21 May 2025 06:17:17
Ed001 if Saudi comes in for Jota Nunez and diaz would you let them all go or do you think it is too much for one window. I don't think any of them are worth keeping long term. But would not want to mess next season up it seems so strange how easy we have won the league and how much work needs doing.
{Ed001's Note - I would get rid of both. Nunez is not even trying any more and Jota can't stay fit and when he is fit, he is not helpful to the team.}
21 May 2025 08:37:19
Spot on, Ed. For me, both have outlived all the grace many of us gave them. Time to move both on and restart.
21 May 2025 08:39:22
Nunez is clearly surplus as is chiesa. Diaz to Barcelona might go down to the wire. Jota ain't going nowhere mate.
Ideally we should have signed Cunha to replace one of the above. It looks like all the money is going for Wirtz.
21 May 2025 08:46:17
If Diaz is going to Barcelona, is he dislodging Raphinia or Yamal in order to make the starting 11? It may be the move he is after but i just don't see it personally. Call me cynical but it's possibly the reason behind his shift in attitude with regards to staying on a new deal.
21 May 2025 09:24:28
Hit the nail on the head there I think RedQ. which is also funnily enough a lot better than Nunez would have done!
21 May 2025 09:43:20
Do we know of any interest in Jota or us trying to move him on? Sounds as though we aren’t which is strange just offers little not unfortunately.
21 May 2025 09:45:36
RedQ they probably want a rotation option. Lewandowski is old and Yamal is young so the option to rest them is good.
21 May 2025 09:52:04
Dias has come out saying he wants to stay for many years and wants a new contract I personally think he will be our 9.
21 May 2025 10:00:38
Diaz has just had his best season for us in regards to G/ A.
Raphina who plays in his position at Barcelona has just had his best ever season.
Darwin seemed to get a free pass over other players despite him being worse but its definitely time for him to move on and i imagine we will never hear causing chaos as a positive attribute on here again.
Jota's had his worst season to date so if we can get a good fee for him then the summer would definitely be the time to move him on.
The only downside is that bringing in one centre forward is already looking like a tough as so 2 will be even more challenging.
Danns hasn't played a full game of first team football this season so it would be a huge ask to expect him to step straight into the breach next season.
21 May 2025 10:29:06
To be fair jk causing chaos is a very positive attribute and not a copout or excuse, it's just that Darwin wasn't even good at that this year for large parts of the season (and the one time that he was, he did it to excellent effect against psg) . Against psg he changed the game by being impossible to handle in and around the box, nearly scoring and then creating that small pocket for Harvey to arrive late.
I don't personally agree with you using the chaos thing as a stick to beat others on the head with because under klopp that's pretty much exactly what jurgen bought him for. Under slot the 'chaos' that he wants from his 9 seems to be making lots of dummy runs for the wingers to exploit space, dropping deep to bring a central defender with him, doing lots of tireless work to facilitate other players, and that's just not darwin's game. I think he is still a very good player, potentially even an excellent one, for the right team, just not for us at this point in time.
Slot also wants to harness chaos, as does any coach at any level, it just looks like the chaos we want to create next year is with frimpong overlapping and Dom or Conor underlapping to create havoc for mo to exploit. Under klopp, the plan was to build the team around Darwin running in behind rather than being the dummy for mo and Cody. We don't
know how that could have turned out had klopp stayed, and it's pretty revisionist to say that his form under slot has proven that he just isn't very good. Under klopp his xg was up there with haaland and any other top forward in Europe.
Plans change, doesn't mean the player himself is crap imo, and Darwin is not an adaptable enough or tactically mature enough player to survive changes in plans.
21 May 2025 11:09:38
Patrik cheers for the reply mate.
We all watch games differently and i'll be honest i've never ever watched a game of football and then thought since Darwin has come on this game is now chaotic because of him or when he's subbed off the so called chaotic games stops.
How do you even measure one players chaos? A full back overlapping is that the new chaos?
I've witnessed many times him passing the ball into touch or out for goal kicks and missing sitters.
Before we signed Darwin i'd never ever heard a player have chaos phrased as a positive attribute.
21 May 2025 11:25:29
Causing chaos is an excuse when you’re meant to score goals and you don’t.
21 May 2025 11:24:29
@HOC - how much money do we have for transfers? If we buy Wirtz we won’t be buying anybody else - is that correct?
21 May 2025 11:41:17
Jk, chaos is when a space that the opposition didn't plan for opens up and a free man gets into that space to create danger, that's how I understand it anyway, pulling apart the defensive blocks with movement or overloads or a player carrying the ball from deep and drawing defenders or whatever, and it can happen anywhere on the field to get us on the front foot attacking. I mean we're all used to the chaos in transitions and counterattacks, but now it's all about creating artificial transitions by disrupting the opposition press Etc.
I know the word chaos sounds really sensational but it's a bit mundane in tactical terms, because modern football is so incredibly organised and hyper technical on a tactical level with managers planning every eventuality and the players on the highest level being able to execute almost flawlessly, a window of chaos is needed to open a team up. Nuñez did exactly that against psg because they couldn't plan for him occupying marquinhos and pacho all on his own with or without the ball.
21 May 2025 13:15:49
I don't see Diaz going to Barcelona either cos there is no room for him with both Balon D'Or finalists in Yamal and Raphinha knowing about. I think he's staying.
21 May 2025 13:31:21
I wouldn't say he causes chaos but he does disrupt the defence a lot more and keeps them occupied. I think this is the "chaos" that is usually referred to when Nunez players. It's more amplified because he used to have so much more energy, running around like an energizer bunny. So much so that defenders found it difficult to cope with him. But once they realised that his finishing is just as erratic, it did lose its effectiveness.
21 May 2025 13:46:44
Patrik isn't that just creating space which happens all over the pitch by all 20 outfield players.
Darwin for me does not have a football brain so the only thing that gets pulled out is his mangers and coaches hair over opposition players positions.
I get that you like him mate and don't get me wrong i've backed him the whole time he's been here but the truth is he's just a headless chicken who is quick but is offside more times than he is onside.
I reckon we could def chew the fat over this over a few beers in a pub over this but i'm sure we'd both leave having to agree to disagree on this one.
21 May 2025 19:04:43
Why is Diaz not worth keeping he is better than Gakpo and was influential in us winning the league with his goals early on in the season. I have no idea why anyone would actually want him to leave?
21 May 2025 20:31:46
If all 4 leave, we’re left with Gakpo and Mo plus whoever we buy.
I’m not going to lie. I really don’t like the sound of that kind of turnover in one summer.