Vantastico
Active Member
I'm really not agreeing with that harsh criticism that he has been 'brutal'. Shocked that 2 others agree with you on that. He isn't exactly crushing expectations, that he's not. But it's not like he's a senior member of the squad by any means. Christ sake, he is 20 years old, not 24 or 25.Dont know what you've seen in Nelson but hes been brutal this season. Martinelli and Saka have performed much better than him with a huge difference. Nelson has been poor and should be the most developed.
So far this season he's had a steady performance and got the game winning goal vs. Leeds. Other than I think I can recall that he was solid vs Man U and seemed to get into threatening positions quite a few other times this season, by the mere virtue of his pace, positioning and dribbling skill.
He's certaiy not lived up to his young prodigy status yet, but writing him off as 'brutal' in a season where we are 10th, meaning the entire squad around him is underperforming? That's really unfair. Even our £80m marquee signing hasn't been able to really make his mark like that.
I do agree that Saka and Martinelli have thoroughly outperformed him. They really are exceptional at 18. The point here is though, I do not see a reason to bet on Lemar any more than I do on Reiss. Reiss is an academy product, younger, on lower wages, and has all the talent in the world, which has come to fruition at every level bar the seniors so far. Be a little patient, and curb your judgement.
I will concur to other poster's criticisms, that, maybe by playing in a defensively pressing system like Atletico's, Lemar has been molded into a good team player that could be of servicable utility in roles other than LW (meaning LCM, CAM). I wonder about that, but I'm not exactly sure though. Because why else would Atletico be so eager to get rid? Maybe he really doesn't bring that extra motor or skillset.
It's a risky opportunity worth assessing, but it won't come cheap either. So I'm still not very eager... unless it's a straight swap for Laca, since Lemar is younger and Lacazette is honestly a dime in a dozen striker.
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