It is quite funny that Manga has been brought in to highlight some good, cheap talent and Kolo Muani and Santos-Borre are the names often mentioned (in the media) - given we held pretty deep rooted interest in both of them well before any of us ever knew who Ben Manga was! Maybe he’s been brought in as someone who can convince Gino to pull the trigger on these players rather than the lesser, worse options we seem to go with. If we’d got Manga during our last PL pre-season, we could perhaps have the likes of those two players, Kim Min-Jae, Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig already…and PL status as well.
Any signing cannot really be rated till they have actually played a game - some can look good and promising on paper /in stats ( and vice versa ) First thing must be can they actually keep fit for a period of time !
If promotion was necessary then Pozzo shouldnt have hamstrung us by spunking 15m on Okoye, Bayo and Kaymbe.
Disgraceful waste of money presumably tied to his relationship with the Mogi creature. Let's hope with the upcoming trial and the new model led by Ubenga that is the end of these disgraceful shady transfers. I mean what is the purpose of having Okoye here ? Might as well have promoted Angelini.
Which is good because it stops a Harry Redknapp type just buying all his old buddies. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t also be true that while he makes the final decision he will also consider the input of the current coach.
All very well but what has Giaretta supposed to have been doing? And Giraldi before him! It’s not like this is a new model for us. And while I’m at it why the hell is that leech Giaretta still being paid by us? Want does he do now??
Still at the training ground/at games? Probably knows Daddy Pozzo will support him if anyone tries to get him out again.
Quite so. Kalu will be Bayat’s redemption from beyond the grave once he gets a run in year 3 of his contract.
I don't know how ITK Leventhal is on this deal but he seemed to suggest it had the fingerprints of Ben Manga over it (although of course we have long been 'linked' with bright young players)
That's if he doesn't need a hip replacement by then. Speaking of which the Cameroon u17 have been badly hit as most of the players selected were over 20. Eto'o that nasty piece of work did one thing right in ordering as FIFA stipulates MRI scans to check although the accuracy declines by the time players get to their late teens. Cameroon age-fraud fears grow after checks send 32 youth players home (telegraph.co.uk) There was a player Tobie Mimboe known as Bimbo or Benjamin Button in the dressing room who over his career managed to get progressively younger according to the documents supplied to his clubs.
Giraldi did have quite a few hits to be fair to him. Stuff went wrong towards the end but needs some credit for Capoue etc. Giarretta was just a yes man brought in to allow Pozzo is do as many deals with his favorite crook as possible.
Suppose Pozzo tried to fire him but Pozzo senior wouldn't allow it. Giarretta is the ultimate suckle on the teat "jobs for the boys" employee. Unfortunately at our expense, but rather have this with Manga in place to be honest than what we had before.
If this is a Costa/Manga signing then fair enough, clean slate and all that… …but I can’t help but feel like Djed Spence will probably join one of our competitors and we will still somehow have Jeremy Ngakia playing every week.
Is Spence available on a permanent deal though? We might not have the luxury of being able to do a loan deal...
There are PL teams like Muff and Villa who Spence could probably play regularly for - I'd be surprised if he and Spurs wanted him to drop back to the Championship where he's already proven himself. Getting him more comfortable with PL football is surely the next move.
Could see him play next weekend at LB? Definitely think we have signed him to cover both full-back positions.
So is he from Manga's network or has he come from our usual scouting pool which currently seems to be A&E at Watford Gen?
I've seen it suggested that he'd be Helena Costa's doing - makes a lot of sense given that she's Portuguese and used to manage Benfica's youth team (so likely still has contacts there).
Speaks well - and smiles. The anti Holebas right back ?! https://mobile.twitter.com/WatfordF...613581708678369299¤tTweetUser=WatfordFC
Seems like a nice bloke, too nice in fact. Hopefully he won't go into his shell when a Blackpool player elbows him in the face on Saturday and the ref plays on.
