January 2023 Transfer Rumours, Discussions and Done Deals Thread

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

There’s some players you can see that won’t probably fit the way that Unai wants to play but he’s a top coach and I can see an improvement after a relatively short space of time.
His Villarreal team had a few in it that were bombed out of the premiership but he got a tune out of them. Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford and Palace are ahead of us but imo their first team or squad overall are no better than ours.
I think a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

[ChicagoLion]

There’s some players you can see that won’t probably fit the way that Unai wants to play but he’s a top coach and I can see an improvement after a relatively short space of time.
His Villarreal team had a few in it that were bombed out of the premiership but he got a tune out of them. Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford and Palace are ahead of us but imo their first team or squad overall are no better than ours.
I think a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

A few tweaks ?
I think you are underestimating the task at hand.
To get by yes, but to challenge for Europe we need a much better first team.
But it won’t be achieved in one or two windows.

[PeterWithe]

I don’t think Gerrard improved a single player whilst he was here, Emery will do that and has already started. Most of the first team squad have a lot more quality than they are showing.

[ChicagoLion]

I don’t think Gerrard improved a single player whilst he was here, Emery will do that and has already started. Most of the first team squad have a lot more quality than they are showing.

I think fans tend to rate our own players a lot higher than they really are.
What Howe has done at Newcastle is exceptional but I think it’s unrealistic to expect the same.

[PeterWithe]

Perhaps that’s true and undoubtedly Howe is doing an incredible job. But I think 3/4 new starters and getting the same amount of current players performing at their peak will see us right.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Well we’ve played much better and got results with the same players but now they’re being instructed in a certain way so straight away there’s improvement with no money spent.
Put Carlos in with either of the centre halves and you’d hope that a decent partnership will form which would see Mings or Konsa improve. With Martinez behind our back 5 is decent. Newcastle have got Dan Burn playing left back and Schar who has a mistake in him (Mings). Put Ramsey in from Tuesday breaking the lines and there’s immediate improvement, Newcastle have got Longstaff and Willock.
Yes, Watkins is very wasteful but unless we can attract a £50/£60m striker that’s what you’ll get with most. Newcastle have Wilson who is a much better finisher but is injury prone.
We’ve got great potential out on loan. For me maybe 2/3 of the right players in we can bridge the gap.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think we can all agree that we could do with another striker but I dont think that should mean Ollie being flogged. Whilst he's not prolific, he's still a decent player to have around.

That depends entirely on what we were offered for him though.

If someone brainless like Everton offers us 20m for him we should be shipping him out straight away IMO.

[Clampy]

I think we can all agree that we could do with another striker but I dont think that should mean Ollie being flogged. Whilst he's not prolific, he's still a decent player to have around.

That depends entirely on what we were offered for him though.

If someone brainless like Everton offers us 20m for him we should be shipping him out straight away IMO.

In today's market and the crazy prices teams pay, I think we'd get a bit more than that.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

I think we can all agree that we could do with another striker but I dont think that should mean Ollie being flogged. Whilst he's not prolific, he's still a decent player to have around.

That depends entirely on what we were offered for him though.

If someone brainless like Everton offers us 20m for him we should be shipping him out straight away IMO.

In today's market and the crazy prices teams pay, I think we'd get a bit more than that.

I’d bloody hope so!!

[pauliewalnuts]

We probably would but anything above 20 I’d take.

If someone offers us decent money then sell him. If nobody offers us what we want, then that in itself tells you something.

There’s no point keeping him around just because he seems a decent guy or through sentimentality while his value runs down alongside his contract.

He just isn’t good enough at this level.

[ChicagoLion]

Perhaps that’s true and undoubtedly Howe is doing an incredible job. But I think 3/4 new starters and getting the same amount of current players performing at their peak will see us right.

But what does “right” mean though?
Players performing at their peak! great players hit 7 out of 10 performances every week and often better that that. Our players are generally  6 out of 10 every week, some a better and as often worse.
If you expect top 6 then you have to have more top players.

[Clampy]

We probably would but anything above 20 I’d take.

If someone offers us decent money then sell him. If nobody offers us what we want, then that in itself tells you something.

There’s no point keeping him around just because he seems a decent guy or through sentimentality while his value runs down alongside his contract.

He just isn’t good enough at this level.

He is good enough at this level because he's shown he is. Is he going to improve or get better? That's open for debate.

[manic-road]

Well we’ve played much better and got results with the same players but now they’re being instructed in a certain way so straight away there’s improvement with no money spent.
Put Carlos in with either of the centre halves and you’d hope that a decent partnership will form which would see Mings or Konsa improve. With Martinez behind our back 5 is decent. Newcastle have got Dan Burn playing left back and Schar who has a mistake in him (Mings). Put Ramsey in from Tuesday breaking the lines and there’s immediate improvement, Newcastle have got Longstaff and Willock.
Yes, Watkins is very wasteful but unless we can attract a £50/£60m striker that’s what you’ll get with most. Newcastle have Wilson who is a much better finisher but is injury prone.
We’ve got great potential out on loan. For me maybe 2/3 of the right players in we can bridge the gap.

It doesn't have to be a £50/60m striker, take Alvarez for Instance Man City paid £14.1m who seem to have a good scouting network.

[algy]

There’s some players you can see that won’t probably fit the way that Unai wants to play but he’s a top coach and I can see an improvement after a relatively short space of time.
His Villarreal team had a few in it that were bombed out of the premiership but he got a tune out of them. Newcastle, Brighton, Fulham, Brentford and Palace are ahead of us but imo their first team or squad overall are no better than ours.
I think a few tweaks rather than wholesale changes.

Yeah, I agree.

If you go through Newcastle's squad, how many players of their's are you swapping for the equivalent player in ours?  (e.g. Botman for Diego Carlos, Schar for Mings, Pope for Martinez, ..).  I reckon it's single figures, and fairly low single figures.  Not to say that they're crap, just that they're not way ahead of what we've already got.  Credit has to go to Howe there for building a strong looking side out of a squad that, bar Saint-Maximin, we wouldn't have touched a single player with a bargepole from a little over 12 months ago.   But the way people are going on, somehow Chris Wood is the champman regen of Alfredo Di Stefano, and Ollie Watkins can't hold a candle to him 

[Chris Smith]

We probably would but anything above 20 I’d take.

If someone offers us decent money then sell him. If nobody offers us what we want, then that in itself tells you something.

There’s no point keeping him around just because he seems a decent guy or through sentimentality while his value runs down alongside his contract.

He just isn’t good enough at this level.

We saw his strengths and limitations on Monday. He ran his bollocks off, scored one good header, had another disallowed for a marginal offside but missed a couple of seemingly easier chances.I wouldn’t sell him until we know we have better in his position as well as cover for injuries etc. Clearly we need more goals but we also need to replicate his energy, work rate and ability to stretch defences.