There was a big thing for Brazilian fullbacks ten years ago. Literally all the great fullbacks were Brazilian because they combined the right technical and physical levels like no other country. I always thought we could jump in to that business and here we are.
I think a lot has to do with his physicality. How often you find a soccer player that is 6'3 and can run like a fullback? I'm guessing teams would want to convert him to a CB, a la, Pique (was a forward at ManU and end up as a CB at Barca).
His cross is so tasty though. If he could be a Dani Alves/TAA type fullback -- and limit the need for a midfielder ahead of him because he basically shuts down his side of the field -- he'd be hugely valuable
His crossing can also be viewed as a CB that can change field passing on a dime. To be a CB, he would need to gain about 15 lbs. of muscle.
Kinda crazy that the years of LB uncertainty have given way to this attacking back who looks like one of the brightest hopes at Barcelona post-Messi.
He's super fast, he just moved to a defensive position a couple of years ago, and his best technical skill is crossing. The only thing that really points to CB is height, and that doesn't seem like a sufficient reason.
It's a reach to suggest Reynolds move to fb. He's much better on o than d right now, so it would waste a lot of his attributes. Whereas w/ Araujo it would accentuate them. He's much more of a defender than offensive player right now. His touch is suspect, but that doesn't hurt you as much at cb. More is out in front of you. And he can hit long balls superbly, when he actually has control of the ball 1st. He's just 5'10-5'11. It's the one thing dissuading people. But he's very aerial & aggressive to make up for this. There's a good chance we try Araujo there in the u-20 WC out of necessity. I could see the same w/ Tessmann, since there's depth in viable cm's. That could be where our next gen cb's come from, conversions on youth teams out of partial necessity.
Also, his defensive qualities make him tailored for a CB. I didn't see enough of his attacking prowess to consider him as a winger or forward.
There’s nothing about his game that says “CB”. It would be an awkward move for him in my opinion and somewhat of a waste. He has the ability and potential to dominate his side of the field...no reason to mess with strengths.
You have among the least perspective on him of anyone here or elsewhere that would weigh in. You saw 1 game. Would you have offered even a small fraction of the 10 million he's getting from that? No, but the actual front offices who scouted him have.
Its weird. When Euro clubs move players around on the backline, folks don't say anything. Chris Richards has played RB, CB, and LB for Bayern this season. But when somebody on Big Soccer suggests trying a player at another position, people freak out. But anyway, in this window we're already going to have Aaronson and Scally move. Reynolds seems highly likely. McKenzie, Busio, and Bassett are three more that we're seeing a lot of rumors about. (I'm starting to hear little birdies talk about Tessmann interest too. That seems to be on the down low compared to the Reynolds chatter that's gone very public for some reason). 1340022929699049475 is not a valid tweet id
I don't think that has anything to do with that. I'm think you're possibly agglomerating everyone not-you on Big Soccer to one person. I'd be wildly opposed to Chris Richards moving off CB. I don't mind him playing outside back as a developmental item, as it's both good for his ball control development and a way to get him time on a team that has a super high standard. But his skillset is at CB, not outside back. Reynolds is the opposite. His assets are speed and athleticism and his cross. While the former plays everywhere, it plays especially well outside, and the cross is completely wasted at CB. He's also better offensively than defensively. It has nothing to do with US v Europe. It has to do with player skillsets. I don't mind Dest flipping back and forth because he can.