still annoyed that the referee basically stole £2-3m from out of our pockets in that match and then handed it to Brighton instead.

One of the reasons that we have done so well in recent seasons ( and why Sheffield did so well in the season just ended ) is that we don't play like other teams. We might not play pretty, but it is working very well for us and teams don't like facing us. If we change our style of play to match how the other teams are playing I'm afraid it will come down to a like for like face off in terms of player quality and in that comparison we will get hammered.

Conclusion

I would be delighted if we could add Santamarina to compete with Cork for the defensive pivot of our central midfield and really happy if we also added Fulgini as a defensive right winger with the ability to carry the ball forward and create - as well as serving as an additional back up for central midfield.

Lewis O'Brien seems to be the one that may be the more Burnley type signing.

But who knows we might be surprised, I just cant see us spending 12m on a unknown risky type signing in a key area of the pitch.

If we do I fully expect him to do the business, as we will have been extra thorough.

[Mala591]

I think Dyche is at a time in his career when he would love to manage one or two really technically gifted, creative players who can excite the crowd and become firm Turf Moor favourites. Don't rule out a surprising and unexpected signing in the next few weeks.

[JohnDearyMe]

I think Dyche is at a time in his career when he would love to manage one or two really technically gifted, creative players who can excite the crowd and become firm Turf Moor favourites. Don't rule out a surprising and unexpected signing in the next few weeks.

Agreed, from some of his interviews it sounds like that is exactly what he is pushing for.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I think Dyche is at a time in his career when he would love to manage one or two really technically gifted, creative players who can excite the crowd and become firm Turf Moor favourites. Don't rule out a surprising and unexpected signing in the next few weeks.

Exciting times ahead ? Let’s hope our manager has resolved his differences with the Chairman and is being backed with transfer funds !

[ArmchairDetective]

Agreed, from some of his interviews it sounds like that is exactly what he is pushing for.

I've not read/heard much from Dyche recently. Any particular ones? Certainly hope the board are able to back him with this.

[NewClaret]

I've not read/heard much from Dyche recently. Any particular ones? Certainly hope the board are able to back him with this.

Two I’d most like would be Buendia and Eliasson.

Hope above posts are right and we add one or two more technical players.

[ArmchairDetective]

Two I’d most like would be Buendia and Eliasson.

Hope above posts are right and we add one or two more technical players.

I was actually looking for interviews, but yes i agree that those players are the type we should be looking for

[BOYSIE31]

obligatory YouTube ..... A lot like Westy for me.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlwOT8Ov1uI

A lot better than Westwood

[Spijed]

I think Dyche is at a time in his career when he would love to manage one or two really technically gifted, creative players who can excite the crowd and become firm Turf Moor favourites. Don't rule out a surprising and unexpected signing in the next few weeks.

He does - Dwight McNeil.

[BOYSIE31]

Two I’d most like would be Buendia and Eliasson.

Hope above posts are right and we add one or two more technical players.

We do need someone totally different and more technical but don't hold your breath.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

We do need someone totally different and more technical but don't hold your breath.

10th place finish........

[ArmchairDetective]

Santamaria has posted on his social media today where he appears to either be a sub in a match or taking part in training with Angers. I'm not sure what else we would be expecting him to be doing but I suppose it indicates that he's probably not signing for us imminently - just in case anyone was wondering.

[NewClaret]

I was actually looking for interviews, but yes i agree that those players are the type we should be looking for

Don’t think he’s done any interviews recently. On pre-season until end of this week/early next as I understood.

[BenWickes]

Santamaria has posted on his social media today where he appears to either be a sub in a match or taking part in training with Angers. I'm not sure what else we would be expecting him to be doing but I suppose it indicates that he's probably not signing for us imminently - just in case anyone was wondering.

If it's the Twitter I saw. I think he was just retweeting from Angers about a game this Saturday 22nd.

[ArmchairDetective]

If it's the Twitter I saw. I think he was just retweeting from Angers about a game this Saturday 22nd.

Instagram

[Grumps]

With quarantine etc, doubt he'd come here till it was a done deal

[Duffer_]

Santamaria has posted on his social media today where he appears to either be a sub in a match or taking part in training with Angers. I'm not sure what else we would be expecting him to be doing but I suppose it indicates that he's probably not signing for us imminently - just in case anyone was wondering.

Give it up BenWickes! You don't get a username like this without doing your homework.

[ArmchairDetective]

Give it up BenWickes! You don't get a username like this without doing your homework.

[AfloatinClaret]

All we need now is the Pinta and the Nina, and we've got ourselves a full set !!

Just buy those two and forget about Santa Maria - reputedly the slowest of the three, sluggish in the turn and injury prone too - it didn't even complete the first voyage.

[dibraidio]

There's nothing in the French press about SantaMaria and definitely no link with us other than an article quoting the daily mail as it's source. The most recent article I can find about him was about Angers turning down Villareal who offered 10 million euros but they are holding out for 15m euros apparently. They are definitely expecting him to leave this window though.

[Taffy on the wing]

Two I’d most like would be Buendia and Eliasson.

Hope above posts are right and we add one or two more technical players.

Buendia for sure is exactly what we are lacking ........haven't seen Eliasson.

[Firthy]

Buendia for sure is exactly what we are lacking ........haven't seen Eliasson.

And you're not likely to see either of them here.

[Long Time Lurker]

1 goal and 1 assist in 20 games - not seen him play, but those stats would suggest he's worse than Aarron Lennon !!!

Look again.

https://fbref.com/en/players/4b96c347/Angelo-Fulgini

https://www.footballslices.com/compare/357427_296316

Click on the first link and scroll down a bit and you will notice his shot creation figure for 2017/2019 was 3.05, in 2018/2019 it was 3.67 and in 2019/2020 it was also 3.36. However, he is the corner taker for Angers which gives a boost to those figures.

A player can create scoring opportunities all day, but if the strikers on the receiving end of them all are crap they won't translate into assists. The strikers at Angers are really awful. In contrast, put those scoring opportunities on a plate for our clinical strikers and I'm willing to bet his assists would shoot up.

By way of comparison the scoring opportunities created per game for Mc Neil were 2.43 in 2018/2019 and 2.75 in 2019/2020. Westwood, who also has the benefit of taking corners, produced figures for the same period of 2.33 and 2.66.

Probing a bit deeper, let's have a look at his ability to progress the ball up the pitch. I'm going to use tables from this point on, because they will make direct comparisons easier.



Taking all of his statistics into account paints a picture of a player that isn't a million miles away from matching Dwight as a winger. He could fulfil the same role as Hendrick, but with the added dimension of being able to progress the ball forward a lot better and create more scoring opportunities.

If you look at the tackling breakdowns you will notice that a lot of tackles he made, playing as both a winger and central midfielder, occurred in the defensive third. That tells me Fulgini is willing to track back and do the dirty work, which shouldn't be surprising because he started out as a right back.

He statistics are also a match for Westwood and Cork as a central midfielder, but with the same plus points for progressing the ball forward by dribbling or passing. He doesn't make as many clearances, but that is because he can carry the ball out of the defensive third instead of lumping it up the pitch at every opportunity.

His ball recovery rate is lower than our players. However, that is down to the way that we play. It should also be said that Angers operate with a different formation ( 4-1-4-1 ) which should be factored into any assessment of his stats.

All told, a player that can run a close second to our best players in two different positions should be of interest to us. He would represent two players for the price of one transfer and one wage. Adding Fulgini would also make it far easier for Santamaria to settle in a new country and league if we are really in for him.

Given the number of games that Dwight played last season, in relative comparison to his first season, his goals and assists halved, but that doesn't mean he has regressed or that he was a flash in the pan player. If we look at all his stats they clearly confirm what we have all seen when we have watched him, that he is improving at a rapid rate across multiple areas of his game. He is quickly becoming a complete player.

Focusing too much on assists and goals can give a distorted and inaccurate view of a players overall game and their potential value to a team.

[Long Time Lurker]

Just a quick post to clear things up. Considering my last two posts I might be coming across as a bit of a statistical fan boy, but that really isn't a true reflection of me. I think statistics are becoming over valued in respect to the mistaken belief that they can provide objectivity or greater verisimilitude.

I'm not opposed to people including more player statistics on here to promote interesting discussions though. In fact I would actively welcome it.

I fully appreciate that statistics represent a very useful tool, but I think they should always be used in deference to experienced scouts and playing staff who have developed knowledge and direct experience of the game.

Statistics are prone to misinterpretation and despite what the evangelical statisticians claim they are infused with subjectivity, especially when it comes to quantifying the performance of players at other clubs.

I think statistics should play a secondary role in transfer decision making, with a rough ratio of 60 / 40 in favour of old fashioned scouting ( albeit with the aid of watching games online from multiple angles ).

It is the difference between blindly surrendering to statistics and cautiously viewing them through the filter of common sense and practical experience. When all is said and done the playing staff are the people who are going to be working with any new players we sign and they are the people that the majority of fans will question if our on the pitch performance declines, not the statisticians behind the scenes.

That doesn't strike me as being fair, but it seems to be how it works. The recruitment team decide on the overall strategy, the playing staff find themselves out of the loop with their advice ignored and then they have to carry the can when things go tits up. They even attract grief for objecting to things that circumvent their ability to do what they feel is best.

Not to long ago the Gaffer made a decision to publicly discuss the decision not to offer some of our players new contracts. I think he did the right thing at the right time and he probably saved us a huge stack of money by doing so, but that didn't stop some people pointing rude fingers at him.

Had we not done a U-turn and given Bardlsey a new contract we would have been without a right back when Lowton got injured. That might have required us to play Tarks at right back with Long in central defence. When Mee got injured we would have been up **** creek.

The post Covid games were marked by a truly heroic performance by our squad. However, had Sean not forced a rethink we could have easily dropped a number of places, losing a lot of money in the process.

Statistical tools are useful, finances are important, but at the end of the day the experienced playing staff are the best placed to know we need and when we need it. We are lucky to have a tight wallet skinflint like Dyche as our manager.

I still remember reading about his initial interview. He didn't ask how much money he would have to spend on buying new players, he asked what we had spent all of our EPL money on and that led us to building the new training ground. It would have been easier for him to pump as much money as he could into the squad instead of advocating the spending of money on infrastructure.

The Gaffer strikes me as someone who knows the value of a pound. So when he says that we need to spend it is because he genuinely feels that it is in the best interest of the club for us to spend.

I would also trust him to spend our money wisely in comparison to others who have wasted so much of it in their time elsewhere. Hopefully, the difference of opinion that may exist between all those involved in our recruitment will be settled and the decision making reigns will be entrusted to those best placed to make judgements about what the team needs to move forwards on the playing front.

Post 1000 - Yay me

[ewanrob]

Not a link as such, but I thought Jack Stacey at Bournemouth looked decent toward end of their season...asked to play in various positions and did very well.

[mkmel]

If Stacey is ex Luton then I am pretty sure that we were linked with him a few years ago

[Long Time Lurker]

Warning - Hugely Speculative Opinions And Wish Upon A Star Nonsense To Follow

Personally, I wouldn't be averse to us offering Vydra and up to £10m for Santamaria and Fulgini. The thing that Angers desperately need is a hard working, high energy striker with technical ability.

Vydra showed his quality in the games he played for us last season, but I suspect that he might not have been given the same chance had our strikers not been hit by injuries so heavily. His contract ends in 2021, if we don't trigger his contract extension, and if our three other strikers are fit and firing then I could see him spending most of the upcoming season on the bench.

That would be a waste because Vydra is a good player and he really deserves to be playing regular football. He isn't the perfect fit for the loan striker formation that Angers play, but he does tick a lot of boxes and he is miles better than any of the options they currently have on their books. That would make him a clear number one player for them. Seriously, any player that can hit a barn door at ten paces would be better than their current crop of misfit strikers.

We could replace him with Sam Cosgrove from Aberdeen. Hulking target men with mobility and a touch of technical skill are becoming a rarity these days. I think clubs are focussing on nippy young players and view that type as a relic of the past. Unfortunately, if clubs don't value solid target men then they don't recruit and train them, which will increase the deficit over time. Picking up a player like Sam Cosgrove now could avoid us struggling to find one a few years down the line.

I would also prefer Scott McKenna to Joe Worrall. He is a seasoned left footed, left sided centre back which is what we need. Worral looked shaky playing on the left side for Forrest last season and their form suffered when he was moved there. I don't think that we really need three predominantly right sided central defenders, especially at the price of Gibson plus £4m. Any desire on his part for regular game time would also be a deal breaker.

Focussing on a swap deal for GIbson severely limits our options. I honestly don't know why we seem to be under the impression that we need to move Gibson on before signing a central defender. We know Gibson isn't going to play any further part for us so we need another player. Whether we bring one in before sorting out Gibson or not should make little difference.

I'm inclined to think that nobody will be in a rush to make a move for Gibson. Why would they, when they know he isn't going to play for us again and we are on the hook for his wages. They can simply take things down to the wire with us becoming more desperate as the clock ticks on and more open to the idea of accepting a poor deal. It isn't in the financial deal making interest of any other club to sort the Gibson situation out quickly for us.

We could probably sign McKenna and Cosgrove for a combined fee of £6-8. That would be in line with the numbers being suggested by Aberdeen in previous windows, before Covid struck. Jimmy Dunne could even be added as a deal sweetener with maybe one of our young strikers on loan.

If we then sold Gibson for £8-10m ( I'm being optimistic considering the damage that him and the club have done to his value ), which would represent a bargain for some club, we could sit back after tying up most of our transfer business for less than a £10m outlay.

New defensive midfielder, new creative right sided defensive midfielder, new young striker and a new young left sided centre back. Gibson off the books and Vydra happily playing regular football instead of rotting on our bench and eventually leaving on a free transfer.

That is a huge stack of interdependent ifs, but I don't think it is an entirely unrealistic scenario to have a punt at.

I would also like to see us sell Brady in this window, simply to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of his current contract. If he was going to sign a new contract then he would have done so, instead of us triggering his extension. It has Hendrick Deja Vu written all over it. Although I suspect we lost Hendrick for nothing because we tried to nickle and dime him with a short contract and by the time we put a respectable offer in front of him it was too late.

Pieters could replace Brady at left midfield and JBG can play on the left. Erik didn't light up the pitch in that role, but he definitely didn't let us down and he looked more effective in it than playing as a wingback. Restricting his primary play to half the pitch might be the best way to get the most out of him. He can certainly put in a quality pass and he would have a lot more freedom to concentrate on doing that if the weight of having to cover a much greater distance on the left flank was taken off his shoulders.

It would also allow us to maybe bring in a new left wing back during this window. If we choose not to trigger Pieters contract extension option we will be looking for a new left wing back at the end of the coming season anyhow.

With JBG, Brownhill and a new addition we should have enough players to cover the right wing. As much as I appreciate Brady as a player, and sympathise with him in relation to how injury set him back just as things were coming good for him, he didn't look particularly enthusiastic in any of the late season run outs that he got. In fact he looked like a player who was simply ticking off his time sheet until he can leave.

Alternatively, Kevin Stoger on a free transfer. Moussa Sylla, Danny Loader, Matt O'Riley and Demetri Mitchell are some other free transfer options that we could be looking at.

[Down_Rover]

Warning - Hugely Speculative Opinions And Wish Upon A Star Nonsense To Follow

Personally, I wouldn't be averse to us offering Vydra and up to £10m for Santamaria and Fulgini. The thing that Angers desperately need is a hard working, high energy striker with technical ability.

Vydra showed his quality in the games he played for us last season, but I suspect that he might not have been given the same chance had our strikers not been hit by injuries so heavily. His contract ends in 2021, if we don't trigger his contract extension, and if our three other strikers are fit and firing then I could see him spending most of the upcoming season on the bench.

That would be a waste because Vydra is a good player and he really deserves to be playing regular football. He isn't the perfect fit for the loan striker formation that Angers play, but he does tick a lot of boxes and he is miles better than any of the options they currently have on their books. That would make him a clear number one player for them. Seriously, any player that can hit a barn door at ten paces would be better than their current crop of misfit strikers.

We could replace him with Sam Cosgrove from Aberdeen. Hulking target men with mobility and a touch of technical skill are becoming a rarity these days. I think clubs are focussing on nippy young players and view that type as a relic of the past. Unfortunately, if clubs don't value solid target men then they don't recruit and train them, which will increase the deficit over time. Picking up a player like Sam Cosgrove now could avoid us struggling to find one a few years down the line.

I would also prefer Scott McKenna to Joe Worrall. He is a seasoned left footed, left sided centre back which is what we need. Worral looked shaky playing on the left side for Forrest last season and their form suffered when he was moved there. I don't think that we really need three predominantly right sided central defenders, especially at the price of Gibson plus £4m. Any desire on his part for regular game time would also be a deal breaker.

Focussing on a swap deal for GIbson severely limits our options. I honestly don't know why we seem to be under the impression that we need to move Gibson on before signing a central defender. We know Gibson isn't going to play any further part for us so we need another player. Whether we bring one in before sorting out Gibson or not should make little difference.

I'm inclined to think that nobody will be in a rush to make a move for Gibson. Why would they, when they know he isn't going to play for us again and we are on the hook for his wages. They can simply take things down to the wire with us becoming more desperate as the clock ticks on and more open to the idea of accepting a poor deal. It isn't in the financial deal making interest of any other club to sort the Gibson situation out quickly for us.

We could probably sign McKenna and Cosgrove for a combined fee of £6-8. That would be in line with the numbers being suggested by Aberdeen in previous windows, before Covid struck. Jimmy Dunne could even be added as a deal sweetener with maybe one of our young strikers on loan.

If we then sold Gibson for £8-10m ( I'm being optimistic considering the damage that him and the club have done to his value ), which would represent a bargain for some club, we could sit back after tying up most of our transfer business for less than a £10m outlay.

New defensive midfielder, new creative right sided defensive midfielder, new young striker and a new young left sided centre back. Gibson off the books and Vydra happily playing regular football instead of rotting on our bench and eventually leaving on a free transfer.

That is a huge stack of interdependent ifs, but I don't think it is an entirely unrealistic scenario to have a punt at.

I would also like to see us sell Brady in this window, simply to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of his current contract. If he was going to sign a new contract then he would have done so, instead of us triggering his extension. It has Hendrick Deja Vu written all over it. Although I suspect we lost Hendrick for nothing because we tried to nickle and dime him with a short contract and by the time we put a respectable offer in front of him it was too late.

Pieters could replace Brady at left midfield and JBG can play on the left. Erik didn't light up the pitch in that role, but he definitely didn't let us down and he looked more effective in it than playing as a wingback. Restricting his primary play to half the pitch might be the best way to get the most out of him. He can certainly put in a quality pass and he would have a lot more freedom to concentrate on doing that if the weight of having to cover a much greater distance on the left flank was taken off his shoulders.

It would also allow us to maybe bring in a new left wing back during this window. If we choose not to trigger Pieters contract extension option we will be looking for a new left wing back at the end of the coming season anyhow.

With JBG, Brownhill and a new addition we should have enough players to cover the right wing. As much as I appreciate Brady as a player, and sympathise with him in relation to how injury set him back just as things were coming good for him, he didn't look particularly enthusiastic in any of the late season run outs that he got. In fact he looked like a player who was simply ticking off his time sheet until he can leave.

Alternatively, Kevin Stoger on a free transfer. Moussa Sylla, Danny Loader, Matt O'Riley and Demetri Mitchell are some other free transfer options that we could be looking at.

What do you do to relax?

[Firthy]

What do you do to relax?

I think you just read it

[PremierLeagueClass]

Do you have these essays pre prepared or something?

[Down_Rover]

I think you just read it

I didn’t read any of LLKs posts. Haven’t the time

[BurningBeard]

Post 1000 - Yay me

And yet somehow it feels more like 4 or 5 thousand.

[NewClaret]

Few unnecessary posts on here!

[cmobfc]

With JBG, Brownhill and a new addition we should have enough players to cover the right wing. As much as I appreciate Brady as a player, and sympathise with him in relation to how injury set him back just as things were coming good for him, he didn't look particularly enthusiastic in any of the late season run outs that he got. In fact he looked like a player who was simply ticking off his time sheet until he can leave.

The last thing you can accuse Brady of is a lack of enthusiasm. Lack of quality - yes, poor decisions - yes, but if anything he works too hard on trying to impress when he comes on. To have such a strange opinion on one of our players makes me doubt how much knowledge you actually have on the other players you recommend.

[MACCA]

Warning - Hugely Speculative Opinions And Wish Upon A Star Nonsense To Follow

Personally, I wouldn't be averse to us offering Vydra and up to £10m for Santamaria and Fulgini. The thing that Angers desperately need is a hard working, high energy striker with technical ability.

Vydra showed his quality in the games he played for us last season, but I suspect that he might not have been given the same chance had our strikers not been hit by injuries so heavily. His contract ends in 2021, if we don't trigger his contract extension, and if our three other strikers are fit and firing then I could see him spending most of the upcoming season on the bench.

That would be a waste because Vydra is a good player and he really deserves to be playing regular football. He isn't the perfect fit for the loan striker formation that Angers play, but he does tick a lot of boxes and he is miles better than any of the options they currently have on their books. That would make him a clear number one player for them. Seriously, any player that can hit a barn door at ten paces would be better than their current crop of misfit strikers.

We could replace him with Sam Cosgrove from Aberdeen. Hulking target men with mobility and a touch of technical skill are becoming a rarity these days. I think clubs are focussing on nippy young players and view that type as a relic of the past. Unfortunately, if clubs don't value solid target men then they don't recruit and train them, which will increase the deficit over time. Picking up a player like Sam Cosgrove now could avoid us struggling to find one a few years down the line.

I would also prefer Scott McKenna to Joe Worrall. He is a seasoned left footed, left sided centre back which is what we need. Worral looked shaky playing on the left side for Forrest last season and their form suffered when he was moved there. I don't think that we really need three predominantly right sided central defenders, especially at the price of Gibson plus £4m. Any desire on his part for regular game time would also be a deal breaker.

Focussing on a swap deal for GIbson severely limits our options. I honestly don't know why we seem to be under the impression that we need to move Gibson on before signing a central defender. We know Gibson isn't going to play any further part for us so we need another player. Whether we bring one in before sorting out Gibson or not should make little difference.

I'm inclined to think that nobody will be in a rush to make a move for Gibson. Why would they, when they know he isn't going to play for us again and we are on the hook for his wages. They can simply take things down to the wire with us becoming more desperate as the clock ticks on and more open to the idea of accepting a poor deal. It isn't in the financial deal making interest of any other club to sort the Gibson situation out quickly for us.

We could probably sign McKenna and Cosgrove for a combined fee of £6-8. That would be in line with the numbers being suggested by Aberdeen in previous windows, before Covid struck. Jimmy Dunne could even be added as a deal sweetener with maybe one of our young strikers on loan.

If we then sold Gibson for £8-10m ( I'm being optimistic considering the damage that him and the club have done to his value ), which would represent a bargain for some club, we could sit back after tying up most of our transfer business for less than a £10m outlay.

New defensive midfielder, new creative right sided defensive midfielder, new young striker and a new young left sided centre back. Gibson off the books and Vydra happily playing regular football instead of rotting on our bench and eventually leaving on a free transfer.

That is a huge stack of interdependent ifs, but I don't think it is an entirely unrealistic scenario to have a punt at.

I would also like to see us sell Brady in this window, simply to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of his current contract. If he was going to sign a new contract then he would have done so, instead of us triggering his extension. It has Hendrick Deja Vu written all over it. Although I suspect we lost Hendrick for nothing because we tried to nickle and dime him with a short contract and by the time we put a respectable offer in front of him it was too late.

Pieters could replace Brady at left midfield and JBG can play on the left. Erik didn't light up the pitch in that role, but he definitely didn't let us down and he looked more effective in it than playing as a wingback. Restricting his primary play to half the pitch might be the best way to get the most out of him. He can certainly put in a quality pass and he would have a lot more freedom to concentrate on doing that if the weight of having to cover a much greater distance on the left flank was taken off his shoulders.

It would also allow us to maybe bring in a new left wing back during this window. If we choose not to trigger Pieters contract extension option we will be looking for a new left wing back at the end of the coming season anyhow.

With JBG, Brownhill and a new addition we should have enough players to cover the right wing. As much as I appreciate Brady as a player, and sympathise with him in relation to how injury set him back just as things were coming good for him, he didn't look particularly enthusiastic in any of the late season run outs that he got. In fact he looked like a player who was simply ticking off his time sheet until he can leave.

Alternatively, Kevin Stoger on a free transfer. Moussa Sylla, Danny Loader, Matt O'Riley and Demetri Mitchell are some other free transfer options that we could be looking at.

I'd prefer to keep Vydra, he offers something different, and theres a really good player in there. We have seen signs of it. With a better more creative CM he could thrive.

[Mattster]

You speak a lot of sense LTL but one thing I really disagree with you on is Sam Cosgrove, I don't rate him at all. Of his 23 goals last season 10 were penalties. He's just not capable of the step up in quality to the EPL in my opinion.

[Long Time Lurker]

You speak a lot of sense LTL but one thing I really disagree with you on is Sam Cosgrove, I don't rate him at all. Of his 23 goals last season 10 were penalties. He's just not capable of the step up in quality to the EPL in my opinion.

Agreed, Cosgrove is a bit of stretch, but I would be banking on him not playing more than a few games at most, being on low wages and available for a relatively low transfer fee of £1-2m. That could make him worth the risk. If we don't feel he has what it takes we will probably get that back for him from a lower tier club.

Having a fairly big wage earner like Vydra sitting on the bench, possibly being unhappy at not playing, and then leaving on a free transfer is something I feel we should address. His recent playing time has put him back on the radar of other clubs and another year might relegate him back to obscurity and diminish his value.