[Albion] Aaron Connolly - Just a thought?

[Machiavelli]

Think you’re right, although I’m more concerned about our lack of chances being created rather than our striker options. We’re persisting with 4-4-1-1 even though we don’t have anyone who is remotely close to Gross in the no 10 role, and our midfield seems too scared to go forward, and look a bit clueless when they do. Anyone playing up front will struggle with our current setup.

Chances are being created, although our conversion rate this season has been extremely impressive. Where things have differed from last season is set pieces. We were dog poor at them at both ends last season (particularly bad defensively for a spell in the middle too). This season, we've not only been solid defensively, but really impressive offensively from them. It's open play where the problems have emerged. I can think of four from Murray, and Knockaert, but not too sure we've scored (m)any others this season, which is a poor return from 12 games. Gross' absence is no doubt the primary factor in this -- but finding a second-choice replacement that would be able to step in and replicate him isn't really the kind of player we'd attract. I do think March has done better than others do in that role; he offers something very different from Gross, but am not trying to claim that he's anywhere near that standard.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

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[jameswestport]

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Wow! Get him out on loan please don't sell!

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Wow! Get him out on loan please don't sell!

Or get him on the bench.

 

[Washie]

Loaning him out to Hoffenheim would do wonders for the lad, the teams have good quality, just no chance of winning the league with Dortmund and Munich there.

 

[Washie]

Bad news is that United and City both are looking at him.

 

[Stat Brother]

Bad news is that United and City both are looking at him.

not for Connolly.

He'll have more chance of first team football in Manchester than Sussex.

 

[GT49er]

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Mustn't let this one slip through our fingers. Put him on the bench soon to try and keep him happy (and give him a few minutes to keep him interested). Hoffenheim in January? - yes, but only on loan, not sold please (unless of course his few minutes on from the bench have given him the break through to the first team squad, in which case he stays here, no Hoffenheim).

Teenagers are allowed to play in the PL!

 

[the right footed denilson]

We've the spending power and pull of the 'bigger' clubs, and the appeal of playing in Germany, sounds like our only option now is to start integrating him seriously in the first team. He's not a Sussex lad, has absolutely no motivation to be loyal I'm sure- if someone like Sancho can leave Man City then we should be seriously concerned about him doing a runner.

 

[Springal]

We've the spending power and pull of the 'bigger' clubs, and the appeal of playing in Germany, sounds like our only option now is to start integrating him seriously in the first team. He's not a Sussex lad, has absolutely no motivation to be loyal I'm sure- if someone like Sancho can leave Man City then we should be seriously concerned about him doing a runner.

He is integrated in the first team. Regularly trains with them and has been in the travelling party for away games.

 

[Machiavelli]

Mustn't let this one slip through our fingers. Put him on the bench soon to try and keep him happy (and give him a few minutes to keep him interested). Hoffenheim in January? - yes, but only on loan, not sold please (unless of course his few minutes on from the bench have given him the break through to the first team squad, in which case he stays here, no Hoffenheim).

Teenagers are allowed to play in the PL!

How many teenagers do play in the PL or, to make this slightly easier, how many have played so far in the PL?

 

[GT49er]

How many teenagers do play in the PL or, to make this slightly easier, how many have played so far in the PL?

No idea - I'm no statto. Rooney did it, Loftus-Cheek did it, Trent Alexander-Arnold did it, Ryan Sessignon is doing it. There's probably more - just not at Brighton though!

Time for that to change, maybe.............................

 

[Stat Brother]

No idea - I'm no statto. Rooney did it, Loftus-Cheek did it, Trent Alexander-Arnold did it, Ryan Sessignon is doing it. There's probably more - just not at Brighton though!

Time for that to change, maybe.............................

Connolly would have to have played in the Championship (not winning) team and be the same age as his own father for that to happen.

Both seem unlikely.

 

[S'hampton Seagull]

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Most likely just contract posturing from his agent (hopefully). He'll get a new deal and be loaned out Jan IMHO.

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[GT49er]

Connolly would have to have played in the Championship (not winning) team and be the same age as his own father for that to happen.

What?

 

[Stat Brother]

What?

Exactly.

 

[ewe2]

Most likely just contract posturing from his agent (hopefully). He'll get a new deal and be loaned out Jan IMHO.

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I agree,score goals at the next level first.

 

[Machiavelli]

No idea - I'm no statto. Rooney did it, Loftus-Cheek did it, Trent Alexander-Arnold did it, Ryan Sessignon is doing it. There's probably more - just not at Brighton though!

Time for that to change, maybe.............................

You'll find that the stattos indicate that they are few and far between. There is a reason for that. Of those you mention:
Rooney, granted but it was c17 years ago, he's an anomaly, he could also be eased in
Loftus-Cheek: really? Where, when, what league, for how many minutes?
T A-A, I'll give you that one, but it was thrust upon Klopp, ie more by accident than design. It is actually easier to blood youngsters at the top level, because there are far more games to introduce them to, and you can ease them in for the last 20 minutes when the result has been sealed
Sessignon: he's played 50-odd games in the Championship before doing so in the PL, and hasn't exactly set the latter alight. He's struggling, granted in a team that is struggling, and therein may lay the answer and also the difficulty, it's a ginormous jump from u23s to PL. And here's the question you need to address: why not loan him out to, for instance, Hoffenheim or a Championship/top L1 club to see how he gets on at that level before throwing him in at the deepest of ends?
As I've said before, the Connolly situation needs to be thought of in terms of our strikers. Murray and Andone seem settled, happy, and capable of contributing. Locadia, far less so, and his departure might increase the opportunities available for Connolly, but that would be a big gamble.

 

[Stat Brother]

As I've said before, the Connolly situation needs to be thought of in terms of our strikers. Murray and Andone seem settled, happy, and capable of contributing. Locadia, far less so, and his departure might increase the opportunities available for Connolly, but that would be a big gamble.

You're probably right, CH won't want another massive financial dud striker, on his CV, so it'll be best for him to throw Connolly to the wolves (foxes, magpies...)

 

[heathgate]

He is integrated in the first team. Regularly trains with them and has been in the travelling party for away games.

Hardly going to placate him on the new co tact offer. He will move on if not given some PL game time, and currently I wiykdbt blame him.

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