Zatara
Player Valuation: £90m
Well, I'd also suggest that the players we have now if they fulfill their potential could be the best "team unit" since Joe Royle was manager if they can stick together. The quality is there.
A lot will depend on the playmaker as he will be the one who knits the side together and also a new keeper so we have half a chance in games.
For the mentioned players,
Garbutt has more youth caps than Baines and 12 u21 to Baines 16 whilst competing with Shaw and others (baines was the best LB in his age group by far), that may not mean much but Garbutt was in lower leagues on loan also. i think baines joined us at the same age garbutt is now and was competing with Lescott whilst garbutt of course competing with baines....i think we need to wait and see as baines wasnt great defensively when he joined us and Garbutt is more attacking also.
Galloway -- i think hes more highly rated than jagielka was at the same age?
If you look at most of the squad the players martinez is paying cash for (other than kone) are better than the ones he was left with.
A lot will depend on the playmaker as he will be the one who knits the side together and also a new keeper so we have half a chance in games.
For the mentioned players,
Garbutt has more youth caps than Baines and 12 u21 to Baines 16 whilst competing with Shaw and others (baines was the best LB in his age group by far), that may not mean much but Garbutt was in lower leagues on loan also. i think baines joined us at the same age garbutt is now and was competing with Lescott whilst garbutt of course competing with baines....i think we need to wait and see as baines wasnt great defensively when he joined us and Garbutt is more attacking also.
Galloway -- i think hes more highly rated than jagielka was at the same age?
If you look at most of the squad the players martinez is paying cash for (other than kone) are better than the ones he was left with.
Two things need to happen for us to get Top 4
Martinez, more or less, did the latter in his first season, but, to use your later example, Garbutt's pretty unlikely to be better than Baines and I'm not convinced that Galloway's going to be better than Jagielka, in fact, I think that's unlikely too.
- The players coming in need to be better than those finishing and
- Our team has to be better than the sum of it's parts
Pushing for Champions League is possible, thinking we're going to be good enough to win the Premier League is another thing entirely. I applaud your optimism, but I think it's misguided.