Summer 2015 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[Matt Collins]

We have so much work to do over the summer it's crazy.

It's not undoable, but we do need to sort the defence out, get a new keeper in, but cleverly or replace him, quite possibly replace benteke and in any event get other reliable goal scorers in

And all with a manager who's never bought a player and an uncertain ownership situation

I don't mind being linked w Swindon players but I hope we're also looking at more established players

[OzVilla]

My fear is that a suitable offer for Randy to accept doesn't eventuate and we suffer the exact same paralysis that we did last Summer.  Lerner has some long term form in the procrastination department.

 

[mr underhill]

true, but if the seemingly inevitable happens, and Benteke goes, with the £30-40m fee for him, a few million for the peripherals, and Randy's usual £15m, at least there is a chance of rebuilding the squad and becoming more competitive.

[ROBBO]

Would any new owner prepared to spend to strengthen take a chance on a manager who has done well in the short term but has no experience in buying players, if you were that owner spending say 60 million would you want someone with more experience?

[Matt Collins]

I might want a director of football . .

[CJ]

Looks as though we're starting the summer transfer season in the bargain basement with the Torygraph reporting Sherwood's tabled a bid for Swindon midfielders Gladwin & Luongo. Don't know anything about them but I did hope we'd be setting our sights higher than League 1 players, and focusing on defenders rather than more midfielders. Early days of course

[tomd2103]

Looks as though we're starting the summer transfer season in the bargain basement with the Torygraph reporting Sherwood's tabled a bid for Swindon midfielders Gladwin & Luongo. Don't know anything about them but I did hope we'd be setting our sights higher than League 1 players, and focusing on defenders rather than more midfielders. Early days of course

I think midfielders are also a priority though.  Take Cleverley and Delph out and all we have left is Gardner, as Westwood and Sanchez are more defensive midfielders.  Even if Cleverley stays, we are going to have to bolster that area. 

[sid1964]

I read in our paper that Tim said that we have to move players out before we can add more players to the squad

It is going to be an interesting summer (lets just hope that the players we sign are about quality over quantity!)

[ozzjim]

I think that will depend on position in some cases. With the diamond formation, and the 4-3-3 we have lacked enough bodies in midfield, where to some extent it is about legs and options. If Cleverley and these 2 lads from Swindon did come, that would give us a quality first 3 in Westwood, Delph and Cleverley, and ample back up that has the potential to be as good. Signing better than Cleverley and Delph would cost huge money.

In defence though, I agree 100%, there has to be a focus on first choice full backs and a potentially a new centre half and keeper.

[supertom]

Up front we've got to be replacing Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann. Enough is enough to be honest. We can't be tolerating that crap all the time.

Replacing Benteke on top of that will be tough, but the flipside is his sale would put an enormous fat lump in our transfer kitty (unless Randy pockets some of it).

But of course Benteke has kept us up for 3 seasons in all honesty. Buying a front man is always a huge gamble. If they don't hit the ground running and score, given how we've been as a club, we'll probably drop. But I'd like to think Benteke would be replaced with two front men to better our odds of replacing his goals.

[ozzjim]

Up front we've got to be replacing Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann. Enough is enough to be honest. We can't be tolerating that crap all the time.

Replacing Benteke on top of that will be tough, but the flipside is his sale would put an enormous fat lump in our transfer kitty (unless Randy pockets some of it).

But of course Benteke has kept us up for 3 seasons in all honesty. Buying a front man is always a huge gamble. If they don't hit the ground running and score, given how we've been as a club, we'll probably drop. But I'd like to think Benteke would be replaced with two front men to better our odds of replacing his goals.

If he went buying 2 forwards, one with pace and guile and 1 with strength and power would make a lot of sense. Much will depend on the club being sold though. As was said earlier, another summer in limbo land and we will be in big trouble next season.

[supertom]

Up front we've got to be replacing Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann. Enough is enough to be honest. We can't be tolerating that crap all the time.

Replacing Benteke on top of that will be tough, but the flipside is his sale would put an enormous fat lump in our transfer kitty (unless Randy pockets some of it).

But of course Benteke has kept us up for 3 seasons in all honesty. Buying a front man is always a huge gamble. If they don't hit the ground running and score, given how we've been as a club, we'll probably drop. But I'd like to think Benteke would be replaced with two front men to better our odds of replacing his goals.

If he went buying 2 forwards, one with pace and guile and 1 with strength and power would make a lot of sense. Much will depend on the club being sold though. As was said earlier, another summer in limbo land and we will be in big trouble next season.

Definitely. Sherwood has been good in the short term but that gusto only lasts so long. Eventually you need a bit more nous and some quality to keep the level up and hopefully progress. Quality is something we're sorely lacking in, particularly at the back.
I do feel sorry for Tim though. Our defensive injuries have been chronic. To the point we obviously can't even put out 2 fit CH's in one go. Baker has just recovered. Vlaar is living on the edge. Okore's knee has finally given in, and the others are on the treatment table. To have 5 senior CH's on your books and be in the situation must be galling. Ditto fullbacks.

[Lobsterboy]

A Swindon fan at work reckons Luongo is a decent player and he's not surprised that he is now drawing attention from Premier League clubs

He wasn't as complimentary about Gladwin and wasn't really sure why we would want him but Chesterfield fans said similar about Jordan Bowery and look how he turned out...

[tomd2103]

What did Lowton do wrong that has seen him dropped like a stone? Did well at left back then not picked at all. Seems very harsh.

On the squad above.... keep, sell, shrug scale....

GK - Guzan, Given, Steer......   Keep, Sell, Sell
RB - Bacuna, Hutton, Lowton......  Keep, Sell, Shrug
LB - Cissokho, Richardson, Bennett.......  Sell, Sell, Shrug
CB - Vlaar, Okore, Clark, Baker, Senderos...... Shrug, Keep, Keep, Keep, Sell
DM - Westwood, Sanchez.......  Keep, Sell
CM - Delph, Cleverley, Gardner........ Keep, Shrug, Keep
AM - Grealish, Cole, Gil.........   Keep, Shrug, Sell (sadly)
W  - Sinclair, N'Zogbia.....    Keep, Sell
ST - Benteke, Agbonlahor, Weimann........ Keep, sell, sell


Might not be left with much, but we need to be pretty ruthless, and get in some players who will perform week in week out, not 8-10 times a season when it suits them.

Not sure we will have the money to make wholesale changes like that. 

[ozzjim]

Up front we've got to be replacing Zogbia, Gabby and Weimann. Enough is enough to be honest. We can't be tolerating that crap all the time.

Replacing Benteke on top of that will be tough, but the flipside is his sale would put an enormous fat lump in our transfer kitty (unless Randy pockets some of it).

But of course Benteke has kept us up for 3 seasons in all honesty. Buying a front man is always a huge gamble. If they don't hit the ground running and score, given how we've been as a club, we'll probably drop. But I'd like to think Benteke would be replaced with two front men to better our odds of replacing his goals.

If he went buying 2 forwards, one with pace and guile and 1 with strength and power would make a lot of sense. Much will depend on the club being sold though. As was said earlier, another summer in limbo land and we will be in big trouble next season.

Definitely. Sherwood has been good in the short term but that gusto only lasts so long. Eventually you need a bit more nous and some quality to keep the level up and hopefully progress. Quality is something we're sorely lacking in, particularly at the back.
I do feel sorry for Tim though. Our defensive injuries have been chronic. To the point we obviously can't even put out 2 fit CH's in one go. Baker has just recovered. Vlaar is living on the edge. Okore's knee has finally given in, and the others are on the treatment table. To have 5 senior CH's on your books and be in the situation must be galling. Ditto fullbacks.

It must, but looking at the reality, Senderos has played about a third of the games he could have through his career due to injury, Vlaar we all knew was made of glass and likely after his great world cup to be injured much of the season, Baker we have seen break down time and time again, and Okore was just back from a cruciate injury this season. Leaving Clark, who has been prone to niggles, as all we have left!

I would not be disappointed to lose Vlaar and Senderos in favour of a couple of younger, less injury prone defenders this summer, with one that could play across the back 4 being found.