We really need a CM this window rather than an AM? No sign of Pepe going to a willing buyer to make room either.
This was more of a fantasy situation than a practical one lol
CM is absolutely no.1 priority.
Same show pony mugged us off in the fa cup final, game changed when he got injured.
They overpaid for sure but that means fuck all to Chelsea. Heāll definitely be off soon though, their fans have turned on him.
Yeah because heās substandard. Journeyman player who would be right at home in the Dutch League.
Your hatred for Dortmund is one of my favorite subplots on OA.
Iām not Pulisicās biggest fan but heās more than a speed merchant. He gets a reputation as a head down hard worker because thatās generally how USA players are viewed but I think heās way more of a luxury player than a grafter.
Chelsea have used him in some strange ways.
Def needs a move away though. I remember he tore up our backline during the 2020 FA Cup Final before he went off hurt.
He hasnāt had a string of consistent performances since that final partly due to injury but still, heās been very poor.
Was a strange signing from the beginning, donāt think heās gonna make it there.
Nah he was never going to make it there. I think he was signed the winter before their transfer ban went through and Hazard left so he probably spent more time there than I certainly anticipated. I thought for sure heād get loaned a bunch and eventually settle somewhere midtable or go back to Germany.
He had injury issues before his hamstring problem in 2020 and maybe at a smaller club he gets more consistent playing time.
And look, letās not pretend that Pulisic playing while Englandās Brave Mason Mount sits on the bench doesnāt rankle some of their fans.
It was a calculated gamble by Chelsea that he might become a superstar. Heās not a superstar but theyāll still move him at a profit if they choose to cut him loose.
It was definitely a calculated gamble but then again he was forced out of Dortmund by Sanchoās emergence and they paid a heck of a lot of money for him.
You think heāll net them a profit then? Just looked and he cost Ā£58m, I donāt think even Chelsea can work that kind of magic.
Oh shit, I definitely thought it was like half of that!!
If he was willing to, MLS would pay that just to have him come back. Theyād break their whole wage structure for it.
But yeah, for some reason I thought he was around the 25-30m range.
Heās basically their Pepe. Overpriced, wrong guy for their system, at too big of a club and needs to drop a level down.
I mean heās 24 so got 8/9 years left, and given his fairly late arrival at the top level I think he could improve significantly.
Heās not had the chance to hit 20 goals, between playing for a poor Everton team, injury and starting late as above.
Heās had 4 proper seasons in the PL and his output has grown every single year.
So Iād absolutely have him as our focal point now, and whoever else we end up signing he would be a great:
Second striker in a 2
Different option tactically for games we want to be more direct
Sub to bring on to get a goal at the end of a game.
Improvement in set pieces at both ends - were quite a small team
Barring City who would refuse to ever play direct under Pep, Iād apply the above to almost any team in world football.
Between that and the fact heās English I canāt see his value ever dropping too far.
At the end of the day if youāre getting goals as a striker thereās not much else you can do about the teamās performance.
All Iād say is look at how theyāve played this season.
2 wins and a draw in the games he played before injury, 3 wins from the next 16. All home games against Burnley, Norwich and us.
Not sure Evertonās a poor side. Yes, theyāre having an awful season now but they were pretty decent under Ancelotti and he has been their focal point for some time now. He does miss a fair amount of chances too. Remember the games we played against them recently. Should have bagged 4-5 goals against us but he was wasteful. His numbers are decent but Iām not sure theyāll go much higher anytime soon.
I liked him as a player even when he was moreso a hard working forward for Everton but I honestly never considered him good enough for a top side.
His appearance on MNF was decent and he sounds like a good lad but Iām not really convinced by him. Perhaps Arteta and co. know something more. You would think Arteta has connections at Everton too to know a little bit more about him.
For what is worth, even with Isak Iām not fully convinced. Similarly, I just hope Arteta and co. have done their due diligence and have a plan to elevate them to the next level.
Weāll see.
I donāt remember who else was tbh, but I was yearning for his signature.
Used to appreciate how direct he was on the left side for Wolves. Weāve had issues with that position since Sanchez left, I felt Jota would have been a good replacement. Now Iād like ASM although Martinelli is growing into a baller now and needs the game time.
So whatās the deal here with Atleti? We want Lautaro, they want Lautaro. We want Vlahovic, they want Vlahovic. We want DCL, they want DCL.
Everton want 40m for him?
Thatās a lot of money.
NGL if we donāt sign a striker in January (looking like thatās going to be the case) and we end up with DCL as our big marquee striker signing in the summer, Iāll be a little disappointed. Heās not a Kevin Davies but heās also just not a top tier (or second tier, or maybe even third tier?) striker.
Watching the Everton-Villa game rn trying to talk myself into feeling good about the potential signing.
Saw someone call him mixed race Chris Wood yesterday on Twitter. Cracked me up, perhaps because itās low-key true.
If we can get him for 40m, that would be ok.
In the last couple of seasons heās averaging around a goal every other game for a poor Everton side and scored in all three of his first games this season before his injury.
He might also be a player that wants to play for us, unlike Vlahovic who seems to be motivated by greed rather than a desire to play for Arteta.
Thatās pretty harsh.
I think heās got more range than Chris Wood. The question is whether he could do a Mane here. Go from being a seemingly solid player in a smaller team to being a key player for a team that has Top 4 (or more!) ambitions.
I think his frame is interesting too. He still looks lanky to me, but a little stronger than Auba who also always looked lanky.
Thatās down to the high heels and flattering slim dress making him look taller.
Christ.
Oh ffs.