I like his teeth. Also his footballing skills. And he seems like a fighter. He is representative of the sort of player, both in terms of skill and personality that I want to have at the club. So to answer the original question, first impression? Favourable.
Think there's a difference between the label of a formation and the actual formation, 442, 451, 4231 are pretty arbitrary. However a 4231 is really a 442 with one of the strikers dropped deep and the 2 wide midfielders pushing up.
Think you might be exaggerating a little there. Think most people would agree that He used to be pretty rubbish (miles may vary) He took a lot of s*** for it He worked really hard and is a lot better than he used to be Many / most people are glad / proud that he has worked really hard to improve and that he is definitely improving The contentious point seems to be Is he or will he ever be good enough for the team?
Jen Chang mentioned that he thought the budget would be in the vicintiy of £35 million per season. How accurate this is I cannot say, but I'd be very happy with that figure.