LEICESTER TIGERS 2020/21 SQUAD/TRANSFERS/CONTRACT THREAD Episode 3 The revenge of the Contracts.

[TigerFeetSteve]

Not sure about Jones defensively , certainly the proposed combination would be no worse ; Moroni would make a potentially exceptional signing.Good leader , great awareness.

I think with both Jones, if he’s coming, and to a lesser degree Scott, until we see them on the paddock, outside Ford, it’s difficult to make any real assumptions. What I would say is that a centre trio of Moroni, Scott and Jones, is quite a step up from Tuilagi, Reid and Eastmond, IMO

Man for man pretty much everyone is a step down on Manu when he turns it on but as a group of centres Scott, Jones and Moroni would offer us more as you say. Be interesting to see how Kelly develops, he looks a real unit already.

True but if you look at the percentage of time he's on the park to him not on the park through injury/England then from what I've seen all three of them are steps up on Reid and Eastmond

[Tiglon]

Let's remember that we've only been tentatively linked with Moroni and, as far as I'm aware, not actually been linked with Jones since a year or two ago. We've just spent the last 6 months expecting Alemanno to turn up because of a few rumours and reading too much into various statements.

Taute and Scott would potentially be a strong partnership - fitness permitting. The problem with having Manu, as talented as he is, was that we always (since he started earning the big bucks) seemed to have to neglect another area of the team (inside centre or, when Toomua arrived, the back row) which meant he was never able to be as effective as he could have been and hence poor value. Hopefully the silver lining of him sadly departing will be a more balanced squad.

[mol2]

Effectively we have lost 1 world class centre and 1 world class wing (Manu and May). The other departures are not top draw and to be honest were not going to get significantly better. Finding affordble replacements is another problem altogether.

The biggest issue is that the Covid situation has forced things financially and the end of the current season is effectively out of step with player contracts. Had we known we were going to lose those players, who we had under contract for next season, we would have been looking in the early spring at the latest.

Clubs are competing for a group of players who have been offloaded as surplus to requirements. Most of these will be squad players rather than high the level players that me might wish for- most of those have already got contracts for next season with other clubs so we may well have to make do for the end of this season and next season.

Even then quality signings will depend on not only covid passing but also on the club recovering financially and potential sponsors recovering enough to put money into Tigers. That may be even further away than the 21/22 season.

It is a real opportunity for the youngsters to step up and establish themselves in the first team.

[Traveller]

Effectively we have lost 1 world class centre and 1 world class wing (Manu and May). The other departures are not top draw and to be honest were not going to get significantly better. Finding affordble replacements is another problem altogether.

The biggest issue is that the Covid situation has forced things financially and the end of the current season is effectively out of step with player contracts. Had we known we were going to lose those players, who we had under contract for next season, we would have been looking in the early spring at the latest.

Clubs are competing for a group of players who have been offloaded as surplus to requirements. Most of these will be squad players rather than high the level players that me might wish for- most of those have already got contracts for next season with other clubs so we may well have to make do for the end of this season and next season.

Even then quality signings will depend on not only covid passing but also on the club recovering financially and potential sponsors recovering enough to put money into Tigers. That may be even further away than the 21/22 season.

It is a real opportunity for the youngsters to step up and establish themselves in the first team.

Is Nemani Nadolo not a world class player?

[BG01]

Effectively we have lost 1 world class centre and 1 world class wing (Manu and May). The other departures are not top draw and to be honest were not going to get significantly better. Finding affordble replacements is another problem altogether.

The biggest issue is that the Covid situation has forced things financially and the end of the current season is effectively out of step with player contracts. Had we known we were going to lose those players, who we had under contract for next season, we would have been looking in the early spring at the latest.

Clubs are competing for a group of players who have been offloaded as surplus to requirements. Most of these will be squad players rather than high the level players that me might wish for- most of those have already got contracts for next season with other clubs so we may well have to make do for the end of this season and next season.

Even then quality signings will depend on not only covid passing but also on the club recovering financially and potential sponsors recovering enough to put money into Tigers. That may be even further away than the 21/22 season.

It is a real opportunity for the youngsters to step up and establish themselves in the first team.

Is Nemani Nadolo not a world class player?

No, it's not like he scored more tries in the Top 14 last season than Radradra, Imhoff or Teddy Thomas.

[Mark62]

With the season restart 4 weeks away, if they are planning to use any as yet announced players, they need to get here pdq

[POSTIGER]

I have nothing to base this on other than supposition but I wonder if we thought Alemmano was in the bag and we were then pipped to the post by Glaws?

[RagingBull]

Nope. Outside of talks in December I think that was it.

[sam16111986]

Nope. Outside of talks in December I think that was it.

Considering who we were linked with and then who we got it might have been our intention to being in Alemmano or a similar level of experienced international lock but found that we couldn't get one in at the wage we had budgeted for. Enever will have been significantly cheaper than Alemmano so could have been the budget compromise.

[Leicestertinytiger]

Nope. Outside of talks in December I think that was it.

Yeah seems we were in the market for a lock, Alemanno, Orie etc it appears were all scouted. But seems we settled for Enever.

Think Green though could really have a big season under Borthwick. Haven’t seen the best of him yet in a Tigers shirt.

[Scott1]

Whens popcorn day???

[ay2oh]

Think we need to trust in Borthwick regarding locks

[Mark62]

Nope. Outside of talks in December I think that was it.

Yeah seems we were in the market for a lock, Alemanno, Orie etc it appears were all scouted. But seems we settled for Enever.

Think Green though could really have a big season under Borthwick. Haven’t seen the best of him yet in a Tigers shirt.

Agree totally regarding Green, thought he was poor last season, admittedly he’s not the only one, Borthwick will have a huge impact on the locks, and from ive read he has been doing some distance coaching with Henderson, who could make a real impact

[happywomble]

Lets no underestimate the effect Aled Walters will have, improving fitness skills and allowing everyone to perform those few % more, lifting everyone else and draining the opposition more!

[Mark62]

Lets no underestimate the effect Aled Walters will have, improving fitness skills and allowing everyone to perform those few % more, lifting everyone else and draining the opposition more!

Great point, and that’s al it is 3 or 4 % can make all the difference