Summer 2024 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Monty]

Some articles saying we're making progress signing Hermoso. Sounds like we've been working on him for the past few months and we're showing more keenness than anyone else. Italian clubs can't afford his pay demands and have turned to other alternatives. Supposedly more interested in the sporting project than going to Saudi Arabia for mega money.

Beautiful!

[Demitri_C]

Some articles saying we're making progress signing Hermoso. Sounds like we've been working on him for the past few months and we're showing more keenness than anyone else. Italian clubs can't afford his pay demands and have turned to other alternatives. Supposedly more interested in the sporting project than going to Saudi Arabia for mega money.

Great news

[edgysatsuma89]

Varela looks like an Emery player to me so I can see exactly why we'd be interested.

Speaks Spanish as well.

I like an exotic player with a British first name, "His name's what?... Alan?!". Messi being called Clive would have been much better.

Lionel sounds pretty British, if you say it properly.

I can't believe that didn't even enter my mind, I'm so used to saying it the other way. Or does Ritchie have an Argentinian name?

[Drummond]

I was coming up with my own and then just realised myself.

[Sexual Ealing]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

[Dave]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

Pretty much every Bologna player is going to linked with a move away after the season they've had. But we're not going to spend the £50m or so they would want only for him to play second-fiddle to Watkins.

[eamonn]

Some articles saying we're making progress signing Hermoso. Sounds like we've been working on him for the past few months and we're showing more keenness than anyone else. Italian clubs can't afford his pay demands and have turned to other alternatives. Supposedly more interested in the sporting project than going to Saudi Arabia for mega money.

Beautiful!

Guapo.

[Sexual Ealing]

Gracias amigos.

[Demitri_C]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

Pretty much every Bologna player is going to linked with a move away after the season they've had. But we're not going to spend the £50m or so they would want only for him to play second-fiddle to Watkins.

I think if anything this season has shown we need rotation in squad. If we get europe again you are not going to have ollie starting 38 games on top of the europe ones. We need two quality strikers fighting it out for every position ans that includes ollie

All the top sides have this

[Dave]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

Pretty much every Bologna player is going to linked with a move away after the season they've had. But we're not going to spend the £50m or so they would want only for him to play second-fiddle to Watkins.

I think if anything this season has shown we need rotation in squad. If we get europe again you are not going to have ollie starting 38 games on top of the europe ones. We need two quality strikers fighting it out for every position ans that includes ollie

All the top sides have this

We're still not going to spend close to our transfer record on Joshua Kirkzee.

[ChicagoLion]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

Pretty much every Bologna player is going to linked with a move away after the season they've had. But we're not going to spend the £50m or so they would want only for him to play second-fiddle to Watkins.

I think if anything this season has shown we need rotation in squad. If we get europe again you are not going to have ollie starting 38 games on top of the europe ones. We need two quality strikers fighting it out for every position ans that includes ollie

All the top sides have this

They dont, there are too few top strikers.

[Somniloquism]

They dont, there are too few top strikers.

Arsenal have Jesus and? Man City might be argued they have Alvarez and Haaland, but Alvarez plays attacking midfield a lot as well. Bayern have Kane and maybe Mane, but again he plays off Kane as well. Tottenham have Son and? Liverpool you could argue do, although Nunez is very hit and miss, and Salah plays better coming in from right wing. Newcastle probably have the only two out and out strikers, but most of their rotation is because one is inevitably injured.

Personally, and we haven't seen it yet, but I think Diaby could be the striker if Watkins is out as he played similar for his old team. (I bet he wished he had stayed one more season).

[Dave]

Joshua Zirkzee linked. Nor me.

Pretty much every Bologna player is going to linked with a move away after the season they've had. But we're not going to spend the £50m or so they would want only for him to play second-fiddle to Watkins.

I think if anything this season has shown we need rotation in squad. If we get europe again you are not going to have ollie starting 38 games on top of the europe ones. We need two quality strikers fighting it out for every position ans that includes ollie

All the top sides have this

They dont, there are too few top strikers.

What teams do have is the ability to move players around without any major drop in quality. So if Jesus isn't on it, Arsenal move Havertz up the pitch. They don't cross their fingers that Nketiah might somehow be good enough.

Man City can play Alvarez behind Haaland, or play him instead of Haaland and one of their many attacking midfielders drops into his place.

Whether Richarlison or Son is central or wide, it still works okay for Spurs. And whichever one isn't wide, there are plenty of options to come in to the spot they've moved out from.

It Nunez isn't in, then Gakpo or Jota can play there. Any if they're not there, they might be somewhere else in the side.

There was the chance that it might have been Diaby, or it might have been Zaniolo but neither is looking likely. Maybe it will be Rogers.

But also, those teams have needed to adapt because of injury, loss of form or international absence of the main striker. Maybe if Ollie had been out for three months at some point then someone would have stuck in six or seven goals as an auxiliary striker and we'd be thrilled at how varied and adaptable our forward positions are. But we haven't needed to try that in the way that others teams have.

[Risso]

I can't see Diaby as the main striker at Villa, I don't think he's got the physicality for it, and he goes missing for far too long in games. As the support to Ollie he's done OK if you take his overall stats for the season as a whole, but I hope there's a lot more to come from him.

[OCD]

Duran's reaching an age where he'll be expected to contribute more and more. He did well against Ajax and then scored against Man City. As the squad currently stands, he would be expected to fill-in for Watkins. There's a question as to whether we keep him or sell him this summer.

One thing is for sure, we're overly reliant on Watkins and we've been lucky that he's not been another of our causalities. Whether it's Europa League or Champions League next season, we'll be stepping up a level in Europe so we'll need the option of being able to rest him at times.