Ozan Kabak

[Mark79]

Signing 2 new CBs makes loads of sense (whether it’s Kabak +1, or 2 others). Whether we’re able to financially is another question, but that’s where a couple of sales come in.

If we want to get back to being challengers we need 4 fit, available CBs who all suit the way we want to play.

[Irishnev]

Signing 2 new CBs makes loads of sense (whether it’s Kabak +1, or 2 others). Whether we’re able to financially is another question, but that’s where a couple of sales come in.

If we want to get back to being challengers we need 4 fit, available CBs who all suit the way we want to play.

I think we sell Matip and one of Phillips/Davis
I think we buy Kabak for 18m given his age and potential - I don’t think we lose out on him if we sell down the road and we’ve tracked him for a long time
I think we buy another CB with Caleta Car looking likely given we nearly bought him in Jan for around 20m
Konate is too expensive and injury prone for me

[Pablo]

What does he do well? What physical attributes does he have? I still haven't figured him out to be honest.

He's not super quick.
He's not super dominant in the air.
He's not an exceptional passer.

I get he's only 20 and he's come in in tough circumstances and is now performing well (this post is not meant as criticism). I'm just wondering how high his ceiling is?

I'd still be interested in signing him, but I'd want to bring another CB in too I think.

[Exiled_red]

Signing 2 new CBs makes loads of sense (whether it’s Kabak +1, or 2 others). Whether we’re able to financially is another question, but that’s where a couple of sales come in.

If we want to get back to being challengers we need 4 fit, available CBs who all suit the way we want to play.

I mean taking into account the financial situation.

[Shaggy]

What does he do well? What physical attributes does he have? I still haven't figured him out to be honest.

He's not super quick.
He's not super dominant in the air.
He's not an exceptional passer.

I get he's only 20 and he's come in in tough circumstances and is now performing well (this post is not meant as criticism). I'm just wondering how high his ceiling is?

I'd still be interested in signing him, but I'd want to bring another CB in too I think.

I think he reads the game well and snuffs out danger pretty readily. At 20 imo he's got loads of potential. My worry would be his lack of real pace. At times he looks like he's running through treacle but when he gets going he might be quicker than I thought, albeit not quick enough for our high line.

That said he'd be 3rd or 4th choice and at 20 and only £18m (?) I'd take him. I didn't think I'd saying that a few weeks ago.

[Irishnev]

What does he do well? What physical attributes does he have? I still haven't figured him out to be honest.

He's not super quick.
He's not super dominant in the air.
He's not an exceptional passer.

I get he's only 20 and he's come in in tough circumstances and is now performing well (this post is not meant as criticism). I'm just wondering how high his ceiling is?

I'd still be interested in signing him, but I'd want to bring another CB in too I think.

Kabak broke onto the scene as a youngster in Galatasary and was snapped up by Stuttgart for a lot of money for someone that age €11m. He went straight into the team as an 18 year old and was a stand out performer even though they went down. Schalke bought him for €15m and they have been a **** show ever since - managerial merry go round and a team bereft of confidence. He was playing on a losing team week in week out

He built his reputation as a super aggressive dominant CB - see ball/win ball. With us he has had to play as the “sweeper” whereas Nat bring the ball winner. I think the last few games he has been quietly really good and for me the sign of a good CB is that you don’t know he is there.

He is quick but not rapid as you say but his win rate for headers is pretty high - for us he stands off and Nat attacks the ball. He is only just 20 and has plenty of top level experience already. I think 18m will be a bargain and if he played next to VVD he’d look significantly better.......as any CB would to be honest

[Tribute]

What does he do well? What physical attributes does he have? I still haven't figured him out to be honest.

He's not super quick.
He's not super dominant in the air.
He's not an exceptional passer.

I get he's only 20 and he's come in in tough circumstances and is now performing well (this post is not meant as criticism). I'm just wondering how high his ceiling is?

I'd still be interested in signing him, but I'd want to bring another CB in too I think.

Agree his attributes aren't immediately obvious - but one thing I noticed a fair few times last night was him literally pinging long cross-field passes - and they were hit with force and accuracy. Reminded me of a Hendo type passer... seems to have that in his locker and should only get better with age... as we all do

[Doc_Piptorious]

What does he do well? What physical attributes does he have? I still haven't figured him out to be honest.

He's not super quick.
He's not super dominant in the air.
He's not an exceptional passer.

I get he's only 20 and he's come in in tough circumstances and is now performing well (this post is not meant as criticism). I'm just wondering how high his ceiling is?

I'd still be interested in signing him, but I'd want to bring another CB in too I think.

At present he is a bit of an all rounder rather than being excellent in a few departments.

But if you look at him in terms of his age and compare what he has now at 20 to where a lot of those who are regarded as the top CBs now were in their development at the same age and he is pretty far along.

I think he is a hell of a lot of potential whilst looking good enough to play in the first team (with the caveat that I think he would need a senior CB beside him for a spell to really help him grow and that he wuld also need to be able to train with senior CBs something he has not had since joining us).

His passing is actually pretty good and he does look to play an attacking pass a lot of the time. In the air (for us) he has only been decent rather than outstanding (talking about aerial duels now rather than aerial clearances) but other than Matip and VVD we have no CB at the club who is outstanding at aerial duels (Philips is actually pretty average at aerial duels, it is aerial clearances that Philips does a lot of).

Pace wise Kabak is pretty decent too, not Gomez or VVD quick, but still quick enough for a CB. He is still learning the game and you can see in his play that he tries to use positioning over pace (watch how often he is getting caught out of position and having to try and get back in recent games compared to when he first started with us to see the progression there), but he has ok pace when he needs it and pretty good upper body strength that he uses when bringing a ball out. He has a mean left footed cross field ball in his locker too, that he has only started using in recent games for us but was something he did do in the Bundesliga.

For a 20 yo I think he is really good, and has a lot of experience for his age as well. He is still a year off the age Gomez was when Gomez started to play in the first team on a regular basis, he is three years younger than Phillips, and even VVD at 20 was just after making his debut as a pro and barely getting a few hundred minutes in his first season with Groningen.

Kabak at 20, has nearly 100 senior games played for club and country.

Not saying Kabak is going to go on to be the next VVD or even the next Gomez, but he is very far along in his development for his age and strikes me as a player that by the time he reaches 22 or 23 could be having us laughing at the fact he only cost 18m if we activate the purchase option.

For me he could be a pretty handy 4th choice CB for us next season, and a full season training with the likes of VVD and Gomez would see his development come along in leaps and bounds imho.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Agree his attributes aren't immediately obvious - but one thing I noticed a fair few times last night was him literally pinging long cross-field passes - and they were hit with force and accuracy. Reminded me of a Hendo type passer... seems to have that in his locker and should only get better with age... as we all do

He was pinging balls from left to right against Leipzig too. He is a good passer with either foot, and distance passing is something he liked to do in Germany. But Schalke's collapse this season meant his options to play that sort of ball became limited as Schalke's play became very narrow and congested compared to the seasons before.

[Tribute]

At present he is a bit of an all rounder rather than being excellent in a few departments.

But if you look at him in terms of his age and compare what he has now at 20 to where a lot of those who are regarded as the top CBs now were in their development at the same age and he is pretty far along.

I think he is a hell of a lot of potential whilst looking good enough to play in the first team (with the caveat that I think he would need a senior CB beside him for a spell to really help him grow and that he wuld also need to be able to train with senior CBs something he has not had since joining us).

His passing is actually pretty good and he does look to play an attacking pass a lot of the time. In the air (for us) he has only been decent rather than outstanding (talking about aerial duels now rather than aerial clearances) but other than Matip and VVD we have no CB at the club who is outstanding at aerial duels (Philips is actually pretty average at aerial duels, it is aerial clearances that Philips does a lot of).

Pace wise Kabak is pretty decent too, not Gomez or VVD quick, but still quick enough for a CB. He is still learning the game and you can see in his play that he tries to use positioning over pace (watch how often he is getting caught out of position and having to try and get back in recent games compared to when he first started with us to see the progression there), but he has ok pace when he needs it and pretty good upper body strength that he uses when bringing a ball out. He has a mean left footed cross field ball in his locker too, that he has only started using in recent games for us but was something he did do in the Bundesliga.

For a 20 yo I think he is really good, and has a lot of experience for his age as well. He is still a year off the age Gomez was when Gomez started to play in the first team on a regular basis, he is three years younger than Phillips, and even VVD at 20 was just after making his debut as a pro and barely getting a few hundred minutes in his first season with Groningen.

Kabak at 20, has nearly 100 senior games played for club and country.

Not saying Kabak is going to go on to be the next VVD or even the next Gomez, but he is very far along in his development for his age and strikes me as a player that by the time he reaches 22 or 23 could be having us laughing at the fact he only cost 18m if we activate the purchase option.

For me he could be a pretty handy 4th choice CB for us next season, and a full season training with the likes of VVD and Gomez would see his development come along in leaps and bounds imho.

...

Early days of course, but if he keeps developing, plays alongside VVD on the occasions when injuries happen... I could actually see him partnering VVD more often than Gomez next season with Joe's unlucky track record of being injury prone. He also seems quite understated but solid, which would be a damn site better than a slabhead character who reckons he's ****ing awesome but makes more errors than a Tory Track and Trace system...

[Angryred]

Yep, I'm sold on Kabak being recruited as he's good at 20 & will get better with us in the next couple of years. If it doesn't work out, we will be in position to get a handsome fee for him.

[Doc_Piptorious]

...

Early days of course, but if he keeps developing, plays alongside VVD on the occasions when injuries happen... I could actually see him partnering VVD more often than Gomez next season with Joe's unlucky track record of being injury prone. He also seems quite understated but solid, which would be a damn site better than a slabhead character who reckons he's fucing awesome but makes more errors than a Track and Trace system...

Oh it is very early days, but he is stupidly far along for his age at the same time. Not sure if I could see him getting to partner VVD more often than Gomez next season if all are fit as I think Gomez is a smashing player and very underrated at times, but a confident and settled in Kabak alongside VVD I think would look like a Rolls Royce.

Of course I will add the caveat that I think VVD is so good that I could play a game alongside him and look semi competent. VVD is so good he would find a way to make Charles Xavier look good in the air.

[Buzzo]

We need at least 5 Centre Backs to get through a season playing in all comps. We have had no strength in depth at all with the likes of Virgil having to play all the minor cup games as well as League.

It is the position where you are most likely to pick up knocks and niggles and as we have seen over the last few seasons, you can go from 4 centre backs to one, or three to none in next to no time.

[red g]

We need at least 5 Centre Backs to get through a season playing in all comps. We have had no strength in depth at all with the likes of Virgil having to play all the minor cup games as well as League.

It is the position where you are most likely to pick up knocks and niggles and as we have seen over the last few seasons, you can go from 4 centre backs to one, or three to none in next to no time.

VVD,Gomez, Matip, Kabak, Phillips, Davies for next season then?

[Doc_Piptorious]

We need at least 5 Centre Backs to get through a season playing in all comps. We have had no strength in depth at all with the likes of Virgil having to play all the minor cup games as well as League.

It is the position where you are most likely to pick up knocks and niggles and as we have seen over the last few seasons, you can go from 4 centre backs to one, or three to none in next to no time.

If we buy Kabak then we go into next season with five.

VVD, Gomez, Matip, Kabak and Phillips.

I would prefer to see us buy Kabak and also sell Matip. Then buy someone to replace Matip, be that Car or whomever.

Must admit I would be curious to see if Madrid would listen to offers for Militao in the summer if we were able to move Matip on.