What positions need strengthening still ?

mkrudden · November 25, 2015

Keeper.
Heir to Barry's throne.
Someone to compete with Kone for that left hand side, ie a pienaar who can hold the ball and bring people into play.

Dithering Dougie · November 25, 2015

mikeh72 said:
Surely you can't be happy with the lack of competition for Super Timothy USA, Doug?

No but I wonder (hope) if any of our junior keepers are capable of stepping up Mike?

efcjames · November 25, 2015

Keeper and Striker

daz4matty · November 25, 2015

Keeper and number 10

Blue Parkender · November 25, 2015

Keeper, No10 and Yarmolenko.

Ehrlin · November 25, 2015

I want a long time replacement for Barry. Don't think Besic can fill his shoes, especially his passing game isn't as good as Barrys.

Zatara · November 26, 2015

Right back - We have Holgate/Pennington/Kenny/Browning who can all get game time here as backup to coleman. Same as Galloway has done which could be invaluable. Also perhaps we will keep Mattioni.

Striker --Good shout on Austin with his contract expiring.

Left Winger - £15mil / £20mil needed

Keeper - Butland £20mil

Bringing in those 3 players actually allows us to move on 7 or 8 which brings in some fees and gives us a healthy cutback on wages.

Hibbert/Osman/Gibson/Howard/Pienaar/McGeady/Naismith...

Hoping for a fair bit of action here.

Jags said:
In January, a young back up right back, a young back up striker (Austin?), and (I wish) a new goalkeeper. We're well stocked out wide. The forward could well be a loan like.

4737carlin · November 26, 2015

I don't think we need a striker at all, get another out and out striker to go with Lukaku and you run the risk of having a situation where the two up from don't work together for the benefit of the team, Chelsea and United have both had that problem over recent years. Lukaku knows he is the main man, don't want to upset that apple cart this season.
If anything i think we should go for another center half for extra cover at the back. And a keeper of course.

Zatara · November 26, 2015

And if lukaku is out....?

We have zero strikers...Naismith and Kone arent out and out replacements.

4737carlin said:
I don't think we need a striker at all, get another out and out striker to go with Lukaku and you run the risk of having a situation where the two up from don't work together for the benefit of the team, Chelsea and United have both had that problem over recent years. Lukaku knows he is the main man, don't want to upset that apple cart this season.
If anything i think we should go for another center half for extra cover at the back. And a keeper of course.

Zaschrona · November 26, 2015

I see 3 definite needs:

A goalkeeper - a new number 1 - we need to replace Howard for sure in the end of the season, I would think playes like Handanovic, Valdes or Mandanda could be decent options as their contracts in their clubs are ending and so could be cheaper to bring them in

A creative attacking midfielder that can play number of positions - ideally Yarmolenko - we need a long-term player with a big creativity to play in our offensive 4 with Lukaku, Barkley and Deulofeu, Yarmolenko would be absolutally ideal player for that position, he could also cover Barkley's playmaker position if he would get injured or out of form and so there would be no need to buy a backup for that position

A striker - I think Kone is decent backup if Lukaku gets injured, we still have Naismith and young Rodriguez fella but we really need a top backup for Rom if he injures himself - an option could be a player like Austin or Kokorin again with an ending contract

And another few maybes:

A right back backup - the question is if Mattioni can make it, I believe he will get a chance in the second half of the season, and I have some decent hope he could be a good option for a backup for a season or two till Kenny is good enough to play for the first team

A goalkeeper backup - firstly we have only Joel if Howard is injured, and I think only one player is too small cover during these days, and secondly I think Joel could do with a season on a loan when he would start all the games - the ideal scenario would be to buy a first keeper that would fight a season with Howard, bring in another backup for Joel and then when Howard goes out in 2017 then we have 2 new goalkeepers and Joel with a needed match experience back fighting after our number 1 position in the goal... but if Joel stays, then we don't need anyone, Joel is good enough as number 3 for sure

A central midfielder - as Barry is getting older and older, it would probably be a good idea to maybe prepare a potential backup for him and so buy a young player that GazBaz could teach some of his things and that may fight with Besic, Ledson or Cleverley to replace him when Barry goes

My only hope we still will be going the way to mainly go after cheap players/free contracts or young players that does not cost too much and then splash majority of our transfer budget on one or two players with a big potential (like McCarthy, Lukaku or Funes Mori) and give chances to young players from academy too. I love Roberto's way he dealt with transfers during his tenure here so far.

Zatara · November 26, 2015

The thing is though if we sign a right back that would impede Holgate,Kenny, Pennington and Browning.

Mattioni who knows but i think we need to go down the Galloway route and get these guys experience at RB.

Zaschrona said:
I see 3 definite needs:

A goalkeeper - a new number 1 - we need to replace Howard for sure in the end of the season, I would think playes like Handanovic, Valdes or Mandanda could be decent options as their contracts in their clubs are ending and so could be cheaper to bring them in

A creative attacking midfielder that can play number of positions - ideally Yarmolenko - we need a long-term player with a big creativity to play in our offensive 4 with Lukaku, Barkley and Deulofeu, Yarmolenko would be absolutally ideal player for that position, he could also cover Barkley's playmaker position if he would get injured or out of form and so there would be no need to buy a backup for that position

A striker - I think Kone is decent backup if Lukaku gets injured, we still have Naismith and young Rodriguez fella but we really need a top backup for Rom if he injures himself - an option could be a player like Austin or Kokorin again with an ending contract

And another few maybes:

A right back backup - the question is if Mattioni can make it, I believe he will get a chance in the second half of the season, and I have some decent hope he could be a good option for a backup for a season or two till Kenny is good enough to play for the first team

A goalkeeper backup - firstly we have only Joel if Howard is injured, and I think only one player is too small cover during these days, and secondly I think Joel could do with a season on a loan when he would start all the games - the ideal scenario would be to buy a first keeper that would fight a season with Howard, bring in another backup for Joel and then when Howard goes out in 2017 then we have 2 new goalkeepers and Joel with a needed match experience back fighting after our number 1 position in the goal... but if Joel stays, then we don't need anyone, Joel is good enough as number 3 for sure

A central midfielder - as Barry is getting older and older, it would probably be a good idea to maybe prepare a potential backup for him and so buy a young player that GazBaz could teach some of his things and that may fight with Besic, Ledson or Cleverley to replace him when Barry goes

My only hope we still will be going the way to mainly go after cheap players/free contracts or young players that does not cost too much and then splash majority of our transfer budget on one or two players with a big potential (like McCarthy, Lukaku or Funes Mori) and give chances to young players from academy too. I love Roberto's way he dealt with transfers during his tenure here so far.

USABlue · November 26, 2015

Zatara said:
Right back - We have Holgate/Pennington/Kenny/Browning who can all get game time here as backup to coleman. Same as Galloway has done which could be invaluable. Also perhaps we will keep Mattioni.

Striker --Good shout on Austin with his contract expiring.

Left Winger - £15mil / £20mil needed

Keeper - Butland £20mil

Bringing in those 3 players actually allows us to move on 7 or 8 which brings in some fees and gives us a healthy cutback on wages.

Hibbert/Osman/Gibson/Howard/Pienaar/McGeady/Naismith...

Hoping for a fair bit of action here.

I really hope this is about the summer at least.

bluestevon · November 26, 2015

Jags said:
In January, a young back up right back, a young back up striker (Austin?), and (I wish) a new goalkeeper. We're well stocked out wide. The forward could well be a loan like.

Need to try look around and see if there is a decent striker sitting in the reserves at a big team we could get on loan really, with the Euro's coming up then more likely to be able to get someone who will push for a move to get more chance of games, pretty much the situation we have right now in reverse with Mirallas

What money we have in January spunk it all on trying to get Yarmolenko in right now, the massive lift adding him would give the crowd and the players could push us even further on with momentum behind us already by that time (hopefully)

Sell Naismith to Norwich as pretty sure they will come back in for him given any encouragement

In the summer look at using whatever money we have to bring in a top keeper - the rest depends on where we finish this year then...