Alex Mendez @ FC Vizela

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by TheFalseNine, Jul 13, 2018.

  1. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    I agree with most of this. I don't think you can dramatically improve your athleticism though. Bringing up McKennie is interesting though. Technically, Mendez is better than him. But that doesn't matter nearly as much as it did 10-heck even 3 years ago. The trend of the top clubs/players is heavily in favor of guys like Weston vs. Mendez right now. Mendez doesn't dive into tackles, press and I think he will need lots of game time as a deep MF to learn more defensively.

    There's no evidence Ajax paid a dime for him so I don't get why people keep on saying Ajax "bought" him from Freiberg. I don't think him not making the Ajax first team makes him a bust. I think him looking totally average (if that) against 2nd Division Dutch players at 19 is a very bad sign. You can just compare him with RL's first year in the Netherlands and see how different they went.
     
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  2. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    Not really. Jong Ajax ran out a lineup last year that's average age was 18. To be 20 at Jong Ajax means you're essentially a filler player.

    Easily? Aaronson has proven he can play at a First Team level in a decent league. A week or so ago I saw him play against real competition, in a humid/hot environment and excel. Mendez playing on a 50 degree night struggles against Volendam. Cannon is a different position but just so far ahead of Mendez it's not fair to compare the two.

    I also am not exactly sold that Mendez is getting non-EU minimum. He's not a registered Eredivisie player.
    Your numbers are just totally off. The 3-year deal could be a 2+1. Also like a vast majority of Jong Ajax players are not good enough to play for the first team. He's a lotto ticket for Ajax. No fee paid. Think maybe they can flip him for a fee.

    But US "fans" believing he is a big prospect at Ajax when I read a ton of Ajax stuff and have NEVER seen any Ajax fan/writer ever mention him is delusional.
     
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  3. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    OK. And now tell us something positive, pls. For example that Ledezma has a great attitude and is a real prospect.
     
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  4. de Kromme

    de Kromme Member

    Jan 26, 2009
    Burbville
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    I don’t have any inside info on him, but I’d be inclined to say that if there aren’t any outwardly concerning signs like their are with AM (increasing pedestrian performances, possible position changes that raise red flags) he’s probably doing just fine.
     
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  5. frankburgers

    frankburgers Member+

    May 31, 2016
    Alex Mendez is another Andrew Carleton. Really intriguing youth players who can’t overcome their obvious flaws.

    it’s ok to point it out @sXeWesley. living in reality is ok when giving opinions on youth soccer players.
     
  6. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    You are just 100% on all your posts. Especially the part about him not running, working defensively. That's the biggest misnomer about Ajax. When they lose the ball, they are aggressive as hell. Fitness matters A LOT. He's 19 and not fit (and never really has been). That's a giant red flag.

    But the core of the issue is a psycho agent who compared him to Iniesta/Xavi who seems hell bent on him playing at a huge club to prove he's right. The kid has ZERO shot to make it at Ajax. None. Someone in here posted he's a CL-level midfielder. He's at a club that plays young players more than any other 'big' club in the world and isn't in the top 15 of the MF depth chart.
     
  7. Never?
    Use google translate
    https://www.ajaxshowtime.com/articl...8/excjaj-mendez-moet-fysieke-inhaalslag-maken

    You're a guy with some hyperbolic statements in your luggage.
    Will Mendez make it? Dunno, but him being called a "filler" is rather funny.
    The number of spots available to have talents being prepped for first team football, is limited. So in that light waisting a precious spot on someone not having a real chance to grow into a first team player is simply silly. Do all players in the Young teams of our clubs make it into the club's forst team? No, but they get the chance to prove they're worth it. Fillers in the academies of our top 6 teams are simply non existent as the cost for staff etc. to run the academies are very high, so it would be a waste of money not to give a spot to someone deemed to have a chance to make it. Every year in the academies young talents are cut loose to make way for those with better expectations. In that MO there's simply no place for fillers.

    By the way, you in your Ajax coloured biased glasses you dissed the clubs under the top of the league, let alone the clubs of our second tier as being ... well....shit.

    For those who watched Atalanta vs PSG in the CL last night in the Atalanta midfield in the 3-4-3 formation three Dutch players acted. Where did those three come from?
    Maarten de Roon came from SC Heerenveen.
    Hatenboer came from FC Groningen.
    Gosens came from Heracles.
    There they are, three Eredivisieshitclubs according to you.
    Delivering players to a CL formation that almost eliminated a club that spends like the same amout these three costed on Mbappe's toe.

    You really sometimes are just serving crap.
     
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  8. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Alex Mendez is a decent prospect. He is at the best development club in the world, with the best coaches, facilities and track record for developing elite players. He is getting a ton of money, from his perspective and relative to his age cohort and washing out at Ajax still leaves plenty of room for a good pro career. I agree he struggles athletically and compares to Adu, James, Ozil, etc. Which is a tough player profile in this day and age. I also think he has proven himself at the youth level as a prospect and his left foot is fing magical and I hope he succeeds and I would have expected in the Yanks abroad forum that most would feel the same. Yet there is an inordinate amount of sh!tting on him imo.

    I forgot how much ya'll hate the Kleiban's, now I get it. I don't like them either and find them abrasive and don't like everything that went down at LAG, etc. I think it's weird and stupid to hold that against Mendez, but knock yourselves out.

    You are not engaging with what I am actually saying, the facts. There are limited roster spots on Jong Ajax. Mendez is right in the middle age wise. The youngest team they ran out last year has nothing to do with anything.

    Again, you are not engaging with anything I am actually saying. Transferring out of MLS as an established adult player is difficult. Cannon and Aaronson have played their way to the point where they can and should get a transfer to Europe, they are both great players, I like them both and they are certainly ahead of the likes of Mendez now, that's not what we are talking about.

    I am simply saying that those who move to Europe earlier and particularly into great set ups like Ajax are already in Europe and can easily get a move to a lower level European team even if they wash out at Ajax. That isn't remotely controversial.

    He's getting the EU minimum, this has already been pointed out to you multiple times by multiple people, just stop.

    A statement from the Eredivisie club read: "Ajax has reached an agreement with Alex Mendez and SC Freiburg about the immediate transfer of the player to Amsterdam. The midfielder signed a contract that will take effect immediately and has a duration of three seasons, up to and including 30 June 2022."

    My numbers are 100% accurate and as per usual you provide no numbers or data of any kind, just your random opinion delivered in the most gratingly patronizing and insufferably pompous manner imaginable.

    Stop setting up your own straw-men to tilt at Don Quioxte. No one has said that and I 100% have never said anything remotely like that. I said he is a decent prospect, he is.
     
  9. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I am totally fine with the usual criticizing. Carlton is an MLS washout, Mendez just started and assisted at Jong Ajax, no?

    All I was arguing overall is that he made good career moves in the vast scheme of things, if you are right and he is a super limited player than one would have to say he absolutely maximized his ability.
     
  10. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Calm down bro.

    You are contradicting yourself. Is Mendez a sh!tty player, or Kleiben a sh!tty agent? If one is true than their counterpart is not, as they overcame the deficiencies of the other in order for the player to arrive at Ajax, no?
     
  11. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #686 sXeWesley, Aug 13, 2020
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2020
    You are wrong, we have already gone through all of this in this thread.

    There is no filler at any club let alone Ajax, only prospects and guys who are sent packing, he is still there and still playing. This is the weirdest of all Yanks abroad threads and that is saying something.

    If in all the years of us doing this crap we now have to invent a concept like "filler" at a club, just so ya'll can denigrate a prospect because you don't like his agent?

    Weirdos.
     
  12. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe you have an obsession with the Kleiban's.

    Maybe you like to communicate in cryptic riddles.

    Maybe you have an entitled attitude and don't get along with others and that's why you are on here with the rest of us indulging in an unhealthy obsession with young men.

    Maybe you have no fing idea what you are talking about.
     
  13. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    I am engaging. Here is a fact... This is the lineup Jong Ajax ran out last friendly by age: 20 (GK), 18,18, 18, 18, 19, 19, 18, 18, 18, 17. You say he's 'average age' for Jong Ajax... he was literally the oldest player they fielded yesterday. No one else turns 20 that played yesterday until April of next year. Today regular Ajax played 9 guys younger than him. It is a undeniable fact he is old for that team.

    There are different levels to "washing out" of Ajax. There are guys who go on a free because they refuse to sign an extension (Bakker). There are guys like Botman who aren't good enough to play for Ajax but can go to Lille for 9m after they play elsewhere in the Eredivisie. There are guys like Che Nunnely who go to Willem II. But those examples are guys who proved they could play at a certain level. Usually too good for Jong, not good enough for first team (Piere level). RL is at that level. Mendez is not (yet). The guys who are at his level usually do not go onto another legit first team side.

    I read that too.. "up to" doesn't mean he is guaranteed 3 years. It could mean it's a 2+1, it could mean it's a 3.
     
  14. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    You had no clue about his salary which is really low, you got no clue about the rest as well. If he isn't a filler - too bad, then he won't play.
     
  15. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    We can go back 100x but with Jong Ajax, they have filler players. Ajax has lots of players that have no shot to make the First Team. They still train them because you need to field XI players. They could get a small fee. But not every single player who starts for Jong Ajax has the chance to be the next de Jong.

    In baseball they call these "organizational players". I'm not sure what the soccer term is but it's the same idea.
     
  16. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    You think it's a positive review?
    "
    Méndez has to catch up physically
    Alex Méndez was in the starting line-up against Excelsior for the second time since his arrival. But just like against Go Ahead Eagles, the American was substituted after 45 minutes. The attacking midfielder was little in the game. When the ball was with him, Méndez had a hard time against the physically stronger and bigger left back. His lack of duel power broke him up. Until now, the left leg cannot compensate for this with footballing qualities, although you occasionally see that he can technically do a lot with a ball. "
    He isn't athletic enough, plays scared and good left foot isn't enough to compensate.
     
  17. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    A filler. That's the term that drives his admirers crazy.
     
  18. bsky22

    bsky22 Member+

    Dec 8, 2003
    Can you provide your source of his really low salary?

    @feyenoordsoccerfan can you provide clarification of salary requirements for non EU players in the Netherlands?
     
  19. :ROFLMAO:
     
  20. It wasnot about the content of the comment, but about the existence of comments on him. Iirc this comment was just a few weeks after his arrival, so in the process of adjusting to Ajax.
    Giving them (=Young Ajax players/Young team players) a hard time by the opponent is exactly why the Young play in this league. It's not youth football.
     
  21. de Kromme

    de Kromme Member

    Jan 26, 2009
    Burbville
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    Opinions vary.:cool:
     
  22. https://www.vi.nl/nieuws/gemiddeld-salaris-eredivisie-stijgt-naar-291-duizend-euro

    Niet-EU-spelers
    Hoe hoger het gemiddelde salaris, hoe meer clubs moeten neertellen voor niet-EU-spelers. Deze regel is ooit bedacht om de Nederlandse opleidingen te beschermen. Het moet voorkomen dat een golf derderangs aankopen de doorstroom van eigen talenten gaat blokkeren. Vandaar dat deze spelers minimaal 150 procent van het gemiddelde loon moeten verdienen. Komend jaar komt dat neer op 436 duizend euro bruto. Voor spelers van achttien en negentien jaar geldt een soepeler regime. Zij mogen tekenen als ze minimaal 218 duizend euro euro opstrijken. Veel Eredivisie-clubs hebben al jaren kritiek op deze regelgeving. Door de zware eisen is het in de praktijk alleen voor Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ en Vitesse mogelijk om spelers uit deze categorie te halen.

    Non-EU players
    The higher the average salary, the more clubs have to pay for non-EU players. This rule was once devised to protect Dutch academies. It must prevent a wave of third-rate purchases from blocking the flow of own talents. Hence, these players must earn at least 150 percent of the average wage. In the coming year, this will amount to 436 thousand euros gross. A more flexible regime applies to players aged eighteen and nineteen. They may sign if they collect at least 218 thousand euros. Many Eredivisie clubs have been criticizing these regulations for years. Due to the heavy requirements, it is in practice only possible for Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ and Vitesse to get players from this category.


    Belgium thinking about a likewise system:
    https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20191129_04744128
     
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  23. wynaldaisagod

    wynaldaisagod Member+

    Ajax
    United States
    Aug 9, 2019
    No one denies this. Here is the thing: Mendez is not a registered player in the Eredivisie. He doesn't have a squad number. According to this, it's specific to the Eredivisie salaries: https://www.theplayersagent.com/kno...non_eu_eea_players_working_permit_netherlands

    I've never seen a site that 100% proves either way that those salary rules apply to players who aren't registered to the Eredivisie.
     
  24. sXeWesley

    sXeWesley Member+

    Jun 18, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Up to and including.

    Of course many starting for Ajax are the younger ones, the cream of the crop is always younger and being fast tracked.

    Of the 27 players at Jong Ajax he’s of average age and is getting more than average minutes. He’s still there, he’s a decent prospect. Filler is not a real thing. If he was as crap as you allege Ajax would have moved on already.
     
  25. No, the calculation is based on the average Eredivisie salary, but the rules donot mention it applies only to Eredivisie players. The salary has to be paid to any non EU player, regardless where he plays.
    I dunno what you mean by registered Eredivisie player. Players are registered as club players. Eredivisie clubs can play in an Eredivisie match any of their players under contract. Heck, I remember once even an amateur player made it into the Eredivisie match. Can't recall who that was. Was some time ago.
     
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