Halilovic - a missed opportunity?

[NeymarSmith 130]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/amp/football/55044266

 

Just read he has signed for Birmingham city. Now, for those who haven't heard of Allen hililovic, he is a full crotian international at 24. He was off the Barcelona production line and tainted with being the next Messi. 

He has spent seasons on loan at Hamburg and AC Milan, and perhaps hasn't turned out to be as special as Barcelona wanted him to be.

However, considering that he is very experienced for a man of his age, has played in the bundesliga and serie A (okay, he didn't light them up but keep with me) is a full international, has time on his side, and was a free agent, surely he is exactly who we should sign.

Young, hungry with something to prove and certainly he has a degree of talent full stop at this that we are in short squad supply and clearly money wouldn't have been a problem seeing as he signed for Birmingham who I would imagine we could easily match and surely he would prefer ar us over them seeing as we are are promotional favourites and play play nice attacking passing football. 

Would he not be what our model is about. Rough diamond, polished up and let go. Low risk too. And Jesus, we the bodies in!

Thoughts?

[Crabbycanary3 994]

I don't know this player at all, so I am speaking from a general pov. He could, eventually, quite well be the next Messi (highly unlikely at 24 but he could do a turn at a decent level of course), or he could be the next Patrick Roberts. 

If he has signed for Brum, with all his past history , then you can imagine other, higher ranked teams have had a look at him, and, for a variety of reasons, have not taken a punt on him, no matter how cheap the deal is. He obviously has something about him, but has he got 'enough'?

I do trust our scouting/recruiting team

[seanthecanary 168]

Where would he play though?  He's an attacking midfielder, I don't think I would agree that we are short of talent in that area as you suggest.  With injuries maybe but with Buendia, Stiepermann, Cantwell, Dowell all fit, I fail to see the need.  

[king canary 7,580]

The fact he's kicking around on a free with his pedigree suggests some deeper issues.

If he can turn it around at Birmingham, good for him, but he's a punt in a position we're pretty well stocked at this point.

[jaywick_canery 28]

We want a keeper.

Edited November 26, 2020 by jaywick_canery

[The Real Buh 3,423]

“The next messi

Edited July 17, 2022 by The Real Buh

[seanthecanary 168]

6 minutes ago, king canary said:

The fact he's kicking around on a free with his pedigree suggests some deeper issues.

If he can turn it around at Birmingham, good for him, but he's a punt in a position we're pretty well stocked at this point.

I'm sure there must be some but I'm struggling to think of many free transfers that worked out well when they were signed months after a window closed

[lake district canary 4,531]

I'm 99% certain that he would have been looked at and assessed by our club. 

[NeymarSmith 130]

Yeah fair play lads. I'd like to make it clear that I wasn't bashing the club or the scouting dept.

Just makes me think that players like him are surely what we are about. But clearly for whatever reason we don't see anything in him.

[kirku 1,332]

According to some reports, he wouldn't pass Webber's personality test..

[king canary 7,580]

24 minutes ago, NeymarSmith said:

Yeah fair play lads. I'd like to make it clear that I wasn't bashing the club or the scouting dept.

Just makes me think that players like him are surely what we are about. But clearly for whatever reason we don't see anything in him.

He's a classic 'snap him up in a second on Football Manager' type players where you don't have to worry about him being difficult as much.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,680]

55 minutes ago, NeymarSmith said:

Yeah fair play lads. I'd like to make it clear that I wasn't bashing the club or the scouting dept.

Just makes me think that players like him are surely what we are about. But clearly for whatever reason we don't see anything in him.

And maybe that will turn out to be a good thing. Look at Roberts, Leitner.. I have heard about Halilovic before, and not in good terms. And if that is true would we really want to sign a player who's known for causing issues behind the scenes?

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,783]

Halilovic is a classic teenage wonderkid who has never fulfilled his potential or looked like doing so. He has played for several big clubs but never had any impact, and there must be a reason for that.

Besides, he plays in a position that we're relatively well stocked in and will be even more so in a few weeks. I doubt he was ever seriously considered.

[Andy G 10]

1 hour ago, king canary said:

He's a classic 'snap him up in a second on Football Manager' type players where you don't have to worry about him being difficult as much.

I did this, he sucked in FM too! 

[The Real Buh 3,423]

Who was the guy we had for a bit a few years ago when we were in the championship who was “the next gascoigne”? (A title currently held by Grealish)

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,783]

2 minutes ago, The Real Buh said:

Who was the guy we had for a bit a few years ago when we were in the championship who was “the next gascoigne”? (A title currently held by Grealish)

Marcus Edwards?

[king canary 7,580]

1 minute ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Marcus Edwards?

Apparently doing well in Portugal right now.

[The Real Buh 3,423]

1 minute ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Marcus Edwards?

Nah he was always injured then I think he went on loan and left. I swear he was a forest for a bit. So annoying I can’t think of him!

[The Real Buh 3,423]

JACOB BUTTERFIELD!!

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

Looks like he's done f*ck all in his career so far, despite being through it.

I know you meant "touted", but this was probably a Freudian slip...

4 hours ago, NeymarSmith said:

tainted with being the next Messi. 

1 cap for Croatia since 2016.

Every country has their own over rated kid who goes on to do nothing much at all in the game. 

He's the Croatian Francis Jeffers, next. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by TeemuVanBasten

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

1 hour ago, The Real Buh said:

Who was the guy we had for a bit a few years ago when we were in the championship who was “the next gascoigne”? (A title currently held by Grealish)

Glenn Middleton? 

[TeemuVanBasten 3,327]

58 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Marcus Edwards?

 

56 minutes ago, king canary said:

Apparently doing well in Portugal right now.

 

Sorted himself out in Portugal and linked to Man Utd in the summer! 

[NeymarSmith 130]

11 minutes ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

Looks like he's done f*ck all in his career so far, despite being through it.

I know you meant "touted", but this was probably a Freudian slip...

1 cap for Croatia since 2016.

Every country has their own over rated kid who goes on to do nothing much at all in the game. 

He's the Croatian Francis Jeffers, next. 

Freudian slip indeed. Thank you for pointing this out, I need to check before posting!

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,783]

1 hour ago, TeemuVanBasten said:

 

 

Sorted himself out in Portugal and linked to Man Utd in the summer! 

Apparently Spurs were linked with a move to bring him back. 

I guess it shows that some players can turn themselves round when the penny drops.