Do we really need that much?

[DannyEvo]

A huge clear out with 4/5 coming in is required.

Dominant, pacey young CB
A young, pacey full back who can attack AND defend.
Dominant, box to box, athletic ball playing centre midfielder.
An attacking midfielder with pace , can play on either wing.
Another CF as we aren't blessed in that department and I can see Niasse and Sandro both leaving.

For me :

CB: no idea, one for the scouts.
LB: Tierney or Sessegnon
CM : Loftus Cheek or N'Zonzi for me, I'd rather go for the former. I wonder if Ross fancies a loan move?
AM : No idea, one for the scouts
CF : Celtics Dembele tickets the box for me.

 

[Papa Shango]

Yeah we need loads.

We have talented players, we don't have a good team with any shape and loads of players who are very similar. We also have players who mainly have one or two major flaws that they repeat week after week.

Get some intelligent players in.

 

[Tez]

We need four players for me.

LB, CB, CM and CF.

Three new, key players up the spine and a young left back to transition into replacing Baines. Get that under the right manager as well as the players like Klaassen, Vlasic, Sandro, Lookman etc all getting a clean slate and the squad could knit together.

• A CB in the Mangala mould but not Mangala. Big, strong, commanding, with a turn of pace and left footed. A new Distin/Lescott type to partner Keane.

• A central midfielder who can sit and spray it about. Rooney or Schneiderlin are not that player. An Arteta/Barry type to partner Gueye and give the team a base to build on.

• Another first team striker so the onus isn't just on Tosun who we don't know will be able to manage in his second season. If he does a Jelavic we're only left with Calvert-Lewin again.

Move on: Galloway, Browning, Martina, Pennington, Garbutt, Jagielka, Williams, Besic, Schneiderlin, Rooney, Niasse.

That leaves you with:

Pickford, Stekelenburg, Joel (maybe).

Coleman, Kenny, Holgate, Keane, Funes Mori, New CB, Baines, New LB.

Gana, Davies, Klaassen, Sigurdsson, Baningime, New CDM.

Walcott, Lookman, Tosun, Calvert-Lewin, Sandro, New CF, Bolasie, Vlasic, Henry.

That leaves you with a 26 man squad including young players. Only 5 (including Henry who isn't nailed on) will be new to the club. Get a manager in with an ethos and a plan of how he wants to play and we could see progress.

Edit: You can swap in or out the odd departure too depending on the manager. May want to keep Jagielka or shift Bolasie etc.

 

[Papa Shango]

A huge clear out with 4/5 coming in is required.

Dominant, pacey young CB
A young, pacey full back who can attack AND defend.
Dominant, box to box, athletic ball playing centre midfielder.
An attacking midfielder with pace , can play on either wing.
Another CF as we aren't blessed in that department and I can see Niasse and Sandro both leaving.

CB: Jamaal Lascelles or Nordi Mukiele
LB: Phillip Max
CM : Asier Illarrmendi
AM : Nabil Fekir
CF : Karl Toko Ekambi

Actually, just give me the job. Ill sort this lot out easily.

 

[Lelouch]

LB is a first priority for me, Baines is finished pretty much, A lew LM with a left foot please would be nice so we don't have to play Siggy there, Striker needed too since I can't trust Sandro/Niasse/Henry.

 

[Yarrgh]

Left back to replace Baines in a sensible controlled manner so that they have every opportunity to be first choice LB by the second half of the season.
A no nonsense centre back that can boss the position.

2 to 3 players max in other positions which have speed and are comfortable on the ball which means they are upgrades on what we have. Not even bothered which positions, as they all need improving and no one we have is safe from the chop from where I am looking. I'd be looking at a couple more in the midfield over the January transfer window as well unless there is an injury issue elsewhere.

More important to get the DoF and new manager in and start getting what players we have playing the game as we want to play it. This will soon reveal what we need.

 

[Seathestars]

I think first and foremost we need a style. We see what we have that will suit that style and we buy players to suit.
Look at the top teams right now, they all have a certain style. I think this is where the fat headed Dutchman went wrong. Him and Walsh buying players without a plan of what to do. We never replaced Lakaku despite knowing he was gone for 2 years or so.
Man U, Citeh, Spurs, Barca, Atletico, all top teams with a certain style. We have no identity and we need this first for me.

 

[efcjames]

Take walcott out of the strike force

Tosun
Dcl
Sandro
Henry

Who's Henry

And bar Tosun that strike force looks awful

 

[ijjysmith]

Bed?

More like WAKE UP

 

[havrey0123]

Who's Henry

And bar Tosun that strike force looks awful

the original poster put him in there, look at the first post

 

[Marius57]

Going to go full Zat here but it's an extremely slow day in the office and I'm tired of seeing a thousand threads pop up re: Allardyce. The title poses the question I want to ask the forum - do we really need many changes to the squad next season? Now I know we've been turgid to watch this season but a lot of that has been down to the system and also the poor form & confidence of the squad. Personally I don't want to see many incomings this summer as I think we're unsettled enough, it's a World Cup year and I honestly don't think we're far off. I'll dissect my reasoning below with the ultimate goal of improving but not having to spend like we did last year:

GOALKEEPER (2)

1: Pickford
2: New GK

Lowest priority out there so I don't mind heading into the new season with Joel (if he stays) or Stek. Out of the young lads only Hilton has looked half decent so he can be third. Lots of the academy keepers need binning like Gray, Hewelt etc. They will never make it here.

DEFENCE (9)

CB: RFM
CB: Keane
CB: Holgate
CB: New Starting CB
CB: Possibly Feeney/Gibson if one or neither gets a loan.

LB: New LB
LB: Robinson
RB: Coleman
RB: Kenny

I'd like to see Holgate given a starting chance next to either RFM or a new starting left-sided CB. I mean sure two brand new starters would be good but again that's just even more fresh faces to get to know each others game. I mean it's 100% going to be Baines there next season but would love a new powerful, fast LB and I'd give Robinson a spot as second choice for cups/injuries.

Sell: Jags, Williams, Cuco, Baines, Pennington, Browning, Galloway, Garbutt

MIDFIELD (8)

CDM: Gana
CDM: Baningime
CM: New Starting CM
CM: Sigurdsson
CM: Vlasic
CM: Davies
CAM: Dowell
CAM: Lookman

Tell the defensive mid to purely mop up, pass to a better player & cover both full-backs that will be asked to bomb on whenever possible. 2 centre mids playing around him with high energy but also high quality. I'd start Sig and a new face (Ozyakup?) there who have a bit of freedom in their positioning. Davies, Vlasic etc. to be their understudies. Whilst I would love to sign a world class attacking mid for the hole I do feel we're hitting a transitional period where we can afford to try see just what Dowell and Lookman can do.

Sell: Grant, Mirallas, Bolasie, Klaassen (just don't think he'll ever adapt his game), Schneiderlin (would keep if he can play good consistently), McCarthy is injured so he's no use to us here or sold yet but I'd consider keeping.

FORWARDS (5)

ST: Cenk
ST: Walcott
ST: DCL
ST: Sandro
ST: Henry

Would start Cenk and Walcott together - I know he's looked good out wide but he's more productive centrally to me and this saves us spending a bomb on 2-3 more wingers. DCL and Sandro (if we can't offload) to be their back-up and also Henry who can play wide as well as through the middle. Maybe our version of Jamie Vardy tactics?

Sell: Sorry Oumar but you're gone along with academy flops ike Henen, Sambou etc.


So a first team squad of 24 there with 4-5 new signings needed supplemented by a lot of outgoings if possible. I'd loan out people like Feeney, Gibson, Connolly, Evans, Hornby etc. Maybe see how Williams looks in pre-season but reckon we'll sell him myself. Don't see it as too difficult to do with this dodgy transfer window we have this year.
I think with how bad the PL is and how much worse it'll be with teams like Cardiff and Millwall possibly coming up we can easily finish 7th since we're already 8th. I know this isn't acceptable to some but with a possible new manager I'd sure as Hell take that as a transitional season and then improve in January & next Summer.


I'm going to bed now before anyone tells me to.

I tend to agree with nearly all of that. But I’d flog Sandro and keep Niasse. Niasse offers something completely different to any of the other options, and I think keeping Sandro would limit DCLs improvement more than Niasse would. I also think Niasse’ workrate is a positive influence on the rest of the squad and you can see how important he is to the other players from their reaction when he scores etc.

 

[Nymzee]

Bed?

More like WAKE UP

You’ve changed. I don’t like the new Ijj.

 

[PickeringBlue]

We need a mentality change more than players in my mind. That being said, my wish list in order of importance would be:

1. A striker that can reliably deliver 15+ goals. Tosun has looked ok, but we need competition/injury cover. We never replaced Lukaku.
2. A commanding CB (I don't think that Keane has the mentality at all)
3. A box-to-box midfielder who can sit and spray a good pass most of the time (to compliment Gana)
4. Another winger to replace Bolasie...someone who actually likes to stay wide some of the time

We should trim the squad in midfield and put Siggy/Vlasic as #10's and ditch Rooney (he has been ok, but we need to be getting Siggy where he should be).

 

[butler_boy]

I am mildly surprised this thread didn't turn into a bed-wetting farce.

The shout for Barkley back on loan made me laugh. The snake probably hasn't even been back to Wavertree to see his Ma since January.

 

[DannyEvo]

I am mildly surprised this thread didn't turn into a bed-wetting farce.

The shout for Barkley back on loan made me laugh. The snake probably hasn't even been back to Wavertree to see his Ma since January.

It's been touted already.