January Transfer Thread 2017

[Zatara]

I don't get that either Zat. He has a moan about signings coming in and then shuts up when we sign one player while going on to decimate the squad with no look towards bringing more quality in.

i'll repeat my last post...how can we bid for ramsdale at sheff utd and then lose out to bournemouth?

Why express interest in other kids and only get donkor who was surplus at wolfsburg?

Seems odd to me...i was expecting a couple of ins for unsworth at the very least

 

[neil999]

Possibly giving them a fair chance. But why not strengthen the u23s further? We were in for Hurst and Ramsdale and yet neither of them came...i remember others mentioned also...thats odd.

yeah that was dissapointing actually, maybe they asking for silly fees from us? all guesswork really

 

[bicycleheader]

I agree completely with this, but I think the thing to remember is that pretty much everybody agrees with this. Nobody wants us to go out and sign dross just so we can say we did, the argument that this is what people want is completely redundant, despite it being dragged out repeatedly at the end of every window.

What people want is more deals like the Schneiderlin one. They want the manager and board to have identified targets, and to get them in by paying the fee and wages that will secure their signings. People see that we were interested in Belfodil, they know that the manager mentioned Depay and Keane, and they wonder why we haven't been able to go out and buy those players, or others like them. Of course it's not easy, I don't think anybody's saying it is - but nor is it impossible.

I'm genuinely not concerned by our lack of signings, the season is all but over and I've said all season that 7th would represent a decent return in my opinion. I can see why some people are bothered though. It's definitely fair to say that we are lacking in certain areas, and we have now failed to address that in two windows under this regime, despite supposedly having an obscene amount of money to spend (from the owner's own mouth) and bringing in a new head of recruitment. It's easy to say we'll just do it in the summer, but last summer people were saying we'll just do it in January - and we didn't. It's not difficult to understand why people may be a little edgy and wonder why the summer window should be any better than the last two.

And that's all fine by me - as long as it works.

That's the point I'm trying to make, I don't want them to just spend money for the sake of it, but nor do I want to hear excuses after every window as to why we couldn't improve the side.

We assume that we couldn't sign Keane in January because Burnley wouldn't sell (we don't know this, just to be clear). But what if they won't sell in the summer? Or what if they will, and he goes elsewhere? Do we have a back up plan? We wanted the lad from Nice (again, I don't have any evidence of this but we'll go with it) but why would they be more likely to sell in the summer than now? And if they did why would he be more likely to move, seeing as they look likely to be in the CL?

In the summer we couldn't sign players because Walsh was new in the job, there were regulations to comply with, and everyone wanted CL football, in January it's because nobody will sell their players. I think all people are concerned about is the same thing happening in the summer, and the whole thing proving to be another false dawn. As I say, I'm not suggesting that's my own opinion, but I don't think those who are that way inclined should be mocked and scorned the way some people are doing.

Not having this whole strawman argument of "Well who should we have gone out and signed then?" where the other person then goes on to come up with a million reasons why we couldn't sign that player so don't start.

Also not having "Well look at what everyone else signed".


We pay a lot of money for a scouting department that is supposed to identify targets we could sign for the team. They couldn't find anyone to bring in to improve the team besides Schneiderlin? They deserve to shoulder some responsibility for the window.

Got no problems with getting rid of the dead wood. I do have an issue with accepting the lack of signings to compete for first team positions.

We made a massive profit on Stones this summer which should have been used to grow the wage bill. It hasn't.

I'm not saying it was a terrible window, but it is another missed opportunity to improve ahead of our competition. We should be signing players to improve the team and our place in the table NOW, not waiting until the summer. Players get injured and go out of form and we're going to be placing a lot of hope in the U23s to paper over the cracks of this squad. I think we could have and should have done better at bringing players into the club this window.

Spot on fellow posters. Sums up a lot of what I think about our transfer business over two windows.

In particular I don't think their work on our attack has been good enough.

It may well be accurate that we didn't have enough time with Koeman/Walsh on board in the summer to land other major targets or that January is a difficult time to buy, but that shouldn't be proclaimed as fact and contrary opinions dismissed.

There's a lot of things being repeated in argument which are just opinions but being put as fact.

There is a reasonable assumption that we are well set up to make some waves in the summer now, and I guess we are all waiting until then but I'd hope not to hear the same reasons/excuses rolled out. Bit tired of the next window...Next window talk.

Having said all that, and despite not really wanting Koeman or still not really rating him greatly, I am still pretty optimistic about where the club is going and the rest of the season. I think more should have been done to improve the attack but I can't see how it won't be done in the summer. We should be going into next season with an attack to get excited about and get behind.

 

[davek]

Odd that you have to dredge back to that game, when we've played 7 league games since and only conceded 5 goals.

In fact we've only conceded 2 in our last 5 league games (both being at Hull) with the other 4 games being clean sheets.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel with you today.

Yeah, because Watford was obviously ages ago.

The Leicester game in the cup just 3 weeks ago. Another 'illegitimate' example which is just ancient history.

Unreal

 

[Efcjake]

i'll repeat my last post...how can we bid for ramsdale at sheff utd and then lose out to bournemouth?

Why express interest in other kids and only get donkor who was surplus at wolfsburg?

Seems odd to me...i was expecting a couple of ins for unsworth at the very least

I can only assume that we never actually bid in the first place. The only thing that would explain it to me.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Valencia and also just his general demeanour...if he improves us then i may warm to him or i will respect his achievements with us...but so far hes a bit meh....hes switched to this formation which served him well in 2nd half of last season at saints...hope he keeps it and brings through kids.

Probably needs to move into the Koeman thread from this point on, but 'demeanour and signing Valenica' are enough for you to call him a 'horrible creature'. Just seems like unnecessary hyperbole. Him being a 'bit meh' also doesn't seem to warrant the response either. Unless you're just saying it for impact, but I'd suspect that if you've taken that view purely on those issues alone, you'll never warm to him.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Yeah, because Watford was obviously ages ago.

The Leicester game in the cup just 3 weeks ago. Another 'illegitimate' example which is just ancient history.

Unreal

4th best defence in the league.

 

[brieverton]

I think the true extent of the carnage that RK/SW inherited only dawned on me looking at the list of departed players for the month, and 2 or 3 more could have followed them.

The sheer number of them who, for whatever reason, were contributing either nothing or very little to the first-team squad is very sobering.

It is no wonder Moshiri decided to appoint a Director of Football.

Never again must our squad be composed of such, with all due respect to the players concerned, deadwood, and for such a group to accumulate in number over time.

I'm concerned that we lack cover in key areas, but let's face it, apart from Oviedo and Deulofeu, we are certainly not going to be missing any of the others.

We obviously can't get like-for-like replacements, in most cases we need a much more superior upgrade - on the whole players who are younger and who don't have a history of extended periods in the physio room, not to mention the right attitude and technical ability.

Big job ahead in the summer, I assume plans are in place, executing them is the big thing. If Kenwright "must" have a role, then I would confine him to negotiating sales only, he seems to be decent enough at that.

 

[Zatara]

yeah that was dissapointing actually, maybe they asking for silly fees from us? all guesswork really

Someone earlier, maybe @Nymzee (?) said we bid £1.2mil and bournemouth £1mil but perhaps we offered more in installments and less up front.

But for such a small amount and less than DCL cost us from the same club its disappointing.

England u19 keeper apparently...18 years of age...think that would add to our young internationals.

Id have liked someone like that to come in and go on loan for a bit like butland...no idea why were not doing that.

Seems Griffiths cant be great if were after another young keeper (like every window lol )

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Yeah, because Watford was obviously ages ago.

The Leicester game in the cup just 3 weeks ago. Another 'illegitimate' example which is just ancient history.

Unreal

4 clean sheets out of the last 5 in the League and you still trying to say our defence is crap is what's unreal mate.

 

[Zatara]

I can only assume that we never actually bid in the first place. The only thing that would explain it to me.

Possibly...but unsworth did say he was looking at 3 players to add...i guess donkor, ramsdale and hirst.

Its a bit odd that we havent signed anyone and donkor is a loan only after wolfsburg basically binned him

 

[bicycleheader]

lol

Even by your standards that's ridiculous Dave.

So we just get more bodies behind the ball, when the opposition are attacking, what a novel idea, I think that's called defending mate.

Oh and btw we've only conceded 23 league goals this season, the 4th best in the division behind Chelsea, Spurs and United.

That compares to 32 and 34 conceded at the same point in the previous 2 seasons, not improved the defence? hahahaha, ok mate x

Whilst I wouldn't be as extreme as @davek in calling it a car crash I also don't think the stats tell the full story. It's going to be interesting to see if the last few games are going to be the norm and the crap before that the exception...Or whether we will have another bad run. I hope the goals conceded column stays low but I still think we can be gotten at quite easily through the full backs and the hesitant Mori. On top of that crosses/set pieces still worry us. Williams has gotten better though, but I think it was always a given that he would find form.

 

[davek]

I'm not sure I agree mate.

The summer window was used to plug immediate gaps that he felt we needed, while he assessed what we already had.

The january window was used to get rid of the people that were wage vacuums, perpetually sicknotes or just not good enough - which Kone aside, he has largely done.

What he has left in the main now is the players that he wants. He also has the U23s to tap into - which he has done.

This coming summer will be the one to truly judge him on.

Oh I do agree on Oviedo though - should have kept him to cover Baines, but I am sure he has a plan should anything happen.

Koeman was critical after the summer that he didn't get more in; he was talking this January of getting maybe 4/5 in.

How on earth is the last two windows anything other than a massive failure to invest. The numbers the feller who should be insisting on bringing in are not matched by what's happened.

I think the overall mood up to 11pm last night was one of some perverse delight at getting the squad gutted...then when that window slammed shut for another 6 months many are realising that we should have need getting players in as quickly as we were waving others out the door.

 

[davek]

4 clean sheets out of the last 5 in the League and you still trying to say our defence is crap is what's unreal mate.

Or 7 clean sheets out of the last 22 and two cup losses thrown in for good measure.

 

[Bud McBlokeski]

Koeman was critical after the summer that he didn't get more in; he was talking this January of getting maybe 4/5 in.

True.

How on earth is the last two windows anything other than a massive failure to invest. The numbers the feller who should be insisting on bringing in are not matched by what's happened.

The summer was a little bit of a letdown, but I don't consider January to be. Maybe he feels that that the U23s can fill that gap? Who knows what he is thinking?

I think the overall mood up to 11pm last night was one of some perverse delight at getting the squad gutted...then when that window slammed shut for another 6 months many are realising that we should have need getting players in as quickly as we were waving others out the door.

There was nothing perverse about getting rid of the likes of Cleverley, Gibson or Niasse. It was completely justified delight, for a variety of reasons (not good enough, sicknote, clown on roller skates etc.). And I don't agree that we should just be waving players in as we get rid of others, because as we know, the prices in January are inflated. If there isn't significant investment in the summer I will see your point, but at the moment, I am personally happy with what we have done and what we are doing.