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Post by luisgarciaisgod on Jul 6, 2020 6:57:39 GMT
I dunno if Van Djik and Allisson were considered world class when we bought them?
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jul 6, 2020 7:00:14 GMT
I think Alisson probably was.
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Stu
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Post by Stu on Jul 6, 2020 8:14:01 GMT
VVD definitely was
The cunt
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Post by luisgarciaisgod on Jul 6, 2020 8:46:46 GMT
I don't think people knew enough about Allisson for him to be generally considered World Class, he'd only spent 1 season at Roma. Is that enough to be ready made superstar? Also with Virgil I know he'd played Champions League for Celtic but it was widely stated he hadn't proved himself at the top level and he was far too expensive.
The transfer record thing being an indicator of a player being top class is a bit of a null point too considering Kepa and Maguire broke the respective records. The term is a bit loose these days anyway
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 8:56:08 GMT
Fabinho for me was already regarded as one of the best in the world before we signed him but I still think he wasn’t truly world class until this season.
Van Dijk must’ve been there already because he didn’t have a settling in period where he struggled initially then hit form. He’s been at this level since the first game but I don’t think he has the reputation. Alisson had a reputation, I think he has the champions league record for most saves in a group stage game but I think he was short of world class just based off aspects of his game that hindered him, conceding 7 against us put some doubts over it and then the mistake at Leicester. Once he simplified his style of play he’s become the best keeper in the world.
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Post by luisgarciaisgod on Jul 6, 2020 9:15:29 GMT
VVD, Allisson, Fabinho, Keita, Suarez, Torres and Mascherano. All players who had bags of interest and were seen as a coup that we signed them but I don't think that any came as ready made superstar in say the likes of Ozil joining Arsenal or Di Maria joining United. It was all potential.
Maybe Morientes? He was pretty gack for us but when signing him he was a starter for Spain, had scored bags of goals for Madrid and had only left because Ronaldo and Raul were ahead of him the pecking order and had just been voted European striker of the year.
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Exonerator
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Post by Exonerator on Jul 6, 2020 13:53:37 GMT
I was super hyped when we signed Morientes! How wrong 12-year-old me was...
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constant
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Post by constant on Jul 6, 2020 13:53:51 GMT
Whether Alisson was world class or not really comes down to how liberally that you parse out the phrase "world class", I should think. In 2018 he's probably at the bottom of most people's top ten keepers a good ways behind Courtois, Neuer, Buffon, and ter Stegen but he sets the transfer record because he was that good already and still had room to improve which he certainly has and then some.
I think that if I were talking about a player like that I would call them world class but I also think that it's fair to parse that as just below.
With van Dijk though I don't think that even using my definition that he would have been acclaimed as world class. His skill level certainly was world class because, as Paul points out, he stepped into the side flawlessly but most people only thought of him as the best player in a very solid Southampton side and that also coincided with the worst patch in Dutch football history so that wasn't buoying his reputation either.
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constant
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Post by constant on Jul 6, 2020 13:57:45 GMT
I was super hyped when we signed Morientes! How wrong 12-year-old me was... Morientes was completely washed by the age of 25, he was working that Michael Owen career planning guide.
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Post by Exonerator on Jul 6, 2020 13:59:16 GMT
I think my logic was "he played for Real Madrid, he must be good."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2020 14:14:10 GMT
He was good for Monaco and that’s what we signed him based on I think. Still, he came in and helped us with depth for the league run in while we were getting to the champions league final. Just wasn’t that good overall and it’s a bit of indictment on him that Crouch turned out to be the better target man for us.
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#FreeBTS
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Post by #FreeBTS on Jul 6, 2020 16:12:22 GMT
Tbf when you actually think about it, how many established world class players actually move clubs? Obviously the reason they don’t is because they’re usually already at big clubs who don’t need to sell their best players. Even a team like Man City don’t really sign players strictly under that definition. In recent years there’s only really been Hazard, Ronaldo, Neymar, maybe De Jong?
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Post by Exonerator on Jul 6, 2020 16:31:51 GMT
I would argue Griezmann and Coutinho before De Jong. I know neither of them have turned out great but that's Barcelona for you.
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Post by luisgarciaisgod on Jul 6, 2020 16:48:03 GMT
Leroy Sane
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Post by The Quito Diet on Jul 6, 2020 16:59:58 GMT
Alexis, Ozil and Bale.
Mbappe.
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