Gladbach II and BVBII are in the same league. They are in the 4th division, or Regionaliga. Flores is a bench player for a mid-table team in the German 4th division. For a guy in his 20s, that ain't good. For a player that has national team ambitions, anyway. Is Flores "good enough" for MLS right now? I honestly don't know, but an MLS team will give him a chance. He's not going to get a chance at BVB. It doesn't look like they're even invested in his development. You would give a kid you're interested in developing a lot more playing time than this. So move elsewhere for more playing time.
Certainly, but Charlie Davies was playing/starting matches at Hammarby when he was ~21 or so. He was developing by playing and learning the hard way. So if Junior moves somewhere like that and gets playing time, then I'd be happy with that decision. Bobby Wood made his first team debut when he was 19 for 1860 Munich. The first team..................... As we know, injuries at 1860 really wrecked his momentum. He's still only 23. I know we can all make a list of "late bloomers." I just fear for these kids who languish in the reserves of "big European clubs." Junior clearly isn't in their first team plans, so he's just kind of in this bizarre holding pattern. We saw the difference between how BVB treated Pulisic versus how they've treated Flores. It's clear. So move on.......... I just think Flores is the kind of player that could be "the next Lletget." A guy that could come back to MLS and have an impact.
My only problem with Junior and Junior supporters is outside of one tournament in Orlando Florida as a 17 year old what has he actually done?
He's done what lots of guys do. He's turned from a possible prodigy to "another prospect." He's now approaching the point where he stops being a prospect and has to find his level and become a pro.
I think you are also discounting what BVB saw in him. Clearly they thought enough of him to sign him and bring him in. He was able to convince a really great club that he was worth investing something into.
Eh... Forth round draft pick. You sign him because there's a chance but if it doesn't work out. Oh well. Everything that's happened since he got there seems to indicate they don't think much of him anymore.
The post I quoted said he has never done anything other than 1 u17 tournament. Regardless of how you think BVB viewed him at that time I disagree with the above statement. He has done more. BVB didn't scout him one time and then sign him as a long shot. He impressed them enough to earn a spot in their academy. That's not nothing. Now if we want to say he hasn't really proven a lot since he got there that might be a different conversation.
We've heard conspiracy theories out of Germany on this one. That BVB really wanted another player that had the same agent as Junior. In order to get him, the agent told him they needed to sign Flores as well. It was a package deal, and BVB was never particularly interested in him. I have no idea if this is true in Junior's case, but believe that this kind of thing happens all the time behind the scenes. Actually, I think we have a recent example of this. Pato and Matt Miazga have the same agent, Kia Joorabchian. Matt Miazga was highly coveted and Pato wasn't. [Corinthians had been trying to off-load him for years.] That was a package deal. The agent made sure Miazga went to Chelsea as long as they also took Pato, a player they never seemed to actually want, on loan.
I don't know about Junior's specific case, but that's not tin foil at all. As for Flores he just stagnated. Happens.
But.......he still hasnt done anything outside of that tournament and thats the tournament where BVB scouted him. So I do not stand corrected he was a very average extremely over-hyped player.
There's one guy in the media constantly pedaling that theory, and you can tell that guy just seems really bitter. Maybe he was blown off for an interview or something. Claiming he's stagnated is naive IMO, you are not going off of watching any games and seeing that, just believing that every player is judged on the same merits and believing the fact that he can't get playing time is because he's not better than these players that are getting more time than him. The way it works at these big clubs is that you can't struggle at all. You have one bad stretch, and they don't care anymore. Thats what happened with Green, Pelosi struggled after he came back from his injury and he was done at Liverpool. I would be shocked if Zelalem doesn't face a similar future after his current loan at Rangers. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples. Making it as a prospect a big club right out of the academy is nearly impossible, especially as a foreign player. He started out poorly because of the stupid rules that had him playing nowhere for two years, and once he actually got into match sharpness, they didn't really care anymore. He scores and does well in all the friendlies, but they give him nearly no playing time in the games that matter. Its an unfortunate situation, but just the way it works sometimes. Hopefully he gets a chance to play somewhere because his talent is definitely not in question. BTW, @Giggsy1986, we've been over this situation before, and I've presented you with plenty of information contrary to your opinion that you just didn't end up replying to. I don't know why you turn shift every discussion about him to this opinion you have that you've yet to show any evidence of.
Or it could be the fact that a small, slight, slow attacking midfielder with a low work rate and 8/10 technique just isn't Dortmund quality.
Who said the requirement for getting consistent playing time with Dortmund II was being Dortmund I quality? Besides, you go on and on about how great Akale is, but now size and stature matter? Give me a break, he's plenty quick enough to beat defenders (doesn't need to be a sprinter like Zardes) with good technique, dribbling, creativity, vision, ability to score goals. Plenty of talent, just needs some playing time somewhere. A few of you seem so busy building Akale up that you trash every other young attacking midfield prospect.
Akale and Pulisic are legit talents.... Junior was four years ago. Personally I dont think he is lacking ability but he seems to lack the ability to be coached and he is not improving. Those are facts, coaches just dont like him.
Time will tell. This same discussion didn't need to be had for the 1000th time when news of him getting minutes was initially posted in this thread. How about some news about a German-American at Bayern? No, not Julian Green, Timothy Tillman. Right now he's playing for Germany's youth teams. German-American Timothy Tillman (’99) training with the first team at Bayern Munich. (h/t @RichardLBailey) https://t.co/hAP1ZBmri3— J.R. Eskilson (@JREskilson) March 29, 2016
Please name for me small, slow attacking midfielders in any decent first division. The few around have an abundance of technique and creativity. It's just incredibly hard to make it as a small player unless you have some combination of stoutness, speed, and extreme ball control. Akale has two of those.
This is very ironic... Not really necessary to trash any kids. I've never understood why we can't insult other posters but kids are fair game.
Oh, also, if you go back and look there are multiple other youth players I have praised in the past. Me likes Brooks Lennon I just don't think can go to his left, Bofo Saucedo is spicy as hell and has underrated shooting ability. I mentioned George Acosta as being pick of the Hack's midfield last year and got lambasted bc I critiqued some of the wingers on the team for lack of passing and technique. So give me a break.
you like to point out a perceived weakness in a players game and then act like that will cause him to be a shit player. To the acosta thing im pretty sure your not the only one who was high on acosta seeming hes like #2 in TDS' rankings. Lastly you cant reason on your pulisic standing, the proofs in the pudding
It's pretty easy to tell who doesn't have the requisite ball skill. But I haven't named names really. Miazga bad. Who else have I criticized? I said Pulisic would be good, in fact. I said he would never be Dortmund starting quality, and I stick by that.
Still waiting for you guys to name small, skinny, slow attacking midfielders in respectable first divisions. Oh wait, you can't!