Navas and Nolito, how long?

Folks, how long do you think Navas and Nolito can keep it up at the top with Sevilla?

Navas signed for 4 years, till his retirement basically, and will turn 32 in November.

Meanwhile, Nolito signed for 3 years and will turn 31 in October.

Do you think they can keep it up with the pace and all that for 2 upcoming years at least?

I fear they might start to get worn out after this season… also the momentum will die and all that. Thankfully we have Sarabia and Correa just in case, but still, those cuts and runs from Navas will be missed.

I think they can keep it up for at least another 2 years at top level! Plus like you say we got great options in reserve so they don’t wear themselves out.

I like our squad. We have have great options and cover in all positions, probably except a striker short. We got lots of midfield options now with banega, Nzonzi, pizzaro, geis, ganso, Vasquez and MKD in central midfield. We got navas, nolito, sarabia and correa on the wings.

We have WBY and Muriel as CF options. Also, nolito or correa can play there too. Therefore plenty of opportunity to rest navas and nolito when they tire and keep them fresh.

Our defence is stronger too. Now have 4 great fullbacks, Carole and corchia look great buys and can help both escudero and mercado who are impressive too. Central defence positions, we have 4 decent centre backs, so enough cover there.

If we can keep most players fit and berrizo works the squad rotation well, I see us having an exciting season, being in the top 3-4 in the league and being strong in Europe and copa del rey. We need another striker but I think we might bring one in for January.

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I expect Navas won’t have a regular starting role beyond this season. He’ll be an off-the-bench option to add pace and crossing late if we are chasing a goal. And I would not be surprised at all if we try to transition him into a RB next season.

As for Nolito, I think he’ll be a regular starter for the next two seasons for us. Beyond that, it’s hard to say. He doesn’t rely much on pace right now, but slow wingers don’t age well. They end up having to move inside. I would guess he moves on after two years, either back to Celta or someone like Malaga.

Correa is going to lock down one of those roles by the start of 2018, and if we hold onto him, one of those guys is headed for the bench. Add in the crowded midfield and the necessity to get Sarabia as many minutes as possible, and there just won’t be enough minutes for both to regularly contribute.

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Liked what I saw from the Eibar game, Nolito is probably still finding his footing with the other players but his second half was much better, he isn’t going to rely on speed much but he is a good outlet and can really dribble all the way through. As for Navas I liked his close control and how he can link up with just about any right back. He could start every other game or come off the bench depending on his speed levels. By the time Correra or sarabia can take over I’m hoping one of the two can follow Reyes and play through the middle for us, but for this and the following season I’m just glad we have 2 quality wingers.

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So far I’m considering Nolito more productive than Vitolo. Although Vitolo had that thing in him of making something happen out of nothing, but still, Nolito can help us a lot with his experience and goal-scoring instinct in the left wing.

Nolito probably has more end product (goals and assists) than Vitolo, but he’s nowhere near as complete a player. The thing we’ll miss most without Vitolo is the way that nobody could knock him off the ball when he was running and he could just ghost by defenders despite not being particularly fast or tricky. He’s the winger version of Mousa Dembele.

I think Nolito has 1.5 good seasons in him. As for Navas, I feel we only have this season. I’m willing to be proved wrong though. But I feel that both are coming at a good time. The balance is right with the other players at their respective positions, in terms of experience & skillset.