Jaime Mata

[Samwam27 519]

http://readnorwich.com/2018/01/04/norwich-linked-jaime-mata/

A striker - Now I''d be more excited if this comes off!

[ec-p 90]

It''s not that poster that detested Gary Hooper is it?

[Lessingham Canary 99]

But we won''t / don''t want to pay the release clause so not going to be easy.

[Hoola Han Solo 448]

Rather have Juan Mata.

[Molly Windley 76]

J`aime Mata translates as - I love bush

[Lessingham Canary 99]

@ Molly Windley

J`aime Mata translates as - I love bush

And i dislike Trump

[Guest]

29 year old who has never played in La Liga. Scoring record is eclectic to say the least.

[Badger 2,405]

I wouldn''t have thought a 29 year old would have fitted our recruitment strategy as I understand it - I thought that we were committed to buying players with a resale value?

[Van wink 2,994]

Yep not our type 😀

[GJP 79]

I''m not saying it about this lad in particular but clearly if you could sign a player who you believed could give you significant benefit in the short term it''s still worth looking at.

[Branston Pickle 3,632]

We signed a bit of a journeyman in Grant Holt at a fairly similar age and he worked out ok if memory serves correctly?! I know nothing about this fella or whether we''re interested, but if a guy can come in and do a job it doesn''t really matter what his age is.

[Year of the tiger 54]

How old was that fourth division striker we signed in 2009?

[Diane 500]

Wouldn''t take too much notice of anything from "Read Norwich" just rumours regurgitated from elsewhere and if you read their articles it says

" The report claims that although a bid is yet to be made for Mata, Norwich are extremely keen to land him. Although the Canaries are said to be unwilling to meet his release clause, they are willing to spend on the experienced striker. "

So a nothing story really ?

[kick it off 1,948]

Not that I put any stock whatsoever in this story, but having had a look on the much vaunted youtube montages, as is compulsory for players we are tenuously linked with to make absolute finite judgements on their abilities, I feel well placed to comment [;)]

My takeaways were:

1) He''s a decent size - 6''1 and a solid frame, seems to be able to hold players off when running with the ball, didn''t see any of him with his back to goal so not sure about his hold up play. He is quick. Not lightning quick, but quick enough not to get caught when he gets in behind.

2) He seems to make very intelligent runs and has good movement off the ball. Several of his goals have come from defence splitting passes and him going clean through, which if we hold on to Maddison and Pritchard we are very capable of playing that style of football. That is one element of our game we really lack - we have no ability to hit teams on a quick breakaway at the moment as Nelson doesn''t really make those kind of runs - I can see how Mata would fit into the team if we wanted to play that way. As mentioned in point 1, once he is in behind the defence, he doesn''t seem to get caught often and if he does, he holds the challenge off rather than trying to dance round the defender, he just gets between the defender and the ball and doesn''t let them make a tackle.

3) Gets into the box. Sounds stupid point to make for a striker but how many times have we seen Murphy flash a ball across an empty 6 yard box, or have to stop and allow defenders to catch up as no-one is busting a gut to get in the box? This guy gets himself exactly where you''d expect a number 9 to be in those situations and scores a fair few because of it. Very Grant Holt style in that respect.

4) He chases lost causes. A couple in the montage were goals that came from him chasing down and dispossessing the keeper or the last defender.

5) He''s got a bit of technical ability - one goal that stuck out was a beauty of a chip when he went through one on one with the keeper. Bit like Murphy''s against Arsenal but technique was better. He makes decisions quickly and then goes for it.

Overall, it''s hard to comment just from a couple of montages, but I do like the look of him from that - He''s obviously in a hot streak of form at the moment with 16 in 19, but his worst record at any club with 1 in 4 with Girona which isn''t terrible. With his current club he averages a goal every 205 minutes which is decent. 

The level of the Spanish segunda division is unknown to me so I don''t know how comparable it would be to Championship, how the quality/style of play differs or is similar.etc, and not having seen whole games, it''s hard to know how much he brings to the team, but in terms of the goals he scores he does look like the type of player we are missing up top and would definitely give us a different option to what we have.

[kick it off 1,948]

Youtube montage here for those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVupKLvy11I

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="kick it off"]Youtube montage here for those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVupKLvy11I

[/quote]

And here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6vGlc0ilN0

[MmmmGravy 0]

Someone''s got a bit ahead of themselves and changed him to a Norwich City player on Wikipedia too... I''d say it''s in the bag...

[AJ 1,218]

All I can think watching those clips is what wonderful attacking football - ''look at all those wonderful crosses and through-balls'' - he won''t get any of those here if he does sign up!

In Oliveira and Jerome''s defence, a lot of the problem this season is exactly that; we do not create enough goal-scoring opportunities. Don''t put the ball in dangerously near the goal and we don''t score. Simple as that. Oliveira is a fantastic finisher and poacher, but we''ve seen none of that really this season as he keeps having to drop deeper and deeper for the ball.

[Essjayess 307]

ReadNorwich are saying City are considering a 1 mill euro (about 900k pounds) bid for Mata. This for a guy who is top scorer in Spainish 2nd teir with 18 in 21 games this season and interesting a host of other clubs. Im sorry but if this story has any credence i dont know why City even bother...900k aint gonna get a striker with that prolific scoring rate, even if it is 2nd teir football.

[Rolf Harris 31]

Thinking behind it, is sell Jerome for 2mil and buy this guy for 900k.

[Cantiaci Canary 556]

Smells a lot like all of those players from Italy that we used to be linked to ... we are only being named to drive up his selling price to another Spanish side or he''ll end up with a new contract where he is.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Well the only problem I’d have is that he’s 29 so if we bring him in we ain’t gonna be able to sell him on for much and if he’s no good we are left with another naismith scenario. At £900k tho or even double that he’s worth a go if the scouting team think he’d do a job

[Donkey dangler 0]

Tettey''s Jig:Well the only problem I’d have is that he’s 29 so if we bring him in we ain’t gonna be able to sell him on for much and if he’s no good we are left with another naismith scenario. At £900k tho or even double that he’s worth a go if the scouting team think he’d do a job

So we have to be careful - do not offer £50,000 a week with a £8.5m transfer fee.

[Guest]

We signed a bit of a journeyman in Grant Holt at a fairly similar age and he worked out ok if memory serves correctly?

Correct.

However, that was to play in a team that played two up front with a diamond system, and support from that diamond in Hoolahan, even in the Championship.

Big difference.

[Essjayess 307]

[quote user="keelansgrandad"]We signed a bit of a journeyman in Grant Holt at a fairly similar age and he worked out ok if memory serves correctly?

Correct.

However, that was to play in a team that played two up front with a diamond system, and support from that diamond in Hoolahan, even in the Championship.

Big difference.[/quote]Maybe there''s a argument there then not to need to buy any new striker at all, unless its to replace Cam or Ollie should either leave. Thinking about it, Klopp does not employ an out and out striker does he?...seems to rely on  his attacking forwards to share the goals around. Maybe that is what Farke is looking to do.

[Rich T The Biscuit 562]

I think that argument might have just left the building, we’ve just lost one of our midfield players capable and when JM x2 go the midfield goals will dry up!!

[Woodman 92]

"Maybe there''s a argument there then not to need to buy any new striker at all, unless its to replace Cam or Ollie should either leave. Thinking about it, Klopp does not employ an out and out striker does he?...seems to rely on  his attacking forwards to share the goals around. Maybe that is what Farke is looking to do."

Interesting... I actually enjoyed the tactical approach v Chelsea, but against Championship teams where we are expected to attack & score, I''m not sure it''d work. Mind you, its so far away from what other Championship teams do, it could work! Sounds like a question for Parma...?!

[Guest]

I thought it worked OK against Chelsea. Worthy of another try I think but who would be the third man?

Wes? Have to say he is better at that end of the pitch.

Watkins? Maybe he might progress in a fluid role rather than as a support.

Everyone else is out on loan!

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

I too liked the ''no striker'' approach against Chelsea, it seemed to fit the overall system better than an uninterested playboy like Nelson playing as a largely immobile 9. Losing AP and Yanic would leave a vacant role alongside Murphy and Maddison - Wes would fit in nicely, but still waiting to see anything remotely decent in Watkins. Vrancic might actually be better in a role that doesn''t require so much grit - he''s a passenger in central mid, but give him a floating role and his distribution and movement might come to the fore. I''d love to see Glen Middleton given a couple of games from the bench, I think he could provide a bit of ''X-factor''. Or Cantwell, perhaps?

[Yorkshire Canary 118]

There is a shed load of negativity flying around this in isolation may not be a bad bit of business