[Albion] Aaron Connolly - Just a thought?

Machiavelli said:

I'm not of that view. There are other alternatives beyond the binaries you offer. I actually think Connolly should go out on loan in January to prove himself at a higher level. Either the Championship, or something similar to Hoffenheim would be the best option.
We play one up-top. Murray is in possession of the shirt at present, Andone offers an alternative and deserves the chance to prove himself. Locadia is, how shall I put this, a 'work in progress'.
Murray isn't going to last too much longer. Finding a replacement is going to be extremely difficult, and we'll need a range of different players who can play up front. I think that Connolly could be in that mix, but he hasn't done enough yet to demonstrate that he'll be able to bang them in in the PL let alone contribute in other areas that the role requires. If he can prove himself at Championship level or a decent league like the Bundesliga, he ought to be included permanently in our 25/18 next season (when still a teenager).

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I am hoping he doesn't go out on loan. He got on the bench in the Caraboa Cup v Southampton. So who knows if you get lucky and get a couple of lower league teams in the early stages of the FA Cup. Who knows he might get a run out in the first team but if he does, like any player, they need to grab it almost immediately because competition is tough at PL Level.

Aaron is apparently a very special talent and sometimes it is easier to monitor their progress by keeping them ''in house'' - Also it depends on the temperament of the individual. For Solly a few years ago, it was deemed a better option to keep him around than send him out on loan and he became a regular first teamer by staying ''in house''

nwgull said:

Connolly is still only 18, so you can hardly claim he’s being held back....................

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I didn't say he is. I am concerned that if he does get held back he might be off.

Machiavelli said:

I'm not of that view....................

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I know!

Machiavelli said:

There are other alternatives beyond the binaries you offer. I actually think Connolly should go out on loan in January to prove himself at a higher level. Either the Championship, or something similar to Hoffenheim would be the best option.
We play one up-top. Murray is in possession of the shirt at present, Andone offers an alternative and deserves the chance to prove himself. Locadia is, how shall I put this, a 'work in progress'.
Murray isn't going to last too much longer. Finding a replacement is going to be extremely difficult, and we'll need a range of different players who can play up front. I think that Connolly could be in that mix, but he hasn't done enough yet to demonstrate that he'll be able to bang them in in the PL let alone contribute in other areas that the role requires. If he can prove himself at Championship level or a decent league like the Bundesliga, he ought to be included permanently in our 25/18 next season (when still a teenager).

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Believe it or not, I am not at all averse to him going out on loan in January. In fact, as long as it was the 'right' loan I'd be quite pleased. But ............... I would like a couple of ten minute cameos before he goes (and that has no effect on Murray and Andone - and of course, the suggestion - which I certainly never made - that he should replace Murray is total poppycock), and maybe keep him here until the 3rd. round of the FA Cup before his loan commences.

GT49er said:

I didn't say he is. I am concerned that if he does get held back he might be off.
.

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Well he’s under contract, so he’s not really got that option for a couple more seasons, even if he did feel that being loaned out for senior experience was beneath him, which I’m sure he doesn’t.

GT49er said:

I didn't say he is. I am concerned that if he does get held back he might be off.


I know!


Believe it or not, I am not at all averse to him going out on loan in January. In fact, as long as it was the 'right' loan I'd be quite pleased. But ............... I would like a couple of ten minute cameos before he goes (and that has no effect on Murray and Andone - and of course, the suggestion - which I certainly never made - that he should replace Murray is total poppycock), and maybe keep him here until the 3rd. round of the FA Cup before his loan commences.

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I'm not sure I've stated that you've indicated that he should replace Murray, but feel free to substantiate that claim if my memory is again failing me.
The 10 minute cameos isn't quite as easy as you think. Previously on this thread, I said that these make it far easier for big clubs to bed in youngsters as games are regularly out of sight after 70 or 80 minutes. That luxury is unlikely something that we'll experience. [MENTION=30752]NooBHA[/MENTION] has access to the man in the know and offers an alternative view, but one thing that CH often says of a player who isn't getting into the first team is that "he needs to be playing". I think this is the case with Connolly, particularly as we need to prepare for a post- or limited-Murray world. Another potential issue with this view is that we could easily be knocked out of the FA Cup in an early round, and that will limit the opportunities for Connolly -- probably to nothing, unless we can secure PL status relatively early and Bloom/CH think that blooding Connolly is a preferable option to trying to finish higher up the table (which comes with its own financial rewards).