2018/19 Squad

[IFWaters]

Just trying to work out how the squad looks now and any gaps, thought it would be handy to summarise. Im using the club site and Transfermarkt . Listing senior players (got a seperate list for 'juniors' and bombsquaders (senior players without a squad number on the official site) :

Goal - Nyland / Steer / Moreira / Bunn - surely Bunn will go now ? Anyway, more than enough cover...quality waits to be seen

Centre Backs - Chester / Tuanzebe / Elphick - need an extra one on loan or JT back as a free agent ?

Fullbacks - Elmo / Hutton / De Laet / Taylor / Bree - clearly need a LB, arguably Bree out on loan ?

Defensive Midfield - Jedinak / Whelan

Central Midfield - Hourihane / Bjarni / Lansbury / McGinn

Attacking Midfield - Grealish / Adomah / Green - think we are light one here, possible Jack back up

Strikers - Kodjia / Hogan / Davis / RHM - definitely need an extra striker

Juniors - Sarkic / Doyle-Hayes / Lyden / O'Hare - think O'Hare will get the Jack backup slot if we dont get a loan in

Bombsquad - Richards / Tishbola / McCormack - no way back for these 3, only possibility is a loan out to further run contracts down.

As an aside, of the 32 players above, 12 are either loans or out of contract in a year, a further 11 by June 2020 - includes all 3 bomb squaders. That puts us in a good position to really sort out the finances in the next year or 2.

[ChicagoLion]

We don’t need extra strikers, we need replacements for Kod and Hogan.
4 strikers is plenty it’s just that 2 of them are not effective.
The squad is plenty deep enough, it’s not perfect but most managers in this division would love to have these resources.

[IFWaters]

We don’t need extra strikers, we need replacements for Kod and Hogan.
4 strikers is plenty it’s just that 2 of them are not effective.
The squad is plenty deep enough, it’s not perfect but most managers in this division would love to have these resources.

but we arent going to 'get rid' of Kod or Hogan unless one goes out on loan (which would be amazing to me). I can see another premier league striker coming in loan, preferably not waiting to January like last time - I have got that right havent I ? We can still get loanees in until 30th August havent we ?

[Risso]

The group of strikers we have is poor, and if we don’t get a decent loan in we’ll be nowhere near the play offs, let alone the automatic places.

Kodjia who at best looks a million miles from getting back to what he’s capable of, and at worst is finished; a hard working but low scoring kid in Davis, an untried and nearly always injured kid in RHM, and the complete waste of money that is Hogan, who also spends a lot of time injured.

Not nearly enough, that.

[sickbeggar]

The other thing is injuries and lets face it a couple of injuries in the same area of the field and we're in the crap, although most championship sides will have the same problem. But that said in some area's we're beyond threadbare.

[garyshawsknee]

A striker and a left back on loan and well be able to make a good go of it. It's really important he uses young player's like Suliman, Clark, O Hare ,DH, Green and RHM as much as possible otherwise it's another wasted opportunity. If we could loan out two or three, that would be a huge bonus.

[ChicagoLion]

They must think that Kod will recover, if he doesn’t we have a problem.

[Matt Collins]

The player who is critical is a new striker for all the reasons above

After that a wide player and then a left back, imho

[UK Redsox]

What's the reason for Tish not getting a look in pre-season ?

I understand Richards being injured and Bruce wanting McCormack out of the way.

Maybe a loan deal has already been lined up for Tish

[jwarry]

None of this is relevant if Bruce goes for 3 at the back.  If anyone comes in I guess he will be looking for players that can play his preferred system surely?

[IFWaters]

What's the reason for Tish not getting a look in pre-season ?

I understand Richards being injured and Bruce wanting McCormack out of the way.

Maybe a loan deal has already been lined up for Tish

If you look at the official website squad section, Richards, McCormack and Tish are the only 3 'senior' players that havent been given squad numbers, so I'm summising they arent going to get a look in and younger players like O'Hare and Lyden will get a chance instead of them.

From that I assume they are available on loan, unless a european club comes in and buys them .... which is unlikely.

[jwarry]

What's the reason for Tish not getting a look in pre-season ?

I understand Richards being injured and Bruce wanting McCormack out of the way.

Maybe a loan deal has already been lined up for Tish

If you look at the official website squad section, Richards, McCormack and Tish are the only 3 'senior' players that havent been given squad numbers, so I'm summising they arent going to get a look in and younger players like O'Hare and Lyden will get a chance instead of them.

From that I assume they are available on loan, unless a european club comes in and buys them .... which is unlikely.

I live in the Reading area and my Reading supporting mates were laughing their socks off when we gave them £5m for him.  That's all you need to know!  It was Steve Clarke who was the poor judge of character

[IFWaters]

What's the reason for Tish not getting a look in pre-season ?

I understand Richards being injured and Bruce wanting McCormack out of the way.

Maybe a loan deal has already been lined up for Tish

If you look at the official website squad section, Richards, McCormack and Tish are the only 3 'senior' players that havent been given squad numbers, so I'm summising they arent going to get a look in and younger players like O'Hare and Lyden will get a chance instead of them.

From that I assume they are available on loan, unless a european club comes in and buys them .... which is unlikely.

I live in the Reading area and my Reading supporting mates were laughing their socks off when we gave them £5m for him.  That's all you need to know!  It was Steve Clarke who was the poor judge of character

He went out on loan to Clarke at Kilmarnock.... and came back early!

[footyskillz]

1. Ørjan Nyland
2. Ritchie De Laet
3. Neil Taylor
4. Axel Tuanzebe
5. James Chester
6. Glenn Whelan
7. John McGinn
8. Henri Lansbury
9. Scott Hogan
10. Jack Grealish
14. Conor Hourihane
15. Mile Jedinak
16. James Bree
17. Keinan Davis
19. Andre Green
20. Birkir Bjarnason
21. Alan Hutton
23. Andre Moreira
24. Tommy Elphick
26. Jonathan Kodjia
27. Ahmed Elmohamady
29. Rushian Hepburn-Murphy
31. Mark Bunn
33. Matija Sarkic
37. Albert Adomah


Goal - Nyland /Moreira / Bunn -

Centre Backs - Chester / Tuanzebe / Elphick /Jedinak

Fullbacks - Elmo / Hutton / De Laet / Taylor / Bree

Central Midfield - Hourihane / Bjarnasson/ Lansbury / Whelan/McGinn

Attacking Midfield - Grealish / Adomah / Green - (Bolasie & ElGhazi)

Strikers - Kodjia / Hogan / Davis / RHM - (Abrahams)

Loan out : Sarkic / Doyle-Hayes / Lyden / O'Hare - Richards / Tishbola / McCormack 

[eamonn]

Tish was only £5m if all his milestone clauses were met, as fat as I recall. Fair to estimate that he has met none of them so price was likely closer to £3m. Still too much mind...unless Bruce's replacement gets a tune out of him.