DirtyDishFC

Like I have pointed out in the past he has excelled at doing all the things you want a striker to do.. work hard, bring others into play, all of it. He has just consistently lacked service. Hopefully you guys can get him that service. As an outside observer I thought it was tactically questionable to not start him against City but maybe its better for the long haul. He has done grunt work a long time and against better sides maybe that is better for Pukki. Keep matches tight. Let Sargent work his tail off and bring on Pukki, who is definitely capable of being clinical for the final 20 minutes to nick results that people will write off beforehand. I have no idea what he will become but Im excited to see him get a chance in a league that I think he can do a good job in. If nothing else he can be a scrapper. There is definitely room for that in teams needing to scrap. Like I alluded I think that will help an aging Pukki be the best he can be as well. Very interested to see how you do on the weekend. I suspect he wont start mainly cause Pukki has earned the chance to lead the line out of the gate. Incredibly hard start to the season. I do think that come week 4..there is real opportunity to put the nail in Mikel Arteta's coffin.

The bigger clubs tried in Germany when he was just eligible to go abroad. Probably made the right choice in terms of playing time and to get experience. I say this as an outsider but I hope he gets time to integrate into the side. Maybe play some sub minutes and cup games early on. He will work hard and I think that might be part of why he was targeted. For those matches that maybe Pukki wasting his legs for 60 minutes against certain teams that hold the ball and play at high levels. He can work his socks off, hopefully score for you guys in those games, but tactically allow for a more clinical player to come on with fresh legs to nick results and gain points where most would say the other team is the favorite. https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/josh-sargent-turned-down-bayern-munich-borussia-dortmund-for-werder-bremen-2807-1340

The Bundesliga site just posted this article and it does give a fair assessment with some quotes from his former manager and I believe the current technical director. I hadnt really thought of it in the way they point out that he may be akin to a Roberto Firmino type player. Which obviously needs to be used in a certain fashion. Ill leave it here for anyone that wants to check it out. It does sound like this is happening as the Bremen hierarchy admitted that he has been released from training to finalize a move in the coming days. https://www.bundesliga.com/en/2bundesliga/news/where-is-josh-sargent-s-best-position-werder-bremen-usa-striker-16737

Yeah I think the financial issues the club has been faced with over the last few years and they began to focus too much defensively. A couple years back they were almost relegated but they did find themselves in a lot of high scoring affairs. I think their manager focused too much on pragmatism and the chance creation just dried up. Some key injuries didnt help. It was a long time coming for their relegation. They are the type of club like a Villa who could probably turn it around quickly, but sometimes you have to lose some guys you dont want to lose. If push came to shove Im sure they would like to keep Sargent, and part of me wonders if scoring a bunch of goals in the 2nd division wouldnt be the worst thing for him as a player. At the same time finances are an issue for practically every club that doesnt have a tycoon running them willing to eat the losses that COVID has brought. I think they lost their identity along the way, so a reset in expectations is probably good for them.

Full disclosure. I am American and I have seen him play probably 40 times for Werder Bremen (couldnt stomach much more). Obviously his goal scoring numbers are not what you would want for someone with that many appearances at that "striker" position. Now I say "striker" because he often would play off the right despite being designated up top. Usually Fullkrug, Osaka, etc would play more central. Sargent, outside of the goals, has been in the top percentile in about everything else in Bundesliga play compared to his striker counterparts although at times its like he was a false 9 playing the role of a 6. His work rate is strong, his passing is solid although Bremen were VERY bad so it wont show in assist numbers. He is a workmanlike player. What he needs to find is his goal scoring prowess. This is his manager till this season as of January of last year. “I don’t know if it’ll take one year or half a year or two weeks, I’m not sure and I can’t say,” Kohfeldt said “But if he stays like this – he is very, very calm in the locker room and he is focused, and on the pitch he’s full of energy – he will one day be one of the league’s top strikers, I’m completely sure.” He has been rumored to almost every team in the German top flight outside of Dortmund. Even Bayern had been rumored as they were looking for someone to do a job (hence Choupo Moting) if Lewandowski's stead. Can I say for certainty he has what it takes, nope. He needs to find the back of the net. If he was your go to guy right away would I be worried about that kind of pressure...100%. I think competing with Pukki, among others, will greatly benefit him and the club because his others facets of his game will push those around him. I do expect he would play some role early, and tactically he does make sense for you guys coming back to the top flight. As someone who wants Sargent to succeed for reasons based around International play and to see him improve, Im intrigued by this move. He is likely the starting #9 for the US ahead of Darryl Dike and others. I think also its a smart play to hedge bets in case the season doesnt go the way you like. I think he would do a very good job in the Championship if it came to it (hopefully it doesnt of course). The one thing I will say in his defense on the goal scoring. Living off scraps in terms of what he was offered would be putting the brightest lipstick on the biggest pig with what he often had to work with Bremen. The only guy I found remarkable was Rashica but he was inconsistent at times and injured at other times. Best of luck. I do expect his work rate will be appreciated to begin with. Of course, given the nature of the beast, his ability to progress and find a better return rate on goals will be the key to his success assuming he does end up with you guys.