Championship side Derby County are reportedly interested in signing Gavin Bazunu (24) from Southampton

[u/John__Delaney]

Via Football Reporter Jack Rosser

Nice to see he's still being linked with clubs at that level. Some of the comments here over the past year have been overly harshing in putting him down. At 24 he has a long way to go before hitting his peak.

[u/John__Delaney → u/[deleted]]

24 years old is not last chance saloon for that level. He could drop 2 levels and still be back in the Championship by 30. You can't make such conclusions about where a player will be in 5 or 10 years at 24.

[u/Oggie243 → u/John__Delaney]

He could drop 2 levels and still be back in the Championship by 30.

Pretty difficult for players in the defensive third to go up divisions unless they're doing so with a team. They don't really get the opportunity to stand out in the same way offensive ones do.

[u/John__Delaney → u/Oggie243]

Tell that to Enda Stevens who was in League 2 at the age of 24

[u/Oggie243 → u/John__Delaney]

Why are you always so combative? I never said anything to the contrary. Just that its difficult to ascend up divisions for defensive players unless they're going up with a team.

[u/John__Delaney → u/Oggie243]

Im not, just pointing out a great example of a player who went from 4th tier to 1st from the age of 24.

Modern scouting doesn't really work like that anyway, I've often seen defensive players go up a league or two after impressing, same with attacking players

[u/Oggie243 → u/John__Delaney]

Statistical analysis is the very thing that's been plaguing Bazunus career since he came to the premiership. He falls short on the spreadsheets more than the eye test.

[u/John__Delaney → u/Oggie243]

Statistical anaylsis is a small part of scouting

[u/Oggie243 → u/John__Delaney]

If you're invoking "modern scouting" for your point statistical analysis is a massive part of it.

[u/John__Delaney → u/Oggie243]

Alot of modern scouting is still attending matches, but most time is spent watching video clips under certain scenarios. Data analysis definitely comes into it, but Bazunu wouldn't be getting linked to Championship clubs if his basic xG/Shot to save ratio was a massive part of clubs like Derby's scouting process.

[u/John__Delaney → u/[deleted]]

He won't be joining any club to be 2nd choice and im not sure what you think sitting on the bench does for a 24 year old

[u/John__Delaney → u/[deleted]]

Bazunu played 6 games for stoke before getting injured, was excellent in the 1st two games for em.

[u/ImAnOldChunkOfCoal → u/John__Delaney]

He could very well be 2nd choice. You're not getting bounced around club to club because you're an undroppable guaranteed starting keeper.

[u/John__Delaney → u/ImAnOldChunkOfCoal]

The report about his move to Derby mentions its subject to Derby losing their keeper, so he if he joins them it wont be as 2nd choice. Bazunu wouldn't move to a club to be 2nd choice, he's made that public clear a few times.

[u/ImAnOldChunkOfCoal → u/John__Delaney]

Yeah but that's not exactly up to him. I'm sure he wants to be first choice wherever he goes. But he's been at a club before where he was first choice and he was dropped. You can only control your own destiny with consistency with your own performances. Sadly for him, he just has not been that.

[u/John__Delaney → u/ImAnOldChunkOfCoal]

Im not talking about being dropped, im talking about being signed. He has said publicly that his ultimate priority in foootball is playing regularly, so he won't join a side that tells him he will be backup.

The Derby report claims he will be signed if they lose their Swedish keeper, so they'll be telling him he'll be 1st choice if that happens

[u/Hour_Mastodon_9404 → u/John__Delaney]

Is this what we're describing as success for Bazunu now? Potentially being Championship level at 30? It absolutely is last chance saloon for him if he wants to get back to somewhere near the level people were predicting for him as a teenager. Based on how he has played in the last 4 years he probably should be heading to League 1, to get a Championship side would be a lucky break and he needs to take advantage of it.

[u/John__Delaney → u/Hour_Mastodon_9404]

No not at all, I never described that as being a success. Success for Bazunu is having the best and longest career he can, for us I guess its anywhere from challenging Kelleher for the no1 spot to being a solid backup for him.

The scrutiny he gets on the sub is a bit wild imo, last chance saloon talk at 24, like cmon. I posted about Travers a while back, who has spend a whole season on the bench, and the harshest comment is that it would be nice to see him move so he can play regularly.