Rating Transfer Rumours — Part 1 Koulibaly, Morata, Bettinelli
With the January transfer window fast approaching, I’ve decided to write about my opinions on some of the transfer rumours circulating rather and collect me views rather than just tweeting. I’ve called it part 1 and we’ll see if this turns into a regular thing that I keep up over time. At the end of each segment I will rate the transfer out of five for both clubs and the player.
Today I’m going to look at:
- Kalidou Koulibaly — Napoli to Manchester United
- Alvaro Morata — Chelsea to AC Milan
- Marcus Bettinelli — Fulham to Southampton
Kalidou Koulibaly to Manchester United
Manchester United have just sacked José Mourinho after a rough start to the season. Mourinho is said to have fallen out with the board after not being able to sign the centre backs he wanted in the summer window. They were heavily linked with big moves for Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire. Meaning Jose was left short in this position and forced to play players out of position, such as Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera.
The squad is unbalanced and lacking in areas which are plugged by players who should have left the club before now, such as Young, Valencia, Jones and Smalling. Although, they have put in good shifts for the club and show loyalty but ultimately could be replaced and improved.
With a new era for Manchester United dawning a big signing will show they mean business. A big transfer of Kalidou Koulibaly would be just that. Koulibaly has emerged in recent years under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli as one of the best defenders in the world. He is a tall, commanding centre half with good footwork and intelligent positioning. He is a great passer of the ball and is used to playing in a side with good buildup from the defence and is currently attempting 72.9 passes per 90 minutes with 89% accuracy.
A signing of this calibre will massively improve Manchester United and allow them to attract managers. It also shows their intentions of improving their style of football by bringing in one of the best ball playing centre backs in the world, keeping up with the rest of the top sides. At 27 Koulibaly is in his prime and has a few years to continue at the top level. However, this won’t be cheap with a rumoured price of €95m.
I’m a big Koulibaly fan and he would improve any side in football. It will be disappointing for Napoli if they were to lose him as they look good under Ancelloti and are one of the favourites in the Europa League.
Napoli: ⭐⭐⭐
Manchester United: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Koulibaly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alvaro Morata to AC Milan
Morata is an odd player in that statistically he looks very good but when you watch him he looks poor and wasteful. He has five Premier League goals so far and 0.69 xG per 90 minutes. This makes him unpopular among fans, understandably as it is difficult to see him struggle and miss chances even though on paper he is playing well. It is also interesting that Eden Hazard has 10 goals for Chelsea so far, but hasn’t scored when Morata has been on the pitch.
He was brought in for a big fee but at 26 still has resale value. AC Milan currently have Higuain leading their line with wonderkid Patrick Cutrone as second choice. The Argentine striker is having a good season with 0.43 xG per 90 minutes, high shot output and 5 goals so far. However, Higuain is 31 and on loan. Therefore, it makes sense for Milan to be looking for another striker to bring in in summer. But, not necessarily in January.
I think Morata is a good signing at the right price. He will get goals and good output but your fans probably won’t like him as he consistently fails the eye test. It could be said he struggles with the intensity and physicality of the Premier League and a return to Italy would be good for him.
Chelsea: ⭐⭐⭐
AC Milan: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Morata: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Marcus Bettinelli to Southampton
Bettinelli had a successful season in goal at Craven Cottage last season as they got promoted through the playoffs. Sergio Rico and Fabri were both signed in Fulham’s high spending summer. Putting Bettinelli’s playing time into question. Bettinelli has played 7 of Fulham’s 17 matches to date, not playing since the 4–2 defeat to Cardiff on the 20th of October. He also progressed through the England ranks and has been involved in the senior squad.
This transfer makes less sense to me. Southampton apparently are looking at him to replace Alex McCarthy if they sell him. It is an odd signing as they currently have three good goalkeepers who are all involved in the England national teams: Alex McCarthy, Fraser Forster and Angus Gunn.
Forster is in a weird position as he has gone from England’s number three and signing a long contract at Saint Mary’s to not playing. If McCarthy was to leave then they have two ready replacements. I would personally pick Gunn over Forster if he is being a problem to the club as he apparently refused to leave in summer. Gunn is only 22 and a highly rated young keeper who was signed in summer from Manchester City who can slot into the first team without having to sign a new, older goalkeeper.
Aston Villa are also being linked with Bettinelli which makes more sense. It would be good to see Hassenhüttl’s Southampton put faith in a young English goalkeeper or get Forster back into form. And that’s if McCarthy even leaves and there haven’t been any stories naming clubs interested in him.
Fulham: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Southampton: ⭐⭐
Bettinelli: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks for reading my first article of this sort. Let me know what your thoughts on the three rumours I’ve discussed above and what transfers you want me to write about. I’m always contactable through Twitter.
