2020/2021 Midfielders Rumours Thread

[Ottoman empire]

I don't know why everyone thinks this of Conte, like he never fielded Fabregas, Pogba, Sensi, his favorite Parolo, etc. in any case RDP is highly versatile, capable of playing in various roles in midfield and attack, as a No 8, No 10, as a SS or on the wing.

First of all, point of correction, pogba and sensi are not only playmakers but also b2b and dynamic, meaning they had what conte wants in his mezzalas. Hence, conte used them successfully. As for fabregas, conte used him because he had no choice, just like how he is using eriksen. In fact, fabregas was more of a backup MDF under conte, matic and kante were the starters.
Another correction, roles differ from system to system, no 8 in tiki taka differs from no8 in klopp style or counter att football. So being able to play different roles doesn't automatically make you able to play different systems.

DePaul does too, currently averaging the highest number of key passes per game.

Read clearly, I said forward runs and positioning into the opposition box and good understanding/link up play with the forwards, not playmaking. So why bring up key passes per game.

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By serie a expereince I mean that he knows/understands the italian league and an adjustment period won't be necessary.

Like Pellegrini is playing in Spanish league or what? What does that make Pellegrini, one who is born and brought up in the Italian league.

This squad sucks in dealing with big pressure moments. I'm certain almost everyone here will agree on that. Not that RDP is the final solution but he is a step in the right direction.

If the likes of Vidal, lukaku and Kolarov who have won tons of trophies in different leagues, I don't know how signing de Paul who is playing in udinese solves that issue.

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I
I don't dispute any of this. But thoughts on his injury history?

I also don't like that he is rejecting big money moves in Italy or abroad to stay with Roma and essentially go a career not competing for important trophies. We don't want players who lack ambition or don't want to be challenged career wise.

He has a good injury record, don't try to create another issue after no options.

As for him rejecting big clubs, those are just pure bullshits from media. Using common sense, does that even makes sense? Then what's he looking for in football? No that he is earning big wages either or he has won alot in his career for him to settle in his beloved club, coz that would be understandable. Those are just rumours bro

I
Italian coaches are results orientated, only a few break the norm and even fewer stay employed long enough. Conte may tweak here and there but the concept will remain the same: play to win. In anycase, RDP is adaptable, from possession style with Argentina to ultra-defensive with Udinese.

Play to win doesn't necessarily mean grinding 1-0 results only. Bro we are the 2nd top scorers in the league for 2consecutive seasons under conte. About de Paul's adaptability, you brought up the issue of him playing in a 1-0 win oriented team yourself, you implied that he will be successful here for that reason. I never said he will not adapt here, just trying to show you we don't have to be signing players only from team that grind out 1-0wins.

 

[Ottoman empire]

hard working, durable, excellent passing and vision, can literally play anywhere under all conditions and play styles.

I agree with everything except "playing under all conditions and all playing styles". De Paul is yet to play successfully in a playing system that entails highly structured and restricted attacking patterns which is key component in Conte's playing style. In fact this is what has been restricting eriksen's attacking prowess. In udinese, de paul also plays almost in a free role where he has no restrictions, has freedom to exhibit any attacking movement/ pattern he wishes. This has been key for his success this season, as a result this produces a big question mark on how he will reconcile with Conte's system.

I suggest you read up on his time at Valencia: https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog/sc...-to-be-given-second-chance-under-gary-neville

Half our core treble winning team flopped in la liga for various reason, even players like Cancelo and Rafinha, and RDP was younger and more inexperienced than all, transferred in in the midst of managerial change, etc To me it has zero relevance. What matters is his ability and mindset.

Firstly, list the half core you are talking of.
Secondly, rafinha and cancelo didn't flop in la liga, maybe you didn't know them then. Cancelo made his break through as a youngster in Valencia, same for rafinha in Barca.
Thirdly, flopping in real Madrid (for our core treble winning team) where there a lot of galacticos for places with world class players and high expectations, is different from flopping in Valencia with lower expectations.

It really has a lot of relevance, it gives insight on how player will fare in bigger leagues, bigger teams, bigger ambitions, bigger expectations and bigger pressure. I am not saying it's an absolute general rule for a player's success but in the past and present we've seen a lot of players succeed remarkably in a small weight circumstances then end up failing in bigger ones, In fact this has been the most case with only very few exceptions. It's a consistent general rule, So it is really relevant.

 

[rfU]

i love a good debate but looks like we could go on for hours before agreeing on anything, so let me touch on a few points...

First of all, point of correction, pogba and sensi are not only playmakers but also b2b and dynamic, meaning they had what conte wants in his mezzalas. Hence, conte used them successfully. As for fabregas, conte used him because he had no choice, just like how he is using eriksen. In fact, fabregas was more of a backup MDF under conte, matic and kante were the starters.

Fact is Fabregas was successfully integrated in the role.

He has a good injury record, don't try to create another issue after no options.

Well he's not Sensi or Rafinha level but I wouldn't call it good. Isn't he injured right now?

Play to win doesn't necessarily mean grinding 1-0 results only.

It means playing ugly. The ideal situation for Conte would be to score first, sit back and defend, then strike on the counter. RDP is ideal for this.

I agree with everything except "playing under all conditions and all playing styles". De Paul is yet to play successfully in a playing system that entails highly structured and restricted attacking patterns which is key component in Conte's playing style. In fact this is what has been restricting eriksen's attacking prowess. In udinese, de paul also plays almost in a free role where he has no restrictions, has freedom to exhibit any attacking movement/ pattern he wishes. This has been key for his success this season, as a result this produces a big question mark on how he will reconcile with Conte's system.

If Conte can make Pogba's languid ass run around like a B2B and work his ass off on both ends of the pitch then working with RDP should be fairly straight forward. RDP is more athletic than Fabregas, has a quicker burst than Parolo, is more durable than Sensi, has better work ethic than Pogba so again, RDP is a good fit. Maybe not ideal, but good enough.

Firstly, list the half core you are talking of.

Motta, Cuchu, Sneijder, Samuel. Before you go on, i'm already familiar with their experiences, end of the day they were considered surplus to requirements and made available to transfer.

Secondly, rafinha and cancelo didn't flop in la liga, maybe you didn't know them then. Cancelo made his break through as a youngster in Valencia, same for rafinha in Barca. Thirdly, flopping in real Madrid (for our core treble winning team) where there a lot of galacticos for places with world class players and high expectations, is different from flopping in Valencia with lower expectations.

True but RDP was 21-22 years old, you don't think players can improve/develop? Case in point Cancelo, from being behind one of the worst Inter right-backs of all time (Montoya) in the RB pecking order to currently one of the best RBs in the premier league. Another example is Dahoud at Dortmund (Il Drago can confirm this). First review the circumstances before deciding the relevance maybe.

in the past and present we've seen a lot of players succeed remarkably in a small weight circumstances then end up failing in bigger ones, In fact this has been the most case with only very few exceptions. It's a consistent general rule, So it is really relevant.

DeVrij, Skrinny, Barella, Handanovic in one corner then Ciao Mario, Dalbert and Nainggolan in another. Point is everyone's different, there's no set formula for this. The most important thing is mentality/mindset. Again I suggest you read up on RDPs experience in Valencia, was he Gabigol bad (trash, needs to be sold immediately) or Kovacic bad (inconsistent, needs more time to adjust, trust from the coach, etc.).

 

[Harpsabu]

You guys have had a 2 page argument about players we aren't going to sign lol

 

[Ottoman empire]

Fact is Fabregas was successfully integrated in the role.

That's not the point, the point is, it's always easier to integrate a player whose abilities are fitter to the coach's playing style. I am 100% sure if conte had other options, he wouldn't give fabregas a second look. The thing is that it's very risky to integrate a player with a different skill set to the coach's demands, they are always likely to fail.

Well he's not Sensi or Rafinha level but I wouldn't call it good. Isn't he injured right now?

In this tight-fixtured season where we've seen so many players get injured all over the world, he was injured twice(including his injury now, 14days), totalling 19days. That's a very good record bro.

It means playing ugly. The ideal situation for Conte would be to score first, sit back and defend, then strike on the counter. RDP is ideal for this.

Not necessarily, we've seen big team win consistently with large goal margins. That period of hard- fought win had this season was out of necessity by conte and there is no guarantee we will keep playing that way all the time next season, the 352 we played last season wasn't based on that.
You keep making the same mistake of saying we have to sign a player because he plays in a team that grinds out 1-0 results to which I keep replying that's not the case, otherwise our transfer strategy will be focused only on players from smallside defensive teams and this is absurd, will you take depaul over goretzka, frenki dejong or debruyne just because they play in a team that play attacking football. The skill set is what that matters bro. Besides, how are you sure Pellegrini won't succeed in such situation?.

If Conte can make Pogba's languid ass run around like a B2B and work his ass off on both ends of the pitch then working with RDP should be fairly straight forward. RDP is more athletic than Fabregas, has a quicker burst than Parolo, is more durable than Sensi, has better work ethic than Pogba so again, RDP is a good fit. Maybe not ideal, but good enough.

Pogba, sensi, parolo and fabregas are all naturally cmf and have been playing in that role throughout their careers, hence more easier to be b2b than depaul who started as an AMf or winger, so not ideal using this players as an example tool for de Paul success in b2b role.

Motta, Cuchu, Sneijder, Samuel. Before you go on, i'm already familiar with their experiences, end of the day they were considered surplus to requirements and made available to transfer.

As il drago previously pointed, sneijder didn't fail in real Madrid, had 9goals 7assist and if I could remember clearly he was injury prone then, so this is not failure. That leaves 3 players and only 3 players do not make up half of our core treble winning team. Besides, being deemed surplus to requirements in a star-studded team is different from that of Valencia with few stars.

True but RDP was 21-22 years old, you don't think players can improve/develop? Case in point Cancelo, from being behind one of the worst Inter right-backs of all time (Montoya) in the RB pecking order to currently one of the best RBs in the premier league. Another example is Dahoud at Dortmund (Il Drago can confirm this). First review the circumstances before deciding the relevance maybe.

I am not saying players don't develop or don't become better but everyone in this world including YOU will go for guarantee, something with a clean slate for success in the past, because we are talking of the future which is not guaranteed. Everyone want assurances. Fact is that Pellegrini has a lot of room for improvement and if he fails he has lot of room for improvement and still has resale value, but if depaul who is 27years fails here, then it's over, that's the general peak age in football, we will not be able to get even quarter of what we bought him.
Also cancelo was not behind pecking order to Montoya, he arrived here on the back of a 7-8 month cruciate ligament damage, I think this was why Valencia were willing to give us on loan. But the moment he got his chance, he seized it immediately in short time, this underlined his talent.

DeVrij, Skrinny, Barella, Handanovic in one corner then Ciao Mario, Dalbert and Nainggolan in another. Point is everyone's different, there's no set formula for this. The most important thing is mentality/mindset. Again I suggest you read up on RDPs experience in Valencia, was he Gabigol bad (trash, needs to be sold immediately) or Kovacic bad (inconsistent, needs more time to adjust, trust from the coach, etc.).

Mentality and mindset are important but the most important and most used criteria in football for signing a player is talent, everyone in this forum and the world agree on that. You hear about talent everywhere, media, papers transfer market. Best players in football became so as a result of their enormous talent and partially their mentality. Zidane, Pele, maradona, messi e.T.C all these were largely based in talent. You know that.

 

[rfU]

Not necessarily, we've seen big team win consistently with large goal margins. That period of hard- fought win had this season was out of necessity by conte and there is no guarantee we will keep playing that way all the time next season

That's cool, RDP is highly versatile and competent enough to adapt according to Conte's needs.

Besides, how are you sure Pellegrini won't succeed in such situation?

how are you sure he will? Defence wins titles and Udinese is better at defending than Roma and RDP is part of that. Pellegrini's positioning and concentration is suspect and he's not a keen tackler (not as bad as Eriksen but I've noticed he's not 100% committed).

Pogba, sensi, parolo and fabregas are all naturally cmf and have been playing in that role throughout their careers, hence more easier to be b2b than depaul who started as an AMf or winger, so not ideal using this players as an example tool for de Paul success in b2b role.

Again...

If Conte can make Pogba's languid ass run around like a B2B and work his ass off on both ends of the pitch then working with RDP should be fairly straight forward. RDP is more athletic than Fabregas, has a quicker burst than Parolo, is more durable than Sensi, has better work ethic than Pogba so again, RDP is a good fit. Maybe not ideal, but good enough.

Furthermore RDP has been a Mezzala for 3/4 seasons, one of the beast in the league for the last 2, why you tripping? And he's never been a winger, just forced to play there by whoever trash ass coach was before Neville.

Fact is that Pellegrini has a lot of room for improvement and if he fails he has lot of room for improvement and still has resale value, but if depaul who is 27years fails here, then it's over, that's the general peak age in football, we will not be able to get even quarter of what we bought him.

True.

Also cancelo was not behind pecking order to Montoya, he arrived here on the back of a 7-8 month cruciate ligament damage, I think this was why Valencia were willing to give us on loan. But the moment he got his chance, he seized it immediately in short time, this underlined his talent.

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He was garbage RB, Valencia couldn't wait to get rid of him.

 

[Il Drago]

De Paul mostly played as a winger at Udinese as well till Davide Nicola changed his position to secondary striker at first and later to mezzala.

As for Cancelo, he was linked with a 30m move to Barcelona before they decided to sign Semedo instead so we can't really say he was a flop there. He left to join Inter because Marcelino saw him as a defensive liability and wanted to use him as a RM but the player didn't want to play there and he asked to leave.

 

[Ottoman empire]

That's cool, RDP is highly versatile and competent enough to adapt according to Conte's needs.

Nobody said rdp isn't competent enough to adapt to Conte's needs, you are the one bringing up issues of him being in a team that win 1-0, therefore you are implying this as reason for him to be successful under conte.
Now you are trying to reach a compromise yourself.

how are you sure he will? Defence wins titles and Udinese is better at defending than Roma and RDP is part of that.
Pellegrini's positioning and concentration is suspect and he's not a keen tackler (not as bad as Eriksen but I've noticed he's not 100% committed).

Lol, again. The same naïve claim . So because defence wins titles then we should players from defensive teams, do the best teams in the world sign defenders from small defensive teams in order to improve their defensive setup?. We have the best defence in the league with bastoni from Atalanta, Skriniar from samp, devrij from Lazio, Hakimi from Dortmund, perisic was a winger, Vidal is from Barca and eriksen from tottenham. None of these teams were 'defensive' minded when we bought these players. Think smartly bro.

Pellegrini's positioning and concentration is suspect and he's not a keen tackler (not as bad as Eriksen but I've noticed he's not 100% committed).

Like de Paul is any good in tackles. Now this is a statistic from whoscored about de Paul's defensive aspect this season. He averages only 1.2 tackles per game and 0.3 interceptions per game. According to whoscored, tackling and aerial duels are his weaknesses. A certainly poor defensive stats. This is the link to the site for evidence. https://1xbet.whoscored.com/Players/125547/Show/Rodrigo-de-Paul.
With all your claims of him being a conte type player and "plays in a defensive team grinding out results" , is this how he will play under conte given this stat . What say you?

@ 1:00

He was garbage RB, Valencia couldn't wait to get rid of him.

Like I said earlier, cancelo wasn't garbage, Valencia gave us cancelo on loan after he had been injured for a longtime, ligament rupture. After this they were unsure about him, his value in their eyes was down. But the fact that they included a 40m purchase option on him to us, underlines his importance and talents. If he was garbage, we wouldn't make that deal, Valencia won't value him that much. And to be clearer, we were unable to take that option because we were broke, while juve took the chance and signed him for that price.

 

[rfU]

De Paul mostly played as a winger at Udinese as well till Davide Nicola changed his position to secondary striker at first and later to mezzala.

He started out as a AMF and ended up as no.8. Just like how Brozovic transitioned from one position to another successfully, it happens. RDP can play everywhere in the midfield but in my eyes he useless in wide areas.

As for Cancelo, he was linked with a 30m move to Barcelona before they decided to sign Semedo instead so we can't really say he was a flop there. He left to join Inter because Marcelino saw him as a defensive liability and wanted to use him as a RM but the player didn't want to play there and he asked to leave.

Point is Cancelo was a garbage RB then and now is much improved. So why doesn't this apply to RDP? When you have the coach's trust and play regularly you can improve. Have you seen Dahoud this season?

Skriniar from samp, devrij from Lazio, Hakimi from Dortmund, perisic was a winger, Vidal is from Barca and eriksen from tottenham. None of these teams were 'defensive' minded when we bought these players. Think smartly bro.

Skrinny, Eriksen, Perishit and Hakimi needed extra work and hours to get to this point (DeVrij has been playing in a back 3 for years and Vidal has played under Conte previously). Conversely RDP won't need a season to adapt to Conte.

Like de Paul is any good in tackles. Now this is a statistic from whoscored about de Paul's defensive aspect this season. He averages only 1.2 tackles per game and 0.3 interceptions per game. According to whoscored, tackling and aerial duels are his weaknesses. A certainly poor defensive stats. This is the link to the site for evidence. https://1xbet.whoscored.com/Players/125547/Show/Rodrigo-de-Paul.
With all your claims of him being a conte type player and "plays in a defensive team grinding out results" , is this how he will play under conte given this stat . What say you?

Pellegrini is marginally better but has concentration issues. My point is RDP will put the work and effort in in both phases in the game with 100% commitment. I want battlers in midfield. I agree Pellegrini is better player with a higher ceiling but is he a battler in your eyes? I don't want luxury players pussyfooting around the pitch, only showing up for easy wins but then doing disappearing acts in must win games. Maybe it's recency bias but that's the impression i get of Pellegrini.

 

[Il Drago]

He started out as a AMF and ended up as no.8. Just like how Brozovic transitioned from one position to another successfully, it happens. RDP can play everywhere in the midfield but in my eyes he useless in wide areas.

De Paul wasn't actually that bad as a winger. At least at Udinese. In 43 games he had 13 goals and 5 assists so for me he can certainly play as a winger. And let's not compare him with Brozovic. Brozovic was great as a regista ever since Spalletti tried him in the position. On the other hand, it took De Paul a season to adjust to the mezzala role. His first season as a mezzala was anything but spectacular.

Point is Cancelo was a garbage RB then and now is much improved. So why doesn't this apply to RDP? When you have the coach's trust and play regularly you can improve. Have you seen Dahoud this season?

Maybe for you he was garbage but not for Barcelona, Chelsea and Juve who all were linked with him in 2016/17. But anyway, Cancelo isn't the point of discussion. People bring up De Paul stint at Valencia because that's the only club with a level of pressure he has been in Europe. He has done well only at Udinese. And that's why people have reservations about him. It would be much different if he played for Roma, Lazio or even Fiorentina.

I have seen Dahoud. I was actually a Dahoud fan when he was at Gladbach and he was dubbed as the new Gundogan. He joined Dortmund at the age of 21. Dortmund were in a real mess with the coach situation in his first season and he never got regular playing time. Then Dortmund hired Favre who didn't trust him at all and saw him behind Delaney, Brandt and Bellingham in the pecking order. Now that he has the trust of Terzic he is getting regular playing time and he is looking like the player he was at Gladbach and he's only 25 so the future looks bright for him. I don't know why you bring him up though. De Paul is a lot older than Dahoud was when he joined Dortmund, he is valued at 40m and he has only performed for a midtable team. It remains to be seen whether he can make it at the top level or not.

 

[rfU]

On the other hand, it took De Paul a season to adjust to the mezzala role. His first season as a mezzala was anything but spectacular.

why does this matter?

Maybe for you he was garbage but not for Barcelona, Chelsea and Juve who all were linked with him in 2016/17.

Again, he was a garbage RB (did you watch the youtube vid I posted), not right winger, RB, and now he's one of the best in EPL alongside Walker (only reason he was considered by Barca is because he's very technical and they need someone to compete with Roberto)

I have seen Dahoud. I was actually a Dahoud fan when he was at Gladbach and he was dubbed as the new Gundogan. He joined Dortmund at the age of 21. Dortmund were in a real mess with the coach situation in his first season and he never got regular playing time. Then Dortmund hired Favre who didn't trust him at all and saw him behind Delaney, Brandt and Bellingham in the pecking order. Now that he has the trust of Terzic he is getting regular playing time and he is looking like the player he was at Gladbach and he's only 25 so the future looks bright for him. I don't know why you bring him up though.

Because like Dahoud, De Paul had an under pressure coach who didn't trust him and saw him behind Gomes, perez, fuego, parejo, new messi (piatta?) and rodrigo in the pecking order. Same coach who would use various formations/tactics in game and was out a year later only to be replaced by the calamity magnet Neville resulting in a more chaotic situation for a young midfielder still finding his feet. His situation was actually much worse than Dahoud who was dropped by the same coach (Favre) who gave him his first team chance at BM, and at 25, then fell behind a 17 year old Bellingham, (who only had Championship football experience at the time) in the pecking order. Dahoud is lucky Witsel is out for the season or he would be considered a flop by FIF and too big a risk signing for us (I think you know how highly I rate Dahoud, although he's no Gundogan, but I'm glad he was eventually given more first team opportunities)

Again, you guys are giving a players history too much significance. Any one can be a flop in the wrong situation. As long as we don't sign De Paul to be the Vice-Tankaku or play him on the wing there shouldn't be a problem IMO.

 

[Il Drago]

why does this matter?

For me it matters because you compared him with Brozovic. In his debut as a regista Brozovic played like he was born for the position. De Paul struggled a lot when he started playing as a mezzala and he had to work his ass off in order to adjust to the new position.

Again, he was a garbage RB (did you watch the youtube vid I posted), not right winger, RB, and now he's one of the best in EPL alongside Walker (only reason he was considered by Barca is because he's very technical and they need someone to compete with Roberto)

Because like Dahoud, De Paul had an under pressure coach who didn't trust him and saw him behind Gomes, perez, fuego, parejo, new messi (piatta?) and rodrigo in the pecking order. Same coach who would use various formations/tactics in game and was out a year later only to be replaced by the calamity magnet Neville resulting in a more chaotic situation for a young midfielder still finding his feet. His situation was actually much worse than Dahoud who was dropped by the same coach (Favre) who gave him his first team chance at BM, and at 25, then fell behind a 17 year old Bellingham, (who only had Championship football experience at the time) in the pecking order. Dahoud is lucky Witsel is out for the season or he would be considered a flop by FIF and too big a risk signing for us (I think you know how highly I rate Dahoud, although he's no Gundogan, but I'm glad he was eventually given more first team opportunities)

Again, you guys are giving a players history too much significance. Any one can be a flop in the wrong situation. As long as we don't sign De Paul to be the Vice-Tankaku or play him on the wing there shouldn't be a problem IMO.

I saw the video but rb position isn't only about defence. It's about attack as well. He was unbalanced but he cartainly wasn't garbage for me. And i hate defending Cancelo's stint at Valencia as i was strongly against signing him when he was first linked with Inter. But let's not exaggerate about his time at Valencia.

Anyway, this discussion isn't going anywhere. You rate De Paul very highly, you consider him one of the best midfielders of the league and you believe his success at Inter would be guaranteed. I don't rate him that highly and i have many reservations about him. We're never going to agree on him and it's completely fine. We don't have to agree. Let's agree we disagree and move on.

 

[Ottoman empire]

Skrinny, Eriksen, Perishit and Hakimi needed extra work and hours to get to this point (DeVrij has been playing in a back 3 for years and Vidal has played under Conte previously). Conversely RDP won't need a season to adapt to Conte.

You always try to reach a compromise conclusion or change the direction of argument when you are out of points or countered with facts and good reason. Anyway, I didn't argue about Skriniar and the rests' adjustment period to Conte's system, you yourself brought up the issue having to sign players from defensive minded teams and I brought up those instances to prove you wrong, thank God you've compromised. About "de Paul won't need a season to adjust to Conte's tactics", you make this type of judgements with absolute assurance without backing them with facts, meanwhile I have showed you a stat (fact) about him that proves otherwise.

Pellegrini is marginally better but has concentration issues. My point is RDP will put the work and effort in in both phases in the game with 100% commitment. I want battlers in midfield. I agree Pellegrini is better player with a higher ceiling but is he a battler in your eyes?

Under conte system, tackling and aerial duels (depaul issues) issues is worse than concentration issues, so conte will certainly prefer Pellegrini.
Fetish for battlers.Since you've agreed that Pellegrini is " better" then no point continuing this arguments, that's the conclusion. Everyone in football sign a player over another largely as a result of being better and not battler because talent matters most once a player has a certain minimum level of commitment and ambition. Mathematically, a player with 60% talent and 40% commitment/hard work is better than a player with 40% talent and 60% commitment/hard work.

I don't want luxury players pussyfooting around the pitch, only showing up for easy wins but then doing disappearing acts in must win games. Maybe it's recency bias but that's the impression i get of Pellegrini.

So all this arguments from is as a result of bias and your impression on Pellegrin, not facts? , hence, end of argument with you, there's no point continuing. Thank God you admitted it yourself.
By the way, I never said or implied absolutely that de Paul is not a good player or won't succeed at inter (You started the argument anyway), He is certainly a very good player, he is stats speak for themselves, But what I've been arguing about all this while and since from the beginning is that if both Pellegrini and de Paul cost the same according to some reports (30m euros), then Pellegrini is surely the better option and better investment for us given the reasons I've put forward: age, talent, higher ceiling, resale value, better success at various clubs and at top level; and more tactically adaptable. And I am certain that almost everyone one on this forum will agree with me given this.

 

[Nerazzurri_Ninja]

Anybody interested in Santiago Ascacibar or Nicolas Dominguez, couple of Argentine talents worth mentioning

 

[rfU]

Anyway, this discussion isn't going anywhere. You rate De Paul very highly, you consider him one of the best midfielders of the league and you believe his success at Inter would be guaranteed. I don't rate him that highly and i have many reservations about him.

i don't rate him all that highly, in fact I'd rather Dahoud but that ship has sailed. To me RDP is a safe choice for us especially given our financial constraints.

Under conte system, tackling and aerial duels (depaul issues) issues is worse than concentration issues, so conte will certainly prefer Pellegrini.

We have enough aerial strength, we do lack tacklers though so yes that could be a problem for RDP. But concentration is very important. Envisage playing against City or Bayern or Barca passing around our defense looking gaps, a lack of focus or concentration would expose us.

But what I've been arguing about all this while and since from the beginning is that if both Pellegrini and de Paul cost the same according to some reports (30m euros), then Pellegrini is surely the better option and better investment for us given the reasons I've put forward: age, talent, higher ceiling, resale value, better success at various clubs and at top level; and more tactically adaptable.

Problem is a number of you have an unfounded and unfair bias against DePaul based on his time in Valencia 4/5 years ago, and use that as a reason for why he would fail at Inter. That's nonsensical to me.

And stats/talent only tell half the story, there's the mental aspect of sports (motivation, confidence, intensity, focus) which for me is more important than talent. You argue its 60% talent, 40% mental toughness, I'd say it's the opposite, i think anyone of FIF who has participated in structured sports will agree with this, most pro athletes also (kindly Google this). To me this aspect of Pellegrini hasn't been tested yet, yes he's playing for a top 4 club but he's hasn't shouldered much responsibility until recently (alongside Smalling, Cristante and Mancini). RDP has been doing it for 2 season and performing and for this reason he has been linked with with us and Juventus, Liverpool, etc. Not because of his potential but what he can deliver NOW. That's why to me he's a safe choice. Inter needs leaders and battlers, players with focus and determination, in fact his is applicable in walks of life, not just football/sports. This is why I have completely written off Eriksen.

 

[varmin]

It seems that this turned to RDP thread. So, Milan and Atalanta are also interested. The former might offer cash + Hauge (no idea who is he).

 

[Ottoman empire]

We have enough aerial strength, we do lack tacklers though so yes that could be a problem for RDP. But concentration is very important. Envisage playing against City or Bayern or Barca passing around our defense looking gaps, a lack of focus or concentration would expose us.

We have almost zero aerial strength among our starting midfielders (eriksen, barella, brozovic).
Lack of concentration is certainly a problem but my point was that it's better than lack of tackles.

Problem is a number of you have an unfounded and unfair bias against DePaul based on his time in Valencia 4/5 years ago, and use that as a reason for why he would fail at Inter. That's nonsensical to me.

So now after reaching comprises, narrowing down the argument and avoiding some arguments you've lost to factual reasons, you are now trying to extend the argument by forcing statements I never said or implied, on me. There's no point in doing this, no one is gonna award you on this so don't try to go too far. Where did I say de Paul will fail due to his stint in Valencia? I pointed out to this in my immediate previous post. I am making reference to his time in Valencia in order to point out to the fact that he will likely be a more risky investment than Pellegrini.

And stats/talent only tell half the story, there's the mental aspect of sports (motivation, confidence, intensity, focus) which for me is more important than talent. You argue its 60% talent, 40% mental toughness, I'd say it's the opposite, i think anyone of FIF who has participated in structured sports will agree with this, most pro athletes also (kindly Google this). To me this aspect of Pellegrini hasn't been tested yet, yes he's playing for a top 4 club but he's hasn't shouldered much responsibility until recently (alongside Smalling, Cristante and Mancini). RDP has been doing it for 2 season and performing and for this reason he has been linked with with us and Juventus, Liverpool, etc. Not because of his potential but what he can deliver NOW. That's why to me he's a safe choice. Inter needs leaders and battlers, players with focus and determination, in fact his is applicable in walks of life, not just football/sports. This is why I have completely written off Eriksen.

Stats and talents tell a large part of the story bro, if not they won't be used for analysis and decision making. They are the largest determinant in such situations. The largest percentage that made up the likes of Zidane, pelle, Di Stefano, maradona, messi, Ronaldinho etc is talent and stats. Since you've said FOR YOU commitmente e.t.c is more important than talent, then end of story. While I speak generally not for myself.

 

[NimAraya]

Anybody interested in Santiago Ascacibar or Nicolas Dominguez, couple of Argentine talents worth mentioning

The Argentine football is in deep sleep now and their talents are meh. This is the worst era that I've ever witnessed in more than 30 years of being a fan of Argentina. I can't even mention 1 name who is anywhere close to be world class or having the potential to be world class in the near future.

 

[Il Drago]

It seems that this turned to RDP thread. So, Milan and Atalanta are also interested. The former might offer cash + Hauge (no idea who is he).

Hauge is a Norwegian winger Milan signed after their games against Bodo/Glimt, his former team, last summer. Milanisti are angry with Pioli for not giving him more playing time.

 

[crzdcolombian]

The Argentine football is in deep sleep now and their talents are meh. This is the worst era that I've ever witnessed in more than 30 years of being a fan of Argentina. I can't even mention 1 name who is anywhere close to be world class or having the potential to be world class in the near future.

River with 22 cases of Covid and no GKs they used a mf beat a Colombian team 2-0!!!

That being said Euro team raid South America at the youth level. The guys still around by 20-23 just aren’t good enough. Till they prove it in a better league.