January Transfer Window - The Verdict.

[adrenachrome]

Could go two up front with Cleo Rocos.

Great call, Hilts. Cleo  would give us presence up top and allow Olly to feed off her.

[pauliewalnuts]

Could go two up front with Cleo Rocos.

She'd certainly represent a challenge to VAR offside calls.

[adrenachrome]

Could go two up front with Cleo Rocos.

She'd certainly represent a challenge to VAR offside calls.

A point well made, and did you know that Shane MacGowan, prior to joining Pogue Mahone was in a band call The Nipple Erectors?  Me neither.

Fine margins in VAR.

On reflection, this would not be advantageous and it's back to the drawing board on this one,

[coreyfeldman]

Anyone still think it was a 1/10 window and the club have given up etc etc?

[Risso]

Anyone still think it was a 1/10 window and the club have given up etc etc?

That Emery is getting the best out of a depleted squad doesn't for one second mean it was a good transfer window. Quite an average attempt at trolling to be honest.

[coreyfeldman]

Not trolling, genuinely interested if people have changed their minds a little?
Imo there was a lot of ott responses to January, and the fact that we have now one of the best managers and coaches in the league mean we can rely on him to improve to the team.
Seems very clear that Emery has set transfer targets and won't fuck around with average players and is happy to risk having a smaller squad than players who will never play anyway hanging around.
Just having time off made me think that end of January there was so much negativity about the window and what it meant that, actually, it's pretty alright

[Percy McCarthy]

Not trolling, genuinely interested if people have changed their minds a little?
Imo there was a lot of ott responses to January, and the fact that we have now one of the best managers and coaches in the league mean we can rely on him to improve to the team.
Seems very clear that Emery has set transfer targets and won't fuck around with average players and is happy to risk having a smaller squad than players who will never play anyway hanging around.
Just having time off made me think that end of January there was so much negativity about the window and what it meant that, actually, it's pretty alright

Yes, it seems feasible, as many suspected, that we were told our first choices would not be released mid-season, and Emery wasn’t interested in buying anyone he didn’t rate as highly while the possibility of getting his first choices in the summer remains.

[RamboandBruno]

I think only buying Moreno and a raw untried Djuran as well as letting Ings go, more or less were immediately followed by the three defeats to Leicester, Man City and Arsenal. So the two factors probably combined to cause a bit of a wobble amongst some supporters. Things look a lot more optimistic now and we can clearly see Emery’s coaching play out on the pitch and also previously underperforming players like McGinn and Watkins flying.
I do think another bad run or more likely getting close to Europe but not quite and some of what could of been if January was better will resurface. Personally, the summer seems massive, i don’t think we need loads of new players, but two or three top quality signings, then we’ll really know if Emery is being backed properly.

[Drummond]

Yes, it seems feasible, as many suspected, that we were told our first choices would not be released mid-season, and Emery wasn’t interested in buying anyone he didn’t rate as highly while the possibility of getting his first choices in the summer remains.

I'm pretty sure Emery said as much a couple of weeks ago.

[brontebilly]

I think only buying Moreno and a raw untried Djuran as well as letting Ings go, more or less were immediately followed by the three defeats to Leicester, Man City and Arsenal. So the two factors probably combined to cause a bit of a wobble amongst some supporters. Things look a lot more optimistic now and we can clearly see Emery’s coaching play out on the pitch and also previously underperforming players like McGinn and Watkins flying.
I do think another bad run or more likely getting close to Europe but not quite and some of what could of been if January was better will resurface. Personally, the summer seems massive, i don’t think we need loads of new players, but two or three top quality signings, then we’ll really know if Emery is being backed properly.

Letting Ings go was a big positive. Obviously there's an argument as to whether it was necessary to let both Sanson and Nakamba go on loan but if the manager doesn't rate them then so be it. Both of them seem to be doing ok on loan.

We have been a bit unfortunate with injuries of late, Kamara gets injured and Dendoncker picks up some kind of hand injury. Coutinho gives his best performance of the season against Arsenal and promptly off injured since. Cash getting back to his best and out now again. Fair play to Emery and likes of Mings, Luiz, Martinez, Watkins, McGinn who have carried the team of late despite all that.

Next summer is huge, the three young guys on loan in the championship, if reports are to be believed, all seem ready to be integrated into the first team squad too.

[Pat Mustard]

It is going to be a very interesting summer this year with I suspect a number of clubs finally starting to see the wheels come off financially (looking at you Chelsea, Everton and Forest), with even Burnley under threat despite promotion back to the Premier League.  It's good that we managed to prune a fair bit of the deadwood in January as I doubt there would be many takers in the summer, the key will be taking maximum advantage of others woes this year as well as making space for the our most promising youth in the squad.  3-4 top quality players and next season could be quite special.

[Drummond]

Agree with that!

[SoccerHQ]

We're lucky that Ollie must be one of the most robust CFs around.

He's been here nearly three years and in that time all he's missed is one game in 20/21 when he was wrongly sent off for diving v Man. United, two games at the start of 21/22 and this season all I can remember him missing is Brighton away because he was ill.

Considering the injuries we've had to likes of Bailey, Carlos and Kamara in last 18 months we've had very good fortune with him but you can never get complacent and we certainly need another attacker in the summer if we're serious about playing 50 games in a season again.

[Lastfootstamper]

And yet he never needs a rest.

[darren woolley]

He keeps going which is great news for us and him.