Summer transfer madness thread

[PaulWinch again]

Yes but unfortunately we've assembled a squad that is pretty deficient. We bought a goalkeeper who we're already getting rid of, a captain who isn't deemed good enough to play, a striker for £11 million who we loaned out within 6 months and so on. The squad needs rebuilding again because we made a mess of recruitment. There are successes like Kod, but he turns into one of our few sellable assets.

[PeterWithesShin]

Meanwhile, Man City, Man Utd and Liverpool spent a combined £70m between 2nd Feb 2016 and 31st Jan 2017. Just on agents fees.

[The_ads]

Spot on. Spunking £££££ on players has got us to 13th in the championship

[mr underhill]

money alone isn't the answer and Bruce probably operates more effectively when he hasn't got much to spend - we need to utilise the loan/free transfer market as astutely as possible and sell off anyone who isn't going to make a meaningful contribution. No need for a list here as we all know who they are. In reality we only need four or five players but this time they have to be the right four or five.

[Tayls_7]

money alone isn't the answer and Bruce probably operates more effectively when he hasn't got much to spend - we need to utilise the loan/free transfer market as astutely as possible and sell off anyone who isn't going to make a meaningful contribution. No need for a list here as we all know who they are. In reality we only need four or five players but this time they have to be the right four or five.

Can we have a bit of pace and energy added. Christ, we are pedestrian.

[passitsideways]

If you look at things, Sanchez is going to be sold to Fiorentina for 2.5 million. Likewise, Gil will be sold somewhere for between 1-2 million. Veretout is more difficult to value, but he was highly-regarded in France before he moved to us, and by all accounts has had a good season over there, so particularly if a big French club like Marseille or Lyon is interested, I don't see why we can't get a fair chunk of our initial investment back - maybe 5-6 with add ons? Decent chance Amavi gets moved on as well, and if so, I don't see why we couldn't get at least half of the 8 million back.

Add on whatever we can scrape together in fees and wages saved for various other players (Bacuna, Gardner, Cissohko possibles; Elphick, Richards, Agbonlahor unlikely), and that still should be well over 10 million pounds to spend if we're to sell in order to buy. Frankly, if that amount of money isn't enough to supplement a perfectly decent Championship squad, we've got a fucking problem.

Internal improvement is by far the most important thing - if we don't take steps forward there, even if we get promoted, it'll be straight back down.

[Ads]

Money alone of course isn't the answer. Better players are and they'll cost money, which we now cannot or won't spend until we've shopped out a lot of bilge.

We need a keeper (I'd be happy with Johnstone again)
A centre half
A more energetic holding player
A winger with real pace
A central forward that can play with his back to goal

I'd imagine Johnstone on loan is doable, which leaves four positions to be filled. With no money.

Grim.

[Steve67]

The shirt sponsor deal will also raise revenue too, which I understand affects income to evidence sustainability under FFP rules? I have no problem with having to wheel and deal, we are still a big pull as far as salary is concerned. The loan and free transfer market is ripe with good pickings. Coaching the players properly may be more the issue though!

[ozzjim]

It's not though.  Loans and frees are out there that can supplement the squad, and goods scouting can find all the above will under what we will bring in this summer. Brighton paid 2m for Knockaert.  Abrahams was on loan at Bristol City and scored 26 times. There are some very decent bosmans out there this summer too. Watkins from Barnsley a great example. Mooy on loan at Huddersfield another.  They must have spent less than 10m to be 4th. Reading likewise. Bruce spent bugger all getting Hull up 2 seasons ago. Money is not the answer.  Clever dealing this summer is. We do need a keeper, a couple of players with pace and a reserve/ different holding option for Jedinak  (although Hourihane can play there well) but we don't need to sorted another 30 million getting there.  This summer is a test a Steve Round and what impact his scouting overhall has had.

[passitsideways]

Money alone of course isn't the answer. Better players are and they'll cost money, which we now cannot or won't spend until we've shopped out a lot of bilge.

We need a keeper (I'd be happy with Johnstone again)
A centre half
A more energetic holding player
A winger with real pace
A central forward that can play with his back to goal

I'd imagine Johnstone on loan is doable, which leaves four positions to be filled. With no money.

Grim.

But spending money isn't the only way to fill those holes. If the club's good enough to coach up its players (the fact that one suspects they isn't is the bigger concern, arguably), and if it uses loans smartly, it's perfectly workable. I mean:

Keeper - loan, as you said
Centre back - fair enough, spend the money, or loan in a centre back, don't really see in-house replacements.
Energetic holding player - I don't see it as necessary, but if so, isn't that what someone like Lyden should be capable of, if only as a backup when Jedinak needs to rest?
Winger with pace - Green. Though I suspect there's plenty of kinda shit, pacey wingers available for not too much, if that's what you're into.
Centre forward - again, I think playing another one alongside Kodjia creates problems elsewhere, but Davis looked like he could do a little of it.

[ozzjim]

Fulham also sold their 2 star players last summer.  And reached the play offs. Bruce needs to make the midst of pre season and show why he has been promoted 4 times from this division. If not get Jocanovic grim Fulham in. Seems a very good coach to me.

[brontebilly]

I don't think we can afford to have both Jedinak and Baker in the team next season if we want to see the best from our creative players. We might see far better recruitment this summer if give Bruce a limited budget.

[Ads]

Just thinking aloud with the squad;

Keepers: Bunn (1 year extension?), need a number 1 (Johnstone loan again)

RB: Hutton, Bree, De Laet

Very strong here. Hutton's pace makes him genuinely look like Cafu in this league. He cannot cross the road mind while Bree looks a very good prospect. Feel sorry for Del Laet.

LB: Taylor, Amavi

Taylor is excellent and easily the best left back in the division. Amavi I'd cash in on as he's useless in defending. There's cover from RB to get away with just Taylor.

CB: Chester, Baker, Elphick, Jedinak

I've included Jedinak as I suspect he will get some game time here. Chester is one of the best again in the division, while Baker's pace and critically turning speed let's him down  (along with slow distribution) but he's a solid player nonetheless. Elphick is terrible and if we could get rid, we ought to.

We need one more left sided centre half to compliment what already is one of the best defences in the division. A summer of Calderwood and Bruce injecting a bit more into them may see further improvement, as how many goals did we gift sides?

Central Midfield: Jedinak, Hourihane, Thor, Lansbury, Gardner, Bacuna, Tshibola, Veretout, Lyden

Realistically the latter two won't feature. I can't quite work Tshibola out; 6 foot 3, good on the ball, quick, he's got what it takes to excel there but I feels there are other issues at hand.

We're embrrassingly strong here for this league, the last three names notwithstanding. I wouldn't sell Gardner or Bacuna, as they can offer something with their energy as substitutes, but they're never starters.

Lansbury and Hourihane need to, like we did against Brighton, operate a lot closer to our 18 yard box and they will get the 6 or 7 chances on goal they both did (against the best defence in the league)  which is going to lead to more goals.

Jedinak is a defensive collosus, even if he couldn't pass water. Somebody more mobile to cover for him, as I think we can do without 9 times out of 10 at home and you'd be hard pressed to find a better midfield clutch in the league.

Width: Adomah, Grealish, Green

Adomah got worse as the season went on, but the goals he created are hard to argue against. Despite some iffy performances, he'd still stick a ball in that would lead to something. Green I like very much indeed and I hope we see a lot more of him. Grealish is not a winger. He doesn't have the pace and he's too easily isolated, he needs to play closer to the front man to have any effect on the game.

We lack pace and I'd like to see another winger. This is perhaps where we're weakest as Adomah drifts out of games, or doesn't get into them, Grealish gets isolated and poor Green got an injury while making his breakthrough.

Pace covers a multitude of sins in the top flight, but here it propels you to another level (see Hutton).

Up top: Kodjia, Hogan, McCormack, Gabby, RHM, Davies

Dealing with the youngsters first, Davies needs loan time, while RHM, when fit, needs more involvement. We ain't getting rid of Gabby so we have to accept his presence for another year. Quite how we recoup anything on McCormack is beyond me.

Hogan is a good player. We have the midfield to support him, but we play by and large too deep and isolated him. He will score goals if we set it up right and he can play with Kodjia too, who is a brilliant player for this level. We need a brute to play with his back to goal to.complement this.

That's where I come to my conclusion on 5 being necessary, but I actually feel a bit better about things having taken stock. There's a tonne of quality for this league and if we don't give sides an 11 game head start we will be in the top six mix and really ought to be challenging for an automatic spot.

How much money can be generated from sales I'm not sure. Veretout and Amavi seem our best two bets, but after that it's drips and drabs.

Excuse any spelling, I've tapped away on my phone.

[tomd2103]

Money alone of course isn't the answer. Better players are and they'll cost money, which we now cannot or won't spend until we've shopped out a lot of bilge.

We need a keeper (I'd be happy with Johnstone again)
A centre half
A more energetic holding player
A winger with real pace
A central forward that can play with his back to goal

I'd imagine Johnstone on loan is doable, which leaves four positions to be filled. With no money.

Grim.

Those are the exact players I would be looking to bring in as well.  By the sounds of it, it is going to take some real nous in the transfer market this summer to get things right.

[PeterWithesShin]

In Jan we brought in Johnstone, Bree, Hotlips, Angela, Taylor, Hogan and Bjarnson. We got rid of Rudy, Westwood and Ayew, plus Tish and McCormack out on loan. We spent about £5m in real money (plus wages obviously). You don't have to spend £30m in this division to improve your squad, you just have to spend your money wisely. And definitely stop buying milk bottle players like McCormack.