CAM was a major key position that absolutely needed to be addressed. It was as much of a high priority as RW/CF/CM. One could even argue that CAM was the most important position that had to be fixed. See the 1st part of the post. It was further prioritized when an opportunity (De Ketelaere) emerged favorably to us that we couldn't pass up on. Favorable circumstances lined up for us to prioritize CAM above all else. Not so much out of choice, but a combined consequence of budget limitations and transfer opportunities that emerged last season. See the 2nd part of the post, which will also be about why we went so strongly after De Ketelaere.
1) Why was CAM a high priority position that needed to be addressed?
(i) CAM is a position that we haven't quite fixed since Hakan left. Even then, when he was here, we needed an upgrade. As fantastic as he was in that role, an upgrade could've done more. In any case, it's a position that had to be addressed, even when he was here and more so after he left.
(ii) If we hadn't bought De Ketelaere, we'd have started last season with 2 CAM options (Diaz/Adli) that weren't reliable guarantees. Diaz had yet another underwhelming season as CAM. A few good games but mostly struggled with consistency. Adli was a relatively unknown quantity for CAM who arrived from a relegated Ligue 1 side that finished last. He too had an inconsistent season - a mix of up & down displays at Bordeaux. It simply wouldn't be ideal, and could've been disastrous, to start last season with only Diaz & Adli as our CAM options. Both were clearly young project players that needed time/patience to grow/develop. Krunic was also a possible CAM option. He performed adequately whenever called upon but was really more of an emergency fill-in option. Not exactly in serious CAM consideration, let alone an option for the long-term.
(iii) From a tactical standpoint, it could be argued that CAM needed to be addressed the most out of all positions. Far too crucial in Pioli's 4-2-3-1 setup, as it is the dynamic focal point of his tactical approach and the team's effective gameplay. Vital role in team-play movement, from a playmaking perspective to an organizational standpoint. Not only that, the ideal CAM would elevate Pioli's system and unlock the next level of Pioli-ball, enabling a more team-oriented approach, especially in the offensive phase, with good combination plays/exchanges between players. The kind of team-oriented football that could ultimately get us back to the summit of European football where we belong. This is in contrast to the over-reliance on "iso-ball" that we seemed to have a habit of playing when Leao is on. We can't always rely on one player, or moments of individual brilliance, to bail us out every time.
(iv) In terms of personnel, CAM & RW needed the most attention out of all positions. At least CF & CM had good starters like Giroud/Bennacer/Tonali. RW & CAM lacked starting quality. Sure, it's not ideal to neglect any position. In a perfect world we'd have a big enough budget to fix all positions at once. Many of our desired recruitments can only be acquired gradually over the course of a few transfer windows. We have to pick our battles, as it were, every transfer window. Often it's also a matter of opportunities. Maybe the opportunities just weren't there last season for a quality RW/CF that fits our project. In comparison, this current transfer season has two amazing young RW prospects on their last contract year (Chukwueze & Williams) and a highly promising young CF (Nico Jackson) with a 35m release clause. We were in fact linked with Chukwueze early last year, but nothing happened. Could it be that we were just waiting for the right moment (last contract year) to make a serious push at him? We have to play the waiting game and patiently bide our time for opportunities when funds are tight.
2) Why De Ketelaere? Why was he a transfer opportunity that furthered our priority of CAM?
(i) He was a player we had targeted for a long time. One of the most highly rated young promising talents in all of Europe. Earmarked by many across Europe, but especially by our management/scouts as a young player with immense potential. If not for the present, then certainly for the future and the long term. He was viewed as possibly the biggest and most gifted creative talent to come out of Belgium since De Bruyne. A strong candidate to succeed De Bruyne as Belgium's next great creative player. He fits perfectly into our recruitment profile of young players with the potential to become top quality, like Rafa/Tonali/Kalulu/Theo. A good addition to our long-term project of building a team around a growing core of young players that would be the foundational backbone for many years to come.
(ii) He was identified as having the potential to be the ideal CAM in Pioli's system. His greatest asset is his passing/vision. A passer, first and foremost, with a "pass-first" mindset in his overall approach to football. Gifted with an excellent passing repertoire/range; capable of impressive passes from all over. Deep in midfield: delivering long lobs with pin-point accuracy, or defence splitting long through-balls that'd make any progressive playmaking regista proud. Farther up top, he's excellent in one-touch give-and-go combos around the box & final 3rd - flicks, tricks, backheels, no-looks, to simple/direct, efficiently weighted and executed quick short passes in tight spaces, delivered with finesse/precision. Above all, his finest gift as a passer is from around the trequarti area, between midfield and frontline. Operating as a trequartista will get the best out of him. It's the role that can fully utilize and maximize his talents. It's where he can be at his most dangerous/inventive, giving him the best chance to excel as a player and a match-winner. Even when he was mostly used as a CF (false 9) in his last season at Brugge, his natural tendencies seemed trequartista-esque. From dropping deep to midfield, to having a very pass-first mentality. Always looking to pass/assist/create goal-scoring chances.
He also has the attributes to potentially be a combination of all the various CAM approaches by different players that have assumed the role under Pioli. Hakan approached the CAM more or less like a midfielder - usually operating deeper in midfield than at the upper trequarti end. Diaz tended to play the role like a second forward - higher in the trequarti, closer to the striker, and around/in the box to be a goal threat. Krunic played that role with physicality and a pressing workrate, along with a direct/simple style of passing. De Ketelaere has the potential/talent to do all that and more.
(iii) Although he was principally bought for the CAM position, his versatility in other positions like CF/RW was definitely also taken into consideration. These two positions needed fixing too. His versatility in CF/RW is an added bonus that could've been handy during the season. By no means is he the ideal solution for those positions. He doesn't have the kind of natural goal-scoring instincts of an ideal 9, nor does he have the explosiveness and dribbling ability of an ideal RW for our system. While not ideal, he can still add much needed depth, or be a rotational piece in those positions. Having him as the 3rd/4th choice CF isn't a bad idea. He could even be a temporary solution to those positions, before we make a serious push at more ideal long-term solutions in the future, like Hojlund/Chukwueze.
(iv) He has plenty of Champions League experience and we needed a good injection of that into our young inexperienced CL squad. Maldini even specifically said that one of the main reasons for getting him was his CL experience. Despite being only 21/22, he was/is our most CL experienced player among all our players under 30 years old (except Origi). Last season was his 4th season of CL. In his final 2 seasons at Brugge, he started 11 of 12 CL matches. He was quite possibly their best player in many of the games, performing well against the likes of PSG, Man City, Leipzig, Dortmund.
(v) Biggest reason of all was that he was available and attainable. We had scouted/followed/targeted him for a long time, and he was finally available last season. Not only was he available, he strongly wanted to come to us. He had no interest in any club but us. This was an opportunity that we weren't going to miss out on. It's not always that we find ourselves in a position where a top talent only wanted us. He was also pushing hard to come to us; made every effort for the transfer to happen, including reducing wages to better facilitate the move. The stars had aligned. It was a golden opportunity that we simply couldn't pass up on. Once that happened, the decision to prioritize CAM was pretty much made for us. Buying him meant potentially resolving our CAM position once and for all. A long-term solution for a high priority position, considering his age/potential. Could we have gone for an RW instead? If a similar opportunity had emerged, then maybe, but nothing of note came up. Maybe there just weren't great RW opportunities last season, unlike the current transfer window with incredible RW prospects on their last contract year, like Chukwueze & Williams. Maybe we decided to hold off on our RW pursuit until this transfer window when the conditions are far more favorable for a top quality starting RW. Our modest transfer budget often meant that we couldn't buy whoever we want at any time, but have to be patient with the ever changing landscape of the transfer market, waiting for favorable opportunities to emerge.
I wanted everyone to be in the top 3.
