[Albion] Knockaert joins Fulham on initial one-year loan

[Gritt23]

I would hate to see him go...this could be a greats season with a more attacking manager..

Am I alone is starting to worry about this idea that we are suddenly going to unleash our players into some attacking unit, and all will simply be well with the World?

What have we seen from the current crop that suggests we can do that without getting absolutely torn apart? If "Harry" Potter was looking to do this with a re-designed squad, having strengthened in a number of key positions, but we're not. We're expecting us to be successful attacking teams with the same group that got torn a new one by Bournemouth, who were in the middle of a truly diabolical run of away form.

There is a whiff of the Emperor's New Clothes about this for me.

 

[Barham's tash]

You're right about a replacement. Tony can quickly nip down to the "winger who we can afford who, who come to us, who will tear up the premier league" shop and pick one up. Job done

Genuine lol. So true

 

[TSB]

You're right about a replacement. Tony can quickly nip down to the "winger who we can afford who, who come to us, who will tear up the premier league" shop and pick one up. Job done

Doesn't need to be able to "tear up the premier league". Those sort of players won't come here. Just has to be better than what we currently have. Which isn't difficult because our wing options are hopeless.
Matt Ritchie would be decent for starters. I don't watch Championship football but I suspect there's some decent wingers there who can potentially make the step up.

 

[Pavilionaire]

If Fulham are willing to spend £15 mill on an Albion winger then they can have Jahanbaksh.

I want to see Knocky given a chance under Potter - if it doesn't work out then sell him in 2020, but as he showed vs Palace Knocky can still win you a match. We never saw any of that with Ali J.

 

[Medwayseagull]

How often does the Sun get any transfer speculation correct ? No doubt this thread will reach 300 posts by the end of today based on what that rag prints.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Doesn't need to be able to "tear up the premier league". Those sort of players won't come here. Just has to be better than what we currently have. Which isn't difficult because our wing options are hopeless.
Matt Ritchie would be decent for starters. I don't watch Championship football but I suspect there's some decent wingers there who can potentially make the step up.

When you say it's not difficult, £45.9m on Izqueirdo, Locadia and Jahanbakhsh would suggest the opposite is true - it's bloody difficult to get better. The very point you say our wing options are hopeless is that it has been difficult to buy better.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Lol
Well as you know, when in Faversham....
Seriously it's a new era for the Albion, Potter wise, I think Knockys internal support will no longer be on the pitch.
New players wanting to prove their worth, and not wanting to be dragged down carrying emotional baggage.
Sounds harsh, but it's TB / my / our team.

I salute your clarity of thought. No sure that AK is quite the basket case that justifies a sale for anything under £20 mill though

 

[crookie]

If Fulham are willing to spend £15 mill on an Albion winger then they can have Jahanbaksh.

I want to see Knocky given a chance under Potter - if it doesn't work out then sell him in 2020, but as he showed vs Palace Knocky can still win you a match. We never saw any of that with Ali J.

That's the crux of it. Knocky can be a matchwinner on his day. Granted there have been much fewer than in the Championship, but who else in our squad could we say can turn a match on their day, who has the genuine x-factor ? Only one for me is Izzy, but he's out until Christmas. What does £15m buy you as a replacement ? Not much if you look at how much our new signings around that level have produced. Really hope this doesn't happen.

 

[TSB]

When you say it's not difficult, £45.9m on Izqueirdo, Locadia and Jahanbakhsh would suggest the opposite is true - it's bloody difficult to get better. The very point you say our wing options are hopeless is that it has been difficult to buy better.

If you buy from inferior leagues, you invariably get inferior players.
It's like buying a suit from Primark and then wondering why you're not getting a second interview for MD of a FTSE100 company.

 

[Audax]

When you say it's not difficult, £45.9m on Izqueirdo, Locadia and Jahanbakhsh would suggest the opposite is true - it's bloody difficult to get better. The very point you say our wing options are hopeless is that it has been difficult to buy better.

Izquierdo was starting to look the goods before he got the injury (/ies), though, wasn't he? Yeah, he was pretty much useless last year, but that was down to a pretty bizarre decision by the club to keep him available despite an injury needing surgery - really should have just committed to the surgery immediately and had him available for this season rather than trying to get something out of him tail half of this season. Having said that, the fact they did do that might say something about how much trust they placed in the other wingers to do the job of keeping us up. If even a one-legged Izquierdo was favoured over them...

 

[Barham's tash]

Knocky to Fulham?

Am I alone is starting to worry about this idea that we are suddenly going to unleash our players into some attacking unit, and all will simply be well with the World?

What have we seen from the current crop that suggests we can do that without getting absolutely torn apart? If "Harry" Potter was looking to do this with a re-designed squad, having strengthened in a number of key positions, but we're not. We're expecting us to be successful attacking teams with the same group that got torn a new one by Bournemouth, who were in the middle of a truly diabolical run of away form.

There is a whiff of the Emperor's New Clothes about this for me.

I think we’d all settle to be able to make reasoned judgements about our attacking capabilities by, well, actually attacking.

Seriously if one (not you specifically here) can’t understand or couldn’t see how shackled our flair players were then I don’t know what you were watching.

The brief from Hughton was always caution first and attack only on an overload and only if you’re sure your team mate is backing you up.

Now whilst many may counter me by saying this is sensible as we were a squad with perceived lower technical skill, speed etc I’d counter that by saying we were but not last season. The recruitment brief was to improve on these deficiencies and imo we did but CH failed to alter his approach or tactical rigidity and continued to discourage individual expression.

The new signings last year were of course challenged to prove their place in the first XI and as we’ve heard from multiple sources CH had to first trust a player was capable of executing his instructions before that would happen.

Having won their place in the side do you think any of these players wouldn’t tow the line and do as they were told? No of course not because they wanted to stay in the side.

Here are some relevant examples to support the argument:

Bernardo - first appearance in unfamiliar right back slot following Bruno’s injury at Watford. Performance clearly not in line with instruction. Dropped and didn’t reappear for some time. (Whilst we watched Bong underperform but two the line at LB)

Bissouma - Not trusted because he carried the ball too much, some unforced errors and didn’t play to instruction so restricted to cup appearances until our own poor form forced him back into reckoning, but did so in a more restricted less expansive role.

Groß - injured then when fit returned as part of a 3 man midfield and tied himself to the formation rather than expressing himself higher up the pitch as per previous season - looking a shadow of himself but maintaining discipline to retain his place.

Ali J - look at his heat map comparisons for season before in Holland - predominantly in attacking half and not shackled to a particular side of the pitch despite playing on the right of a fluid 4-3-3 versus straddling half way line and hugging touch line to support as a secondary full back

Locadia - in the cup playing through the middle, looking more interested and dangerous v left side of pitch and again shackled to staying out side and supporting full back yet not encouraged to even cross the ball

I could go on.


But I guess people will see what they want to see...

 

[Bold Seagull]

If you buy from inferior leagues, you invariably get inferior players.
It's like buying a suit from Primark and then wondering why you're not getting a second interview for MD of a FTSE100 company.

In your eyes then, given it isn't difficult, you must think the club's recruitment has been incredibly dumb?

 

[blue-shifted]

I'm quite confident of getting an email from the club in a couple of days saying "Knockeart signs new 4 year deal" or something. The finances of a Fulham move don't make loads of sense. They were only in the Premier League one year so won't get loads of parachute payments, a lot of which might have been eaten up by Mitrovic's deal. The idea that they (whilst we are still holding one of the 20 golden tickets) can significantly outpay a player to make him drop a division is odd.

Two possibilities, either this is nonsense, or Fulham are preparing for an all out FFP ignoring, first time or never assault on the title. It has worked before. Failure wouldn't bare thinking about though.

 

[Pavilionaire]

If you buy from inferior leagues, you invariably get inferior players.
It's like buying a suit from Primark and then wondering why you're not getting a second interview for MD of a FTSE100 company.

The best Prem players of recent times - Van Dijk. De Bruyne, Hazard - all came from these same "inferior leagues" of which you speak.

 

[TSB]

In your eyes then, given it isn't difficult, you must think the club's recruitment has been incredibly dumb?

Yes. And hilariously so that they've then gone back and signed another winger from a crap league this summer. I've been quite vocal about it.
Players who've been signed from other leagues and for other positions have been decent. Bernardo, Bissouma, Gross, Ryan and Andone, at times. But the recruitment of attacking players, for years, has been tragic.
Winstanley and Barbs have to carry the can for that.

 

[TSB]

The best Prem players of recent times - Van Dijk. De Bruyne, Hazard - all came from these same "inferior leagues" of which you speak.

You forgot Suarez too. There are exceptions. High profile exceptions. Exceptions that were courted by numerous clubs.
But 99% of players in that league would not make it over here. As we've consistently proved.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yes. And hilariously so that they've then gone back and signed another winger from a crap league this summer. I've been quite vocal about it.
Players who've been signed from other leagues and for other positions have been decent. Bernardo, Bissouma, Gross, Ryan and Andone, at times. But the recruitment of attacking players, for years, has been tragic.
Winstanley and Barbs have to carry the can for that.

Right, so you know the recruitment has been dumb (in your opinion), it continues to be dumb with the signing of another winger from a minority league, and yet you're prepared to let Knocky go because the same recruitment will easily replace him?

You see where your logic is falling down?

 

[Wozza]

They were only in the Premier League one year so won't get loads of parachute payments...

Two seasons rather than three. Must admit, I had to look that up.

Anyway, the money from Sessegnon will keep 'em going for a while...

 

[Betfair Bozo]

This would be a positive move.
He's nothing better than an average winger in this league and doesn't have the mental strength to play in a poor team.
£15M kerching.
Would require a replacement.

The point is that £15m for an average Premier League winger is not kerching though is it.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Absolute madness to sell our better players.
There is no way Knockaert should be allowed to leave.....


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