I'm not one for bothering with Transfer Gossip as it's 95% rubbish at the best of times. However there is a small whispering that Chelsea could be interested in signing Cheik Tiote after Oriel Romeu has been ruled out for the rest of the season. If an offer came on the table for around the £20 million mark (which is his value given the market, his contract and what Ashley would demand) would you take it?Watching The Immovable Object this season has been a chore. I don't know what the hell has happened to him. He has been more of a liability this season than an asset. Three things have stood out to me about Tiote this season a) His lazy passing gifting possession away, b) his arrogant dribbling right in front of our defence and c) his needless countless fouling and shocking disciplinary record.
All three of these characteristics from our number 24 has left me screaming at him at times. Monday night down at Fulham was a glorified example of his season so far. For their second goal he needlessly gave a foul away just outside the penalty area for no reason whatsoever, which resulted in gifting Fulham a winning goal. His defending in the box during the free kick playing everyone behind him onside didn't help either.
He even showed us his lazy passing skills by playing in Dimitar Berbatov completely through on goal in the first half shortly after we were already 1-0 down, which Tim Krul did well to save and keep us in the game. It was ridiculous. The amount of times he dawdles on the ball and tries to dribble his way out of trouble right in front of our defence is shocking. What is he doing? Does he think he can match Ben Arfa in the skills department? It's madness. He has been dispossessed at times in that area this season which harms the team. Overall it's passing it forward is his main problem. Very wasteful to say the least. The long ball tactics Pardew seemed to encourage for most of this season doesn't help the situation.
(Passing it forward is his main problem. With the odd wayward side pass thrown in)
I love Cheik. We all do. You wont find a player with more of a cult following. But it has to said he has been one of the most disappointing players we have had this season. Cisse can't buy a goal but he is being messed around with playing out on the wing so at least he has an excuse. Cheik has no excuses. In the absence of Yohan Cabaye for another month at least we need Tiote to be a rock solid wall more than ever. Not an arrogant lazy liability. It's not on.
He cost us a famous victory at Sunderland by needlessly getting sent off with a filthy challenge. It was senseless. There is no doubt in any of our minds we would have won that game easily with 11 men on the pitch. We almost did with just 10. His disciplinary record is abysmal. He has a 1 in 2 record of getting booked to appearances. I've not known anything like it. It's like he wants to get booked otherwise he hasn't 'done his job'. Giving away stupid fouls constantly and being suspended solves nothing. It doesn't help does it?
We have a young player waiting in the wings to replace Cheik Tiote at some stage in Gael Bigirimana. This lad hasn't put a foot wrong this season so far whenever he has played . I couldn't be more impressed with him. He has put Cheik to shame in some games this season by showing you don't need to kick the living daylights out of people to be a good holding midfielder. He reads the game, then makes a clean tackle. His passing isn't shabby either. He can spread the play as good as anybody. His eye for goal can't be in question either as we all saw that left foot strike into the top corner versus Wigan last week. The lad is class.If Chelsea or anyone for that matter made a significant offer for Tiote would we miss him that much? Would it not be worth taking the money and using it to buy a couple of defenders and even a striker? We have also been linked with France first teamer Moussa Sissoko this season, who is available on the cheap in January as his contract expires in the summer, so a ready made replacement is available if it is too soon to give Gael Bigirimana a first team spot. NUFC In For Sissoko?
I have always said Cheik Tiote is an indispensable member of our team but his performances this season have left a lot to be desired. With Cabaye coming back in February, the impressive recent performances of Vurnon Anita, the emergence of Gael Bigirimana and the possible significantly cheaper replacements available...I am not so sure he is any more.
£20 million or so? Very tempting......
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As you say, like others he is getting lost in pardew's tactics, but much of it is his own doing. I'm sure if we could get 20M right now, most of us would take it
ReplyDeleteAye, he is the last player who should be lost in his tactics. His position as holding midfielder shouldn't change too much whether its 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.
DeleteMy head says take the money...but my heart just says no!
He's always been a work in progress, especially his distribution, which consists of getting rid of it as soon as possible (lacks vision)
ReplyDeletePlus he does'nt have to put everyone he tackles in the stands.
Has to learn to force people in directions they dont want to go, plus try not to attract so many cards.
20M .... grab their hands off. That's last season's price.
ReplyDeleteThis season 10M if you are lucky.
All the senior players seem down.
I think it was the lack of investment in the summer.
God knows what Carr & Pardew promised them when they signed.
Llambias's penny pinching is going to cost us millions in league position payments.
The board really are very short-sighted about investing in the squad.
I'd keep em for £10m.
DeleteCouldn't agree more. Just think how Cabaye must feel after convincing debuchy to sign for us over plenty of European giants...for us not to bother?
sissoko has better skills, he is younger on less money,and
ReplyDeletehe is faster, bigger, and stronger.He also doesn't draw as many yellow
cards and dosn't get suspended as much soooooooooooooooo.
20 million in and get sissoko and use the extra 10 million with the
7 million from Ba sale and lets get on with it!!!!!!!!!!
He is a liability waiting to happen ! Yes he wins lots of balls in the middle of the park at the risk of a yellow card but only to give the ball away time after time to cheaply when he's out of position and were totally exposed due to his wreckless tactical unawareness and lack of vision !!! Take the cash and buy the better astute player Sissoko is.
ReplyDeleteAshley would just pocket the money and not bring in a replacement (like he did with Andy Carrol)on the basis that Bigi could do the job.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point there. Probably worth keeping the player than having MA just have it sit somewhere untouched...where ever that is?
DeleteCheik to go if anywhere near £20m kicking about (£15m should see him go IMO).
ReplyDeleteI agree we should get Sissoko in, and buy another striker, winger - a real winger - one that doesn't stop at the last defender (Jeez! Obertan - give your pace to someone lese who might make use of it!) or one that can deliver a quality ball from the flanks (erm..step forward just about everyone else in terms of being carp at this!) and centre half - but likely?
£15m for Cheik; £7.5m for Ba; and some funds already committed by the fat lad - we should get Sissoko plus a decent three for that money (Sissoko or Ince; Loic Remy or Milevscy; Douglas or Alderweireld - who can play RB as well as CB; wingers - a little more tricky - any ideas?
Bigirimana will never make it as a top player with the toon; handful of games and he's already "class", do me a favour. Selling Tiote would be an absolute critical error, he's having a poor season but as are most of the side...palming him off in January would spell relegation.
ReplyDelete