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View Full Version : Ahmed Kantari, new defender



69Chevy396
07-24-2015, 02:56 PM
Any good?

Ultra & Proud
07-24-2015, 03:16 PM
Mixed reviews. I will wait and judge for myself after he gets some minutes.

Fort York Redcoat
07-24-2015, 03:19 PM
Our back line with the french connection.

He definitely brings experience. We'll see how he takes to MLS from League Un et Deux.

OgtheDim
07-24-2015, 03:31 PM
aFAIK, only one journo who watches French soccer has offered a view on twitter and then in a message. He's offered two different views, one to Areathrasher and another to Molinaro.


So, really, its kinda :noidea:


If anybody on here happens to follow French football in detail, or know somebody who does, they might have a view.

A Mariner level scouting report can be developed from FM, FIFA 15 and whoscored.


We'll see over August and into the fall. If he fails, we have Zaveletta or Simonin.

flamehawk
07-24-2015, 03:49 PM
aFAIK, only one journo who watches French soccer has offered a view on twitter and then in a message. He's offered two different views, one to Areathrasher and another to Molinaro.


So, really, its kinda :noidea:


If anybody on here happens to follow French football in detail, or know somebody who does, they might have a view.

A Mariner level scouting report can be developed from FM, FIFA 15 and whoscored.


We'll see over August and into the fall. If he fails, we have Zaveletta or Simonin.

Hagglund leaving is a bygone conclusion to you?

portu
07-24-2015, 04:10 PM
Hagglund leaving is a bygone conclusion to you?
It is to me as well, well I think it's either Simonin or Hagglund we have a surplus now

molenshtain
07-24-2015, 04:12 PM
Hagglund would seem to be the odd man out at this point. I'd love to see him stay and succeed here, but it's been a while since we've seen the Hagglund who was beating out a guy for a starting spot who then got sold to a PL club.

Zavaleta has a lower ceiling but is better now. Simonin and probably Thomas have higher ceiling's but still probably wouldn't be noticeably worse than Hagglund's been this season. He doesn't really have a role in our depth chart atm.

A trade would do some good for his career.

oldtraffordPEI
07-24-2015, 04:16 PM
Seems like a quality signing! The european experienced players have been very good to us this season. Seems like every foreign player we get just humiliates TFC's North American talent.

ensco
07-24-2015, 05:06 PM
I think I'd trade Zavaleta - we need to learn how to buy low and sell high.

molenshtain
07-24-2015, 05:23 PM
I bet Hagglund still has higher value around the league than Zavaleta.

OgtheDim
07-24-2015, 05:45 PM
Hagglund leaving is a bygone conclusion to you?


Not necessarily. I just thin he's #5 on the depth chart. Hagglund is a marketer's dream. Young, photogenic, tall, blond, well spoken, gosh golly gee whiz, recently married to his school sweetie.

But the need at RB might require somebody like him to go.

Soccerpro
07-24-2015, 08:33 PM
Hope he's better than Perquis.

Richard
07-24-2015, 08:37 PM
Not necessarily. I just thin he's #5 on the depth chart. Hagglund is a marketer's dream. Young, photogenic, tall, blond, well spoken, gosh golly gee whiz, recently married to his school sweetie.

But the need at RB might require somebody like him to go.

Why not just loan him out? Its not like he is on a monster contract, domestic talent like Hagglund shouldn't just be traded away, as a defender he can still improve and maybe in a couple of years he actually turns out to be pretty good, I don't think it would be good asset management to let him go, they are not going to get full value for him.

molenshtain
07-24-2015, 08:43 PM
Why not just loan him out? Its not like he is on a monster contract, domestic talent like Hagglund shouldn't just be traded away, as a defender he can still improve and maybe in a couple of years he actually turns out to be pretty good, I don't think it would be good asset management to let him go, they are not going to get full value for him.


Unless it's to the fury there's no one else really worth loaning him out to.

MightyDM
07-24-2015, 08:43 PM
Why not just loan him out? Its not like he is on a monster contract, domestic talent like Hagglund shouldn't just be traded away, as a defender he can still improve and maybe in a couple of years he actually turns out to be pretty good, I don't think it would be good asset management to let him go, they are not going to get full value for him.


Totally agreed. Would be a shortsighted "old" TFC move.

richardtfc
07-24-2015, 08:56 PM
Doubt he plays tomorrow. Any chance?

__wowza
07-24-2015, 09:06 PM
Doubt he plays tomorrow. Any chance?

Itd be idiotic, so I wouldn't put it past us. g:D

Cashcleaner
07-24-2015, 09:39 PM
Doubt he plays tomorrow. Any chance?

According to the TFC Facebook page, he's training with the team but won't be playing in Columbus. Also, they just announced 45 minutes ago that Bloom is out for the season due to the recovery needed from his tendon surgery.

Jpexxx
07-25-2015, 10:01 AM
Just saw in the Dobson article that he's left footed.
That's a plus!

jloome
07-25-2015, 10:02 AM
Mixed reviews. I will wait and judge for myself after he gets some minutes.

Good plan. Might end up being another Bradley Orr, too slow to react in this league.

Ultra & Proud
07-25-2015, 10:14 AM
Good plan. Might end up being another Bradley Orr, too slow to react in this league.
Pace is question too, you're right. Weird thing about this guy is almost as soon as you hear something good, someone will say the exact opposite moments later.

I first heard he was extremely athletic and strong. Then someone said he was slow and played soft. One guy said he used his height to his advantage and right after I hear he isn't good in the air. I really have no idea what to think so I am taking the wait and see approach. The only for sure things about him are that he is experienced, was a captain so can lead, and can speak English pretty good. The rest, who knows?

Edit; and he's left footed. We got that down too.

jloome
07-25-2015, 10:19 AM
Pace is question too, you're right. Weird thing about this guy is almost as soon as you hear something good, someone will say the exact opposite moments later.

I first heard he was extremely athletic and strong. Then someone said he was slow and played soft. One guy said he used his height to his advantage and right after I hear he isn't good in the air. I really have no idea what to think so I am taking the wait and see approach. The only for sure things about him are that he is experienced, was a captain so can lead, and can speak English pretty good. The rest, who knows?

Edit; and he's left footed. We got that down too.

I also think his struggles have come against Ligue 1 opposition more than league 2, so he might step up. My impression of French football has been that there are usually only a half-dozen clubs at the peak level and the rest all very quickly denigrate down to second division status. Most play in smaller stadiums and towns than Toronto by quite some distance. So even though his pedigree is good, his age and perhaps relative speed might mean he's in over his head.

Ultra & Proud
07-25-2015, 10:46 AM
I also think his struggles have come against Ligue 1 opposition more than league 2, so he might step up. My impression of French football has been that there are usually only a half-dozen clubs at the peak level and the rest all very quickly denigrate down to second division status. Most play in smaller stadiums and towns than Toronto by quite some distance. So even though his pedigree is good, his age and perhaps relative speed might mean he's in over his head.
My hope is that he is at least as good as Caldwell was. If at least that good, then we're alright. Would have preferred younger but what can you do? MLS budgets for defenders is so low that you get what you get.

OgtheDim
07-25-2015, 11:20 AM
Guy can speak some English but he's no Perquis.

Guy's going to need to get match fit. Probably not going the full 90 against NER.

Eastend
07-25-2015, 11:32 AM
I will hold judgement but....

starter on backline for last place, relegated club with 2nd worse goal differential and near bottom for goals conceded. I know it takes a team but these are not great stats so we'll see.

Dom

Ultra & Proud
07-25-2015, 12:04 PM
I will hold judgement but....

starter on backline for last place, relegated club with 2nd worse goal differential and near bottom for goals conceded. I know it takes a team but these are not great stats so we'll see.

Dom
Well the team is poor and I won't put much in the GD department. Without looking anything up due to laziness, I can see the top dogs in L1 laying some legit hammerings on minnows like Lens. That league is a total haves vs. have nots league.

Eastend
07-25-2015, 12:09 PM
^^I agree which is why I'll hold off judgement....tempering in my expectations.

richardtfc
07-25-2015, 12:32 PM
The big thing is going to be speed. Every single one of TFC's defenders continously gets burnt. We really don't need a guy with strength. We need a guy who can stay in front of his man. Another Caldwell would be disastrous.

Ultra & Proud
07-25-2015, 12:38 PM
The big thing is going to be speed. Every single one of TFC's defenders continously gets burnt. We really don't need a guy with strength. We need a guy who can stay in front of his man. Another Caldwell would be disastrous.
Not if the guy was positionally aware and didn't wander off here and there. Marshall is great and he is slow as f*ck. He just knows where to be and when and where not to roam.

69Chevy396
07-25-2015, 01:25 PM
^^I agree which is why I'll hold off judgement....tempering in my expectations.
Whats disconcerting, is the signing of a player in the French second division after the scouting trips to Italy were hyped this past Spring, suggesting a few signings from Serie A or B. I find it hard to believe that TFC rejected those possibilities in favour of this guy.

Ultra & Proud
07-25-2015, 02:12 PM
Whats disconcerting, is the signing of a player in the French second division after the scouting trips to Italy were hyped this past Spring, suggesting a few signings from Serie A or B. I find it hard to believe that TFC rejected those possibilities in favour of this guy.
This guy was cheaper and could fit under the cap without dumping anyone.

ManUtd4ever
07-25-2015, 02:19 PM
Let's wait and see. He should be able to fill the void based on his pedigree.

As for moving out young defenders, I would be very hesitant to give up on Hagglund or Zavaleta at this stage of their careers. They have both shown flashes of being capable of developing into quality starting CBs in this league.

Fort York Redcoat
07-25-2015, 02:45 PM
Whats disconcerting, is the signing of a player in the French second division after the scouting trips to Italy were hyped this past Spring, suggesting a few signings from Serie A or B. I find it hard to believe that TFC rejected those possibilities in favour of this guy.

What possibilities? I'd be disconcerted if there was anything concrete to compare this guy to.

Pint
07-25-2015, 03:13 PM
That scouting trip was not solely Italy, it included spain and one other country (might have been france).

The trip was to meet agents and start to build a scouting network.

69Chevy396
07-25-2015, 04:04 PM
What possibilities? I'd be disconcerted if there was anything concrete to compare this guy to.
I just took a look at the Serie A transfer list, it contains close to a hundred transfers, and the window is still open. With Caldwell gone, I would have expected the team to target a proven defender from Italy. On the surface, this new guy seems to be a desperation move (aka Tebilly). This team cannot be considered a contender until they shore up the back, even if it means trading Altidore.

molenshtain
07-25-2015, 04:13 PM
Or, this guy could quite possibly fit in well with our backline and team, and we could be off to the races for the rest of the season.

OgtheDim
07-25-2015, 04:19 PM
Or, this guy could quite possibly fit in well with our backline and team, and we could be off to the races for the rest of the season.

Not sure a CD is enough, to be honest. We need some sub support at RB/LB. We are one red card away from Creavalle playing back there again.

molenshtain
07-25-2015, 04:30 PM
Not sure a CD is enough, to be honest. We need some sub support at RB/LB. We are one red card away from Creavalle playing back there again.


I know. I was talking about our first 11. I was rejecting the notion that this is a bad move, or a desperation move etc. when we haven't seen him play. His pedigree suggests he would be one of the better CB's in this league. That's all we know right now.

we have three guys who can put in a shift at LB, and one at RB. we need to pick up a dude at RB for 60,000 from the NASL and be done with it.

portu
07-25-2015, 04:33 PM
That scouting trip was not solely Italy, it included spain and one other country (might have been france).

The trip was to meet agents and start to build a scouting network.
It was also to prepare for this coming January

Ajax TFC
07-25-2015, 04:34 PM
Not sure a CD is enough, to be honest. We need some sub support at RB/LB. We are one red card away from Creavalle playing back there again.
Yeah, a proper RB is definitely something we need. And I mean a starting RB, not a backup. As much as Morrow and Morgan have both been good, we need a right foot at RB. Morrow has been solid enough, but the service is poor at best.

MightyDM
07-25-2015, 05:27 PM
The big thing is going to be speed. Every single one of TFC's defenders continously gets burnt. We really don't need a guy with strength. We need a guy who can stay in front of his man. Another Caldwell would be disastrous.

If Caldwell hadn't been hurt, we'd have been much tighter defensively. Can't agree that "another Caldwell" would be a disaster, in fact I'd be pleased. And the team would be better.

vortexdr
07-26-2015, 09:17 AM
Hope he's better than Perquis.

He is at about the same level. Just as slow as Perquis though and about the same in the air as Caldwell

Yohan
07-26-2015, 09:33 AM
between Kantari, Perquis and Cheyrou back at DM, the spine of D should be better. I think Kantari got signed just so that Perquis and Cheyrou can talk to each other in French. Communication is key in D

ronzilla
07-26-2015, 11:53 AM
I hope kantari turns out to be good because the team has been conceding far too many goals. If this works well I could see the team shooting to the top of the table.

TorontoFC6fan
07-26-2015, 02:02 PM
Hope he's better than Perquis. ......lol

Fort York Redcoat
07-26-2015, 03:06 PM
Hope he's better than Perquis.


......lol

After last night I'd have to agree. And hopefully they help Perquis settle down. I enjoyed his hunger going forward but his decisions and placement when it came to coverage was erratic.