Incoming? Terry Yegbe

[Keen Blade]

You've just congratulated yourself for getting past Souza and then you come face to face with this fucker ...

 

[Keen Blade]

A lot of other factors has to be looked at when you analyse and evaluate a player. Widell Zetterström, Bergvall, Ayari and Anel are examples of players who had none or limited experience from another "level" but managed to have an impact quite fast.

I always said that Traoré would struggle with us. This was based on how we played when we signed him in addition to his strengths as a player. He is a good player and will probably have a good career but madness of us to sign him where we were at the time. For me it's very odd that people here on the forum would question Traoré and his abilities rather than looking at:

• we signed this player on a longer contract and paid quite some money for him - what was the plan? Short term and long term - did we follow this through?
• was the signing part of a club recruitment strategy - if so, are we pursuing the same strategy now? What did we want with Traoré?
• connected to the first point - why did we sign a player for 'big' money but then we had no patience at all, or know-how to utilise him/plan B? If we had a plan, what was it?
• who/whom at Sheffield United are responsible for setting up frameworks of scouting and player recruitment - and who will be implementing this? Im not talking about finding a gem here and there - but long term, what are we looking for? Do we have a scouting network that are fully aligned with the management team currently in charge? Or, do we have scouts working for a long-term strategy on behalf of the clubs ambitions but not necessarily aligned with Wilder?

Discussing individual players is pointless but as for strategy etc., our role as supporters are important...

And - I do thing we often tend to get stuck in a loop questioning players and their lack of ability, work rate, technique, stamina, vision, passion etc. Of course, as a supporter, it's by default but we should be looking at the ones who are taking the decisions at our club - are we comfortable with them?
That's where we start building a sustainable, well-functioning PL club over time - by putting qualified, progressive and forward leaning people in key positions. Working with a set strategy, a common thread (KPIs etc.) is something I would like to see from the club and it would enable us to compete at the highest level every year, instead of relying on individual player performances (loans, transfers) performing well.

I think if we do get new owners they will improve this side of our operations because player acquisition , development & trading is crucial to a club aspiring to reach AND REMAIN in the PL.

For a start , they might appoint a Chairman who has at least some knowledge of and interest in football.

Then they need someone with expertise to implement the systems to which you refer and which we appear to lack (just look at the hotchpotch recruitment in summer 23 and Jan 24).
We bought and sold Traore & Trusty , so they were wasted recruits.
And we still have Slimane & Gbric to offload , so half our recruitment was wasted effort.

You can't expect CW to run the football squad , manage training , prepare for matches etc etc AND have time to oversee the whole recruitment side.
Yes , he would want to influence the decisions , but one man just doesn't have the time to devote to the modern day complexities of recruitment.
And failures , like the 4 players I mentioned , are costly in time & money.

 

[jono_t2000]

Likely we'll lose one of either Anel or Souza at end of season regardless if promoted or not.

This guy would be an ideal replacement.

 

[moody1889]

Likely we'll lose one of either Anel or Souza at end of season regardless if promoted or not.

This guy would be an ideal replacement.

Why should do everything we can to keep Anel and Souza if we are promoted that would be just sheer stupidity to lose either of them especially after what happened with Sander and Ndiaye.

 

[HeCanDoMagic]

Likely we'll lose one of either Anel or Souza at end of season regardless if promoted or not.

This guy would be an ideal replacement.

What makes you think we'd lose one if we were promoted? Finances or think they'll want a 'bigger' club?

 

[Aston max]

What m

What makes you think we'd lose one if we were promoted? Finances or think they'll want a 'bigger' club?

"If". We go up they'd be mad to want a move , another good season will put them both well in the shop window ( don't know so much about anel he seems to have calmed down and is enjoying it here and living in Sheffield now his dad has stopped poisoning in his ear ) but I'd expect Sousa to join a team in Italy if we go straight back down !

 

[Yogi]

What makes you think we'd lose one if we were promoted? Finances or think they'll want a 'bigger' club?

Anel’s contract is ticking down if he doesn’t sign an extension in the summer then it’ll put United in a tricky situation.

 

[LondonBlade89]

A lot of other factors has to be looked at when you analyse and evaluate a player. Widell Zetterström, Bergvall, Ayari and Anel are examples of players who had none or limited experience from another "level" but managed to have an impact quite fast.

I always said that Traoré would struggle with us. This was based on how we played when we signed him in addition to his strengths as a player. He is a good player and will probably have a good career but madness of us to sign him where we were at the time. For me it's very odd that people here on the forum would question Traoré and his abilities rather than looking at:

• we signed this player on a longer contract and paid quite some money for him - what was the plan? Short term and long term - did we follow this through?
• was the signing part of a club recruitment strategy - if so, are we pursuing the same strategy now? What did we want with Traoré?
• connected to the first point - why did we sign a player for 'big' money but then we had no patience at all, or know-how to utilise him/plan B? If we had a plan, what was it?
• who/whom at Sheffield United are responsible for setting up frameworks of scouting and player recruitment - and who will be implementing this? Im not talking about finding a gem here and there - but long term, what are we looking for? Do we have a scouting network that are fully aligned with the management team currently in charge? Or, do we have scouts working for a long-term strategy on behalf of the clubs ambitions but not necessarily aligned with Wilder?

Discussing individual players is pointless but as for strategy etc., our role as supporters are important...

And - I do thing we often tend to get stuck in a loop questioning players and their lack of ability, work rate, technique, stamina, vision, passion etc. Of course, as a supporter, it's by default but we should be looking at the ones who are taking the decisions at our club - are we comfortable with them?
That's where we start building a sustainable, well-functioning PL club over time - by putting qualified, progressive and forward leaning people in key positions. Working with a set strategy, a common thread (KPIs etc.) is something I would like to see from the club and it would enable us to compete at the highest level every year, instead of relying on individual player performances (loans, transfers) performing well.

Nail on the head with all of this. It doesn’t appear we’ve had a particularly amazing transfer strategy - particularly when in the PL - beyond “let’s find younger players because they’ll have resale value”. And then when we’re back in the Championship, our strategy is to sign the best players from League One and some other Champ teams. It all just leads to a club hopelessly ill-prepared for the PL because your team is full of players you’ve completely punted on, either from the domestic (the team that got you promoted) or foreign leagues (your new signings on getting promoted). Rinse and repeat.

 

[Balham]

Yes - [Lamine Fanne is a] very interesting player indeed. When he signed for AIK I had no idea who he was and never really thought he would appear for the first team although he signed a 5 year contract. Being a substitute for the U19 side of Constancia (5th tier in Spain) I thought it was more an agent deal...

18 months later the guy is one of the better defensive midfielders in the league after only training with the senior team for a few months. And now sold for big money to Luton. Kante vibes...

Fanne signed for Luton in August when they would have been confidently predicting a promotion charge and Premier League football. It'll be interesting to see whether he has any impact on their fortunes and if not what the next steps are. If he continues his development trajectory he could be a bargain option for a PL side.

 

[forte]

Fanne signed for Luton in August when they would have been confidently predicting a promotion charge and Premier League football. It'll be interesting to see whether he has any impact on their fortunes and if not what the next steps are. If he continues his development trajectory he could be a bargain option for a PL side.

There is serious talk in Sweden, both by media and agents that he will sign for a PL club in January already. Let's see.

 

[Slim Man]

Sign the cunt

 

[Ron_Justice]

Sign the cunt

 

[Gin&Juice]

 

[Booker4]

Is there anything in this then?! Only interest was reported months ago I recall at least publicly.

 

[FTPE]

Is there anything in this then?! Only interest was reported months ago I recall at least publicly.

Well, all the right kind of emojis are coming out

 

[Blade56]

Ask Rocket Man or Rifleman ITK

 

[Yogi]

He’s the only CB we’ve been linked with who could reasonably come close to replicating the role Souttar played for us. The others linked have been more ball playing CB’s rather than dominant aerial presences

 

[Davalon]

Never heard of him.

Gerrimsined.

 

[FTPE]

6'5" and a Francis Ngannou eeid? get him bought

 

[Aston max]

This boy and the lad from forest and defensively we're sorted
(1) obviously we've no idea what budget the new owners have put in place ( are we looking at new owners that will put us in hock or similar to the mad Greek down the M1 )
(2) no one other than wilder and the medical team know when players will return
(3) we need minimum 4 players in ( I'd like to see a attacking midfielder and a keeper, still not convinced with Davies as back up)

ATM the silence over certain issues is deafening

 

[FTPE]

This boy and the lad from forest and defensively we're sorted
(1) obviously we've no idea what budget the new owners have put in place ( are we looking at new owners that will put us in hock or similar to the mad Greek down the M1 )
(2) no one other than wilder and the medical team know when players will return
(3) we need minimum 4 players in ( I'd like to see a attacking midfielder and a keeper, still not convinced with Davies as back up)

ATM the silence over certain issues is deafening

Worrying really.
I think this is the big decision as well. We'll get a Blaster replacement but when Souza is back he'll be at the side of Davies or Peck, with Shackleton as a stand in. We'll get BBD but Gus has been on the left and Campbell will be hopefully fit again soon. It's the Souttar replacement that scares me. He's not irreplaceable, but its huge boots to fill and how we do it will be the difference between automatic and playoffs I reckon.

 

[Booker4]

This boy and the lad from forest and defensively we're sorted
(1) obviously we've no idea what budget the new owners have put in place ( are we looking at new owners that will put us in hock or similar to the mad Greek down the M1 )
(2) no one other than wilder and the medical team know when players will return
(3) we need minimum 4 players in ( I'd like to see a attacking midfielder and a keeper, still not convinced with Davies as back up)

ATM the silence over certain issues is deafening

I don't think we'll be bringing in two centre backs though Aston. Basing that solely on the recent interview Wilder did which refers to 2/3 players coming in. We know BBD and the Leicester centre mid are two out of the three.

 

[Booker4]

Sign the cunt

Is this something you've heard is a horrible then Slim Man!? Got to ask. Or Ron_Justice?!

 

[Blademan89]

If we do put a bid in on this lad I think I wont be until the summer and If we are in the Premier league, where you can afford a punt or 2 with the money available, and for them to be a cut above if you get relegated (like souza)

 

[Booker4]

I forgot this is the lad with the Vinny Jones esque throw! He's left footed I notice so he'll be competing with Robbo you'd imagine if there's anything in it.

If we do put a bid in on this lad I think I wont be until the summer and If we are in the Premier league, where you can afford a punt or 2 with the money available, and for them to be a cut above if you get relegated (like souza)

It's off season now in Sweden I believe so if we're going to sign him now then he'll not be ready to play straight away you'd imagine. But if we delay to mid summer hell end up having 12 months solid football which would be tough for the lad!

 

[MayorOJC]

Not for me. Seems inconsistent even in a pretty terrible league.

 

[NateDogg]

I guess after our first two attempts at signing African players from Scandanavia it could be third time lucky. Otherwise maybe we should give up on that tactic. Just a thought.

 

[Tarqs]

Not for me. Seems inconsistent even in a pretty terrible league.

A: Half those games aren't league games.
B: If you're taking whoscored/sofascore ratings as gospel, I'd have a word with yourself.
C: if you must - id consider scores v Braga and Qarabag as more impressive than the ones v swedish teams I've never heard of

 

[MayorOJC]

This is more like it - Victor Eiksson who plays for Hammarby in the same league. 24 years old, 6 foot 3 slab of prime Swedish beef.

 

[MayorOJC]

A: Half those games aren't league games.
B: If you're taking whoscored/sofascore ratings as gospel, I'd have a word with yourself.
C: if you must - id consider scores v Braga and Qarabag as more impressive than the ones v swedish teams I've never heard of

Not gospel, but a better judge than a YouTube highlights reel