[Albion] Carlos Baleba's stunning start to the season

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Disagree with those saying we'll sell in the summer as well.

Sure we'll get interest. But the lad is 20. I just don't think we'll sell at the first opportunity when they have had one good season. Not unless we get a Caicedo type offer, which we won't. The landscape has changed.

We're looking to build. We'll still sell, but we'll look to get more than one decent season from our young players

 

[Beanstalk]

Disagree with those saying we'll sell in the summer as well.

Sure we'll get interest. But the lad is 20. I just don't think we'll sell at the first opportunity when they have had one good season. Not unless we get a Caicedo type offer, which we won't. The landscape has changed.

We're looking to build. We'll still sell, but we'll look to get more than one decent season from our young players

Agree.

Think the reality we've seen at the club over the last 4/5 years is that the club are probably open to sell one or two players who are ready for that step up to the next level. Currently, for me, that's Joao Pedro and Bart Verbruggen. Rutter/Gruda and Rushworth will step into the gap left there next year.

Baleba may end up going in a couple of years time but he's contracted until 2029 (2028+1) and it would take an astronomical bid to get us to sell.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

In a way yes I agree BUT he has given away two penalties in two games. He needs to become a bit more controlled in his own area. A wonderful talent though and one can now see why we invested in him.

I think it was Dunk who made the contact with Sancho

 

[Milano]

I think it was Dunk who made the contact with Sancho

It was Baleba and Rutter. Neither of which 'fouled' Sancho. Dunk was booked for pointing this out. The ref was blowing his whistle before Sancho had even hit the deck, he couldn't wait........
The same ref who allowed Chelsea to take a free kick about 10 yards away from the actual foul......
We were hopeless defensively from 20th to 45th min, but the ref defo didn't help.

 

[tigertim68]

Indeed. It looked to me as though Sancho was simply trying to run between two players when there was no real chance of him doing so.

Never a pen

 

[dwayne]

Agree.

Think the reality we've seen at the club over the last 4/5 years is that the club are probably open to sell one or two players who are ready for that step up to the next level. Currently, for me, that's Joao Pedro and Bart Verbruggen. Rutter/Gruda and Rushworth will step into the gap left there next year.

Baleba may end up going in a couple of years time but he's contracted until 2029 (2028+1) and it would take an astronomical bid to get us to sell.

Verbruggen overrated imho. Did well for Dutch with one of the world's best defence in front of him. But not consistently amazing for us yet. Although very early days still.

 

[Beanstalk]

Verbruggen overrated imho. Did well for Dutch with one of the world's best defence in front of him. But not consistently amazing for us yet. Although very early days still.

What are you on about Dwayne?

He's a 22 year old keeper who is the current number one for his national team and Premier League side. He is already being linked with a move to Real Madrid to be the long term replacement for Thibaut Courtois. We have clearly got a succession plan in place with Rushworth ready to come in next year and Beadle behind him as well. I'd say he's odds on to be sold within the next two years and will become one of the three most expensive keepers of all time in the process (though Onana is in third currently at £43m).

 

[Dibdab]

One day a star player may decide he’d like to stay here, I live in hope

That will be the day we pay wages closer to the top 7 or 8 spenders.

 

[dwayne]

What are you on about Dwayne?

He's a 22 year old keeper who is the current number one for his national team and Premier League side. He had the second highest save percentage in the top five European leagues last season and is already being linked with a move to Real Madrid to be the long term replacement for Thibaut Courtois. . We have clearly got a succession plan in place with Rushworth ready to come in next year and Beadle behind him as well. I'd say he's odds on to be sold within the next two years and will become one of the three most expensive keepers of all time in the process (though Onana is in third currently at £43m).

Can you name 3 games for us where he has been amazing ?

The real story is interesting but ultimately his agent could have just made it up.

I'm interested in the save percentage stat though , do you have a link to that ? Interesting that RDZ didn't play him as much as Steele.

Regardless, he's brilliant for a youngster but for me he's not in the top echelon of keepers yet.

 

[southstandandy]

This is why people should lay off Minteh and one or two others. By next season and he's had a year to develop he may well have developed like Baleba has over the last 12 months. I for one didn't think a great deal of him a year ago, but arguably he's now one of our most valuable assets. The same might well happen to Minteh. We have to be patient - he's only a kid at 20 still.

 

[Flounce]

Can you name 3 games for us where he has been amazing ?

The real story is interesting but ultimately his agent could have just made it up.

I'm interested in the save percentage stat though , do you have a link to that ? Interesting that RDZ didn't play him as much as Steele.

Regardless, he's brilliant for a youngster but for me he's not in the top echelon of keepers yet.

I tend to agree, he’s good but I’d be interested in seeing a montage of worldie saves he’s made as I can’t remember that many. Did he make one great save on Saturday?

Nowhere near on the radar of top clubs looking for a new number one yet…imo

He may get there, we’ll see, more than happy with him as our number one though

 

[Beanstalk]

Can you name 3 games for us where he has been amazing ?

The real story is interesting but ultimately his agent could have just made it up.

I'm interested in the save percentage stat though , do you have a link to that ? Interesting that RDZ didn't play him as much as Steele.

Regardless, he's brilliant for a youngster but for me he's not in the top echelon of keepers yet.

Apologies, I've just reread the article where it was stated and my stats don't line up with it. I've amended my original post now. I use this normally and his stats over the past 2 seasons align him with the best in this division at the least. Steele was one of the worst.

He's a top quality keeper, and will be an elite keeper by the time Real (or someone equally elite) come calling.

Anyway, top 3 games where he's been great for us.

AEK Athens (a) - 5/5 saves - clean sheet and a 0-1 win to qualify for the Europa League Knockouts
Nottingham Forest (h) - 1-0 home win over Forest to stop the rot last March, 4/4 saves and a clean sheet with an expected xG against of 1.5.
Arsenal (a) - 6/7 saves in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates this season keeping Arsenal from running away with the game by half time. xG against was 2.4. Made a sensational 1 on 1 save in the second half from Havertz.

 

[Beanstalk]

I tend to agree, he’s good but I’d be interested in seeing a montage of worldie saves he’s made as I can’t remember that many. Did he make one great save on Saturday?

Nowhere near on the radar of top clubs looking for a new number one yet…imo

He may get there, we’ll see, more than happy with him as our number one though

 

[Flounce]

Thanks, fair enough, there are a few worldies in there but the vast majority you’d be pissed off if they’d gone in against a decent PL keeper. Good positioning made some of those saves possible though in fairness

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Both soft imo and the foul on Mitoma NOT given was worse. Homer refs at big clubs do my head in

Bang on.
Sancho went for a hole that wasn’t there.

Baleba is brilliant, seems to have a lovely way about him.
Lots to learn, but seems to be well-grounded and willing to listen.

Like you, hoping he’ll hang around, but our next £100m player in a couple of seasons?

 

[Mancgull]

Which hopefully is Yalcouye, although a very different stature.

Good call. Looked very impressive in pre season for a player his age and with his lack of experience. Similar scenario to when Baleba first arrived.

 

[Mancgull]

Apologies, I've just reread the article where it was stated and my stats don't line up with it. I've amended my original post now. I use this normally and his stats over the past 2 seasons align him with the best in this division at the least. Steele was one of the worst.

He's a top quality keeper, and will be an elite keeper by the time Real (or someone equally elite) come calling.

Anyway, top 3 games where he's been great for us.

AEK Athens (a) - 5/5 saves - clean sheet and a 0-1 win to qualify for the Europa League Knockouts
Nottingham Forest (h) - 1-0 home win over Forest to stop the rot last March, 4/4 saves and a clean sheet with an expected xG against of 1.5.
Arsenal (a) - 6/7 saves in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates this season keeping Arsenal from running away with the game by half time. xG against was 2.4. Made a sensational 1 on 1 save in the second half from Havertz.

I think the Arsenal away game was possibly his best for us.
Best save I think was one at Liverpool last season.
Makes a few mistakes but will do at his age and at this level.

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

Only on NSC - a thread to celebrate the brilliance of one of our players descends into slagging another player off

 

[nwgull]

Thanks, fair enough, there are a few worldies in there but the vast majority you’d be pissed off if they’d gone in against a decent PL keeper. Good positioning made some of those saves possible though in fairness

I was going to say that. Best save I've seen him make was in Euros against Turkey. That was incredible reaction and at such an important time of a huge game.

 

[AstroSloth]

Can you name 3 games for us where he has been amazing ?

The real story is interesting but ultimately his agent could have just made it up.

I'm interested in the save percentage stat though , do you have a link to that ? Interesting that RDZ didn't play him as much as Steele.

Regardless, he's brilliant for a youngster but for me he's not in the top echelon of keepers yet.

Save percentage is an irrelevant stat, PsxG - goals is a better metric as it takes into account the quality of shot that a keeper faces.

This season Steele is at -0.5 (-0.26/90min) whilst Verbruggen is at +0.2 (+0.05/90min).

This means Steele has conceded 0.5 more goals than he would be expected to based on the quality of shots he's faced, Verbruggen has saved 0.2 more goals than he would be expected to.

Last season it was Steele -6.3 (-0.37/90min) and Verbruggen -2.6 (-0.12/90min).

This shows Verbruggen is a better shot stopper.

Stats show he's better at stopping crosses.