(Just to be totally clear here, this particular sentiment is not aimed at you personally TVOR, but the general news/sentiment contained within your post.
Given the clubs financial woes it wouldn't surprise me if the club pocketed the money and looked at Wilmot as a CDM option and left Kabasele, Ekong, Cathcart and Sierralta to fight it out for 2 CB spots. Capoue hasn't been great this season, but he was good yesterday and definitely one of our better players when on it over the last few years.
This wouldn't be terrible as a plan. Although you would like them to go buy a young Wilmot-esque player to keep the pipeline full.
Good move. We have an ageing squad compared to our rivals and Capoue is in decline. Hits the occasional Hollywood pass, but I think his performances have been average for the best part of a year. Being in some youth
Mr IBB confirms McArthur has been out of the side for a while. I think he's a bit injury prone... Cue fit right in gag.
On the contrary, I think this would be a ******* terrible plan, if, once again, we are still operating under any pretence of trying to win promotion.
Capoue at his best is a highly accomplished ball winning midfielder. His stats over the past few years actually have him as one of the best in this country at it and he ranked highly through Europe. Wilshere isn’t that type of player. He’s more in the Hughes mould. If he could stay fit (he can’t) he’d be better for us as a creator.
I know the Pozzo’s have gone into crazy mode over the past couple of years, but even they wouldn’t sanction a move mid-season of a key established player without having someone of similar quality lined up. It’s quite rare that they transfer players at this time of year, so this makes me think there is something in the Wilshire rumour. He’s certainly high profile enough and at Championship level he would probably be amazing. Free transfer and wages shouldn’t be a problem with Capoue going. He’s four years younger too. He’s a Hertfordshire boy, so for me, the stars are lining up on this one.
What stats? The 3 Chelsea have got (Kante, Kovacic, Jorginho) are better than him and that's just 1 club
Thanks, yeah, I would be unconvinced by either of the youngsters, Walace would be good though if it comes off! By the sounds of it, we do realise the importance of the role, we aren't going to just give away Capoue, and if he does leave, we do intend to bring someone in--whether we act upon that is another matter!
Look at his ball winning stats from the last few seasons. He trends among the top of the majority of lists. Those players you listed are more widely known midfielders - but that wasn’t the point I was making. They may be better players - but at the trait I was talking about, they haven’t fared as well as Capoue. For reference, this is the PL list so far this season on interceptions: https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/interception Now I think it’s clear that there are a number of CM’s better than Josh Brownhill who is top of the pile. But presently, none are better at that trait. And in the past few seasons, Capoue scored highly on some lists. Wilshere would not feature highly on those same lists had he played the same amount of games - they are fundamentally different players. That said, it may well be that the club won’t swap like for like - they may feel that we have a replacement for Capoue already in the ranks and will use the money/wages on a more attacking CM like Wilshere.
Time for Chalobah to step back up and make the Chalobah role his own. Capoue had good stats for interceptions and ball winning. He was good enough for a much better team but there was something about him that didnt line up. For all the obviously great qualities he openly didnt care about football, and for every game where he imposed himself in the game, there seemed to be 2 where he strolled through it. The nutmegs were fun for a while but you feel in hindsight he preffered megging someone than winning. A Nordin Wooter of a DM. On his day, brilliant. Just dont think I've seen more than 3 of those days in a year or 2.
Shame to lose Capoue but at least were making moves early, this facilities incomings - could actually be good but ultimately depends on what business we do.
Some bad eggs left around the squad. I think he’s one. Since winning player of the season we’ve hardly seen the best of him. This season he wanted to go and his heads not been with us. Time to move on he gets his final pay day in the sun. Hopefully we get a nice sum and see it reinvested. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think Wilmot has the vision and passing ability to become an established CM and would like to see him given the chance rather than a clapped out Wilshere or another limited Garner type loan. We have adequate cover at centre back (even Massina if we get desperate). Capoue's wages and transfer fee would be better invested in another striker, particularly if we could find some mug to take that joker Gray off our hands.
Lol, absolutely barking! Firstly, Arsenal rejected £20mil from Wolves for him in the summer, and now Atletico Madrid are linked with a move for him in January. But sure, he'll go on loan to the Champ instead! He's not even a DM either.
You can change that view to look at previous seasons as well: Capoue was no.1 in the Premier League for interceptions in 2018/19, plus no.8 for tackles in the same season. He was truly phenomenal that year and rightfully our PotS. Even last year he was still 7th for interceptions and 18th for tackles. This season in the Champ, despite supposedly not caring, he's still 3rd for interceptions per game and joint 1st for combined interceptions + tackles per game. He will not be easy to replace.
Disaster. Even when he doesn’t put a shift in he’s been our best player defensively. he’s moving to a team 4th in la liga, arguable a step up from us even if we were still in the prem
Good luck to him, better league, better players, better weather and a chance to get off plague island and the toxic mentality of the place.
Garner limited? Ivic has that effect on everyone of our players by the look of it. He's 19, at a new club and in his first real competitive season around the first team. He will have up and down performances. I see so many more positive than negatives
Yep. Without a midfielder who can win the ball, we aren't going up. Then again, we don't have any strikers who can score or defenders that defend so that **** isn't happening either. I wish I could be surprised that no one is mentioning the fact that just two months ago the club released an article saying how he was going to fire us to promotion but I'm not. Club sustains itself on the lethargy of our supporters. Utter ********
This is where stats really don't add up to me. He has the ability to stamp his authority on games. From what I've seen he has just been going through the motions. Hard to replace the Capoue of old but he's way off those performances.
Didn't the earlier post refer to James McCarthy? McArthur and McCarthy always play for the same club in order to annoy people, so we'd have to sign both. They could take it in turns being injured
Baffling that people are happy enough to see him to go, same as people were with Doucoure. I get that's it's a necessity of relegation but for people to think we'll be better off without players of this quality is bonkers.
Unless I'm missing another article, the club published an interview with Capoue and published the words that came out of Capoue's mouth. Not sure what they should have done differently. Maybe it was a lie from Capoue and he was always going to look for a move in January. Maybe he was telling the truth and didn't expect a chance like Villarreal (Europa League, 4th in La Liga) to come around. There's plenty of things to criticise the club for but publishing the words of one of their contracted players isn't one, I don't think.
I agree that “up and down” performances from Garner are inevitable. My concern when he was playing every game was that he was taking ALL our set pieces, so those were “up and down” as well. If we are to recruit another midfielder I would like him to be capable of taking corners and free kicks.
Seems that Villarreal have made the move as a direct result of a season ending injury to Vicente Iborra, so the unexpected opportunity appears the most likely to me.
If ge was showing his qualities! But he isn't. It's obvious that he didn't want to be here, circumstances hinder that during the Summer but no doubt his agent was busy spreading his name around. Give me one good reason why we should keep a player who hasn't got his heart at the club and proves that with his performances? You're the one who would be happy to take a massive hit on Sarr to buy thrre or four cheaper players. So I take anything you say a pinch of salt.
He's the wrong type of player for our midfield. He's just not very dynamic. When he has time and space he can pick a good pass but he's not good under pressure and is never going to drive past a player and lead a break. Also, has zero composure in the box.
But that's the managements choice over set pieces. Yes ideally a said replacement will be more than capable of those roles. But they're not so readily available.
Well I don't agree that he proves it with his performances. He's not been in the best form but a) I don't think it's a lack of effort and b) out of form Capoue is still better than Chalobah, Cleverley, Garner, Quina. But sure, celebrate him leaving as you've convinced yourself he wasn't trying. Also, Sarr has been massively underperforming all season and seems unlikely he's particularly chuffed at being in the Championship, so shouldn't we sell him too if applying your own logic? As I said, I would sell him if it meant we could bring in 3/4 players but I don't expect we would so better to keep him.
Joint first interceptions + tackles per game in the whole league is proving a fair amount already. He looked very good and committed vs Norwich as well.
