[SIGNED perm] William Troost-ekong

Maybe he's the one coming instead

 

Has this **** signed yet ?

 

Another indicator is T-E has lost his number 5 shirt this season. He's been given number 93!!

https://www.udinese.it/Apps/WebObjects/Udinese.woa/wa/viewSection?id=45674&lang=ita

Coincidently our number 5 shirt is vacant!

 

So he will be announced next week at some point then.

Sell Dawson and bring in a left footed CB and that’s us done with CB’s.

Just need a LB/LWB. This has to be top priority.

Another CDM and then I would say that’s a good window. Providing we hold onto Sarr and Suarez.

 

And provided they play/want to play.

 

I think they want to play. I fully believe it’s the board telling Ivic to not play them.

Sarr has been training for weeks now. He’s clearly fit enough.

 

If he's left-out tomorrow due to lack of fitness and Murray plays...

 

So is our number 93. Another sure sign he's coming.

 

Good detective work

 

Tomorrow will show who's stopping it - VI or Gino. VI has said it's on him if they play or not. I WANT to think that VI is just a tough ******* who wants 100% commitment and is stubborn enough to not play people he thinks aren't behind him. Both Troy and Sarr have said to VI they want to play, and hopefully have backed it up in training to him. If they don't play its down to VI for me.

 

Uh oh
ZEEGELAAR 90

 

We will know tomorrow. The website article couldn’t have been more explicit in saying Sarr and Deeney are available.

 

I would love to believe it’s up to him but I don’t.

Sarr has been training since 9th September. That’s over 2 weeks. For Ivic to say he will see if he is fit enough is nonsense. Clearly been told to say that.

The only way you build up match fitness is to play in matches. Over 2 weeks of training tells me he could easily play 60mins.

If he’s not even in the squad tomorrow then it’s very clear the decision is not his but the boards, and they are trying to sell him.

 

Agree. Garner played after 1 day with us.

 

That would surely have even the happy clappers up in arms

 

(Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it)







Akshully, he fits our formation very well indeed

 

Pre-season is usually more than two weeks.

But he should be on the bench at least, you'd think.

Makes no odds really, even if he starts we won't know who's leaving and the actual squad till the window shuts.

Sorry, slams shut.

 

Atbthis point though with such a short break in between the two seasons, granted he was given extended time off, still, his fitness shouldn’t have dropped that dramatically. After more than two weeks back in training, he can easily start and last 60mins.

That is true. Would be just like us to start Sarr, get all hyped up, then sell him on Monday.

 

Good economics....saves the Pozzo network on outlay on shirt numbers.

 

I hope I'm not wrong, but VI doesn't seem like a yes man. He's got a reputation as a tough disciplined manager - I don't think he'd lie so openly.

 

https://twitter.com/oluwashina/status/1310273379501572099?s=21

 

Decent business this. I assume Pereyra is going the other way.

It also seems to have upset the Nigerians even more than Luis Suarez's departure has upset me.

I wonder who from the back 3 he displaces - slightly harsh to drop any of them when we have kept 3 clean sheets in a row.

 

Displaces Wilmot initially I reckon, possibly then Kabasele if/when we ever sign a decent left footed CB

 

I know he wasn't incredible against Boro or Wednesday but I thought Wilmot was excellent yesterday. Luton tried to target him for most of the game and they got very little change out of him.

Even if Ekong is the better player, I don't think Ivic is the type to drop a player after a good performance.

I guess we have the excuse to rotate when the games start coming thicker and faster so probably not a concern.

 

After the international break we have 7 games in 3 weeks. I imagine we will be unchanged for the Reading game (bar any enforced changes), but in the future there will certainly be the need for rotation.

 

I hope not. Would far rather he replaces Cathcart than Wilmot. Excellent yesterday and will likely only get better with game time. Same can't be said for Cathcart.

 

Cathcart is the least likely of the 3 to be replaced IMO. He has been faultless so far and has the 'experience' factor. Has also played as RB before, so fits perfectly into that 'right side of a back 3' role

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Wilmot has been excellent either, I think he has done a good job as a right footer on the left side but he has also been caught out a few times against Boro and Luton in situations where better players would have made us pay

Bit of a moot point anyway, there are so many games that rotation will be semi-constant

 

What is this guy's best position?

 

As people have said already, there's a ******** of games coming up in a short space of time, and let's never forget what it was like when we played three at the back last time we were down here - ideally we would have had a cast of 10-12 centre backs to rotate with the amount of injuries we had there and players coming in and out.

In reality, I'd say six centre backs capable of playing the position is a necessity to cope with contingencies, and that's in a normal season rather than a covid-truncated one.

Add to that, that I think he is a very quality acquisition, particularly at this level, with a lot of top-flight and international experience, and this is a very positive move to my eyes. Plus, a Telegraph article headline tells me he is best mates with Harry Kane, and his foundation launched a campaign to draw attention to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect more than 120 million Nigerians in partnership with the END Fund and Common Goal last year, so that's nice and impressive.

 

Personally think we'd be silly to fix something that isn't broken. T-E should wait for his opportunity to come if one of Wilmot, Cathcart or Kabasele lose form or get injured.

 

Wouldn’t say he’s been faultless. Completely lost Collins yesterday and it was only his poor finishing that meant we weren’t a goal behind.

 

Also seems to give away the exact same, simple 10 yard pass into midfield in every game under no pressure to instantly put us on the back foot.

 

Centre of a back 3. Udinese fans didn’t seem to rate him when he was moved to the right of the 3.

 

you don't change a winning team unless through injury/suspension. you especially don't change a winning team that has kept three consecutive clean sheets.

 

You do change it if you’re certain it can be made even better though.