Summer Transfer Window - The Verdict

[Beard82]

4/10 purely on the basis that I think young is an upgrade on last year's back up full backs. I think it can be summed up by the gap to six getting bigger and the gap between us and the likes of Palace possible being smaller. Disappointing but at least we know what we're facing now. We're back among the Evertons of this world, unlikely to ever go higher on a consistent basis and will most likely be selling the crown Jew's each summer. Its still better than what we've had the last few years.

Utterly depressing, but sadly accurate.

This is how I see it.  Think we have been set back 2 years by joe - I don’t see we are in a position to challenge the top half. 

I think I would be fairly content if we hadn’t had all this elite club bollocks.  We talked the talk - and if we don’t walk the walk players that sign up to the vision will be off.

I don’t think the owners will have settled for that - one setback won’t worry them - but I think the management they have in place don’t know how to push on - I would imagine they will be given some time to see if they can work it out and if not then I think that’s where the owners will become involved. 

I think we had one plan - joe - and that came unstuck - and now were not really sure how to bridge the gap.

If we finish lower half I do worry about keeping EMI and Watkins and then that will mean a pretty big rebuild next season

[ChicagoLion]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

[LeeB]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

Sorry, what date is it again? Have I slept until May?

[ChicagoLion]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

Sorry, what date is it again? Have I slept until May?

wush

[ozzjim]

It was all a dream LeeB

[Drummond]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

What? You've no idea.

[ChicagoLion]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

What? You've no idea.

do you?

[Drummond]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

What? You've no idea.

do you?

No, that's my point.

[ChicagoLion]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

I think quite a few were pointing out that if he were to go, our chances of being able to push Top 6 would go with him.
And It’s exactly how it has turned out.

What? You've no idea.

do you?

No, that's my point.

I did not understand LeeB comment and then you were equally obtuse.

[chrisw1]

It raises more questions than answers. The first 11 is on paper weaker. The squad maybe stronger but that is debatable at this moment in time and won't be answered until May.

Ings and Buendia are good signings. Ings gives us cover for Ollie and is a brilliant finisher. The squad is unequivocally better with him in it.

Bailey we have no idea really until he's fit and plays but he looks promising. We now have 3 predominantly right wingers all of whom are potentially very good. If the plan is to play one left and one at ten, then buy a 10 and a left winger.

We have lost the 10 that we signed last summer to move us forward, and not replaced him. He wasn't the answer we all agree, but we have not replaced him with a better number 10. Buendia may be able to do it but that will take time and he will have to adapt to playing there.

We only have El Ghazi that is an actual left winger by position. I get that Bailey will likely play there, but he has specifically stated he prefers playing on the right. So our left side has lost one of the best in the world and the jury is out on the choice of replacing him.

We have done nothing in midfield. Where games are won and lost. McGinn and Luiz are good but no one can say they have been consistently so in the prem. Nakamba is very hot and cold. Ramsey is very raw. Chuck even more so. Our options in there are in my opinion nowhere near what we need for top 10, let alone top 7. It is where we will come unstuck the most this season.

Defence is the same but without the influence of Terry. It will be interesting how that plays out. Cash and Targett need to find their levels quickly.

I am going for 14th this season, and 2-3 itchy feet players comeay next year.

I agree with all of this.

It just all seems really odd.  One minute, we're keeping Jack, signing Buendia and looking for a class midfielder like JWP and the next we've signed an (excellent) stiker, a couple of right wingers and we're done?  About £10m in the black for the window?

And I'm sick of the 'better fans than yow' on Twitter & FB moaning at the moaners.  (There's always more people moaning at the moaners than there are moaners over there - they love the validation that they are suchj great fans).

I love that we've got some kids coming through, but we need squad depth.  The likes of Chuck should be getting minutes as a sub, not someone we should be banking our season on.  Nakamba shouldn't really be anywhere near the first XI.

We seem to have a squad of square pegs and round holes and this doesn't look anything like a top 6 challenging team to me.

With all of that said, I think individually Ings, Buendia & Bailey are all decent signings.  But if we want to compete surely we need more?  And will there ever be a better opportunity to close the gap and find the players we need with clubs all over Europe in financial difficulty?

It's just all a bit odd. 

[chrisw1]

I think Ratboy really fucked us harder than we knew at the time. The whole vibe changed, I think they expected him to stay and were buying better players to play with him.

We knew Jack would probably go and had planned for it.  Call him daft names all you want but the club knew this was likely, had supposedly planned for it and have a huge amount of financial clout to deal with it should they want to.  The fact they don't is what seems so perplexing.

[Nev]

I think it's fanciful to expect great leaps when our net spend is minus. As Alan Shearer famously said "if you stand still, you go backwards". Our additions have been fine but we still look short of making the progress so many desire. There is a lot of faith invested in some of the youngsters and this will hopefully be rewarded but I can't help thinking that this will be an up and down season of consolidation. The problem for the manager is the lack of patience in the game these days.

[Shrek]

We started off well and did good buisness. We replaced Jack the best we could. But we’ve been left behind by a few teams now and I think this year will be a 1 step back year after plenty of steps forward. A missed opportunity? Maybe.

I predict us to finish between 12th - 14th.

[Drummond]

Full Squad

Martinez
Steer
Sinisalo

Cash
Tuanzebe in
Konsa
Mings
Hause
Targett
Young in

Luiz
McGinn
Sanson
Nakamba
Ramsey
Chukwuemeka

Bailey in
Buendia in
AEG
Traore
JPB
Trezeguet

Ings in
Watkins
Archer
Davis (finally spelling his name correctly.)

I've left out players that have gone on loan.

I suspect the lack of 'in' in the midfield is the worry for most.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Gone backwards.

Losing Jack is a disaster, one that could be mitigated if the money was well used - but it hasn't been used this window.

Buendia, Bailey and Ings are all very good signings. Problem is that they have made us very lopsided and fitting them in means a change to a system we do not have the players for in other areas.

Young and Tuanzebe are OK temporary cover, replacing loaned out or sold cover. No real uplift, just a holding position.

Problems the signings have created as I see it are as follows:

1. I do not like the look of any formation that fits all of Bailey, Buendia, Ings and Watkins in. It means a two man midfield which we simply do not have the right players for.

2. Traore is one of our best players, but he now has Buendia and Bailey in front of him. I absolutely think we needed a right winger to cover the loss of Trez to injury, but not two of them.

3. Grealish was our best player, and now we have only El Ghazi as a true left winger. We seem to have replaced him with either Bailey (a right sided player), or Watkins being shifted out of position.

4. We needed a number 10 to replace Barkley, but have not signed one. Instead we have the options of playing Buendia or Ings out of position. Either of which would leave the midfield right open.

5. We have lost a very good defensive coach and not replaced him.

6. We have reduced cover in Goal, and are now in a position where we are already looking at our second choice keeper playing important games against Chelsea and maybe more. Had Heaton stayed this would not be an issue.

7. Our midfield has lots of number 8s and no no 10s or no. 6s of any note. This has been an issue since Bruce came in and it beggars belief we have not taken the opportunity to sort it out.

Meanwhile Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Leicester and Spurs have improved their squads making the task of getting into Europe more difficult.

I still think we sign a player that allows us to better use our players in formations that suit them, but if we don't I give this window a 4 out of 10. Predict we finish 14th and struggle to hold on to Emi 1 and Watkins next season if that happens.