Ecuador NT (Post-World Cup)

The next captains in waiting for the upcoming WCQ cycle will probably be Caicedo, Pervis, and Hincapie.

There isn't a scenario where I see Enner leaving immediately, and thus, I see him being a protagonist with the NT for a few years...he might even make it to the next WC if he can stay fit and keep a high level. We need a few members of the NT to be veterans, and some might be phased out as we move along, but similar to what we saw with Noboa earlier on, there must be some room for senior elders....Dominguez, Enner, Mena, and Galindez were necessary anchors of strength. Much of that work is done behind the curtain and none of us would really know the calming voice they must've had in the locker room, but they won't be cast out into the wind from one day to the next.

In other news - Lens is now interested in Torres...according to Futbolecuador.

https://mundial.futbolecuador.com/q...s-proyeccion-a-los-jugadores-de-la-tri/151203

 

Not sure, but due to Plata's less than stellar performance, it looks like Newcastle and Leeds are chilling their interest for a bit. As was mentioned in prior posts, this tournament was an important size-up activity for European scouts to feel out our guys....see if they can take the pressure and perform.

 

Totally agreed, but out of 26 players, there's only 4-5 players who are disproportionately valued, and the drop off is pretty steep to everyone else.

Nonetheless, the prospects of getting more guys to Europe is better now than ever before. We really missed a chance with this WC though.

 

Seems like a direct quote.

 

That's speculative, though. Felipe Caicedo didn't pan out at City partly due to him not being able to execute the main task he had when was on the pitch which was to score goals...early and often. His tenure at City was lackluster and competition was high. As expected in a team whose ambitions were very lofty. They had no problem going into the market to keep buying talent until they found the right fit.

To be fair, Plata didn't have a terrible World Cup, but it wasn't remarkable either.

There's lofty expectations during a transfer, and whether or not the player can live up to those expectations is a different story. The reality is that even if Leeds is starting to get cold feet, which is a far step behind Newcastle in budget and team strength, a red flag has been raised. If Plata had a remarkable World Cup, you'd see Newcastle ready to splash 20M-30M...or maybe Leeds pouncing at 16M, but they'd reason his performance merits that price. Now, even his 8M-10M transfer fee seems difficult.

Valuations skyrocket during WC years also because it's the world's biggest stage and an early indicator to a player's mental (and physical) capacity to execute at the highest level regardless of the stakes. It's a reason why the big teams are willing to pay way beyond conventional market rates for players they view as "safer bets" - if you can perform at a World Cup where the world is watching, it somehow legitimizes a player's probability of being successful and justifies the risk. It's also why Newcastle or Leeds wouldn't take a risk on Angel Mena even if he's transfer value is the equivalent of the clearance rack at a JC Penny. The system isn't perfect and lots of players can turn into duds, but I'm probably drawing a conclusion that Leeds or Newcastle looking at Plata's quiet World Cup as a sign that he might not be the ice cold finisher they really wanted. They'll start looking at guys who played the R16 (and beyond) to find better fits. These guys really want ruthless competitors who will not shrink/hide when the spotlight shines on them.

Optics matter is all I'm saying.

 

Plata had 3 games to show unique value, but he sold more of the same. Nothing new to what was seen for a while, and except for a few moments of the talents really shining through, many are saying his performance wasn't up to par. He even came out and publicly admitted as much.

 

It should be a done deal by Jan or Feb- BSC will benefit from vacating a foreigner slot.