Ancelotti pinpoints goalscoring wide-man as key summer target

God speed to Carlo and Brands for bringing this player in, we'll be a different proposition and be much better to watch if they get it right. We need more goals next season and this has to be the transfer priority.

Our lack of threat from the right side made us incredibly predictable, and quickly opposing side were wise to Digne and Richarlison linking on the left. And could double up on them. This then reduced Digne to early crosses rather than driving towards the box.

Players would get the ball, but have nowhere to spread it as we were too narrow.

A right back and Right Winger are essential. And with James being so fragile,we also need an alternative creative outlet to play centrally.

I think we'd be far more potent with Richy on left, dangerous winger on the right and James in a free role at 10. DCL up top. 2 dangerous players plus the full backs for James to pick out. Makes my mouth water. I hope we get someone decent.

Maybe Carlo has something in the pipeline - hard to tell with such a great poker face. I wouldn't sit at the table with Carlo at Texas Hold Em Up unless that eyebrow twitched when someone said raise.

He's a big fan favourite with WBA fans (always a good sign), but would want to play at the top level. Leeds and Villa are said to be after him, but I think we have the ability to win any tug of war and still spend less than what we wasted on Iwobi.

Dan @ 11 - I think Richarlison's desire to play in the middle has more to do with the availability of places in the Brazil team, which is very important to him. Another Brazilian playing up front will help Richarlison.

Its the hope that's killing us all on here!!

John #18, you get an upvote from me too on Pereira.

Some may feel he doesn't score enough goals which if you go by the stats appears to be the case - but I think he would score a lot more playing in a three with Richarlison and DCL.

He can certainly finish - two goals v City

https://youtu.be/a7tqJ1-vqUw

Richarlison is a weird one. He can play left ahead of Digne. But isn't. In fact he can also play central. Then again, he looks more comfortable on his own and not with DCL. I think we need 2 wingers, not 1.

As for James... how do you fit a player into your 11 that doesn't work for the team. Would any other top 4 team sacrifice the system they play to accomodate this one player? Don't get me wrong, when he is fit he is a fine player that does things others can't.

Of course a right back... perhaps a centre back to add to Godfrey and Mina. Surely Carlo has enough midfielders to choose from.

Selling is the key. Iwobi, Kean and Jonjo for sure. Possibly Holgate and Keane.

Yet another huge summer.

However, the really good 5live show about Aguero last night said a lot about when you want a side to step up. We need to capture young players that impress the current crop so they realise we're serious and step their game up. We've got into the habit of buying much older winners like James and Rooney which is a glass ceiling on how far we will really go.

He's only scored twice since the end of 2019.

2 goals in his last 58 appearances.

Yes, he's one of the fastest, most powerful players in the world, and his touch can be very good. But he just doesn't produce much. You saw him the other day against us, repeatedly dribbling into boxes, rarely making a quality pass.

Given his massive likely price tag, I'd say no thanks.

Winger: Matheus Pereira, Pedro Neto (Wolves in a bit of disarray?), Callum Hudson-Odoi, Allan Saint-Maximin, Raphael Dias Belloli, Dwight McNeil, Leandro Trossard, Ebere Eze, Jack Harrison, Emiliano Buendia (can play on the wing), Ismalia Sarr.

Right back: Tariq Lampety, Matty Cash, Brandon Williams (left and right)
Max Aarons, Aandy Yiadom at Reading also looks the part.

Up front: Tammy Abraham, Patrick Bamford, Osdone Edouard, Ivan Toney.

Quick shout, although we don't need him, for Mohammad Sailsu at Saints.

The best strategy might be to go after every player Leicester are seriously linked with and gazump / Ancelotti them. Another is to buy at Lille. Boubakary Soumare meets both criteria.

On a different note, ESPN have named Carlo gaffer of the year. Put that in yer pipe and smoke it Mr. Hinds! Those cross-ocean cousins sure know their footy!

Forget Aarons, is Josimar still alive? I remember that mofo making a monkey out of Pat Jennings from right-back.

Challenge for Brands is to move players on – Besic, Bernard, Gomes, Delph, Kenny, Bolasie, Tosun and the U-23 loanees who won't make the grade. Maybe retain Sigurdsson for the final season of his contract now that he has rediscovered some standards,

The West Brom lad – a definite yes yes. Double figures in a team managed by that idiot will do for me.

I've nothing new to add except if we balls this up again we are going to hell in a handcart and I'll be first at the bar having a not so cool pint with Lucifer (no doubt he will be wearing his yellow budgie kopite bird).

Coyb – have a go tomorrow for once. Failing that, over to you, Mr Brands.

Now Nuno has left Wolves, I wonder if Coady can be tempted away. He is a good tackler, very good at distribution, and a great leader on the pitch.

Ditch Holgate, move Godfrey to the right, and either keep Mina as a squad player or let him go as we still have Branthwaite learning his trade out on loan.

Relegated players like Perreira, Berge and Anguissa are more our market – or benchwarmers / perennial loan players at the richest clubs.

Thing is, I don't necessarily think he's a right midfielder, but he's an attacking one that could play well in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3.

Interesting language from the manager the past week or so. He's given a lot of these players a chance and backed them but is now saying, not good enough, we need to improve again.

This category of player is also the worst value in world football. It's not a small club mentality to think this way because the only players Champions League clubs would even want are Rice and Grealish.

I'm sure that Brands will be considering him. He looks a naturally gifted footballer, very good control, assists and knows where the goal is. Proven too in the Premier League.

I think he would be an exciting signing and bring us more of those all-important goals we need to progress, along with making us better to watch!

Seems to me he fits the bill with what Carlo is looking for.

It's not just one player...

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'm dismayed by the priority stated.

We don't need a wide player. We need a central midfielder who is creative, in my opinion.

I couldn't disagree more that a winger is needed more than a central midfielder.

This bit of news doesn't make me happy or fill me with hope in the least.

We simply do not control games. We defend – like constantly – and look to hit on the break when feeling adventurous. A midfield, tricky, possession-based, technical wizard in the middle of the pitch is what we need desperately.

This is frustrating for me. Does anyone else share this opinion other than Nicolas and I?

My point is that, without pace in the side -- we're still the slowest team in the Premier League, IMO -- the addition of a creative playmaker won't mean much.

We have got to have a couple of dangerous, pacy attackers on the flanks for him to pass to. And I think we'll get those first, simply because there are more of them around and available. It's much easier to find a Bowen than a Maddison.

Richarlison is pacy – he's a fast player, in my opinion. That's half the pacy wingers you need.

We might need both – you're correct. But it's the middle of the pitch we simply don't create enough in, and we can't control a game without commanding the middle of the pitch.

I like Gomes, but he's just too damn slow. Allan and Davies are holding midfielders, in my opinion. I really like Doucouré, he's all over the pitch and is a great box-to box guy for me. But Gomes or anyone else in the squad isn't the compliment Doucouré needs. And that's our glaring weakness.

Central midfielder, please God, first and foremost.

Agree?

We're actually not that far off. We've been very solid, in the main, defensively.

I couldn't disagree more.

I've said this multiple times. Our current strength is our back line. Defending, we're fine. Going forward, we're just not there. The numbers bear this out.

What else is Carlo supposed to do? If he goes all guns blazing with this current squad, we'd be left exposed and we'd be way, way down the table. Our manager is doing what he must with the players at his disposal.

If we actually fired Carlo, we'd be a bloody, incoherent mess. And our club would be in disarray with like how many managers in the last 5-6 years? We need consistency at the top. Firing or replacing the manager would be a disaster.

What did you think of our defensive shape at home against Villa? Every ball they played to the channels they were in. And he kept it like that.

I disagree, a creative midfielder in the mould of Isco would be a big bonus... but definitely not as a priority over a couple of quick wide men that can beat defenders and put quality into the box.

We need a new (forward-thinking) right-back that can form a partnership with a quick winger in front of him. Digne and Richarlison have been pretty poor on the left side this season.

A creative deep-lying midfielder would be wasted in this current team as there's so little movement (runners) out wide.

My preference would be in order:

1 - Right-wing
2 - Right-back
3 - A number 10 (can't rely on James Rodriguez's fitness)
4 - Striker (Moise Kean won't be coming back). We rely too heavily on Calvert-Lewin.

Richarlison may play a lot on the flank, but he's not really a winger. He doesn't create or cross well -- can't pass worth a lick. And he's actually not one of the faster outside attackers in the league... He doesn't have the pace to make defenders panic or backpedal, as Sterling and Mane and Traore do. We need two wide players with that kind of speed.

I actually think we're still quite a ways off. Yes, Carlo has the defense sorted -- 43 against is excellent -- and our keeper has straightened himself out nicely. But Mark #47 is closer to realistic about our needs. I'd say three midfielders (a Maddison and two Bowens), at least one more striker and a right-back.

Then we'll be contenders.

Thank you for the reply. I see your point.

Mike,

If you bring in two wingers, do you then play Richarlison just off the striker? Central at the No 10-ish role?

I didn't list a left winger as a priority... although it would be an excellent option to have when Richarlison's form has been as poor as it has been this season.

It's easy to forget how important he was in the previous two seasons. He scored 13 goals in each of the last 2 seasons. He was constantly a nuisance to defenders and always got us free kicks in good areas. One of his biggest strengths is of course, his tireless work rate down the left.

I don't think you can play Richarllison in a creative role centrally behind Calvert-Lewin as linking play is not his strengths. Either centre-forward or out wide as far as I'm concerned. Football is a squad game though, and two quick wingers would be great to rotate with Richarlison.

I seriously doubt Carlo will have all the required funds he needs to strengthen us in all areas we need. It's about prioritising in the most urgent areas IMO. We also have so much deadwood in our squad that will prove tricky to shift.

Baines and Pienaar always did well on the left even though Pienaar himself was no winger. Since then, we have always lacked in that position but wingers themselves appear to have gone out of fashion. Real Madrid had a great one back in the day, Rafael Gordillo, 'the galloping Gordillo' I think he was called.

I hope he also has a right-back on his shopping list as well as a midfielder who has pace, can shoot, tackle and pass! Easy.

Over to you, Carlo and Marcel.

This is making it easier to defend against us – and easier to attack us.

Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, & Someone (my pick is still Traore) and plonk a fit James just behind them and watch the fireworks.

You are absolutely right. We need a pacey, energetic midfielder as a priority. Lesser teams have simply been able to over-run our midfield this season due to the lack of pace.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

The clues were there folks... he had class players in the C.L final 2005...FUCKED UP.
The passion he showed ??? when Bernard smacked in the winner verse Spuds in the Cup...a 5-4 scoreline! and this useless prick just blows on his cup of char?.
He had never heard of Ben Godfrey,Christ even I saw plenty of Norwich as they seemed to on every fucking time the Pick channel screened a live match during the first Covid lockdown.

Please Mosh don't even think about giving this fucking Italian fraud another penny for transfers,just pay him and his talentless,useless crew off and start again,but this time make sure you have some sort of real plan in place and hire a nasty,ruthless bastard as Gaffer for our beloved club.

Also,having read hundreds of posts during the past week or so,no one it seems has mentioned one very important,even vital ingredient we badly lack...SCOUSERS!.

We could meet your criteria by hiring one of Stevie G's nasty, bastard, scouser crime lord mates. Happy?

But if the benchmark is Man City and Liverpool right now, how many scousers do Liverpool have? And Man City, how many Mancunians in their best starting 11?

How many did we have in ours in our last period of success?

You go with the best players if you want to be successful.

I totally get the passion thing. We all want to see it. But passion gets you so far. And great players have passion – no matter where they come from.

Goal scoring wide player. Interesting as they are not your traditional winger. Kanchelskis springs to mind.

Repetition alert: Sabizter please.

Just a thought like & it would save Moshiri a shitload of money for the foreseeable.

But we have too many average players that's are not improving, not pushing team mates to improve and don't appear to put the effort in.

To improve we need experienced, first team ready players, not backup or utility player's that can do a job.

There may be some disagreement on certain players but in general we have a lot of midfielders that are not good enough. Sell, sell, sell.

I agree, a top class, athletic, commanding, hard working midfield general who can pass and create is needed. A combined Doucoure and Allen would be great, we have one athletic and one that can pass, we need an improvement to both and let them be the back up.

But I agree the most important player (or 2) to bring in is a forward / winger that adds goals, creativity, pace, work rate, someone who can run with the ball.

Jotta would have been ideal or Eze, but I'd rather Netto's 90mins over Zaha or Troare 30mins each game.

Other than hitting it high for Dom, we don't have an outlet when under pressure. James looks for movement, a runner, but everyone else just looks at everyone else to move.

Everton are a reactive team, hence the counter attacking setup. We want a creative, proactive team. It takes time to find player's good enough to play that way. That's why Shef Utd, Fulham, Brighton finish lower down. They try to play good football with players that are not good enough.

We tried and failed with Silva and Martinez. We got serious about a top class manager, coaches and slowly adding quality players to improve the first team.

I'll leave you with this. If Josh King was not good enough to start a single game, then Carlos expectations of this new player are encouragingly very high and I look forward to seeing who that might be.