What’s the best transfer so far in the summer 2023 transfer window? Klajdi, Kris and Lorenzo share their thoughts on this Season 1, Episode 1 of The Offside Perspective. Is it Bellingham to Madrid? Is it Rice to Arsenal? The Offside Perspective is on all social media channels, so make sure you check them out. We’re also on Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts from.
What’s up everyone, this is The Offside Perspective. My name is Klyde, I’m joined here by Lorenzo and Chris. And today, we’re going to talk about the best transfer so far. I know the transfer window has a couple more weeks, but let’s go ahead and talk about the best transfer you guys seen so far. Lorenzo, you go first.
Lorenzo
I’m going to be more conservative with this one. I think the best one was Gundogan going to Barca. I feel like Barca was kind of missing that midfield since, you know, Xavi and Iniesta have left the team. I feel like he’s going to probably provide the most value. Even though it wasn’t a lot of money, he wasn’t an exciting young player. Like, in the Bellagame to Real Madrid or Holland at Man City last season. I feel like the best transfer so far has been Gundogan in Barca.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Have you taken into consideration his age though? Because he is thirty something.
Lorenzo
Considering how Barca had financial difficulties and their struggles, I feel like they need some help to deliver quickly within a season or two and they can have some time to build their team.
Klajdi (Klyde)
And you think Gundogan is the right answer. Yeah, I mean with Busqued leaving, I think they definitely needed someone in their role.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Chris, what is your opinion?
CHRIS
Go ahead, go ahead. I’m still thinking, I’m in the debate between two players. Go ahead.
Lorenzo
I think, yeah, I mean, there are a lot of transfers that happen, you know, big name players, promising players, even with Arda Guler, that was very close to signing for Barcelona and then went to Real Madrid last minute. But I think considering Barca’s current squad and their goals and, like I said, their financial difficulties, I think Gulligan is a player that has experience, has won. I feel like he can fit in the team right away. Compared to younger players who come from other leagues and might need some time to adjust.
CHRIS
I think I’m going to play it safe. I think it’s either Bellingham or Rice. I like both players a lot. I think Bellingham is going to fit in very well. That also depends on the rest of his team, because they still need a striker. And then Declan Rice as well. I think he’s a very, very good player. Arsenal, I think, got him for, you know, they did, I guess, pay a lot of money, but he’ll be worth it in the long run. I don’t know if Arsenal is going to do so well.
this upcoming season. They came off a very, very high last season. So that remains to be seen. But I’m leaning towards the Bellingham side more. I think he’s going to prove different levels that he showed at Dortmund. So that’s a safe option, I guess.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Okay, I think I’m gonna have a similar opinion with you, Chris, because as you guys know, I’m a German fan, so I used to watch Bundesliga a lot, and Bellingham definitely proved himself.
Klajdi (Klyde)
You know, considering his age, I mean, he’s not even 20. What? How old is, how old is Bellingham?
CHRIS
I think yes, it might be 20, 21.
Lorenzo
I think he just hit 20, but…
Klajdi (Klyde)
Okay, well, which, yeah, he’s very young and I mean, he even captained the Borussia side for, you know, for a few games when Reus was missing. So, you know, to be that young and to, to captain such a big team as, you know, Borussia, I think he definitely proved himself and.
Lorenzo
I mean, even in the English team, he definitely deserves the spot. You know, it’s not like a lot of younger players usually with the English team. They tend to, you know, rely heavily on the, on the EPL with somebody that young to come through, you know, from the ballistic and breaking the English first team.
So definitely, you know, probe themselves, but Real Madrid’s a different level, I guess.
CHRIS
Yeah, and England’s definitely, that’s one thing that they’ve always been against anyways. All of England’s team members have been through the Premier League, have never really looked. And I was kind of surprised too, even with Bellingham, he gave them that many chances because, okay, you look at the likes of like, Tomori and Italy, and you have, I think, well, I mean, Smalling is kind of out of it, but there’s some more players that play, you know, outside of the league, and there was that debate, and he never chose them, so.
CHRIS
Bellingham, he has a lot of trust in and you can definitely see why.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Do you think Southgate, or not just Southgate, but English managers in general, are they biased towards players that play in the Premier League and players that play outside?
CHRIS
Oh yeah, oh yeah, 100%. I think they, so, okay, there’s this debate of what’s the best league in the world, and I truly believe it’s the primary league, maybe for different reasons. I think since them being English and coming from that league and watching the majority of the primary league games, I think they have this bias towards themselves. They think they’re the best or the best league. But yeah, I mean, Jude has been, he kind of opened that way up for other players in a way.
CHRIS
I believe him and Sancho too, because Sancho didn’t, you know, he chose a similar career path. So they’re definitely opening that way up for these players. And it’s showing that, hey, if you have the talent, you don’t have to play in the Premier League to be getting called up for the national team and, you know, having this. So personally, like if you look at the likes of Beckham, Owen, you know, these were the original English players. Because during that time…
CHRIS
You know, English football was strictly in-house. They never really, you know, they didn’t go out of there. So it looks like Bellingham is one of, you know, you’re considering him up there with those likes, you know, of players and to be considered, you know, that good of a player, that’s very, very good. So I think he’s going to definitely show what he’s worth. Yeah.
Klajdi (Klyde)
So you just gotta live up the hype then, to the hype that’s created. Now let me ask you this because Gundogan obviously he’s gonna be a starter at Barcelona with Busquets departing and everything. What about Bellingham and Real Madrid? Like I know they spend a ton of money, big name signing, but you got other players at Real Madrid that play in a similar position, Tchouameni and Camavinga.
Camavinga is a little more flexible and he can play in another positions, is Bellingham a hundred percent starter from the get-go?
CHRIS
Oh yeah, why would they spend that type of money and why would they buy him if he wasn’t planning on starting? I think eventually he’ll even end up being captain too for that team. If it’s a long-term plan and everything goes well, definitely, I believe so that he’s gonna start every game and especially every important game, he might get the odd game out here and there, but he’s a 20 year old kid, he’s not gonna get tired.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Well, you gotta understand… They…
They paid a lot of money for Tchouameni also, don’t forget that.
CHRIS
Right, but it’s long term. I mean, they’re having their midfield. It’s a rebuild of their midfield. They’re having, you know, Kroos, Modric. They probably have another year left. There’s, they have no one between, you know, those two guys and they don’t have anyone else. They lost Cassemiro. They don’t have any actual like big name midfielders and now we’re seeing, okay, we saw Camavinga, a good player.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Well, they got Valverde, but he plays a little bit more advanced. What is Valverde’s natural position?
CHRIS
Oh, Valverde. Yeah, but Valverde is also 20 something, older in age too. You know, this is, you know, if we’re talking, it’s probably 25, 26 years old. He’s older than me. No, that’s very good age. But, you know, I believe Bellingham is going to be the first name on that team sheet. You wouldn’t spend that type of money to keep him on the bench, you know? And I think he’s going to rotate him in.
Klajdi (Klyde)
I’m not gonna mention Hazard or anything, but… Lorenzo?
CHRIS
No, I- Hey, I was like, it wasn’t that much money, but-
Lorenzo
So I think it’s going to depend on Bellingham. It depends how, I mean, he definitely has the quality, he has the talent to break through the first team. It is going to depend how long it takes him to adjust to the La Liga. So yes, they spend a lot of money and let’s not forget, soccer is not just on the field, it’s also off the field. Spend money, brand name, marketing, people expect to see Bellingham play. However, Real Madrid always is attracted to big name players. Some didn’t turn out, I mean, they spent a lot of money in Jovich before, promising, didn’t play. Also, if you think about Chelsea, Mudryk, a lot of money, had a hard time adjusting. Granted, these are different types of players, and Bellingham has a little bit more experience, even though he’s younger, but it’s gonna depend. If he’s able to break in the team, I mean, he’s definitely gonna give him the chance to play.
It’s going to be up to him. If he manages to pretty much make a name for himself with Real Madrid, I feel like it’s going to be hard to take him off the list. But if he’s having a hard time adjusting, any manager cannot justify playing him just because he spent a lot of money. And it’s Real Madrid, you know. It doesn’t matter. You need results.
CHRIS
What doubts do you have?
Klajdi (Klyde)
Right. And that’s why I brought up Hazard’s name. What were we saying Chris?
CHRIS
You say- it sounds like you’re doubting the guy. It sounds like he’s doubting. He has more doubts than me and you both do, unveiling him. I mean, obviously, because he picked another player too, also to answer this question.
Klajdi (Klyde)
I mean it’s a different league, although the Bundesliga and La Liga I wouldn’t say much different.
Lorenzo
No, I mean, my biggest…my doubt too is after Ronaldo left, it’s kind of real Madrid, even though we just had a great season, they relied on Benzema. So now Benzema left. It’s going to take some time to find their leader, so I don’t know what kind of tactics or what the coach is going to try to play. Until I find that whatever works for them, it’s going to be a bit of experimenting. So that’s why I don’t know.
CHRIS
Oh yeah, I understand. You’re not hiring this guy to score you goals. You’re hiring this guy to be the engine of the midfield. Even when Benjamin Ronaldo were there, he still had players like Molder G Cruz in the middle. So this guy’s work for a guy that’s not trained, he’s not gonna be selling a million t-shirts or whatever, jerseys, he’s not that type of player, but it’s definitely one of the most important players. For a person that has a trained eye that’s watching the game.
Lorenzo
That’s my dilemma. It’s kind of when the team doesn’t perform, it doesn’t matter. I mean, Bellingham can give five assists and if they’re not scoring, guess what? That doesn’t make the news. It’s the team tied or the team lost. So that’s going to devalue him as a player even though he’s having a great season. Because it’s not like he’s in the mid-table team and he’s having great games.
Lorenzo
He’s at Real Madrid, the top team. So if the team’s not doing good, everyone’s getting blamed, you know? And that’s, that’s why I have no doubt he’s going to do well. It just, it’s kind of like a transition period for Real Madrid a little bit. So that’s why I’m not sure.
Klajdi (Klyde)
Definitely. But Lorenzo, do you think he’s there for assists though? I think he’s there for the transition of the game from defense to offense. He’s not there necessarily to assist. That’s how I personally see it at least. So even if he doesn’t get assists, but he reads the game and the game, if the whole game goes through him, I think he would have done his job.
Lorenzo
But if you look at that position, like we said, you have Tchouameni, you have Camavinga, Modric is a playmaker. It’s kind of hard to just keep him for that, simply for that. He’s a creative player. He makes those runs, even at Dortmund, if you watch how he played, the guy takes a lot of the pressure and opens up other players. I mean, obviously it’s a different level now with Real Madrid, but…
Klajdi (Klyde)
But at Dortmund, I think Dortmund plays more open, so he had that flexibility. But at Real Madrid, because I see Bellingham as a Busquets type of player, right? Busquets never had any assists or any goals, but he was THE game, pretty much. That’s how I personally see it. And that’s how I see Bellingham at Real Madrid.
CHRIS
No, he has a lot more assets than Busquets, I think personally even though Busquets, he was the best on those two or three assets that he had, you know, I think Bellingham is a, he’s an all-rounded player, he’s got a decent shot, he’s got a very good pass, he has vision, he has, you know, a very good engine, he can run back and forth, because if you want to say, okay in Germany he was like that, but look at his game for England and you can argue England sometimes play pragmatic football, and that sound like they’re, you know, that’s not that free open game or attacking game, you know? That’s due to Southgate, but that’s a different story. But even there he shines, so.
Lorenzo
And that’s why I said I had my doubts because honestly, if you put even this year, even though Modric is old and getting towards the end of his career, if you put Modric and Bellingham together, they might just probably make one of the best midfield duos in the entire world. You have Modric as experience, as a visionary, proven himself over and over and you got Bellingham, right? But I mean, for Bellingham, it’ll be great to learn even from Modric, right? Cause he’s a top player too, if you have both of them playing at the same time, if you’re the opposing team, what do you do? You know, like who is the ball going to run through? So like that’s, it gives you a little bit of, you know, unpredictability. So it’ll be exciting to watch for sure.
Klajdi (Klyde)
It’s crazy to think that Modric is almost double Bellingham’s age. But I think Bellingham definitely is in the right team. He’s going to learn a lot from the likes of Kross and Modric. It’s going to be exciting. Yeah. So we got me and Chris think Bellingham is the best signing and we got Lorenzo who thinks Gundogan is the best signing. Only time will tell. But that was all for today guys. Thank you for tuning in the offsite perspective and we’ll see you in other episodes. Peace.