if it's announced now contact will likely have been made weeks if not months ago lol.Originally Posted by portu
dio is bob's go to guy, i would be shocked if he wasnt one of the first options, especially as it's clear that the bulk of $$ needs to be spent keeping goals out of our net so we didnt have a ton of $$.
update:
https://twitter.com/Total_TFC/status...73830823727104
likely training with the club already for an extended period to prove his fitness.
Last edited by leedsandTFC; 01-12-2023 at 06:59 PM.
Happy for some movement and direction.
Anyone confirm- tfc can't press with players with no pace + older players.
Logically should now revert back to a possession based team prior to ali/Armas?
Everything points that way.
All the guys they've brought in are great passers thus far (apart from dio)
And I'd have expected a target forward if they were planning to press high, as you want him to be able to hold up the ball. Diomande is a break the lines guy, like Jimenez. To my recall, he was quite good at finding space in the box at the back post, whereas Jesus is that guy who drifts to the penalty spot and tries to find small angles to beat the keeper.
So they sort of complement each other.
Agreed. Hard to believe this is TFCs first choice - if so it took this long to get him.
Hopefully more moves are soon to come I really dont understand the direction of the team.
TFC seems like all in year acquiring -if signings are completed :
Gk-32 going on 33
Striker -32 going 33
CB - 32 couldn't find his bday - unsure if going on 33
You add- insigne turning 32 and captain - 35 going on 36.
Hopefully TFC wins big- to me it feels like some of the signings could prove to impact TFC in the long run like Altidore who turned 33
--does this also signal the end of the youth movement which was a focal point once ali/Armas came on board.
Is the plan to have the older vets mentor the youth ?
Also curious who are players with pace on TFC:
Nelson
Laryea
Anyone else ?
Glad to hear - always felt biggest strength was possession based.
I can see the pace being slow and methodical - MB could do well - as he likes to stop the ball and survey the field most times.
Hopefully there's some speed to recover when there's a counter
I suspect it's because they're looking for a young DP striker. They can't blow the budget until they land the perfect target. They want a Brenner/Talles Magno type that is a guaranteed later sale.
So as of now:
Diomande
Li ----- FB
Oso- MB- Kaye
Laryea- Hedges-Rosted- ??
Johnson
yeah, or we need to set up in a very smart way so that we don't lose the ball in such dangerous areas.
we definitely need a couple young money players tho, ideally at CM.
imo one of the biggest knock on effect from the hedges signing will be that everything doesnt have to go through MB, which is probably intentional.
hedges is by all accounts a great passing defender and can play through the lines.
Last edited by leedsandTFC; 01-12-2023 at 07:31 PM.
https://twitter.com/ayik_daniel/stat...WV0LtubVQ&s=19
Thoughts?
I could see it if we can trade jiminez and ayo
Unless we have no interest in a younger DP, I don't think we'll bid. Too much dough, albeit worth it.
Plus, both JJ and Ayo are converted wingers, so they can backup any of the front three positions.
All fair points
He denied the substance abuse speculation and said he was bullied online, but the language LAFC used after his release - something about their off-field DNA - suggests something was up. Not sure if he's come clean about that since.
I really liked what I saw from him in L.A., so my initial reaction to this signing was one of excitement. Then I realized what he's done (and not done) since and now I'm left wondering where the heck the time's gone.
It's odd how people disappear in the Saudi and Chinese leagues. I suspect they're all tax/income dodges for the owners, so they carry these stacked rosters of foreigners, even though they're only allowed to use a minimal number in each march. So a lot go over to a lax training and preparation regimen, then are handed nine- and ten-game appearances for an entire season. And we're talking top level professionals.
So it's a bit of a wasteland for keeping skills up and getting playing time. But they all make a shitload of money. If I was a striker supporting a family and also had addiction or party issues, being in a teetotal country, for the most part, might also seem appealing.
If you look at Seba's official stats from Saudi, it looks like he barely played or scored. But then I found an article from an Asian paper (Asia Times or HK Post probably) that he'd been the MVP of the Asian Cup final and played as a central midfielder there. None of that explained the relative lack of domestic stats or the position shift.
The oil emirates are just weird football wise, at least in part because we never hear what's going on.
Interestingly, he went to Odd on a free from Qatar and then didn't feature in the team for two months. I'm guessing that was fitness.
He then came in for two games, getting the game-winning goal in the final minute of the second game.
Then he pulled a muscle in training and was out for most of the rest of the year.
I think a lot is up to whether he can get fit. They might also see him as a role model/playing influence for the younger strikers, particularly if we sign one of his countrymen.
If he stays fit maybe he makes a big contribution. If he's been away too long to have the competitive fire, or his body can't hold up... he's cheap experience. I feel pretty good about it.
Did we have to use our allocation spot or is that where the “waivers” come from?
As a depth signing, I like this one. I'm not expecting anything major from him, just hope that he can stay healthy and help step into a few games here and there once the schedule get's busy in May. This also makes complete sense if we're trying to keep our options open in securing some U22 players which would greatly assist this team.
According to this
https://www.angelsonparade.com/2020/...family-reasons
He
a) went into mental health support
b) left LAFC at the height of Covid for family reasons
c) felt he was racially abused by Portland players but when it couldn't be proven, got called a liar by said team
I'ma gonna cut him some slack on his past & see what he is now
That's where the waivers come in. Allocation order is only when they leave on a 500k+ fee.
I guess since he was mutually terminated, LA technically had to waive him. I guess MLS Waivers last forever, since that was 2 years ago
^ thanks….I figured as much, so we are still #2
It's only January 12th, which is still fairly early in the window.
I like this signing for a few reasons. 1. Bob knows Dio and he plays well within his system. 2. He has a history of scoring goals.
Low risk, high reward.
Just watched his LAFC highlights. I know it's 3 years removed, so who knows what we'll get out of this signing but man, he's everything I would want Akinola to turn into. Great feet, great forward passing, ability to dribble in tight. I can see him working well with the likes of FB and LI.
We're pretty far removed from Diomande's MLS days at this point. He was struggling to score in Qatar and China, has barely played 2000mins in the last 2 years and is coming off a serious muscular injury at 32. These are just facts, if you choose not to be concerned about them fair enough.
Hopefully he's seen purely as a depth piece, although I see a gamble and risk in a depth piece that takes an international spot and is a question mark from a fitness perspective.
We've signed some dud backup strikers over the years. Mullins, Dwyer, Ben Spencer, and Terrance Boyd come to mind.
Compared to this list of bums, Diomande looks like an absolute stud.
So far we've added quality pieces with MLS experience. A few more signings and we should be a really good team this year.
We get it, you think everything we do is wrong lol.
We've just added a really cheap depth piece that's excelled every time he's played for Bob, and has been great in mls.
It's a good day.
Deals can take anywhere from hours to months, don't be passive aggressive.
I'm making an inference based on his contractual status and the length of our off-season. Just as you are about his relationship with Bob, that tweet however is just pure speculation. Both opinions are valid, both are based in some form of reason. No need to get passive with the lol.
It’s more than fair to raise those points. I think from a risk-reward perspective this could still be appealing. We shall see.
Absolutely agree with you on the risk-reward. Thank you for the fair consideration here.
You're making an inference because you think everything we do is terrible and wrong!
When you work your way backwards from a predetermined conclusion you get to the point that a really cheap depth piece that has scored 3x his career average when playing fir Bob is a bad signing.
Clearly you're entitled to your opinion but it's very transparent you're working backwards from the conclusion that we did the wrong thing.
**shrugs**
Anyways I'm out til the next signing.
Go to my profile on the first page you will see posts saying "I'm loving the FO right now".
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