Transfer priorities

[PaulWinch again]

I don't really see too many players leaving really. Lenglet and Zaniolo will return to their parent clubs. If a taker for Dendoncker, Chambers and Hause can be found then they'll obviously be gone - but it's not as if they've really been part of this season's journey to get us here (cameo from Chambers on Monday aside). Coutinho is obviously going to be out on loan again or paid off, but likewise to the three above.

All the talk of how we need to ship out Cash, Carlos, Digne, Olsen etc and buy a load of replacements just doesn't feel how this summer is going to go. We have a really good squad which needs some upgrades and additional depth (as per your original post), and most importantly the injured players back again.

It doesn't feel like we need to sell four or five players who have played a lot this season and and buy replacements for them in addition to the two or three extra bodies that we need already.

Isn’t that going to be influenced by PSR though (acknowledging it might change)? I’m sure we don’t want to get rid of a key player, but we might need to.

[Sexual Ealing]

As a leftfield option they had Lecce - Udinese on the telly last night in the Villa Tavern before the game, and I saw the Udinese centre forward hold up the ball well under pressure, fire a great pass out wide, then get on the end of the subsequent cross with a Benteke-esque leap over the defender forcing the keeper to palm it out for a tap in. Looked the real deal, didn't get his name though.

Hah. Very good.

Similarly, forget Baena, surely this is this the left-footed fella at Villareal, we want? Scored a lovely goal last night (posted on his own thread but it's in ''Other Football'' where traffic is (s)low).

90 seconds in although he also nearly scores with the first piece of action:

It's a yes from me.

[ChicagoLion]

I don't really see too many players leaving really. Lenglet and Zaniolo will return to their parent clubs. If a taker for Dendoncker, Chambers and Hause can be found then they'll obviously be gone - but it's not as if they've really been part of this season's journey to get us here (cameo from Chambers on Monday aside). Coutinho is obviously going to be out on loan again or paid off, but likewise to the three above.

All the talk of how we need to ship out Cash, Carlos, Digne, Olsen etc and buy a load of replacements just doesn't feel how this summer is going to go. We have a really good squad which needs some upgrades and additional depth (as per your original post), and most importantly the injured players back again.

It doesn't feel like we need to sell four or five players who have played a lot this season and and buy replacements for them in addition to the two or three extra bodies that we need already.

This is how I see it.

[brontebilly]

If we're looking to strengthen at centre back at all then Raphael Varane is available free this summer. 31 and injury prone so not going to play every week, but as an experienced option? Would come along for the CL football I would think

That’s a bad take, an old, out of form, injury prone expensive player who is no upgrade. It crosses every box.

Agreed, he doesn't have the heart to play anymore. Casemiro is the same. He's only 32 but might aswell be 42. We were already had on Coutinho so I'd say we will be staying clear of those kind of players this season.

[Bad English]

Varane gave up playing for France too because he found the schedule 'suffocating'. You can understand Leon not wanting to waste his time with Jamaica's unprofessional set-up but not wanting to play for the one of the best international teams in the world*, whose set-up is second to none when you are playing for a middling PL club smacks of motivation deficit

*Three-star world champions were it not for the leg of Dibu.

[chrisw1]

I don't really see too many players leaving really. Lenglet and Zaniolo will return to their parent clubs. If a taker for Dendoncker, Chambers and Hause can be found then they'll obviously be gone - but it's not as if they've really been part of this season's journey to get us here (cameo from Chambers on Monday aside). Coutinho is obviously going to be out on loan again or paid off, but likewise to the three above.

All the talk of how we need to ship out Cash, Carlos, Digne, Olsen etc and buy a load of replacements just doesn't feel how this summer is going to go. We have a really good squad which needs some upgrades and additional depth (as per your original post), and most importantly the injured players back again.

It doesn't feel like we need to sell four or five players who have played a lot this season and and buy replacements for them in addition to the two or three extra bodies that we need already.

I agree.  I'd cash in on Carlos if there were any takers as I just don't think he's worth the capital we have tied up in him and wages.  I'd certainly keep Digne, even if it means twisting his arm to sign a more modest contract in return for an extra year.  I think Cash will be a decent back up if we do sign a right-back.  Otherwise, only fringe players and loanees to be shipped out for me.

I suspect we'll cash in on more kids and some will be tough decisions.

[Dave]

I don't really see too many players leaving really. Lenglet and Zaniolo will return to their parent clubs. If a taker for Dendoncker, Chambers and Hause can be found then they'll obviously be gone - but it's not as if they've really been part of this season's journey to get us here (cameo from Chambers on Monday aside). Coutinho is obviously going to be out on loan again or paid off, but likewise to the three above.

All the talk of how we need to ship out Cash, Carlos, Digne, Olsen etc and buy a load of replacements just doesn't feel how this summer is going to go. We have a really good squad which needs some upgrades and additional depth (as per your original post), and most importantly the injured players back again.

It doesn't feel like we need to sell four or five players who have played a lot this season and and buy replacements for them in addition to the two or three extra bodies that we need already.

Isn’t that going to be influenced by PSR though (acknowledging it might change)? I’m sure we don’t want to get rid of a key player, but we might need to.

But the sort of money that fixes a PSR problem isn't fixed by savings wages on Digne or Carlos. If we were to sell them, we're then either signing someone worse to replace them or paying more in wages and transfer fees to sign someone better than them than we received / were paying them.

Obviously none of us know for certain what our PSR position is, but it's going to be something like:

(a) Champions League now fixes everything. We still can't go and spend Chelsea 2023 money but we can add to the squad the extra we want without having to worry too much or sell someone important.

(b) Champions League gives us more wriggle room than we had before and without it we'd have had to sell someone important to avoid sanctions. We now don't have sell Watkins or DL, but we still aren't going out and spending anything significant.

(c) if we'd finished fifth then we were screwed and were going to have to sell multiple players to make things work. So even without adding new players and with the extra money, we still have to get rid of some of the squad, either one player for big money or two or three others for less money.

There are obviously different variants of the above, but it's only really the last of those where we're actively trying to move the likes of Digne and Carlos on, surely?

[KRS]

It’s certainly going to be tricky to navigate the FFP/PSR rules whilst strengthening the squad this summer. Above all else we need to remain competitive at the top end of the PL in order to secure CL qualification again, and keep hoovering up the financial benefits whilst we continue to build. No one expects us to win or get to the latter stages of the CL, so the PL and a decent cup run should be the main focus. As such, I don’t see us releasing many players outside of the obvious (loans and those surplus to requirements) and only bringing in players in certain areas where we have clearly struggled this season due to injuries…so for me, it would be:

GK (I have a feeling we’ll keep Olsen but he should be replaced)
RB (we have to stop playing Konsa there when Cash is out)
CB (sorry but Carlos isn’t good enough so we should accept any decent offer)
DM (cover for Kamara)
CF (cover for Ollie)

Depending on our long term injuries, we may need to bring in a couple more but with them all back then we have reasonable strength in depth and options in most positions.

[AV82EC]

Goalkeeper - no changes for me. Sinisalo to be loaned at a higher level.

Martinez/Olsen/Gauci

Right Back - I’d sell Cash and KKH purchase a new first choice then have Nedljkovic as back up.

New signing/Nedljkovic

Left Back - no changes for me but maybe sell Chrisene or loan again.

Digne/Moreno

Centre Back - no changes for me other than sell Hause.

Konsa/Carlos/Mings/Torres/Chambers

Midfield - sign a first choice number 6 to fill in for Kamara. Sign an additional 8 style player to give more depth and competition. Sell Tim I and Dendoncker.

New 6 Signing/Kamara/Luiz/McGinn/Tielemans/New 8 signing

Attacking mids and wingers - no changes here for me. Sell Coutinho.

Diaby/Rogers/Ramsey/Bailey/Buendia

Strikers - Long term decision re Archer required. Sell or keep? If he’s not being kept I’d go all out for Mbeumo from Brentford.

Watkins/Duran/New signing

[Smithy]

Goalkeeper - no changes for me. Sinisalo to be loaned at a higher level.

Martinez/Olsen/Gauci

Right Back - I’d sell Cash and KKH purchase a new first choice then have Nedljkovic as back up.

New signing/Nedljkovic

Left Back - no changes for me but maybe sell Chrisene or loan again.

Digne/Moreno

Centre Back - no changes for me other than sell Hause.

Konsa/Carlos/Mings/Torres/Chambers

Midfield - sign a first choice number 6 to fill in for Kamara. Sign an additional 8 style player to give more depth and competition. Sell Tim I and Dendoncker.

New 6 Signing/Kamara/Luiz/McGinn/Tielemans/New 8 signing

Attacking mids and wingers - no changes here for me. Sell Coutinho.

Diaby/Rogers/Ramsey/Bailey/Buendia

Strikers - Long term decision re Archer required. Sell or keep? If he’s not being kept I’d go all out for Mbeumo from Brentford.

Watkins/Duran/New signing

I like all of this, except to add we also have the young left-back Lino Souza who was at Plymouth for the second half of the season. Like Rogers, he was a WBA academy player (actually played against us in the youth cup semi the year we won it, even though he was only an U16 player at the time), who then got bought by Arsenal at 16, then we took him when his contract was running out, before loaning out to Plymouth.  He's still only 19, though.  It could be with Chrisene and Sousa coming through as promising left-backs, we can afford to keep both Digne and Moreno as our first-team options for another season in the hope one of these is good enough for the first team squad in a year's time?

I was sure Digne would be off, but given his performances, and the Champs League financial benefits, hopefully we can keep him around next season.

[eamonn]

I don't think competition for Digne/Moreno on the left and Cash on the right should be youth prospects. We're a top four club now, we have to keep improving and the full-back areas are our weakest relative to the rest of the team imo.

[Smithy]

I don't think competition for Digne/Moreno on the left and Cash on the right should be youth prospects. We're a top four club now, we have to keep improving and the full-back areas are our weakest relative to the rest of the team imo.

Chrisene and Sousa are not competition for the left-back position. Not this coming season, anyway. We have two very good left-backs in Digne and Moreno, and if both stay reasonably fit, a 3rd left-back isn't going to get a look in.  It was more that in 12 months time, heading into the 25/26 season when Digne and Moreno will both be 32, it might be one of the youngsters will be ready to step up and become a proper squad member. It might also be their both sold and we bring one in.

[Demitri_C]

I don't think competition for Digne/Moreno on the left and Cash on the right should be youth prospects. We're a top four club now, we have to keep improving and the full-back areas are our weakest relative to the rest of the team imo.

Chrisene and Sousa are not competition for the left-back position. Not this coming season, anyway. We have two very good left-backs in Digne and Moreno, and if both stay reasonably fit, a 3rd left-back isn't going to get a look in.  It was more that in 12 months time, heading into the 25/26 season when Digne and Moreno will both be 32, it might be one of the youngsters will be ready to step up and become a proper squad member. It might also be their both sold and we bring one in.

I think digne will be sold because his wages. Unlikely he will kept for that reason alone

[lovejoy]

When considering sales and FFP, yes we save wages (but only if a replacement is on less) but unless we sell at above amortised value, we crystallise a loss.

So say Carlos was signed for £26m on a 4 year deal in 2022, his value is now (probably) £13m. So if we sell him for less than that we crystallise a loss which negates the FFP benefit. I dont know what his resale value is but he's 31 and had injury issues.

[ASHTONVILLA]

We will hopefully have Ramsey, Buendia and Mings back for the start of next season.

Think we will see Coutinho loaned out again, Dendoncker and Chambers sold, Hause released. Archer may be sold again. Would not surprise me is we took a big offer for Luiz, and also would not surprise me if we sold Carlos. Do not see us signing Zaniolo or Lenglet permanently.

Clear priority has to be a decent DM to cover for / compete with Kamara. A right back would be nice, and another centre back that is good enough to compete for a place with Torres, Mings and Konsa.

Think we will see a couple of free transfers, and possiby some lesser known players (like Rogers) come in. Do not think we will be making any statement signings like Grealish (though would welcome him back with open arms if we did).

Key is to get less injuries next season. Easier said than done, but if we have no ACLs or similar season ennding injuries then we will be much stronger.