2023/2024 Midfielders Rumours Thread

[thatdude]

It's not as just plain and simple my friend! And you are not alone with this opinion here.

I remember an interview with Greg Popovich ( arguable the best NBA coach ever) about the young players. And his stand apply for every sport.

There are kids who are talented and mentally ready to step up and impact the game even as teenagers, like Pedri or Haaland these days. Or Messi, Ronaldo and countless others.
But most of them must be nurtured over a few years. Until they put their talent on work, improve the skills and are mentally ready. And these are the majority of the players. If you are not in the right environment with the right people you could get easily lost.
I don't think Brozo, Bastoni or Lautaro would become what are they now, if Simone was their coach at the beginning of their career. And without this type of player development we won't have a high ceiling.

Let’s be really honest though. With Inzaghi Pedri or Haaland would never even get a chance. Let alone a guy like Lamine Yamal. The lack of player development is 100% a weakness with Inzaghi and in general with Italian coaches.

All of our youngish talents were imbedded in the team by Conte. Dimarco would be the one exception but again he was 24 when Inzaghi made him a starter and he had no choice due to Gosens’ constant injuries (which outside of being young is the quickest way for Inzaghi to lose faith in you). The year before he would never play Dimarco over Perisic.

Inzaghi in some ways is the absolute best coach we could ask for at the moment. He knows how to maximize what he’s given and hides some deficiencies while playing beautiful football and for the most part getting results. However, the fact we haven’t been able to develop a player less than 23 in the last 3 years is a legitimate concern.

 

[Glass box]

Gravenberch agent is Pimenta. She owes us something after Samardzić fiasco.

Melissa Reddy @MelissaReddy_ ·
Few important details:
Ryan Gravenberch is represented by Jose Fortes Rodrigues from Raiola. Rafaela Pimenta no longer with the agency.
LFC made a solid check on him earlier in the summer. Bayern now open to a sale, fee needs to be agreed.
Ajax understood to have 7.5% sell-on.

Not sure if this is true, Pimenta no longer in Raiola's agency?

 

[Ethor]

Asllani loan swap for M. Lopez makes some kinda sense, I guess. Maxime Lopez, in the games I watched, was more impactful than Frattesi tbf. That being said, in 30 matches he appeared in last year he had no goals or assists but accumulated 11 yellows.
Then what do Inter do with Agoume ? He made bench last match, poor guy should hint that he wants be sold if he keeps getting knocked back further in the pecking order.

 

[CoolMan44]

Asllani loan swap for M. Lopez makes some kinda sense, I guess. Maxime Lopez, in the games I watched, was more impactful than Frattesi tbf. That being said, in 30 matches he appeared in last year he had no goals or assists but accumulated 11 yellows.
Then what do Inter do with Agoume ? He made bench last match, poor guy should hint that he wants be sold if he keeps getting knocked back further in the pecking order.

Maxime Lopez isn't a guy that's going to get you goals or assists. He's a very good player though. I wanted us to give Asllani a chance, but if we can do some type of exchange while still keeping Asllani on our books, I'm all for it.

If Inzaghi isn't going to give chances to Asllani, I'd rather he go on a loan. One season on the bench can still be beneficial in terms of learning from guys like Brozo/Hakan, but a second season on the bench would be detrimental imo.

I'm a big fan of Maxime Lopez so that would be great.

 

[CoolMan44]

Regarding Ndombele, I posted in the Sensi thread not long ago that I expect him to leave as I just don't believe Inzaghi trusts him. And to be honest, I'm with Inzaghi on this one. While I disagree with the way Inzaghi has handled Asllani, I just can't trust Sensi. I think most people want him to stay because of who Sensi was when he first joined but he's not that player anymore. I just don't trust his physicality, and I don't mean just injuries but also how he plays (did his injuries affect how he approaches challenges, etc.). We play in multiple competitions and from watching Sensi, he looks to me like he approaches certain situations as someone who's afraid of getting injured, and we can't afford to have a player like that.

Having said that, not a big fan of Ndombele. I don't even find him that physical. He's a big guy but doesn't really play like you would expect a physical player too. I assume our budget for this role is very low so I expected us to try and get someone like Alfred Duncan - not a great player by any means but very physical, home-grown (I believe), and a 'solid enough' option for a 6th option - much better than Gagliardini and more reliable that someone like Sensi (physically).

 

[#NotForMe]

Getting Duncan is like getting Gags back to me, so no. I rather get Ndombele or just even stick with Sensi.

I am hoping we can find some games for Asllani, for a whole long season, with 3 competitions I am expecting at least 1350-1800 mins this year.
I agree with you that if we are keeping Asllani on our books, I'm all for the loan swap.

 

[Universe]

No one wants to see yet another young prospect bite the dust but Maxime Lopez is 5x the player Asllani is. If there is a way we can do a low-cost swap operation, even temporary, it's a fucking no-brainer. That's an offer you do not turn down.

As for Ndombele, I'm far, far less enthused. Guy is complete waster. As others have mentioned, he's not even physical. In fact, he's surprisingly weak on the ball.

Excuse the sidetrack, but Ndombele is the kind of target I absolutely despise being linked to. He's what happens when a mildly talented, young footballer has a good season or two then all of a sudden gets elevated to an expectation beyond his abilities with a big transfer - usually to some fuckhead EPL side.

What happens next is that they flop. Then they spend the next 5 years of their contract either rotting on the bench or being loaned out to the next sucker who wants to take a gamble on rediscovering that hidden talent which earned the big transfer in the first place. No, there is no fucking hidden talent. These EPL teams see a shiny flash and they spend big money to dig it up only to realise it was just pyrite all along and there was never any gold to begin with. I absolutely detest the idea of us being the next shithead to go digging down there looking for scraps of gold.

Inzaghi in some ways is the absolute best coach we could ask for at the moment. He knows how to maximize what he’s given and hides some deficiencies while playing beautiful football and for the most part getting results. However, the fact we haven’t been able to develop a player less than 23 in the last 3 years is a legitimate concern.

This is a great point also.

 

[thatdude]

Maxime Lopez is actually class. I also really like him as a player. However, if our midfield rotation has both Sensi and Maxime Lopez we are fucking tiny. I understand that football is a technical game primarily but we already don’t play with a defensive minded midfielder. You can only keep so much possession. We aren’t exactly prime Barca.

With that being said that player should absolutely not be Ndombele. I’d honestly rather keep Agoume.

 

[CoolMan44]

Getting Duncan is like getting Gags back to me, so no. I rather get Ndombele or just even stick with Sensi.

I am hoping we can find some games for Asllani, for a whole long season, with 3 competitions I am expecting at least 1350-1800 mins this year.
I agree with you that if we are keeping Asllani on our books, I'm all for the loan swap.

Duncan is a lot more physical than Gags. I'm not saying to get Duncan specifically but a low-cost option, which may be limited. Ndombele to me is not a physical player and there have been comments from fans of his previous clubs around him not having a great work ethic.

I don't know what the options are but I'm sure there are some. I believe Napoli a few years ago got Anguissa on loan from Fulham who were in the Championship and he ended up great. We are being linked to a midfielder from a current Championship side as well (Leicester), but I believe the player is headed to Sevilla?

 

[Choppin Onions]

Ndombele is shit. Stay away.

Maxime Lopez is quality though. And he’s probably more physical than Ndombele tbh despite being much smaller. It’d be a laugh if we could somehow play a trio of Barella-Lopez-Sensi too.

 

[Corrode]

No one wants to see yet another young prospect bite the dust but Maxime Lopez is 5x the player Asllani is. If there is a way we can do a low-cost swap operation, even temporary, it's a fucking no-brainer. That's an offer you do not turn down.

As for Ndombele, I'm far, far less enthused. Guy is complete waster. As others have mentioned, he's not even physical. In fact, he's surprisingly weak on the ball.

Excuse the sidetrack, but Ndombele is the kind of target I absolutely despise being linked to. He's what happens when a mildly talented, young footballer has a good season or two then all of a sudden gets elevated to an expectation beyond his abilities with a big transfer - usually to some fuckhead EPL side.

What happens next is that they flop. Then they spend the next 5 years of their contract either rotting on the bench or being loaned out to the next sucker who wants to take a gamble on rediscovering that hidden talent which earned the big transfer in the first place. No, there is no fucking hidden talent. These EPL teams see a shiny flash and they spend big money to dig it up only to realise it was just pyrite all along and there was never any gold to begin with. I absolutely detest the idea of us being the next shithead to go digging down there looking for scraps of gold.


This is a great point also.

Yeah Ndombele or similar footballer from EPL make even Duncan looks like a prime Patrick Vieira over Ndombele etc.

 

[RotterdamNerazzurri]

Maxim Lopez would be great. Class player. And given the minutes Asllani played so far it’s maybe a better choice to let him develop elsewhere…

The wat i read it I’m Lopez and a physical guy. The last one we need the most, but with Asllani gone, we don’t have a vice Hakan either.

 

[bubba zanetti]

I dont understand one thing, this guy Asllani, when he got his chance to play, never showed that he is good enough. Tell me, was there any game this guy bossed when he got chance? No. Sensi on other hand, played preseason in his first season here, he absolutely killed it and got his spot in the first 11,where he absolutely owned it untill that fucking injury that he got in home game against rube. When did Asllani showed that he is good enough, I am talking about matches when he got his chance? Only thing I remember from this dude is that tragicomical 1 on 1 miss against Barca. If this guy is the real deal, he would showed it, 20 minutes of football game can be enough. Limone doesnt trust young players? I dont believe in that shit. If you are the man you will show it, imediately, it happened with every great player. Limone will play player that is real deal, no matter how young he is. Best thing for Asllani is to go in club where he will make it or break it, its all on him. Limone is every fucking day with these guys, you really think he would approve loan or swap for some guy that is a world class in making? Nobody is stupid like that.

 

[vex]

Comparison between lopez and ndombele. Lopez is in the blue, and he maxes certain stats quite well for how we play, think he would fit here great. Ndombele on the other hand is just meh, there is no even debate if we are picking between two of them...

Having said all of this, if we have to pick between two of them ndombele is probably easier deal to make. I don't know if we have time to make swap deal possible or if asllani is even interested to go to sass. Some sources like cds are saying it will be only one and some are mentioning both of them as reinforcements.

 

[sdvroot]

Why not https://www.transfermarkt.com/wilfred-ndidi/profil/spieler/274839 ?

 

[OkiOki]

@bubba zanetti
You can't compare Asllani and Sensi like that.
When Sensi arrived at Inter. He was 24y old. Had already a few Serie A seasons in his legs. When Asllani arrived, he was only 20y old. With only one Serie A season of experience.

Ofc then that Sensi will jump more easily in starting 11, he was signed for that and paid almost twice more than Asllani. Not to mention our midfield was much worse then.

On the other hand, Asllani is signed as a young promising player who could be a very good player in the future. Will he be that, nobody knows.

 

[bubba zanetti]

@bubba zanetti
You can't compare Asllani and Sensi like that.
When Sensi arrived at Inter. He was 24y old. Had already a few Serie A seasons in his legs. When Asllani arrived, he was only 20y old. With only one Serie A season of experience.

Ofc then that Sensi will jump more easily in starting 11, he was signed for that and paid almost twice more than Asllani. Not to mention our midfield was much worse then.

On the other hand, Asllani is signed as a young promising player who could be a very good player in the future. Will he be that, nobody knows.

Did you watch that boy Yamal playing for Barca against Villarreal? 15 years old..Age doesnt matter, one match is enough to show you are you good or not. Asllani get enough chances last season, he played also preseason. Why would any sane coach want to get rid of player if he is soo good? It doesnt make any sense.

 

[eduzee]

Maxime López will be an overkill

Feel bad for Asllani because he's a talented guy and should get more chances at Inter.

 

[.h.]

we'll see what happens but lmfao if asllani leaves for all the people who were like WE GUARANTEE HE GETS MORE MINUTES THIS SEASON

its just maths, my dudes. We have 3*38*90 minutes total available to our central midfielders. If Asllani gets more minutes, someone else gets less. Considering Broz was out half of last season (thus forcing rotation), its very unlikely Asllani gets more this.

 

[OkiOki]

Did you watch that boy Yamal playing for Barca against Villarreal? 15 years old..Age doesnt matter, one match is enough to show you are you good or not. Asllani get enough chances last season, he played also preseason. Why would any sane coach want to get rid of player if he is soo good? It doesnt make any sense.

Yeah, I saw Bojan Krkić, dos Santos, etc. too. There were too many teenagers in Barca who didn't end up well, to consider Yamal a serious player already.



On the other hand, we had Coutinho who wasn't good enough, but after us, Liverpool earned 130M€ on him.

You can't be serious when you say "Age doesnt matter, one match is enough to show are you good or not." Have you started watch football since yesterday? You don't have to further than Inter. Look at Brozović, when he came to Inter, he wasn't even close to his prime. That's why we got him relatively cheap. But with years, he grow and became one of the best players in his position. Years matter, a lot! Only rear players are WC at a very young age.