January 2016 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[Dave]

Great, which means we'll be trying another complete overhaul of the squad this summer rather than trying to start it now.

Yep, we are going to need another 10 out 10 in kind of thing, which we found very difficult this summer but hopefully we try to intergrate the new signings next time rather than create a them and us.

Which ten do you expect to leave?

Presumably the whole first team, as I'm not sure we need to worry about replacing the impact that the likes of N'Zogbia and Richardson currently have on our performances.

I don't expect many to leave at all to be honest, I'm expecting us to cling to most of our tat on the assumption that they will do a great job in the Championship.

Personally I'd want

Westwood
Bacuna
Richardson
Sanchez
Agbonlahor
Clark or Baker
Kinsella
Kozak or Gestede
Nzogbia, I know he's out of contract
Bennett, out of contract possibly?
Crespo

Perhaps it is my skim reading.  Is that your keep or lose list?

Dump list. You can add Richards to it too.

Ok, so from that we're left with Guzan, Bunn, Hutton, Okore one of Clark or Baker, Lescott, Amavi, Cissokho, Veretout, Gana, Gardner, Gil, Grealish, Sinclair, Adama, Ayew and one of Kozak and Gestede.

So two keepers, a right back, three centre-backs, two left-backs, three central midfielders, two central attacking midfielders, three wide attacking midfielders and one striker.

That's hardly a "add ten players to it/start all over again" situation is it? It would need at least one striker, preferably two, another centre-back, another central midfielder and a better right-back than Hutton.

[cheltenhamlion]

Bacuna, Sanchez, Westwood, the two strikers.....I could go on. All would be decent at that level.

[aj2k77]

Guzan can go too whilst he's still worth a quid or two. That's a solid 16 players I think are worth keeping, we may lose one or two of the better ones, hopefully not. Still a lot of holes to fill. I'd rather we took care of a few of them now then have the same excuse at the start of the season of bedding players in and so and so hasn't had a full pre season, the best is yet to come. I've heard it all now and it doesn't wash anymore.

[aj2k77]

Bacuna, Sanchez, Westwood, the two strikers.....I could go on. All would be decent at that level.

I've seen nothing from Westwood or Bacuna over the past few years that makes me think they can do a job for us. Very light weight players with poor technique. Sanchez, he's a mystery to me, but for every 1 game where he looks capable he follows it with 10 where he can't pass wind. The two Strikers, let's just say you have a lot more faith in this set of losers than I do. Gestede had 1 good season in his career and we fell for it. Kozak, never been sold on him, he looks a hard trying donkey to me.

[QuintonVilla]

Leicester trying to sign Loic Remy for £12m apparantly. He'd be a good buy for them. Never forget when we were 3rd/4th in the league in January 09 and had our chance to capitalise and push on we signed...Emile Heskey.

[Dave]

Guzan can go too whilst he's still worth a quid or two. That's a solid 16 players I think are worth keeping, we may lose one or two of the better ones, hopefully not. Still a lot of holes to fill.

Yeah, probably around four or five.

Not ten new players.

[PaulWinch again]

I would say if we keep all the players we should want to keep and get rid of those who should be gone we need -

- a goalkeeper
- a right back
- a centre half
- two midfielders
- a winger
- a striker

[Steve67]

The problem with the other relegation candidates strengthening their squads is that it will make them tougher opponents for the Championship, so all this talk of keeping the powder dry is nonsense. Arguable that said relegation candidates have a better chance of staying up than Villa so are currently in a better position to buy than us, therefore, we lose out twice. Start signing Villa as it might be our best chance of coming straight back.

[PeterWithesShin]

There's a massive difference between a player not being good enough for a top half PL side, and not being good enough for the Championship. Look at the sides near the top of the table, Hull are shit. And yet they are top. Abel Hernandez is ripping up that division, he was wank in the PL, worse goal ratio than Gestede is managing for us.

[olaftab]

I think Sunderland's spending is miscalculated and that they'll struggle with their wages in the Championship.

Do you not think they'd have relegation clauses in there?

Relegation clauses in prevailing conditions are usually in players favour. The relegation clause in now a norm in contract agreed in non distress signings but not where clubs are desperate.

[tomd2103]

Bacuna, Sanchez, Westwood, the two strikers.....I could go on. All would be decent at that level.

I've seen nothing from Westwood or Bacuna over the past few years that makes me think they can do a job for us. Very light weight players with poor technique. Sanchez, he's a mystery to me, but for every 1 game where he looks capable he follows it with 10 where he can't pass wind. The two Strikers, let's just say you have a lot more faith in this set of losers than I do. Gestede had 1 good season in his career and we fell for it. Kozak, never been sold on him, he looks a hard trying donkey to me.

I think Bacuna and Westwood will be OK squad players if we are in the Championship, just playing the odd game here and there.  I expect all those out of contract will go on a free in the summer and the only players I think we have a realistic chance of selling are:

Guzan - should be takers in America
Richards - could see clubs being interested in him
Baker - Bristol City might want him after he's been there all season
Sanchez - were rumours of him going back to South America
Sinclair - still rumours that Swansea want him in this window
Ayew - unfortunately will be in demand and we'll probably sell for the right price

I would like to see Agbonlahor added to that list, but don't hold out much hope of that happening.  Apart from Ayew, I wouldn't be too disappointed to see any of the above go.  I think that would leave us needing a first choice GK, RB, CM and Striker, and back up options at CB and a wide option.

[olaftab]

Leicester trying to sign Loic Remy for £12m apparantly. He'd be a good buy for them. Never forget when we were 3rd/4th in the league in January 09 and had our chance to capitalise and push on we signed...Emile Heskey.

That's not going to work for them and possibly disrupt them.

[pauliewalnuts]

There's a massive difference between a player not being good enough for a top half PL side, and not being good enough for the Championship. Look at the sides near the top of the table, Hull are shit. And yet they are top. Abel Hernandez is ripping up that division, he was wank in the PL, worse goal ratio than Gestede is managing for us.

Spot on, I keep thinking this is something people overlook when talking about who to keep when we go down.

[Toronto Villa]

And if they are getting used to Garde's way of playing then there's no reason why they cannot continue to improve. Especially at a lower level. And we can all see with Leicester that with a bit of confidence that winning brings to a club how much better players can start to be.

[brontebilly]

Bacuna, Sanchez, Westwood, the two strikers.....I could go on. All would be decent at that level.

I've seen nothing from Westwood or Bacuna over the past few years that makes me think they can do a job for us. Very light weight players with poor technique. Sanchez, he's a mystery to me, but for every 1 game where he looks capable he follows it with 10 where he can't pass wind. The two Strikers, let's just say you have a lot more faith in this set of losers than I do. Gestede had 1 good season in his career and we fell for it. Kozak, never been sold on him, he looks a hard trying donkey to me.

I think Bacuna and Westwood will be OK squad players if we are in the Championship, just playing the odd game here and there.  I expect all those out of contract will go on a free in the summer and the only players I think we have a realistic chance of selling are:

Guzan - should be takers in America
Richards - could see clubs being interested in him
Baker - Bristol City might want him after he's been there all season
Sanchez - were rumours of him going back to South America
Sinclair - still rumours that Swansea want him in this window
Ayew - unfortunately will be in demand and we'll probably sell for the right price

I would like to see Agbonlahor added to that list, but don't hold out much hope of that happening.  Apart from Ayew, I wouldn't be too disappointed to see any of the above go.  I think that would leave us needing a first choice GK, RB, CM and Striker, and back up options at CB and a wide option.

I think Richards could be hard to shift, we gave that clown a ridiculous contract at the start of the season.

Bacuna and Westwood will be fine in the second division not as regulars.

Our lot need to be well up for matching opponents physically over a long season on shit pitches with shit referees. The additional quality should stand out then but if we start feeling sorry for ourselves or arent a united camp off it, then we will struggle.

Would love to see us bring back someone like Gareth Barry as captain, 35 next month but still one of the best midfielders in the league imo.