We need to have some resiliency in key positions.
We could have gone all out for Abraham and then in the first game he does his ACL and we’re right back to having a relegation standard front line.
We need a group of 3 or 4 PL quality strikers, and wide men who can score from out wide and perhaps cover central striker (like Richarlison could)
We need to get away from these single points of failure in the team ‘oh Mina is injured then Keane plays and you might be relegated’ ‘DCL is missing so it’s a kid upfront or Demarai Gray’ ‘Patterson is out, there’s no other full back so it’s a formation change’
No other PL club has these problems. Even Leeds and Leicester who went down Bamford gets injured Rodrigo comes in, Iheanacho out then Vardy in or Daka.
We have to build resilience throughout the squad but also get quality in the starting positions.
For me upfront it needs to be:
New starting CF
Reserve CF/starting RWF
DCL
Simms/Cannon
To ensure that three genuine credible forward players have to be injured before we’re in the position of throwing a teenage striker upfront again.
Like in 13/14 when we had Lukaku Kone Jelavic Naismith Mirallas - Kone did his ACL but we could take the impact because we still had three front line strikers plus Mirallas who could cover. So then even if Lukaku was out for a period we could still perform, and then when even Traore joined and he got injured, we still had enough to last for the season. That level of depth is where we need to get to again.
Im really just saying we bring in 2 top notch u23 starters and any others would be lower cost for depth.
So while i agree on adding players i think the likes ofUruguayan Martinez at 3.5mil and Amad Diallo on loan (ideally with an option) would be PERFECT.
20m for gray and iwobi
£12.5-15mil for Iwobi and £5-7.5mil for Gray.
Were in a world where Salernitana were going to sign Maupay in January for £10mil+
if the rumours are true with Diallo on loan and Clarke for £15mil. Then with McNeil and Mills we'd have starters and cover on both wings...
...and savings on wages i expect + a bit more cash in the bank.
Rumours are generally made up but any rumours right now are especially fake.
The owner is concentrating on selling shares and he won’t be signing off on anything until that’s completed because the new investors will have a share in the outcome of any player investment.
The other decision makers at the club are all busy negotiating a payoff before they leave.
Thelwell and Dyche will be concentrating on cutting the fat from the current squad and offering extensions to the ones they want to keep, that’s the first job.
For me Branthwaite should have already been offered a contract extension.
If the DOF isnt allowed to sign off on purchases then it wouldnt be allowed to sign off on sales either -- I would expect there to be some leeway here.
Hi mate, I might be of some assistance.
An oblong is a shape, similar to rectangles in that the 2 adjacent sides are markedly longer than the width.
I hope this helps.
You sir are a square.
It’s not often a player linked is so bad / depressing the club have to actively tell journalists it isn’t true.
Some of the links are very good though...hopefully those are the true ones.
I don't think we should sell either Gray or Iwobi...some posters here think we should have an entirely new squad next season, I know...but if we sold them for half their current market value we would still get somewhere in the 20m region. That might seem mad to some of you but wait till you see some of the dross on offer for the same money.
As I mentioned above, if selling Gray and Iwobi (both with 1 year on their contracts) enables us to have:
LW: McNeil / Clarke
RW: Diallo / Mills
+ £5mil ish in cash... id be pretty chuffed.
You would rather sell the player, that we're still in the premiership cos of..
If it was going to happen, and at a ridiculous price like that, then we could replace him plus 2-3 players that would make a lot bigger difference to the team going forward.
I think that sum's up the sensible option whether you would rather have Pickford out or not..
You're saying you would sell if it meant say 2 long term difference makers coming in?
What price would you sell at, for me its £50mil.
I like the look of Ferguson at Brighton, looks a real handful, mobile and eye for goal. Can’t see them needing to or wanting to sell though. What happened to Moffi the Toffee last season? Is he still worth a shout?
He moved on loan from Lorient to Nice for 2.5mil and an obligation to buy of 22.5mil wirh 5mil in clauses.
So around 30mil (euros).
Lorient: 17games 12 goals
Nice: 15 games 6goals 3 assists
