2023 Summer transfer window - hopes, needs, expectations and rumours.

[Smirker]

JWP is 28 now and you could query why no-one has took him.

Cos they'd want silly money. He's class. He'd be great in Klopp's Liverpool team I reckon.

[curiousorange]

I'd like to think we won't just be buying overpriced Premier League players this summer.

[pauliewalnuts]

JWP is 28 now and you could query why no-one has took him.

Cos they'd want silly money. He's class. He'd be great in Klopp's Liverpool team I reckon.

I am not sure whether he's what we need, but he's an exceptional player who looks good even in a shit team.

I don't think the 'why hasn't anyone else had him?' argument adds too much tbh.

Perhaps they really really want to keep him and quote massive prices - we know they did that to us last year, for a start.

[hilts_coolerking]

I'd like to think we won't just be buying overpriced Premier League players this summer.

Equally I hope we don't think we can buck the trend by spending peanuts on average players then win everything in sight.  Quality costs.

[London Villan]

Phillips is a yes from me if we are in Europe. With injuries and suspensions, those two positions are too important not to have quality cover. We've seen McGinn do well there, but he is much more effective further forward.

[chrisw1]

Some press rumours that we're after Kalvin Phillips? Really? I think he's overrated, overweight and injury prone. Apparently, he still hasn't actually started a game for Citeh! No thanks.....

A year ago I would have thought what a signing. Now - no thanks. He has lost his mobility and hence his decision-making has suffered.

I think the original source of this is Football Insider, so it's just bullshit.

But I think he's an excellent player with a great pass.  With him, Doug and Kamara, our CM positions sorted for some time to come.  Doug and Kamara are versatile enough to play further forward or the '8' role too, so we'd have depth and versatility.

However, I think Guendouzi will be that signing and I'm happy with him too.

[Smithy]

Some press rumours that we're after Kalvin Phillips? Really? I think he's overrated, overweight and injury prone. Apparently, he still hasn't actually started a game for Citeh! No thanks.....

A year ago I would have thought what a signing. Now - no thanks. He has lost his mobility and hence his decision making has suffered.

I'm a bit mixed on that one.  I think he's a good player but I wonder if the price tag and wages has gone to his head and he doesn't feel he has to try as hard for City as he did for Leeds.   I'm also not sure if he has the sort of mobility that Unai is after.

He was terrible for Leeds the season before he left too.

I'm not sure he was "terrible". He was out for three months with a hamstring injury which coincided with Leeds' downturn in form that ultimately saw Bielsa sacked.  He was back fit and in the side about two weeks after Ted Lasso took over.

If Emery has any plans to play a "double pivot" (which I believe is the new fancy way of saying two deeper lying midfielders), then I think he'd be an excellent signing to go alongside Kamara.  Dougie has looked so much better since he's had a bit more freedom instead of being forced to sit in front of the back four, so it would be great to free him of that responsibility for good.

Yes, we have a promising youngster in Tim coming through in that position, but Phillips is still only 27, a full International, and if properly fit, one of the best defensive midfielders around.

If he's genuinely available, I think there'll be plenty of suitors.

[paul_e]

It's a no to Phillips from me, he made a terrible decision to join them last summer and will need time to recover from losing an entire season to get back to his best. A lot of players when faced with that sort of challenge after a failed transfer just wilt and become a Ross Barkley like shadow of the player they might have been. From what I've seen of Phillips this year he hardly seems to be 'pulling up trees' to get himself into the team.

With someone who's best is miles above what we have and where the finances make sense (e.g. Coutinho) it can be worth the gamble but at his very best Phillips would be part of a 2 from 3 setup in central midfield (with Dougie and Bouba) where we've added depth but not quality and it's soon enough after his transfer that they'd expect to get most of the fee they paid back. If we want to add depth in that way then I'd prefer it to be by adding someone who is in great form and would be stepping up/sideways not someone who hasn't played for a year and will see it as going backwards.

on JWP I quite like him I'm not convinced he's good enough for a top 6 challenge, we stepped over him when we got Bouba in my opinion and now he'd be cover at most.

[Dave]

It's a no to Phillips from me, he made a terrible decision to join them last summer and will need time to recover from losing an entire season to get back to his best. A lot of players when faced with that sort of challenge after a failed transfer just wilt and become a Ross Barkley like shadow of the player they might have been. From what I've seen of Phillips this year he hardly seems to be 'pulling up trees' to get himself into the team.

I expect he thinks he made a brilliant decision.

Given he's had a pretty sketchy history with injuries over the previous couple of years, I don't blame him for signing a six year contract at nearly £8m per season. It's a short career, he's never going to be offered that again.

Being injured at a less trophy-rich club, earning less money is probably a worse end result than his current situation.

[Drummond]

Aaron Wan Bissaka at Man Utd being watched apparently.....

So too Mohammed Salisu at Southampton..

[paul_e]

It's a no to Phillips from me, he made a terrible decision to join them last summer and will need time to recover from losing an entire season to get back to his best. A lot of players when faced with that sort of challenge after a failed transfer just wilt and become a Ross Barkley like shadow of the player they might have been. From what I've seen of Phillips this year he hardly seems to be 'pulling up trees' to get himself into the team.

I expect he thinks he made a brilliant decision.

Given he's had a pretty sketchy history with injuries over the previous couple of years, I don't blame him for signing a six year contract at nearly £8m per season. It's a short career, he's never going to be offered that again.

Being injured at a less trophy-rich club, earning less money is probably a worse end result than his current situation.

Well yes, but this is really just making the same point, he decided to go for money and reflected glory of being in a squad that wins things without him having much to do with it. That's part of why I wouldn't want to be the club that gamble on him giving a shit about playing anymore.

[LeeB]

It's a no to Phillips from me, he made a terrible decision to join them last summer and will need time to recover from losing an entire season to get back to his best. A lot of players when faced with that sort of challenge after a failed transfer just wilt and become a Ross Barkley like shadow of the player they might have been. From what I've seen of Phillips this year he hardly seems to be 'pulling up trees' to get himself into the team.

With someone who's best is miles above what we have and where the finances make sense (e.g. Coutinho) it can be worth the gamble but at his very best Phillips would be part of a 2 from 3 setup in central midfield (with Dougie and Bouba) where we've added depth but not quality and it's soon enough after his transfer that they'd expect to get most of the fee they paid back. If we want to add depth in that way then I'd prefer it to be by adding someone who is in great form and would be stepping up/sideways not someone who hasn't played for a year and will see it as going backwards.

on JWP I quite like him I'm not convinced he's good enough for a top 6 challenge, we stepped over him when we got Bouba in my opinion and now he'd be cover at most.

I agree with all of this

[OCD]

Our name does seem to have become a stalking horse for other clubs cast-offs. The likes of Man Utd and Chelsea are going to have a lot of dead wood to get rid of.

We've been interested in Phillips a couple of times but he's older and his fitness record isn't good. Added to that, City are expected to demand the same excessive fee they paid for him and then added to that his wages...we would be better off bringing in Guendozi, Guerte or someone else from Europe.

[ChicagoLion]

Phillips is a yes from me if we are in Europe. With injuries and suspensions, those two positions are too important not to have quality cover. We've seen McGinn do well there, but he is much more effective further forward.

I think that he has not started a game for Citeh is a huge red flag.

[Rigadon]

I wouldn't have Philips or Ward Prowse over Luiz, McGinn or Kamara at the moment.  Had you asked me that pre-Emery, I'd have said something different though.  As somebody else said earlier in the thread, maybe the club is considering players whose ceiling is higher than those three, given Emery's apparent knack of improving players.  Philips might (more obviously) be in that category than Ward Prowse.  I definitely think Kamara and Luiz can and will go up a notch.  SJM is playing great at the moment but not sure he has another level - I am often wrong about this stuff though. 

As for improving the squad, both of the players rumored would do that, and unless they move to a newly promoted / Everton or West Ham type club, they won't be guaranteed starters anyway.