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

[AV84]

Gutted for Emi - Worst possible thing to happen to a professional footballer. Hope he mends well.

Regarding the other two - How long are JJ and Moreno out for?

They'll both be available in September.

Moreno is supposedly early September, Ramsey mid September.
I've seen Moreno in and around the squad training so *fingers crossed* he's on track.

[pablo_picasso]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

[paul_e]

Yep, by the look of it Moreno is pretty much back in full training, Ramsey a bit behind but there's nothing to suggest he won't be fit on schedule in september.

Could Diaby cover Watkins in the event if a not-too-long term injury?

Yeah but who'd cover Diaby?

If rumours are to be believed then Zaniolo (who I think would also be a better fit alongside Archer than many of our other attacking players).

[Toronto Villa]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

[pablo_picasso]

They still concern me.

If the deal is a loan with an option to purchase, it would appear they concern the club too.

Which is only smart...

[pauliewalnuts]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

i am sure we will have done our homework and know the risks, so i am not hugely bothered.

But not sure this stat is very reassuring - missing almost 30 games in 3 seasons is quite a lot, isn't it?

[Clark W Griswold]

It was in 20-21 by the looks of it, but he's managed quite a few since. I do agree it's a bit of a punt though but i'm all for it. Haven't had many Italian players over the years, don't think we've ever had a full Italian international? (he's played 13 and got 2 goals for the full side). Unless my memory is playing up.

[Toronto Villa]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

i am sure we will have done our homework and know the risks, so i am not hugely bothered.

But not sure this stat is very reassuring - missing almost 30 games in 3 seasons is quite a lot, isn't it?

It’s not great admittedly. Seems to be the odd niggly type injury vs anything related to the significant ones he suffered. I’d probably be more worried if that was the case.

[dutchvilla]

There aren't many Italians who have flourished in the Premier League. Zola and Di Matteo spring to mind, I guess Jorginho did ok at Chelsea, but lots which didn't work out, even internationals.

[Villatillidie25]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

i am sure we will have done our homework and know the risks, so i am not hugely bothered.

But not sure this stat is very reassuring - missing almost 30 games in 3 seasons is quite a lot, isn't it?

At least according to the worldly transfermrkt, he's missed 20 games since his last ACL injury (Sept 2020 - May 21). the 4 that were covid were when he was out with his ACL. 6 of the remaining 20 were a shoulder injury and the majority of the others were in the season after his acl injury, which isn't surprising as he worked his way back to full fitness.
Long and short, he missed 7 games in the 22/23 season (6 were the shoulder injury) and 2 last season with a groin strain so it doesn't feel like he's particularly injury prone, provided he is over his ACL injuries and able to play at the requisite level.

[pablo_picasso]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

i am sure we will have done our homework and know the risks, so i am not hugely bothered.

But not sure this stat is very reassuring - missing almost 30 games in 3 seasons is quite a lot, isn't it?

For a fully fledged player who has broken through to regular first team football enough to win caps for a decent nation, yes it might be.

But it would all depend on the reasons they missed games.

[paul_e]

His knee injuries concern me, but I do like him as a player, so a loan with a purchase option sounds like a very smart bit of business to me.

And he potentially comes with the added bonus of a bit of height to boot...

His last significant injury where he did his cruciate was in September 2020. He’s missed less than 30 games since and 4 of those were for Covid. So aside from the big one there have small injuries here or there. Granted it was two big ones very early in his career.

i am sure we will have done our homework and know the risks, so i am not hugely bothered.

But not sure this stat is very reassuring - missing almost 30 games in 3 seasons is quite a lot, isn't it?

It’s not great admittedly. Seems to be the odd niggly type injury vs anything related to the significant ones he suffered. I’d probably be more worried if that was the case.

I actually think most of them look like they are related but in an "expected setbacks after 18months out" rather than any recurrences, etc. Little niggly things are incredibly common when you come back from major injuries like his because you not only take a lot more precaution with any minor pain but you're effectively retraining your body to do peak levels of exercise after a long period of being sedentary and that requires muscles and ligaments to be reformed to cope with it, which means you get a lot more of those little pains and discomforts.


It often turns into a case of regular breaks in recovery to give the body time to adapt and, for a footballer, this will mean missing games and them being reported as niggles.

[Clark W Griswold]

Players do get over them, see Ruud Van Nistelhorse.

Was that the injury Delph had with us also? Took him a while to get over it but he eventually got back to being one of our best players.

[rougegorge]

There aren't many Italians who have flourished in the Premier League. Zola and Di Matteo spring to mind, I guess Jorginho did ok at Chelsea, but lots which didn't work out, even internationals.

Yes quite a few didn't work out. Some others who did quite well: Vialli, Carbone  , Di Canio, Ravanelli, Ogbonna, Pelle, Cudicini.

[Smithy]

Physio and rehab on knee injuries is now light years ahead of where it was even twenty years ago.  Plus the rigorous checks made in modern medicals.  I doubt we'd sign anyone we didn't think could stand up to it physically.

I do sometimes wonder what might have happened to Gary Shaw had he had access to the sort of knee specialists in the game today.  And to a lesser extent, Gazza.