Fabio Aurelio

[The Birdman]

I dont know, a johnson type signing on the left would give us another dimension.
Bilic pointed out the other night on MOTD that it was our full backs that where keeping our system so rigid and to play the system that Rafa wants to perfection you need excellent full backs, just thought it was interesting.

Anyway I would love to go out and sign that lad Turan, hes made the right noises and would seem like the perfect candidate for the wing.

Well done Billic, Carra as a rigid right back? no **** sherlock all day long. Insua?? don't think so, in that game maybe but this season he is 2nd on the assist league behind Gerrard and all of Insua's would have come from open play.
It's obvious to everyone (or should be) that our system relies on attacking full backs, that's why we replaced Arbeloa with Johnson and why Insua has played a lot.

[Ballykissdevil]

I suspect he is not happy with Pay as you Play considering Agger, a player who has arguably been injured for much longer when you add it all together, whined for double his wages and the club folded and gave him what he wanted. Doesn't seem particularly fair, when you have two injury prone players, when one has their demands adhered to and the other is told he won't be paid unless he plays.

[Matt]

Aurelio is world class. letting him go would be suicide. he has the sweetest left foot in the business. name another fullback with a better delivery from set pieces? without the injuries he'd be worth £20M easily. long live the king of brazil, long live the elephant man, long live eddie the kid, long live bonnie prince charlie.

Would be madness to let him go - he's underrated defensively too. Just as an example, he didn't give Ronaldo a kick when we beat Utd at Old Trafford.

[Craig_H]

Very good player and i'll say again, it'd be more costly to let him go and try to replace him - similar to when we stupidly let Arbeloa go for peanuts. Would've been more valuable to keep him for another year and then let him go on a Bosman.

[Matt]

Hmm not sure I agree there about Arbeloa Craig, I would rather have taken the money than let him walk free, even though we only got a pittance for him.

Anyway if this pay as you play offer to Fab is true then he's well and truly off. Ruined his world cup dream and shunted out of the side for a player with half the ability on a bafflingly permanent basis.

[kev776]

You cannot build a trophy winning team around injury-prone players. And they are no good as reserves either because there is a good chance they will be injured when needed. We need to buy a new first 11 full back, and Insua can then get back to learning the trade and playing a dozen or so games.


This comment about injury prone players applies wherever they play. I don't consider torres to be injury-prone yet (just overplayed and not given enough time to recover his fitness), but if he was injury-prone I would get rid of him too.

Using this logic we should take the 130m for Torres and Gerrard from City, sell Benny, Agger and Riera and enjoy life in the championship.

[Craig_H]

What did we get for Arbeloa, £3m?

And in return, we got an attacking fullback for £18m, who's defending lapses have cost us points. I like Johnson, but you'd want a RB option who gives you something going forward, for the lesser opponents, and one who's solid defensively for the tougher games. We dont have the latter, unless it's Carra playing there on a sulk.

[Carras_Shin_Pads]

What did we get for Arbeloa, £3m?

And in return, we got an attacking fullback for £18m, who's defending lapses have cost us points. I like Johnson, but you'd want a RB option who gives you something going forward, for the lesser opponents, and one who's solid defensively for the tougher games. We dont have the latter, unless it's Carra playing there on a sulk.

Surely thats similar to Evra though, and they work well with that system?

[cream]

What did we get for Arbeloa, £3m?

And in return, we got an attacking fullback for £18m, who's defending lapses have cost us points. I like Johnson, but you'd want a RB option who gives you something going forward, for the lesser opponents, and one who's solid defensively for the tougher games. We dont have the latter, unless it's Carra playing there on a sulk.

I don't think its fair to blame Johnson for the losses, Carra has been ****ing dire, as has Agger and Insua. In-fact, its only when Kyrgiakos was brought into the starting line-up we started to look solid again.
The Aurelio situation is different to the Arbeloa one, If Insua was out for a long spell, could we rely on Aurelio to be available? Money is in short supply, if he won't accept a pay as you play contract then we're better off letting him go, freeing up wages for someone better.

[cream]

Using this logic we should take the 130m for Torres and Gerrard from City, sell Benny, Agger and Riera and enjoy life in the championship.

If Gerrard and Torres are as injury prone as Aurelio, then yes, we should get rid of them.

[Carras_Shin_Pads]

Using this logic we should take the 130m for Torres and Gerrard from City, sell Benny, Agger and Riera and enjoy life in the championship.

As painful as it would be, we would get some unreal quality for £130m!

[Craig_H]

Surely thats similar to Evra though, and they work well with that system?

Evra's a very solid defender.

[Craig_H]

I don't think its fair to blame Johnson for the losses, Carra has been ****ing dire, as has Agger and Insua. In-fact, its only when Kyrgiakos was brought into the starting line-up we started to look solid again.
The Aurelio situation is different to the Arbeloa one, If Insua was out for a long spell, could we rely on Aurelio to be available? Money is in short supply, if he won't accept a pay as you play contract then we're better off letting him go, freeing up wages for someone better.

But we're unlikely to get someone of equal or better standard, on a free.

We'll end up having to pay a transfer fee to replace him, PLUS a wage package and signing on fee.

[Shaggy]

Surely Aurelio's kidding himself if he thinks he'll get anything other than a pay as you play deal elsewhere? With his record?

[Craig_H]

I bet he will. If someone's getting him for free, they'll give him a standard contract. Maybe only 2 years, but i'd be shocked if he's left with a PAYP deal.