January 2020 Transfer Thread

[Guest]

Reports in Spain have linked Liverpool with a move for Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos in January.

 

Real Madrid have also been linked with Carlos, 26, while Liverpool appear well-stocked in this area of the field.

 

We’ve compared Carlos’ stats from the 2019-20 La Liga season to date and compared them to the corresponding Premier League figures of the Reds’ current centre-back options: Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren.

Defensive actions

As we often say in these stats comparisons, a player making a high number of tackles is not always a positive. As Paolo Maldini once said: “If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake.” Such figures can also be skewed depending on how much a team spends defending or on the front foot.

 

Carlos averages 1.3 successful tackles per 90 minutes in La Liga, the same number as Lovren and a similar figure to Gomez and Matip (both 1.7). Van Dijk makes notably fewer with 0.7.

 

Van Dijk’s lowest figure comes at the highest success rate, completing 87.5% of his attempted tackles. Carlos is the second most impressive in this respect, completing 81.25%, followed by Gomez (80.95%). Lovren’s is significantly lower at 68.4%, with Matip’s 62.96%.

 

In terms of interceptions, Gomez and Matip make the most with 1.7 per 90 minutes, followed by Lovren (1.1), Van Dijk (1.0) and then Carlos (0.7).

 

It is interesting to note that Carlos is involved in far fewer aerial duels per 90 minutes, perhaps due to the differences between La Liga and the Premier League. The Brazilian’s success rate (58.14%) is also the lowest of the five players in question. Matip (89.39%) leads the way, followed by Van Dijk (76.12%), Lovren (69.23%) and Gomez (62%).

Passing and attacking

While centre-backs are judged first and foremost on their defending, they increasingly need to be comfortable on the ball, especially in a team so dominant as Liverpool.

 

Carlos’ pass completion rate of 83.4% is almost identical to those of Lovren (83.9%) and Matip (83.1%) but falls below those of Van Dijk (87.9%) and Gomez (88.2%).

 

Likewise, Gomez leads the way in terms of dribbles, completing 0.6 per 90 minutes, whereas Matip (0.3) Carlos (0.2), Van Dijk (0.1) and Lovren (0.1) are more cautious when bringing the ball out from the back.

 

 

Goals and assists

 

Offering a threat in the opposition penalty area from set-pieces is always a useful bonus for a centre-back, and Carlos has scored twice in La Liga this season, with both goals coming in December.

 

Van Dijk is the only Liverpool centre-back to better that tally of league goals with three, while Matip has scored once in the Premier League this term.

 

Gomez and Lovren have failed to score to date, although Lovren is the only member of the quintet to have registered an assist in 2019-20.

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks with Sevilla over a potential £65m deal to sign talented defender Diego Carlos – a man Jurgen Klopp wants as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term partner at the heart of defence.

 

Dutchman Van Dijk has been a revelation during his two years at Anfield, helping the club win three trophies and playing a leading role in their march to what appears to be Premier League title success this season.

 

However, Klopp remains undecided on the best person to partner Van Dijk, and while the likes of Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren have all enjoyed periods in the side and impressed alongside him, all three are prone to injuries and none have been able to knuckle down and cement a regular shirt.

 

Matip remains on the sidelines until later next month with the defender struggling to recover from a troublesome knee injury.

 

As such, Klopp is keen to address a perceived chink in his side’s armour and reports in Spain claim he has targeted a deal for Carlos.

 

The Brazilian has impressed since a bargain £13.5m switch from Nantes over the summer, and the £65m exit clause they placed in his deal, suddenly looks vulnerable.

 

And according to Spanish publication Eldesmarque, Liverpool have already tabled a £65m offer for his services in an effort to bring the 26-year-old to Anfield.

 

As per the report, however, Real Madrid are also keen on the centre-half, having identified Carlos as a long-term successor to Sergio Ramos in the heart of the defence.
 

It’s claimed any deal will likely wait until the summer, but Liverpool hope to get in there early by opening talks with Sevilla – currently third in the LaLiga table – early.

 

The Reds are likely to have a quiet January, with Takumi Minamino already having signed in a bargain £7.25m deal.

Mmmm... So he has an exit clause. We've already met it, but we'll wait till the summer. But we think tabling the offer early with Seville will give us some advantage, even though he has an exit clause, so it's unlikely they can influence where he would go. Interestingly Real Madrid are linked. So in other words his agent has planted the story to try and kick Real into gear. 

[Harry Squatter]

Nathaniel Clyne will return to training in January and Liverpool will try sell him to recoup a transfer fee. His contract expires in the summer but Liverpool want to sell in January for a cut price deal. (Sky Sports) https://t.co/E8Ry5bTImV

 

 

[3 Stacks]

Diego Carlos was an above average Ligue 1 centre back 2 years ago. Find it hard to believe he would have gotten that much better that he's a 60m player now.

[Numero Veinticinco]

I don't think that'd be a great use of £65m. Still, if that's what they want then go for it. 

[Numero Veinticinco]

2 hours ago, Daisy said:

 

https://twitter.com/DistanceCovered/status/1212011554037731555?s=

 

 

I personally enjoy looking at Sancho and Messi (not only the best player to have ever kicked a football, but probably the best dribbler too) so overshadowed by Traore. Wow, that guy must be so incredibly amazing. 

[3 Stacks]

8 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I personally enjoy looking at Sancho and Messi (not only the best player to have ever kicked a football, but probably the best dribbler too) so overshadowed by Traore. Wow, that guy must be so incredibly amazing. 

Just can't give a player credit for playing well because you've been so adamant he's shite. Sad.

[Numero Veinticinco]

2 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Just can't give a player credit for playing well because you've been so adamant he's shite. Sad.

I was taking aim at the shit graph. Try thinking rather than getting offended. Go the whole hog and think about the importance of that stat in a holistic sense when judging a player. 

 

Here's credit: He can run. Fast. 

[3 Stacks]

4 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I was taking aim at the shit graph. Try thinking rather than getting offended. Go the whole hog and think about the importance of that stat in a holistic sense when judging a player. 

 

Here's credit: He can run. Fast. 

Everyone knows dribbling success isn't a metric that predicts a team winning anything or the mark of a top player. It's just dribbling.

 

But when you can beat any defender to such a level that you're by far the best in the world at it, you can pretend to be smart all you want, but you're not gonna convince me that it means nothing or it's not useful. That just makes it look like you have a chip on your shoulder when you gotta make snarky comments every time someone says something nice about Adama Traoré.

 

 

[Numero Veinticinco]

27 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Everyone knows dribbling success isn't a metric that predicts a team winning anything or the mark of a top player. It's just dribbling.

 

But when you can beat any defender to such a level that you're by far the best in the world at it, you can pretend to be smart all you want, but you're not gonna convince me that it means nothing or it's not useful. That just makes it look like you have a chip on your shoulder when you gotta make snarky comments every time someone says something nice about Adama Traoré.

You pretend to be smart all the time, you're just not very good at it. For example, nobody said anything about dribbling success being a metric of a winning team, you made that up. Purely on dribbling quality - rather than number of times you've kicked it aimlessly ahead of a defender and used your pace to get to the ball first - the stat is pretty useless, to the point where it puts you massively ahead of the likes of Messi. Anybody who wants to tell me that he's the best dribbler in the world seems like a pretty decent 'dribbler' themselves. He's fucking quick, that's about it. There's a reason why he has scored and assisted no more than a handful of times in 7 years - most of them during this purple patch - and it's because he's just not very good at making good dribbles at the right time in the right space and, more importantly, he's not very good at doing anything with it after he has made all those dribbles. 

 

Look, if you are dramatically better than Messi at dribbling and you've got 5 top league goals in 100 games from all your hundreds and hundreds of dribbles per season, then surely it might just indicate that he's not actually doing all lot with it. Bloody hell, man. This is the 'Stewart Downing has more completed crosses than any other player' thing all over again. Ah, it's whatever. We're very unlikely to get him, so it doesn't really matter. 

[magicrat]

2 hours ago, Doctor Troy said:

Nathaniel Clyne will return to training in January and Liverpool will try sell him to recoup a transfer fee. His contract expires in the summer but Liverpool want to sell in January for a cut price deal. (Sky Sports) https://t.co/E8Ry5bTImV

 

 

Could try playing him now and again to rest Trent. I always thought he was half decent on occasions 

[Lee909]

2 hours ago, Doctor Troy said:

Nathaniel Clyne will return to training in January and Liverpool will try sell him to recoup a transfer fee. His contract expires in the summer but Liverpool want to sell in January for a cut price deal. (Sky Sports) https://t.co/E8Ry5bTImV

 

 

Offer is in from Palace

 

 

[Bjornebye]

NV and 3 Stacks is like watching r*ngers play chelsea. 

 

 

[Code]

Bring Suso back home.

[TheHowieLama]

I remember when Jermaine Pennant crossed alot.

 

ALOT!!

[Dr Nowt]

I remember when him and Gary Neville formed a modern football pundit partnership from the gods.

[Harry Squatter]

1 hour ago, magicrat said:

Could try playing him now and again to rest Trent. I always thought he was half decent on occasions 

We will get fuck all for him anyway. May as well play him and let him leave in May.

 

Missed a trick by not getting Bournemouth to give us 15m for him instead of that loan deal.

[Daisy]

2 hours ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

I was taking aim at the shit graph. Try thinking rather than getting offended. Go the whole hog and think about the importance of that stat in a holistic sense when judging a player. 

 

Here's credit: He can run. Fast. 

Come on, he's a dangerous player now. 

[3 Stacks]

2 hours ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

You pretend to be smart all the time, you're just not very good at it. For example, nobody said anything about dribbling success being a metric of a winning team, you made that up. Purely on dribbling quality - rather than number of times you've kicked it aimlessly ahead of a defender and used your pace to get to the ball first - the stat is pretty useless, to the point where it puts you massively ahead of the likes of Messi. Anybody who wants to tell me that he's the best dribbler in the world seems like a pretty decent 'dribbler' themselves. He's fucking quick, that's about it. There's a reason why he has scored and assisted no more than a handful of times in 7 years - most of them during this purple patch - and it's because he's just not very good at making good dribbles at the right time in the right space and, more importantly, he's not very good at doing anything with it after he has made all those dribbles. 

 

Look, if you are dramatically better than Messi at dribbling and you've got 5 top league goals in 100 games from all your hundreds and hundreds of dribbles per season, then surely it might just indicate that he's not actually doing all lot with it. Bloody hell, man. This is the 'Stewart Downing has more completed crosses than any other player' thing all over again. Ah, it's whatever. We're very unlikely to get him, so it doesn't really matter. 

I don't pretend. 

 

Straw man after straw man in here. I was with you about the dribbling not being that important, that's what the "dribbles don't lead to wins" point was about, but as usual you were too busy concocting this rant with foam forming in your mouth that you didn't realize it.

 

Although, again, when you're able to beat your defender 70% of the time, that's pretty good. I don't know, that's just me. Whether it's because he just boots it by the defender and runs past him, or not.

 

I just think it's funny that he's doing well and your default position is still: "I said he was terrible so now I have to be a cunt about it and jump through hoops to keep pretending he's terrible."

[Numero Veinticinco]

Just now, 3 Stacks said:

I don't pretend. 

 

Straw man after straw man in here. I was with you about the dribbling not being that important, that's what the "dribbles don't lead to wins point was about" but as usual you were too busy concocting this rant with foam forming in your mouth that you didn't realize it.

 

Although, again, when you're able to beat your defender 70% of the time, that's pretty good. I don't know, that's just me. 

 

I just think it's funny that he's doing well and your default position is: "I said he was terrible so now I have to be a cunt about it and jump through hoops to keep pretending he's terrible."

What on Earth are you dribbling on about. Calm down and think about what you’re saying. If you’re intelligent - and I think you’re not particularly - then prove it by stopped for a second and thinking about what you’re saying.
 

I do think he’s crap. I’m not pretending, it’s my view on him. You’re free to disagree and make an argument to the contrary, but your statements (which are really just you saying a thing and thinking it’s right because you said it - ipse dixit) have little credibility with me.  
 

He had a few moments against City that have been good and he finally produced something. I don’t think that’s any different than many wank players who have done good things in the past. I’m not jumping through any hoops, I’m being perfectly honest and saying I think he is shite, and I’m saying dribbling stats aren’t proof to the contrary.
 

Now, before replying with some half-brained, cliched nonsense about foaming at the mouth, take two seconds to re-read your reply to make certain it’s coherent and cogent. It shouldn’t be tough for somebody as convinced of their own mental faculties as you seem to be. 

[Harry Squatter]

Newcastle United are keen on signing Adam Lallana in January. However, Lallana has plenty of offers on the table and is likely to wait until the summer when his contract expires to decide his future. [The Telegraph] https://t.co/J3ea9dyAIx

[3 Stacks]

59 minutes ago, Numero Veinticinco said:

What on Earth are you dribbling on about. Calm down and think about what you’re saying. If you’re intelligent - and I think you’re not particularly - then prove it by stopped for a second and thinking about what you’re saying.
 

I do think he’s crap. I’m not pretending, it’s my view on him. You’re free to disagree and make an argument to the contrary, but your statements (which are really just you saying a thing and thinking it’s right because you said it - ipse dixit) have little credibility with me.  
 

He had a few moments against City that have been good and he finally produced something. I don’t think that’s any different than many wank players who have done good things in the past. I’m not jumping through any hoops, I’m being perfectly honest and saying I think he is shite, and I’m saying dribbling stats aren’t proof to the contrary.
 

Now, before replying with some half-brained, cliched nonsense about foaming at the mouth, take two seconds to re-read your reply to make certain it’s coherent and cogent. It shouldn’t be tough for somebody as convinced of their own mental faculties as you seem to be. 

Does it excite you to write these inane rants? This wall of shite doesn't reply to anything I've said at all. You just can't admit he's turning into a good player after you basically said he couldn't play football. 

 

You're being snide towards anybody that says anything positive about him, I answer, and then you take it out on me.

 

Very immature, and it's one of my New Years resolutions not to deal with people like you, so I'll just leave it at that. 

[TheHowieLama]

Not really sure where that goofy graph on Traore came from but a little context.

 

This season Zaha has averaged 5.2 successful dribbles in the league. Traore 5. Some fella named Saint Maximin has 4.5.

 

Traore is dispossessed or loses the ball due to a bad touch 4 times a game. He completes 23 passes a game.

[Numero Veinticinco]

12 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Does it excite you to write these inane rants? This wall of shite doesn't reply to anything I've said at all. You just can't admit he's turning into a good player after you basically said he couldn't play football. 

 

You're being snide towards anybody that says anything positive about him, I answer, and then you take it out on me.

 

Very immature, and it's one of my New Years resolutions not to deal with people like you, so I'll just leave it at that. 

You didn't take a step back and think about it, did you. You seem like an absolute prick, so I'm glad you're leaving it at that. 

[Jordy Brouwer]

8 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

Not really sure where that goofy graph on Traore came from but a little context.

 

This season Zaha has averaged 5.2 successful dribbles in the league. Traore 5. Some fella named Saint Maximin has 4.5.

 

Traore is dispossessed or loses the ball due to a bad touch 4 times a game. He completes 23 passes a game.

That's numberwang.