Doumbia doesn't have PL experience either Vydra is a similar type of striker, but he knows his team mates already and has averaged almost a goal every other start for WBA (who often played him out wide)
But that's not the argument. Also considering the new signings and potentially others coming, then Vydra would still be an unknown quantity to those players.
How enforceable are these "obligatory" clauses? Say Doombar comes here on loan, plays for a season, we go down as we're tinpot - we're then suppose to buy the bloke.... suppose he turns us down after the loan for being to tinpot? Surely then we can't buy him?
but it would be hard to see a defence against specific performance on a cut and dried obligation like that i suspect
Maybe Roma are relying on The cash to pave the way for the Dzeko deal....another striker ahead of Doumbia...?
Bitterly disappointed that my excellent The Smiths reference wasn't picked up. Just wanted that on record.
6 people (inc me) liked it. What do you want? You can **** right off as far as I'm concerned!:naughty:
We don't need strikers. And if we're going to sign one, get someone with bags of experience to not only play but also act as a mentor of sorts for our current bunch to help take there game to the next level.
I think we do need a striker. We are going up a level and a good quality striker would be well worth it. May need to loan one of our 4 out but do not thnk we should assume we are strong enough up top with what we have.
The Italian journo who started the rumour just tweeted that we've accepted the obligation to buy and could tie up a contract over the weekend. Let's see!
I can't believe it will happen. If it does I will believe the Pozzo's have very serious ambitions for our first season in the Prem.
I'll be amazed, and delighted, and amazed again if this is anything other than bull**** would just need another central DM (Stambouli or Ledesma?) and RB to finish a 4231
One would assume they wouldnt be this far down the line if they werent pretty confident that the player will agree to sign for us? Its just that there were a few rumours floating round today that he didnt want to come
The only thing that makes me a little confident is that this journo appears to have a very good contact with Roma. When and if it is close we'll see multiple sources start cropping up. Fingers crossed.
Allow me this minor flight of fancy ( but not ridiculously fanciful) ........................Gomes....................... ..Nyom/new...Prodl...Cathcart...Holebas... ...........Capoue.....Ledesma/Stam/Inler.. ....Vydra........Abdi...........Doumbia........ .................Deeney........................... That is some team. •Defensively solid •Two CMs breaking up play, covering FBs runs, and starting attacks. •Width from two FBs attacking. •Abdi orchestrating. •Deeney, Vydra and Doumbia to put the ball in the back of the net
You are obviously joking but in fact I think Zola would be awesome as an offensive coach. Speaks much more to his strengths than Mgr/Head Coach.
Jaap Stam's coming? The 5 year-old me is jumping for joy. No in all seriousness, I'm drooling at the prospect of that being our first XI. I hope to god no one gets injured. On another point, would Vydra work on the wing?
I could be wrong, but the way i'm actually interpreting this is as a 4-3-3 essentially, with a midfield 3 of Capoue and whoever else sitting in the fabled 'double pivot' behind Abdi in a trequartista role without the diamond. Then the 3 up front involve 2 wide forwards, rather than wingers, essentially as Barcelona (yes, I appreciate the comparison is amusing) did/do with Pedro/Messi/Villa, or indeed Neymar/Suarez/Messi. As BRLR said, the width then comes from the two full backs coming almost as far forward as wingers, like Dani Alves and Jordi Alba, so we don't miss out from not having orthodox wingers, and the 3 attackers can swap around and play off each other at will, as Barca's forwards do or indeed Utd's when they boasted Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez as a front 3. This is indeed mildly fanciful, but I love the idea and whilst it'd be very demanding tactically and in a disciplinary sense, if any coach we've had would implement it/pull it off, I'd wager it would be Quique...
The cards are being shuffled http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/07/roma-edin-dzeko-manchester-city
I've got a feeling that with all the rumours of new strikers, we're going to go with a 4-4-2. Add to that Tozser may have been allowed to go because of this, as his lack of mobility will be a problem in a 4-4-2, especially in the Premier League. Abdi will get injured, I'm sure Gino has accounted for that. It's happened with regularity ever since he's been here, so the club may take the safe option and assume Abdi will only be available for 2/3 of the matches this season. That gives hope of getting Guedioura, as I think he would be perfect in a 4-4-2 along with Capoue. Then we have a ridiculous amount of quality strikers to choose from in Deeney, Vydra, Ighalo, and one other. I don't include Forestieri as I assume he's going to go if we get Doumbia, or some other striker in. Hopefully he can stay in the network of Pozzo-owned clubs as he's been fantastic for us, and if he hadn't have gotten that injury in the last third of this season it would have been very hard to leave him out. I think it was Reading that he tore apart at home...
