Contacted Aberdeen about a potential deal for Calvin Ramsay. Really highly rated right back https://t.co/wqdc1DotiN
I've never heard of him. But if we can leave ourselves with Ngakia and Ramsay for right back and sell Kiko this window I'll be delighted.
Excited to watch us fanny around undervaluing him all window and further infuriating another Scottish clubs chairman.
Sadly it’s not even ‘another’ Scottish club chairman, given we already poisoned the well with Aberdeen with our overtures to Lewis Ferguson.
Kiko has generally played better than Ngakia this season and been our least bad defender; he just didn't look right on Tuesday. Your suggestion makes no sense.
I agree. Kiko sometimes has off games, but he's a useful player to have around. He was a star in the Championship and we have to think like this in our position, as it's the league we'll probably be back in next season. Even if we do stay up, his link-up with Sarr is still excellent, even in the Premier League. If Ramsey does sign, he'll be U21 so won't impact the squad roster, and it'll give us time to bed him in and maybe over time move Kiko on......but I don't think that time is now.
Kiko is crap and should be nothing more than backup for the next 6 months because of the league we are in - if Gino is serious about PL survival, then it shouldn’t be hard to find a better player in this window. Then reassess in the summer depending on what league we find ourselves in.
Leicester and Newcastle also rumoured to be interested, though I thought Leicester are already well stocked with full-backs. Newcastle could also be mentioned to try and drum up the price. If other PL clubs are interested then the only way we'd probably have a chance is with by offering more chance of first-team football, which would suggest we don't trust Ngakia going forwards, which I have to say would be a fair assessment. I know they play on different sides, but at first glance Ramsay appears a slightly better prospect than Doig I reckon; more pace, grit and skill on the ball. He doesn't quite seem another Livramento though, sigh.
This is the sort of longterm investment we should be making alongside some immediate impact signings. Lets hope it pans out that way. As others have noted, he will probably sign for another prem club for £1m more than we are prepared to pay or with better immediate prem prospects.
An 18 year-old from the SPL seems unlikely to be that though, even if he appears a very good prospect.
Kiko is ******* terrible and hasn't got any fight left in him, he's a walking embodiment of our squad. He's 31 in February but we might be able to get a couple of million for him this window from Spartak Moscow or whoever wanted him before. I have no doubt he'll still be here until he's 33 but if there's any chance of getting rid this window it should be done. Ngakia is better and should be getting the minutes now.
Like too many positions in our squad though, the choice between Ngakia and Femenia is like the choice between Kabasele and WTE or Masina and Rose. It’s like choosing which you prefer - cat sh1t or dog sh1t.
He's been compared to TAA. He's raw and lacks decision making but looks the part. I think this is the sort of signing we should be making. Excited by this.
Yep. It's not hard to pass the ball to Sarr and overlap him, I'm pretty sure we could find another footballer in the world that can do that job.
And perhaps in our wildest dreams, one that can also defend, and who, heaven forbid, can complete more than 45 minutes of football.
When he has confidence and is playing the lesser lights of the division, Kiko is fine. He's still got the best first touch in the squad and over the course of his time with us there have been many Premier League games where he's played well. The issue is that his confidence is so unbelievably brittle and once he gets in a rut, he is a liability and just doesn't have any semblance of a mentality where he looks like he'll dig in, which obviously isn't great in a struggling team.
Great post. People are angry at the moment and prepared to heavily criticise any member of the squad, particularly defenders. But it’s wrong not to acknowledge that Kiko is a very good footballer and has made a fine contribution to our club. None of this means he should necessarily continue to be our first-choice full-back, however.
Sums it up well. When he's playing well he's exceptionally good at intercepting the ball, which is perfectly fine for a full back, you don't have to lunge in at everything. However when he's out of form he's basically a rapid training cone. I can't remember him ever making a crunching tackle or squaring up to a player. It's just not in his DNA
Which is all the reasons why he should only be seen as a backup squad option and not a regular at this level. The club are far too loyal to players who have either ‘done it in the past’ or ‘play okay half the time’.
Don’t disagree with the broader statement you’re making. But the bit I’ve highlighted is a wild comment in my opinion.
I was talking in terms of technical ability, as highlighted by SLB’s post, and not claiming he is the best defensive full-back.
The problem with having Kiko as backup is he often can’t even last 45 minutes, so having him as backup means you also need a backup for him for when he’s backup.
Agreed. He might even be relieved to be a back up/squad player. I can't remember many players over the years that are as obviously uncomfortable/downheartened when on the pitch and things aren't going their way.
Yes I'm not denying that he has been good in previous years and technically is very good. But some fans, not necessarily on here, seem to have the same make do attitude that Gino has. Kiko has clearly been regressing for a couple of seasons now with a good Championship season sandwiched in the middle, yet the club thought he deserved a new long term contract! So we are now stuck with a rapidly declining player who clearly didn't fancy turning up on Tuesday and asked to be subbed in the first half. And it's not the first time he hasn't turned up and ended up limping off the pitch.
But those freestylers have technical ability? Sadly football is about far more than technical ability - his position it’s just as much about strength, awareness and positioning. And he’s poor at all those. Which is why he gets criticised and people don’t want to call him a very good footballer!
I like the thought of the club snapping up young talent but we really effed it up in the Summer regarding Doig and Ferguson. Now it's the not the priority. We need players with experience of the premier who can come straight in and perform to a level better than what we have. Rodon, Doherty from Spurs both available. Kolasinac, Chambers, Holding, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah from Arsenal. Sarr Chelsea Just a few off the top of my head. Struggling to think of a decent LB who is cheap or available on loan.
Not sure I agree that they have to have experience. They just need to be better than what we have. Signing players who are 29+ should be the last thing we do. It’s either loan deals or upgrades from a certain age bracket. But I think there’s too many plugs to fill given how poorly structured the squad is, that relegation is almost a certainty at this point
That's fair enough and I agree that relegation is on the cards. I just believe that a solid backline of say Doherty or Chambers, Rodon, Holding or Sarr plus a gamble on Kolasinac could vastly improve our chances of scraping through this season. Atm I'd prefer the money spent on a few solid looking loans.
