Mauro Icardi

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  • #1102068

    andy528
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    Barber – Agent/Wife of Icardi has confirmed that he has been ‘put up for sale’ by Inter and has plenty of interest on the table. She also said that he does not have a specific release clause and hopes Inter are willing to accept a realistic sum.

    Where do you think this guy fits in, in terms of his current level, with the strikers around these days?

    #1103274

    barber_
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    Hey Andy… Apologies for the delay in replying – I think I’m still nursing a hangover from all the British sporting goodness from yesterday!

    Icardi… Hmmm…. Well, if you watched him last season, he had a decent season. Not so much in terms of the number of goals he scored, where he was a little bit behind when compared to the best in the world, but in terms of his finishing. He scored 16 goals, converting at 28%. Now that is brilliant when you look at it in isolation.

    The issue is when you look at how many shots he has on goal – 57! Worryingly less than two a game! Now, is that because his team just did not create enough for him? Or that he doesn’t put himself about enough to be able to get on the end of chances? Well, having watched him, it’s a mixture of both.

    I think we’ve become accustomed to having a striker who at least puts a shift in, occupies the defenders and plays a consistent role in the build-up. I don’t believe Icardi does either, and he actually bucks the trend of South American strikers in that regard. His lack of decent movement, effort and concentration at the best of times actually tick me off when I’ve watched him – and I’m not even an Inter fan! Having him and Ozil, who also isn’t known for putting himself about, at the tip of our attack would render us a bit toothless up top when we lose the ball. (And with Walcott on the right – could you imagine?!!!) The way we play works best when we’re trying to win the ball high up, and Icardi will neither contribute in this regard nor in the build-up.

    He’s a finisher – pure and simple. If that’s all we want from a striker, then bring him on. But the team balance would be worse than it is now. if we want a little bit more in terms of passing, link-up, mentality and a bit of defensive contribution higher up, then he won’t be delivering on those fronts. And I think they’re becoming requisites in the PL.

    Personally… Not my cup of tea. Will not say no, but I would make darned sure there were no other alternatives out there. Of course, the amount will also determine what sort of value the deal is. There are raw materials to work with, but he’s still not the finished article. AND… His off-pitch character might put some people off him as well!

    A merge of Morata’s all-round play and Icardi’s finishing… Now that WOULD be something worth paying for!

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