16 Mar 2026 09:17:49
ED001, do you have any information regarding how Isak's recovery is going?
{Ed001's Note - I believe he is doing ball work now, so shouldn't be more than 3 or 4 weeks away, without any setbacks.}
16 Mar 2026 10:08:25
Get Isak fit for the new season ahead, as that forward line is in desperate need of a fit and firing Isak.
16 Mar 2026 10:17:04
I look forward to a fit and firing Isak!
On a side note, does anyone think we will ever see a return close to what we spent on Ekitike, Wirtz, and Isak? I find it difficult to think that we will get value for money spent on those three altogether!
16 Mar 2026 10:31:39
They haven't become bad players, @Faith. They are just playing for a manager who refuses to play any kind of positive football in a team that has become lethargic and apathetic. They are still young and will only get better over the next few years once playing in a functioning team.
16 Mar 2026 10:34:52
Absolutely.
Isak is proven and I have no worries about him.
Seen enough of Wirtz to know he is gonna be a rock star. I think a time playing in the same position may benefit him. All this nonsense about sticking out wide is, well, least said the better.
Ekitike, again, I think has shown enough.
If you think what 50 or 60m gets you these days...
I don't think anyone envisaged him playing as much as he has, tho tbf. Think he is showing signs of season burn out, but not to worry. Soon we will be down to one game a week anyway, so may recover.
16 Mar 2026 10:46:30
Can't wait for him to come back, although Slot will no doubt play him at right back.
16 Mar 2026 10:47:21
I think Ekitike has all the attributes to be a high level player, forward playing, moves the ball well. He has the occasional lack of concentration and overconfidence.
Isak. No. Aside from the fact that, personally, I don't think he's a good enough all-round player, I didn't see that as good business. Other options were available that would have improved the team and squad. A Diaz replacement and a Salah successor/replacement was more needed than an injury-prone, average forward, especially as Ekitike was already in the door.
Wirtz. This was an exciting transfer, but, personally, I'm getting fed up with him losing the ball and making bad passes (that's Salah's job).
I can't work out if he's playing on a different level to everyone else, or whether he's consistently trying to pass the ball through players' legs. His control is excellent, and his work rate is high. Positional play is hard to judge at the moment, as we're playing school playground tactics and bulldog formations on and off the ball.
Kerkez, Frimpong. Not good enough as starters. Not good business, no idea why they were signed; they offer little as either successors or replacements. As a simple measure, do they improve the team? No. Do they improve the squad? No.
16 Mar 2026 10:54:55
Wirtz was the most frustrating player on the pitch for me last night. He is a magnificent player, but I'm not sure if he's struggling for confidence or something else. Ekitike, on his day, is majestic, but he has a lot to learn in terms of his off-ball work. His pressing is sometimes erratic; he is often slow to react/read who to jump on, and sometimes plain lazy.
That can be coached, of course, so hopefully he takes that on board, because he has improved a lot of facets of his game this year. Here's hoping we can get Isak to press semi-decently too.
16 Mar 2026 10:56:00
When the team plays with more pace, these players will be much better, leaving Mac Allister as the covering mid and letting Grav go wherever doesn't help either.
16 Mar 2026 11:27:52
Ekitike looks the best pound for pound of the summer transfer business. Like the others though, he's inconsistent, and I don't see much improvement in his game yet. He looks like a fairly gifted individual with a natural talent rather than a hard worker or learner.
Kerkez looked like he was improving, but has then been dropped. Maybe an underlying fitness issue there, who knows. Given his strength is the attacking side of his game, he hasn't created much or scored, so his defensive weaknesses just get highlighted more. Tough first season for him.
The rest of the buys have been underwhelming, injured, or both.
Wirtz is the biggest problem, as we paid a huge fee so we can't sell him on very easily without a big loss. He's lightweight and peripheral a lot of the time, and looks like he'll only thrive in the Premier League playing behind a more clinical striker.
That's where the Isak injury has really hurt us. We've lost his goals but also blunted the impact from Wirtz. Couple that with the obvious failings from Gakpo and Mo, and the lack of end product from Frimpong and Rio as alternatives, and we just aren't scoring enough goals on a consistent basis to secure the Champions League spot.
16 Mar 2026 11:37:41
I think they'll be outstanding next season, Faith - Wirtz & Ekitike have come into a team in disarray where they should have been playing for a team full of swagger & confidence! Not sure what happened there?!
Isak will be fine - proven finisher at the highest level, and if he'd been fit & firing this season, I think we'd be higher in the table.
Ekitike is a slight concern for me, as I get the impression he's a bit temperamental & could be a handful to manage, but that's where the top managers earn their big bucks.
16 Mar 2026 12:01:13
Have you heard anything regarding the injury being worse than expected and it's affected his running? Just a little rumour I've heard.
{Ed001's Note - nothing, but he is already affected by previous issues, hence he needed managing at Newcastle.}