Today, Andy looks at the midfield options…
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Defensive Midfield
I’ve never been an Alex Tettey fan. His muscular performances have always been undermined for me by a level of comfort in possession akin to a drug mule passing through customs in a Thai airport.
However, this season, in a congested slow-moving midfield where nobody has to pass more than ten yards at any one time, Tettey has had his best season for Norwich by quite some margin. And when he’s been missing the difference has been palpable. The four-goal tonkings at Millwall and QPR both occurred when little Harrison Reed was left alone in a 4-1-4-1 formation to try and play Big Al’s role of midfield enforcer-come-bouncer.
Even Trybull has struggled to cover when on his own in that formation. Ben Godfrey, currently pulling up trees for Shrewsbury in the same role is the consensus replacement for Tettey next year but talks are apparently ongoing about extending Tettey’s contract for another year or two. How keen the spaghetti-kneed 32-year-old is to test his value on the open market and uproot his home of several years for a new start just as his career is winding down is the question.
SW has, no doubt, done the maths as to how much we should be offering to keep him on. Despite the good season and all his outstanding personal qualities, the club hold all the cards here. They’re not going to pay anything like what he’s earning in his current contract (and neither will any other club). And they have Godfrey ready to go.
It’s now down to whether there’s a sweet spot in the negotiation where it’s still worth Tettey’s while in playing for reduced money. I think this one could get messy. Gut feeling is that he’ll stay another year but play only when “the load” on Godfrey gets too much.
Vrancic has come on leaps and bounds and will be heavily involved next year.
Moritz Leitner has shown enough already to suggest that when he’s on form he can run games in this league. Whether SW can manage to find a way for the finances to add up to make his loan move permanent is the million dollar question. I like to think that if it were totally impossible we wouldn’t have bothered with the loan in the first place.
Harrison Reed is another loanee that many people are hoping we find a way to bring in permanently. Whilst my heart agrees my head does not. He’s been excellent for us, fully committed, works his socks off, does whatever you ask of him. Lovely lad.
But when I consider the options in defensive midfield I see Tettey and Godfrey, both of whom are big lads who would shield the defence. I see Leitner and Vrancic, passers who can take the ball off the defence and start attacks, setting the tempo and quarter-backing the game. And Trybull does the fetching and carrying. Where does Reed fit in?
A terrier that gets up and down and is neat and tidy, but he’s not a huge defensive presence, illustrated by the fact that we leak goals when he’s the furthest man back in midfield. And he doesn’t offer a huge amount in the final third either. I have nothing against having someone with Reed’s skill set in the squad, but if, as seems likely, he’d be used only as a rotational starter to let the others have a rest, the figures don’t add up with the likely costs of trying to sign him.
With a new multi-year contract at Southampton signed only last summer he’s undoubtedly on a decent wedge and the transfer fee for a young, British player of his calibre would presumably be high too. I don’t know if we can afford that for a rotational midfield player that isn’t a major force at either end of the pitch.
I believe next season’s defensive midfield options will be Tettey, Godfrey, Vrancic, Leitner, and Trybull. Add in the potential for Louis Thompson to return from injury, Adam Phillips (who hasn’t exactly pulled up any trees on loan at Cambridge by all accounts) and Stiepermann as an option if we need him, and I think we’ll be fine.
Attacking Midfielders
Stuart Webber will have to perform a delicate balancing act over the summer to play the perfect hand regarding James Maddison.
When you have one of the hottest young playmakers in British football attracting national attention it’s obvious that bids will come in. We want this to happen as quickly as possible after the season ends to maximise our window of opportunity to reinvest that fee wisely in the squad in time for August.
Equally, Premier League clubs tend to want to wait to do their business, particularly in a World Cup year, when they need to know which of their international players may come home with a long-term injury from their Russian exploits.
Webber’s best bet may be to set a time-limit for bids after which it’s a guaranteed no and he stays until January. Luckily Maddison appears to be every bit as sensible off the field as he is dynamic on it, and appears to be in no mood to depart just for the sake of it.
My gut says he’ll depart with our best wishes and a mahoosive cheque to the Colney coffers sometime between the end of the World Cup and the start of the season.
Departing with him will surely be Wes. Gutted as we all are to say goodbye, if Farke had any intention of giving him another contract he would have used him more this season.
The holes they leave in the “number ten” role will surely be filled by Kenny McLean, currently free-scoring for Aberdeen and Todd Cantwell, the boy who is currently becoming a man and earning rave reviews as he helps Fortuna Sittard to promotion in Holland. Vrancic will, of course, be another option.
In the wide areas, while Josh Murphy earned a little paper talk about potential interest from Premier League strugglers of various ilk, I can’t see any of them giving us a similar amount to that which we received for his brother, after such an up and down season for Josh.
While he has his bad points, he is one of only two players we have that are blessed with genuine pace to frighten defences, and will surely be key to Farke’s plans. From a purely commercial point-of-view, he’s also likely to have a better season next year based on how he’s finishing this one, at which point he’ll add value to any transfer fee.
The other speedster is Onel Hernandez. Only just arrived and surely key to the Farke plan.
Matt Jarvis has another year of his contract to go. He won’t find better money anywhere else in a million years, and nobody would touch him with a bargepole given the combination of high wages and a prodigious injury record, so he’ll be around. Fortunately for him, Farke seems to see him as a good fit in his system so he has a chance.
Marley Watkins, he of the no-fixed-position is still knocking about doing whatever it is he does. I still have no idea why we turned down a bid from Bristol City for him in January. I understand that when Webber took over he had to identify free-agent targets to bring in prior to appointing Daniel Farke.
On paper, a Championship quality forward (with that all-important British passport) made sense. But Watkins clearly doesn’t have a natural fit in Farke’s system and a million pound profit in less than six months on a player that hasn’t worked out seemed like a gift horse in the circumstances. It would be interesting to see what would happen if another bid came in around August time.
Our defeat to Cardiff, annoying as it was to see Colin get closer to promotion, may prove to be a blessing in disguise, as it could trigger the departure of Yanic Wildschut on a permanent transfer, taking another high-earner off the books and bringing in valuable transfer funds. Fingers crossed we see that miserable old Mrs Doubtfire impersonator crack a smile in May then.
For all the hot air in the press that Naismith blows about wanting a permanent move, he won’t willing kill the contract goose that lays a golden egg in his bank account each month, and nobody else will take it on. He’ll be back unless SW can find another club to take him on loan to give us a few pennies from the pound of his bloated salary.
Stiepermann again is another option in this area, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we added one more wide man to the mix.
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Tomorrow… the strikers…
Extending the contract of Alex “two touch” Tettey, would, despite his having a decent season, in my opinion, send out the wrong message – it would smack of being a short term solution and surely there’s better options out there?
Agree Gaz … can understand the calls for another year (have alluded to them myself) but in the cold light of day, we have a very viable alternative returning to us from Shrewsbury. Would be a crime to hinder his progression in truth.
Very much agreed. That would be my take on it too. Plus there’s an outside chance the very unfortunate Louis Thompson might at last return from his dreadful injury.
Either of those two alongside Tom Trybull in DM would seem sensible to me.
It’s a tricky one. I quite agree it’s not in keeping with the direction we appear to be trying to move in and as I said, I’ve never been a fan. However, he has been so good this year and so missed when he hasn’t played I can understand the thinking behind keeping him.
Another good piece, Andy.
Even more than defence, midfield has so many possible permutations. Wages will surely have a big say in the ultimate mix. For us to justify keeping Tettey he’d have to accept a massive pay cut; I can’t see it happening and – like the Gary’s – I’m not sure it should. Similarly, Reed’s future will be highly coloured by his pay packet.
I’ve no insight into the situation with Leitner, who I’d love to see here again next year. While a different type of player, he’d clearly help fill the quality gap left by the surely-departing Maddison.
For all our speculation, no doubt there’ll be some moves which catch us all by surprise.
The changes next season will be potentially significant. No Gunn for a start, but on the positive side, Matthews has impressed at Plymouth.
I think Tettey will go. I am a huge critic of the 20+ passes then back to Gunn tactic, and I notice that Tettey uses this negative option far too often..
Maddison will almost definitely be cashed in on, but reports from Aberdeen suggest that there is a replacement waiting in the wings.
Cantwell and the Shrewsbury boys look promising.
Wes, has reached a noble end to a glorious career, and we need to replace Husband.
Back four with Raggett in the wings looks good.
So we turn to the misfiring strike force.
We now know why Oliveria has had so many clubs. He promised a lot and just hasn’t delivered. We need replace him . The question that could define next season is who, and where??
I’m sure Andy will share interesting thoughts tomorrow on that last question….
Think Leitner is more of a 10 than a defensive midfield. Also heard recently McLean can play anywhere in central midfield but best in a deeper midfield role.
Agree about Reed as l prefer him at full back and best to sell Watkins as it has not worked for him.
Midfield looks potentially well stocked. Tomorrow’s piece is the key one clearly.
Hi Andy
Another good summary on City’s options for next season.
On another site (NewsNow) Farke is quoted as saying SW is working on having both Leitner and Reed next season as he likes working with them.
Naismith is a strange one – he has come out and said he would like a deal to stay in Scotland and it would help him get back into the national side. Just maybe he is hoping for a payoff and free transfer or City subbing his salary to another club?
As you mention, we have quite a few options in midfield with or without Tettey. I would like to see him for another season, just so that City have an experienced holding player. All the good reports on Godfrey means he is learning his trade at a reasonable level but, as we all know, the Championship is a hard taskmaster and a couple of bad games would see his confidence hit hard. Just look at the catcalls Murphy has endured over this season.
Jarvis is a big bone of contention – if he ever gets fit to play a full game, will he still have any pace after all his injuries. Farke seems a reasonable man and so far hasn’t come out and blasted any player and why would he knock a player that is already on his knees. He possibly only sees him in training when he can do sessions with the first team squad and gets reports on the u-23 games he plays.
To me, City should find a way to cut their losses.
Looking forward to instalment 3
I wonder if Farke is beginning to see Reed as more of a Right Back who can also play centrally rather than the other way round?
That would be my way of thinking too. Pinto may be the current captain and good going forward, but as a defender is often found wanting.
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I’m with Andy here in general. Without Tettey we have a soft underbelly that right now we cannot know for sure, Godfrey or Thompson will plug. Where I disagree is that losing Tettey could very well maintain our direction of travel, we could be much closer to relegation next season if Godfrey does not live up to the hype and we cannot call on Tettey again.
Whilst the project with SW and DF needs more time, could you see it surviving into the 2019-20 season if we finish further down the table next season than this, whilst possibly conceding more goals and even perhaps (post Maddison) scoring so few? This is why, even when building, old heads that give the team a fighting chance of winning (Or in Tettey’s case not losing) will always be need to suppliment the kids, freebies and foreign cheapies, all of whom need time to adjust.
As long as he keeps his demands reasonable relative to the new financial realities of the club, he could be our most important signing of the summer. If Godfrey does what we all hope he can, then clearly not, but I’d sign Tettey up again, ten times over Reed. Who as you say is good, but I’m not sure where he fits in the team going forward and suspect he will be too expensive to be a bench/rotation/utility player.
Bah!
What a well-argued post! The kind of thing you only get on this site, perhaps?
Yes, agreed – I’ve already tried to persuade the General to do us a guest blog:-)
Agreed.
I would like to see Leitner stay, but even if we re-invested some Maddison cash into a transfer fee, would the wage cap kill the deal?
Suspect you’re right Dave. Players who’ve been involved in a Champions League Final are no natural fit for our new wage structure.
I honestly don’t know. Even for a player like Leitner, German wages might not be exorbitantly high. More significant, perhaps, might be his aspirations: he clearly loves Norwich & Farke, but understandable if he wanted to be playing at a higher level.
Leitner has not pulled up trees elsewhere and if we can’t afford him then his parent club might just be open to another loan if they continue to see no place for him. Add to that, he needs to play football to impress the big boys and get back to that champions league sort of level and Norwich offer him regular game time with a coach that he seems to like and trust. Maybe he could reconcile the dropped income with a view to a better future.
Can SW and DF sell him on the chance that we will get promoted and he will then get a nice fat bonus? (I don’t believe we will, but maybe he can be made to believe it)
Bah!
Hi Gary
Yes Leitner did play in a Champions League Final and was transfered to Italy where he didn’t produce the same preformances he had at Dortmund and was shifted back to Augsburg again not pulling up trees for them so loaned him to city.
If city can sign him for a reasonable fee as Farke has indicated SW it trying to do it could help the club and Leitner to get back to where they both want to be.
City could be his stepping stone to bigger things
Would love to think so
me too……
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