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

[Beard82]

Does anyone know of a striker who is as good as Watkins, guaranteed to get 15 Premier League goals a season, within our budget, and happy to sit on the bench?

Asking for a friend.

Taking that argument no team would ever get a decent second striker.

Archer has scored zero Premier League goals. That’s the problem.

tbf, so had watkins.  Most strikers signed by PL teams have either not really played in the PL, or have but are a bit shit.   

[JUAN PABLO]

still think there is going to be one more exciting signing yet


no idea who  but maybe watch out for a Felix near the end of August

[Beard82]

I want better than Watkins

100% either upgrade watkins - or stick with what we have.  Were not getting someone to play second fiddle without spending 40m, and that's not happening. 

[Dogtanian]

Does anyone know of a striker who is as good as Watkins, guaranteed to get 15 Premier League goals a season, within our budget, and happy to sit on the bench?

Asking for a friend.

That's not the description of what anyone is asking for us to sign though is it?

Isn’t it? I keep reading people saying that expecting Watkins to be fit for an entire season is a big risk, so we need to sign a striker…

To get someone better than Watkins is going to be both stupid money and also unlikely to sign for us.

Signing someone completely different means we then have to change to accommodate the backup if Watkins is out.

Signing someone who might be as good or better than Watkins is a gamble as who knows if they can step up.

So really, we must want a Watkins clone, capable of slotting in and happy twiddling his thumbs if Watkins isn’t injured.

[Steve67]

Surely we can't be finished.  Three in, three out?  Numbers wise, we are not stronger than last year.  Four if we include Steer.

[Dogtanian]

I think we have done the must-haves and are now waiting on developments. Either for players to leave and free up funds and spaces, or for the right players at the right price to be available.

We do tend to buy early and then it goes quiet and we talk about possible additions, but then it turns out we are done after all, so it wouldn’t surprise me either way.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I want better than Watkins

He's gone to PSG.

[N'ZMAV]

I want better than Watkins

He's gone to PSG.

and who is that?

[pauliewalnuts]

I want better than Watkins

100% either upgrade watkins - or stick with what we have.  Were not getting someone to play second fiddle without spending 40m, and that's not happening. 

Watkins is not the problem.

Nor is not having anyone else as good as him.

The problem is that should he get injured or plain knackered, the gap down to our next option is way too big

I keep saying this but we need to stop thinking about players being starters or not starters. We need to think about having the deepest pool of the best players we can get and the starting eleven consists of the players who are both available and most suited to play the next match.

At CB for eaample we have an abundance of riches. In terms of strikers we have Watkins and then nothing but a couple of raw kids.

Nobody is expecting us to sign the new Haaland but what we do need is someone as close to Watkins quality as we can possibly get 

Surely that’s not that controversial an opinion?

[pauliewalnuts]

For example - Newcastle have Isaak and Wilson. Surely we can aspire to that sort of quality?

[N'ZMAV]

tell Dogtanian so he can tell his friend

[dave.woodhall]

If the other top six aspirants can manage one on the pitch and one on the bench I don't see why we can’t.

[pauliewalnuts]

If the other top six aspirants can manage one on the pitch and one on the bench I don't see why we can’t.

I hate to even think this but I do wonder if this will turn out to be yet another season of "one player short"

[Dave]

Does anyone know of a striker who is as good as Watkins, guaranteed to get 15 Premier League goals a season, within our budget, and happy to sit on the bench?

Asking for a friend.

That's not the description of what anyone is asking for us to sign though is it?

Isn’t it? I keep reading people saying that expecting Watkins to be fit for an entire season is a big risk, so we need to sign a striker…

To get someone better than Watkins is going to be both stupid money and also unlikely to sign for us.

Signing someone completely different means we then have to change to accommodate the backup if Watkins is out.

Signing someone who might be as good or better than Watkins is a gamble as who knows if they can step up.

So really, we must want a Watkins clone, capable of slotting in and happy twiddling his thumbs if Watkins isn’t injured.

Firstly, I think there are probably about half a dozen players in world football who are "guaranteed to get 15 Premier League goals" in a season. We've never had one in thirty years. And anyone who does meet that description now wouldn't be joining us anyway.

As Paulie says, it's not a case of "as good as Watkins" it's "more able to fit in to our current squad requirements for four competitions than Archer and Duran currently are". There's a big space between those two things.

There are also people who think we should be trying to replace Watkins. I don't think that's realistic as the strikers who are obviously better than Watkins aren't coming to us. But those people don't want to sign that player to sit on the bench, they want Watkins to be the player on the bench.

[pauliewalnuts]

David Ornstein
@David_Ornstein
🚨 Burnley reach verbal agreement with Aston Villa for Aaron Ramsey. Working to finalise deal ~£14m + add-ons + buyback. Personal terms in place, medical being scheduled. #AVFC also open to Cameron Archer sale amid strong interest
@TheAthleticFC
 #BurnleyFC

Ornstein is not some footyinsider moron, he's John Percy levels of truth.