Theo Corbeanu

[InglewoodJack]

For those who’ve watched him, how does he compare to Bryan Zaragoza? Both same age, both can score- Zaragoza is obviously a bit farther ahead in his career, but the thing that sticks out the most to me is that Corbeanu is almost a foot taller than him- Zaragoza is 5’5 and Theo is like 6’3? 

[Unnamed Trialist]

18 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

It’s a shame that they were knocked out of Copa Del Rey by a 4th (?) tier team, because those are the perfect matches for them. Cup shouldn’t matter for them, they’re focused on staying afloat, so give him run in a meaningless game and see what he can give you. 
 

Definitely not playing this weekend, then vs Barcelona, that would be quite the trial by fire, but maybe Granada figures it’s a scheduled loss so may as well just let the new guys get some run and see what happens. I think realistically we may see him on the 18th against Almeria. That would be my guess. 

Actually they were not knocked out by Arousa, they won 0-3 but played an illegible player, I think from the reserves, who was technically too old, and were eliminated for that reason. But that was back in November. 

As they will be chasing a lot of games, I do expect Theo will get minutes, to help break down defenses. Though the biggest problem they have is an unreliable back line and keepers.

As for @InglewoodJack asking for comparisons with Bryan Zaragoza, he's small, tricky, lithe, can dart into the box, has a great dribble going both ways, quick release of his shot. But very raw still, with little experience. I am not sure he'll pan out at all. Then, Zaragoza had that killer game vs. Barça on the left of the attack, so really, they are not comparable at all. 

Edited February 1 by Unnamed Trialist

[CanadaFan123]

Nothing captures the goldfish mind of football supporters more than people calling this the biggest Canadian move of the January window lol.

 

[jdheid]

13 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Nothing captures the goldfish mind of football supporters more than people calling this the biggest Canadian move of the January window lol.

 

What move would be bigger though?

[Unnamed Trialist]

Just now, jdheid said:

What move would be bigger though?

Tajon.

What is amazing is that players you would not say are at the level of the big 4 leagues, or not clearly, are appearing with a lot less effort than Canadian players used to have to make. Doors are opening, the biases are falling, now it just has to pan out in NT results.

[nolando]

It's weird but Jeff's (and others') descriptions above of Granada also seem fitting for Theo: flashes of brilliance on a  bigger stage, somewhat inconsistent, skillful, possible top tier footballer, also potential second tier star.

[Obinna]

18 minutes ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Nothing captures the goldfish mind of football supporters more than people calling this the biggest Canadian move of the January window lol.

 

That's true. However, fair to say Corbeanu is the biggest surprise of the window? Tajon to Inter didn't come out of nowhere in the way Corbeanu to Granada did. The links have been out there for a long time.

Nobody saw this move coming though and the fact it's to La Liga, with seemingly a realistic shot to actually play, makes it a very pleasant surprise indeed.

[CanadaFan123]

6 minutes ago, Obinna said:

That's true. However, fair to say Corbeanu is the biggest surprise of the window? Tajon to Inter didn't come out of nowhere in the way Corbeanu to Granada did. The links have been out there for a long time.

Nobody saw this move coming though and the fact it's to La Liga, with seemingly a realistic shot to actually play, makes it a very pleasant surprise indeed.

Yeah I’ll take biggest surprise of the window for sure. Biggest move just isn’t true though. One team was the UCL finalist and the other is fighting relegation. 

[InglewoodJack]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Actually they were not knocked out by Arousa, they won 0-3 but played an illegible player, I think from the reserves, who was technically too old, and were eliminated for that reason. But that was back in November. 

As they will be chasing a lot of games, I do expect Theo will get minutes, to help break down defenses. Though the biggest problem they have is an unreliable back line and keepers.

As for @InglewoodJack asking for comparisons with Bryan Zaragoza, he's small, tricky, lithe, can dart into the box, has a great dribble going both ways, quick release of his shot. But very raw still, with little experience. I am not sure he'll pan out at all. Then, Zaragoza had that killer game vs. Barça on the left of the attack, so really, they are not comparable at all. 

Thanks for the description- that does sound a lot like Corbeanu though, minus the size- I guess a Corbeanu/Insigne hybrid? Theo is a great dribbler, he has a good release, very raw and minimal experience, and who knows how we'll end up. The thing with Zaragoza that sticks out to me really is his size. I get that there have been many elite small players, but a 5'5 winger would need to be tip top, world class to fit in at a massive club like Bayern, no? They also have Irakunda coming up the pipeline, and per that profile, minus the quick release, it seems like they'd be better served finally converting Davies to a winger than sign this guy? I'm sure their scouts see something in him, it's a massive move and they even moved the move up 6 months, so there has to be something there. Just surprising he's going to Bayern and surprising that Granada is replacing him with Corbeanu. Curious to see how both end up.

[jdheid]

50 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Tajon.

What is amazing is that players you would not say are at the level of the big 4 leagues, or not clearly, are appearing with a lot less effort than Canadian players used to have to make. Doors are opening, the biases are falling, now it just has to pan out in NT results.

Oh yeah, forgot about that one.

[InglewoodJack]

1 hour ago, CanadaFan123 said:

Nothing captures the goldfish mind of football supporters more than people calling this the biggest Canadian move of the January window lol.

 

Well, it’s exciting. Tajon to inter has been a “done deal” since what, like May? We all thought Corbeanu was going to like Denmark or MLS until yesterday. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

32 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Thanks for the description- that does sound a lot like Corbeanu though, minus the size- I guess a Corbeanu/Insigne hybrid? Theo is a great dribbler, he has a good release, very raw and minimal experience, and who knows how we'll end up. The thing with Zaragoza that sticks out to me really is his size. I get that there have been many elite small players, but a 5'5 winger would need to be tip top, world class to fit in at a massive club like Bayern, no? They also have Irakunda coming up the pipeline, and per that profile, minus the quick release, it seems like they'd be better served finally converting Davies to a winger than sign this guy? I'm sure their scouts see something in him, it's a massive move and they even moved the move up 6 months, so there has to be something there. Just surprising he's going to Bayern and surprising that Granada is replacing him with Corbeanu. Curious to see how both end up.

Why does a winger need to be tall, I don't get it? They are rarely in the box far post for a header. Ribery was 5'7, Lahm was the same height progressing up the wing, speaking of Bayern legacies. Bayern wants someone to beat his man on the wing and release for a shot or centre. 

Shaqiri, Alexis Sánchez, I think both are shorter in fact. Insigne is too. Bryan Zaragoza may end up playing like Insigne, attacking mid on the left, Davies' side.

But as I say, I am not sold on Zaragoza. I realise people might think he's much further along than Theo, going to Bayern, but I am not sure he'll handle it. he's just emerged, he has barely left home; at least Theo has had multiple loan deals and has been around, he'll adjust here as he has elsewhere, I think. 

[InglewoodJack]

3 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Why does a winger need to be tall, I don't get it? They are rarely in the box far post for a header. Ribery was 5'7, Lahm was the same height progressing up the wing, speaking of Bayern legacies. Bayern wants someone to beat his man on the wing and release for a shot or centre. 

Shaqiri, Alexis Sánchez, I think both are shorter in fact. Insigne is too. Bryan Zaragoza may end up playing like Insigne, attacking mid on the left, Davies' side.

But as I say, I am not sold on Zaragoza. I realise people might think he's much further along than Theo, going to Bayern, but I am not sure he'll handle it. he's just emerged, he has barely left home; at least Theo has had multiple loan deals and has been around, he'll adjust here as he has elsewhere, I think. 

I don’t think they need to be tall, but Zaragoza is 5’5- shorter than every name you list except Insigne who is an outlier, which is precisely what Zaragoza needs to be. Lahm, Ribéry were world class- I think if you’re at that height, you need to be at that level, so I guess that’s what Bayern sees in him. He’ll likely be the smallest player on the pitch any time he plays- you don’t need to be a giant, but if you have physical limitations, you have to have the skill to make up for it. Like I said, Bayern’s scouting department clearly see something my rudimentary scouting skills are missing so I’m sure they have a plan for him. As you say, he may not even pan out. Bayern has the luxury of buying whoever and figuring it out later, so maybe it doesn’t work. With all this said though, I think with the right opportunities, I think Corbeanu has a great physical profile and an insane amount of skills, so now that he belongs to a club that (I hope) doesn’t loan him out, I think we’re going to see him take a really exciting leap. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

I haven't seen that he's passed his medical, so still waiting a bit. And no new news for the last 5-6 hours.

[InglewoodJack]

Veth says it’s finalized:

https://x.com/manuelveth/status/1753100739617149311?s=46&t=spIaqlQfufAO3HreB1455Q

[Obinna]

15 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

Veth says it’s finalized:

https://x.com/manuelveth/status/1753100739617149311?s=46&t=spIaqlQfufAO3HreB1455Q

TFC would have been very interesting. He's be a very ideal replacement off the bench for Bernadeschi. Obviously the idea of him playing for Granada in La Liga is far more appealing, though.

[InglewoodJack]

12 minutes ago, Obinna said:

TFC would have been very interesting. He's be a very ideal replacement off the bench for Bernadeschi. Obviously the idea of him playing for Granada in La Liga is far more appealing, though.

Their interest makes sense, but interesting that Herdman was this interested in corbeanu considering he didn’t seem to rate him as highly for Canada. 

[Obinna]

1 minute ago, InglewoodJack said:

Their interest makes sense, but interesting that Herdman was this interested in corbeanu considering he didn’t seem to rate him as highly for Canada. 

Makes me question that narrative, actually. Herdman gave him the Uruguay friendly, which was a big opponent. He also gave him the 2021 Gold Cup.

Yes, he missed out on the biggest stage of all, but it's a numbers game. Herdman rates Brym (another narrative) but he missed out on the WC too.

 

[InglewoodJack]

2 minutes ago, Obinna said:

Makes me question that narrative, actually. Herdman gave him the Uruguay friendly, which was a big opponent. He also gave him the 2021 Gold Cup.

Yes, he missed out on the biggest stage of all, but it's a numbers game. Herdman rates Brym (another narrative) but he missed out on the WC too.

 

That’s fair- I just feel like other young players a lot more highly- Brym, Bombito, JRR; different positions for sure, but I was always disappointed in how few appearances TC got. He has improved over the last year, so maybe if Herdman was still the coach he’d be calling him up next window, but I figured he wasn’t too sold on him. 

[Footyeh]

Brym should never get another call up over Theo

[narduch]

19 minutes ago, InglewoodJack said:

That’s fair- I just feel like other young players a lot more highly- Brym, Bombito, JRR; different positions for sure, but I was always disappointed in how few appearances TC got. He has improved over the last year, so maybe if Herdman was still the coach he’d be calling him up next window, but I figured he wasn’t too sold on him. 

I bet TFC were looking for a cheap loan. Whereas Wolves were looking for a transfer 

[Shway]

13 minutes ago, Footyeh said:

Brym should never get another call up over Theo

This is weird. Theo still has to play.
Just cause he's at Granada doesn't mean he automatically trumps someone who's getting actual minutes. 

[Dominic94]

58 minutes ago, Obinna said:

TFC would have been very interesting. He's be a very ideal replacement off the bench for Bernadeschi. Obviously the idea of him playing for Granada in La Liga is far more appealing, though.

He definitely doesn’t need to be coming off the bench, he needs to play

[Obinna]

3 minutes ago, Shway said:

This is weird. Theo still has to play.
Just cause he's at Granada doesn't mean he automatically trumps someone who's getting actual minutes. 

I think the assumption here is that he does play. Point taken, though. He shouldn't be called ahead of Brym if he's playing and starting in the Eredivisie and Corbeanu is glued to the bench in La Liga.

[Bison44]

It is a weird sentiment though.  Corbeanu is the same player he was 2 weeks ago.  Same as Larin, we all knew his capabilities, all watch him closely, but it seemed like once he got into a LaLiga side everyone else thought he had made a huge jump in skill/abilities.  Same with Tajon, he may be with Inter, but he is still the same guy who didnt light up the jupiter league and yet shows such special talent in WCQ against top national teams.  Its like we have a lazy or biased way of looking at players.  Put up pictures of Tajon with Brugge, CMNT and Inter jerseys on and people will give him wildly different skill ratings mainly based on the jersey.  

As for Theo, I dont get to see him much at all, but if he did OK in Championship with Blackpool, and in the Swiss league, why wouldnt he be good enough to get some games in a bottom LaLiga team??  Like UT said, mb some of the doors are opening for CDN, people are actually looking at our guys without negative sterotypes attached to them.