he has a choice to make. how many for staying at Schalke and how many for leaving for like an Everton or elsewhere?
I really have no problem with him staying for another year. There is something attractive about him possibly becoming the face of the franchise. But the bolded part of your first sentence bothers me just a tad. First, no player out there doesn't lose the ball from time to time. Second, I think several of the "dangerous giveaways" from this season occurred when he was asked to play CD... there are only a handful of CDs 21 and younger in the entire BDL getting any minutes at all and it isn't Wes' position. I am not saying that Wes hasn't made a few errors out there... I am saying even the very best do and that staying at Schalke won't remedy it any more than moving elsewhere will. He still has things to work on and as long as he is getting regular playing time I think he will improve. If he stays at Schalke then I am sure he is starting... so I am good with him remaining and helping revitalize the squad. My main question w/ respect to Wes is... What is his best position? If you go back thru the thread you will see evidence that he is best at the #6 position... but after the restart he really looked like at 8 or 10. He really flashed offensively in a way I didn't expect and I want to see him attacking more next season. I think it would be interesting to see him play the dual 6 role that RB Leipzig employs. I really like that set-up because it gives two paths out of the backfield. Adams tends to play the more defensive of the 6s on that team... I think Wes would prove well playing like Laimer or Kampl.
On a side note, I would be happy to see Schalke try to reinvent themselves as a team with a defined business plan on developing youth players like Dortmund and Leipzig, especially considering their willingness to take on Americans.
Count me in the 'for leaving' camp. Need to leave at some point. Need to grow. I actually need to make two moves, now and 3-4 years from now - my big move.
I wouldnt be surprised at a move to Southamption (which I think would be a good destination). Højbjerg is going this summer, which opens up a spot, and they'll have a decent amount the money to fund a replacement. Hasenhüttl is an experienced Bundesliga manager, so I'm sure he's aware of Mckennie's qualities. In terms of career progression its pretty much sideways. But Southampton has always been a club that cashes out on their best players, so if he performs well for a few seasons, a move to a top 6 club would be on the table.
I would rather see him go to a team that has more possession of the ball... but linking up with Ings would be interesting. I wonder what position they would have him play there? I still don't know if he is a 6, 8 or 10?.?
The best young player they've sold in the past 3 years is Aston Villa's left back. They're not the development factory they once were.
I didnt mention anything about younger players or there developemnt, just that Southampton will always sell their top assets (so its a good stepping stone club), its where they sit in the pecking order/ hierarchy. You know the examples van Dijk, Mane, Wanyama, Schneiderlin and soon enough Højbjerg.
I'm not saying that he can't make a bad pass or anything like that, or no one makes that type of mistake. To be clear, I don't think it is technical thing, I think it is a lack of concentration thing. IMO, making that mistake with Schalke at 21/22 years old and one of the best players won't be the end of the world. If he does that early at a new club, the coach and/or fan base may not be as forgiving. With that being said, I think his best position is an all-action 8. Can carry the ball forward with powerful or skillful dribbles, attack crosses with late runs and also presses well.
2018, 2016, 2016, 2015. I'm saying it's an outdated view. Southampton isn't developing players (young or entering their prime) like they used to, so they aren't jumping to better clubs from there like they used to either. Schneiderlin left a team that had just finished 7th. Mane and Wanyama left a team that had just finished 6th. Last season, Southampton finished 16th, 17th the season before. Big clubs aren't usually plucking players from teams that just scrape past relegation. The best case scenario of Southampton is that McKennie helps drive them back to competing for Europe and then moves to a better club. I think he could already do this, and could totally skip over the Southampton step. The middle case (and most likely) is that he joins and Southampton chugs along as one of the relatively non-descript lower-midtable Premier League clubs. That situation isn't all that different from where he is now. The worst case is that the bottom falls out (or Danny Ings can't replicate this statistically aberrant season), and Southampton goes down. I just don't see the upside of a Southampton move. It strikes me as low-reward, medium-risk.
I suppose, but that assumes Wagner stays another whole season and/or Wes stays in favor with the new manager. The downside is he keeps playing with a very poor (from execution and style pov) team, is required to be "the man" or one of the couple of "the men" on an overmatched side, which is good for PT, but not as good for learning the "top club" game. Perhaps it's better staying at Schalke one more year, and, barring injury, you'd expect the money offered him to be higher next summer (barring more Covid...) but I don't think he learns much of what I'd prefer he learns at Schalke. Hope I'm wrong, I like Schalke as a club, but it does not look to me like the best environment for him right now. He'll learn to carry a team, but I'd rather he worked with more skilled/tactically clever players and add that final 5% to his game. I have no questions about his maturity, work rate and character. I'd love him to be top of class in technical nous and tactical awareness.
Nope. Then again, it's not as if they have a lot of work to do choosing between options, so they can leave it for a bit.
Pithy but not quite right. Players sometimes choose less money in order to get better opportunities. But sure, money more often controls the decision.
Which clubs do you see as having more skilled/tactically clever players than Schalke and would be interested in investing 25 to 30MM for Weston's services? The irony is of the 5 CMs that Schalke used all season ( Mascarell, Serdar, Harit, Schopf and McKennie), Wes is clearly the lowest skill/tactically clever player. Add Bentaleb and Rudy who we sent out on loan, Wes is still the least skilled/tactically cleaver player of the 7 CMs on the squad. Buy him Newcastle ...
Of course, my point was not that Wes was the highest skilled/tactically clever player on Schalke- my entire argument about Wes has always been that is where he needs the most work. I was commenting on how Schalke plays currently. I can only go by the eye test and I think they play direct, naive and without elegance/tactics. Not seeing them win a game since January may have jaundiced my view, but I thought they were pretty ragged even back in Nov when they were winning. Even if you argue it was down to injuries, someone familiar with Schalke suggested this is likely to happen: "At this point I don't believe anyone knows just how likely a sale of McKennie is. I believe that anyone who follows the club even peripherally knows that we are actively trying to sell Rudy and Bentaleb who are both much more expensive CMs. We reportedly had interest for Serdar of 40MM from several big clubs last year but declined. Now Serdar is considered our best player but if he does not sign an extension (was offered reportedly 4MM earlier this year but declined), Schalke will be forced to sell him to the highest offer or risk losing him for free like Goretzka. If Rudy, Bentaleb, and Serdar are sold then there is absolutely no reason to sell Weston." Serdar is best player in Schalke's midfield not named Wes when I've watched. If he's gone, who do they bring in? Mascarell is also a good player, but with the personnel Schalke have - esp. minus whomever they may be losing and without $$ to bring in better players, they have not shown to be capable of playing the kind of game where a player learns/practices "top team" tactics, touch, vision, movement etc. I know you're a fan, and I like Schalke and have nothing invested in pissing on them, but a club that lands at 12th, is in what appears to be pretty major financial difficulties is not a club that has a high probability of putting together an sophisticated side next season. (And I hope I'm wrong.) I have no idea what the state of play of the rumored clubs is, but there are a few that have been named that have a better chance of aspiring to play a more "top club" tactical approach to the game. NUFC, however, is not one. Arsenal (sometimes to their detriment) would be, for instance.
The last time I went looking for a new employer I found one who was willing to offer me a good pay raise from my concurrent employer. I accepted the job (pay was only a portion of the reason to make the change) but hadn't started yet. Then I happened upon another option and, though I was offered an initially lower wage, I really liked the boss and how it felt, so I told the other guy I wouldn't be joining and took the job I currently have. I've had some interactions with the other boss, an many of course with my current, and am very, very glad I chose the path I did.
There is no rumor that Arsenal is interested in Wes. Wes is not an Arteta type CM. Serdar I could see as an Arsenal/Chelsea/United/Spurs target. This is beginning to remind me of the overrating opinions of where Bradley should go after his fall from grace at BMG.