Denis Suarez

Just scored for Barca. Still can't believe we let him get away.

And now Dzeko scores.......again

Topdawg wrote:Just scored for Barca. Still can't believe we let him get away.

Me neither.

Still, as long as we don't buy him back for £100 million...  Did we have a buy back clause or did we fuck up there as well?

No buy back. He wanted to go.

He is doing ok he scored a goal but he's no Suarez, he would never have displaced any of our first choice players except maybe eventually Yaya who has at least one more season in him. 
However, you can understand him wanting first team football especially at a top club like Barca which we couldn't promise him in the short term.
The club did the right thing for the lad, were they supposed to block any deal and keep him in the EDS? He deserved a chance with another club if we were not going to give him it surely?

I really think we could have dome more for him. He says he was promised time in the first team but couldn't even get into the EDS as a big strong lad had taken his place.

Ok, we don't know the full picture, but he's playing for Barca's first team regularly so they must think he up to the mark.

Look at us now, we've had problems with defence and goalie, but we aren't giving any kids the chance to show us what they can do except Stones.

Yes, and we bought Stones. We still haven't properly blooded Yoyo yet. Given how feeble our defence is and he still can't get a game. Nor can Angelino or Maffeo, who are now off on loan.

TBF.....and JUST MY OPINION, I'm quite happy to give the above mentioned players some loan time.

Clearly, Pep thinks they need it. But on the flip side, it could mean that he really rates them and wants them for next season. If not, then I can see a few more players from this seasons EDS being sold and loaned out next season.

However, long-term and possibly for next season, I can really see Pep looking at the likes of Diaz, Sancho, the Garcia's and possibly one or two more, like Foden or Davenport given the chance to step up and train with the seniors, and possibly, give them some proper first team game time on the bench or as subs....as the U18 team looks very, very, very exciting with at least 6 or 7 of this age group having a chance next season of some 1st team game time.

I honestly think that the EDS generation from last year will be written off and the time and energy will be spent with the U15's-U18's for next season in the academy. The likes of Barker has no chance with Roberts and Gabriel here now, or back next season, plus Sane.

For some reason, that generation of academy kids, as well as they did, were NEVER given a real chance under MP...so have seemed to have drifted away from the scene, and that's a shame, because we had kids like Kean Bryan, Shay Facey, Will Patching, Bytiqi, Celina, Jack Byrne, Horsfield...who all looked like potential that would step up...but sadly, with their loan deals, I really can't see them replacing the likes of Yoyo, Sancho, Diaz, Garcia's, Fernandez.....when we have Roberts, Sane, Gabriel, Sterling, Kelechi in the squad for next season, never mind who else we may buy!

Yes, lots of our kids end up at league 1 and league 2 clubs when they are sold. If they are lucky, they may end up in the championship. We sold a couple a few years ago that have made it to the PL (Trippier and Mee) so some are good enough to make it to a really decent level).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4161982/Barcelona-5-2-Real-Sociedad-agg-6-2.html

Another 2 for Denis Suarez.

Don't rub it in fella!

I can't work out what our end game is with the kids though?  We've scoured the world looking for them yet none of them are good enough?  Isn't that a failure then when we still buy in ready made superstars?

I think in the past, we had some decent talent, but the squad was so top-heavy, the kids were lucky to get a bench spot in a Cup game.
I think the likes of Suarez, Rekik, Barker etc could have been given more of a chance, but maybe at the time, they just weren't good enough.
The likes of Suarez for example, spent 2 years at City and wasn't given a chance, so he was packed off to Barca B, where he played 36 times, scoring 7 goals...even then, he was packed off to Sevilla then Villareal on loan, where he played 60+ games, but only scoring 6 goals. So maybe Barca thought the same, that he wasn't ready.

Clearly now, he's been brought back into the Barca team at the age of 23, so maybe now is the right time for him to show what he can do - and maybe, that'll be the path for the players from the last 2 seasons' EDS squad who showed glimpses of promise, because there only seems to be Unal with 10 goals in 17 games, who looks like he's doing anything of worth, in a league far inferior to the PL.

I think Pep likes a streamlined squad and we've seen more and more places on the bench for the academy kids. I only see that improving next season...with the crop of current U18's possibly getting quite a few chances, but remember, most of this generation of kids are only 16, 17 years of age.

Pep was at the Match last night so let's hope he got some good ideas on who to bring through.

Think he already knows Dawg....he's  attended a few games this season.

Sancho and Foden to start with

Definitely.