The buzz of last night’s game is still all over us, but we’ve also got to be realistic.
For all the fun of a last minute win, the only reason we were ever in that situation was because we defended a 2-0 lead to terribly. Individual mistakes in defence and midfield cost us, and we were very lucky to be handed the chance to draw (and then win) the game.
No wonder our scouts are still searching high and low for defensive reinforcements. Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile have pretty much played their way out of most fans’ estimations. The rest of our options don’t fully convince either.
So it’s no surprise to see another player linked – in this case Mikayi Faye of Barcelona. Calciomercato says we’re among the clubs chasing the 19 year old who plays for Barca’s B team, where Transfermarkt value him at €5m.
Another future investment
Of course we also need defenders who are ready now, and not just long term prospects. But Faye, who joined the Spanish side just a year ago, could well be ready for an accelerated programme is he’s half as good as some suspect. He’s already got a senior Senegal cap, and turns 20 this summer.
So he’s not totally raw. But would you be ready to slot him right into our defence after the efforts we’ve seen in recent games from our back four? We supposed at least things couldn’t get any worse. The ideal situation would be to buy him and then give him a year in the Premier League on loan.
SuperFrank, if you think—even for a moment—that bringing in a 19-year old is going to alleviate the mistakes in our defence then you’re truly delusional. And to say, “things couldn’t get worse,” is just laughable. Of course it could!
The group we have now may be on a steep learning curve where their weaknesses and inexperience are exposed weekly, but they’ve all learned lessons in the last year that no 19-year old who’s never played at the highest level can have learned. Think about it! Every single one of our defenders has loads more experience at this point than Faye. I’m not arguing that he’s not worth giving a look, but for you to imply that he might offer a step up from the backs we’ve got is laughable on its face.