2024 Summer Transfer Window. The Verdict.

[PhilVill]

I would also add that I don't think we have been mugged by Juventus. Those two boys have gone to a high standard of club on loan, which can hopefully help them kick on but Emri obviously doesn't think they are ready yet so it's a good move for all.

[paul_e]

I doubt we'll ever have a thread like this which doesn't include a load of people moaning that we needed 1 or 2 more, or that we were risking things on 1-2 key players not getting injured, or that the person overseeing it is shit at their job.

For me we've got to the end of the window with 2 players in every position who either got us into the champions league or who have experience in the champions league, we have a good number of young players out on loan getting important experience. We have looked at the glaring weakness in the squad from last season and added someone in midfield to make us better at set pieces at either end, who offers better aerial coverage in front of the defence and who adds a huge amount of power into what was previously a technical but small group of players. We've also added 2 young fullbacks who look like they're will fit in perfectly with how we want to play.

All of that given to one of the best managers around who has already improved almost every player at the club and who is known for liking a slightly smaller squad with a few versatile players to cover the gaps.

If we added a Geertruida or someone similar in place of Carlos and if we could've got a versatile forward I'd have bene happier but both would've bene minor improvements rather than filling huge and obvious gaps. As such the window is a solid B for me and is evolution not revolution, which I'm always in favour of.

Are people 'moaning', or simply taking part in a discussion?  This is subjective stuff you understand?

Do you understand that my post was my subjective opinion?

[Goldenballs]

I think Maatsen will be a good player for us, but a LB would've been the last position I would've been looking to strengthen if I knew funds/wages were so tight due to wanky rules.

5/10.

[jwarry]

The alternative view is that Ned and Lamare get the chance of a lifetime and by the the end of the season we will wonder what we were worried about!

[steamer]

I think we expected to do more than we did.
I am sure that there were many more deals being negotiated that never got finalised.
Overall flat for me, happy with Onana , Barkley and Maatsen but no Marquee signing.
I think we will struggle to be about 6th, don't expect much in domestic cups but really think it is balls to the wall for CL knock out stage.
5 out of 10. But not as bad as some other crappy windows.

[Demitri_C]

Does anyone know how Demitri feels about the window? 

Please don't encourage the fucker any further!!

Whats the fucker done to you 😂

[Mister E]

Does anyone know how Demitri feels about the window? 

Please don't encourage the fucker any further!!

Whats the fucker done to you 😂

Bitched and moaned and gone on and on and on and on and on ...

[algy]

We’ve been screwed by PSR/the UEFA thing. I swear it’s forced us to sell Dougie against our will, let Diaby go before we’d got a replacement lined up (the offer was too good to risk not having it) and then caused us to fall short of Gertrude and Felix - we just couldn’t offer competitive wages & transfer fees.

With that in mind it’s hard to be too angry. I think Onana and Maatsen are both brilliant signings, and I think Iling Junior will become more of a force next summer, when I expect we’ll jettison Digne in favour of him - it’s a season too soon for him but we couldn’t turn the chance down with him. Also chuffed we’ve got Jaden back. Barkley seems a decent signing at the price.

Barrenechea seems an odd one, given his age and that we’ve sent him out on loan. Feels like perhaps a player we’ve bought in to farm out on loan then sell him. But yeah, curious one.

Dobbin feels similar, at his age if the best he’s doing is a loan to the Championship then he feels very much like a player who’ll never see our first team. Maybe one we’ll sell for £15m or so to a newly promoted team.

Overall, it feels to me like we’ve done as well as we could in some pretty awful circumstances. I think as a squad we’re significantly stronger than we were 12 months ago, but the first team is around the same or slightly weaker.

 I still think we’ll do alright this season though. Another top 4, decent run in Europe, maybe get a couple of rounds deep in to both cups. Tbh I don’t see either of the cups as a priority this season. They both come a very distant third to the league and European Cup for purely practical reasons. I don’t like it, but if we’re ever going to be more than just a flash in the pan we have to make sure we’re in Europe and doing well enough that we aren’t fighting against these daft FFP type rules like we have been this summer

[Demitri_C]

Does anyone know how Demitri feels about the window? 

Please don't encourage the fucker any further!!

Whats the fucker done to you 😂

Bitched and moaned and gone on and on and on and on and on ...

Take it you havent been on a football forum very long as thats what we do 🤪

Just being honest- not happy with our dealings in the window and i have  explained in depth why so wont repeat it.

But its a 4/10 for me

[SoccerHQ]

6/10.

Our first 11 looks fine currently but let's see how we do when we're juggling CL/Prem with injuries hitting.

[Demitri_C]

6/10.

Our first 11 looks fine currently but let's see how we do when we're juggling CL/Prem with injuries hitting.

Its a wierd one. As i was happy with the squad depth eith enzo and illing jr here. But with them both being loaned out thats why i have given a lower score as i think only improvements are maatsen and onana.

[Ads]

Improving a Champions League side is very hard to do, as the pool of players capable of doing that and in the Premier League, is finite.

Add on the complexities of not 1 but 2 rigorous sets of PSR to comply with and you're looking at very narrow margins.

The club has a long term plan to widen that margin. We've signed players this season who will likely replace some first teamers in the windows to come. Tielemans appears to have been that for Luiz, with the midfield style changing again this season. It helps having a genius for a manager.

Onana adds legs and strength defensively that Luiz couldn't. He's the percentage ball in the box that's already paid off. While he doesn't look as attacking, he's just as adept at beating the press. Him and Kamara would be defensively formidable in the double pivot. Barkley seems a smart pick up to add to the squad to cover either Tielemans or Onana.

Maatsen is a very exciting talent and an upgrade on the departed Moreno, who didn't look the same post injury. He adopts a position higher than Digne and has a real quality about him. The perfect touch to JJ a case in point.

We're not going to be about that right hand axis of everything through Bailey or left back plus JJ from the season before; the January signing of Rogers has to be one of the most exciting purchases that we had no idea of at the time. That's what gives me hope my skepticism of Philogene is misplaced.

He is clearly very highly thought of by Emery, who was bemoaning his sale weekly to all who'd listen. Can he cover for Diaby? We'll have to hope so, although it's all a bit irrelevant as neither would be getting a look in over Rogers.

What we have has also impacted the window. A fit again JJ after an awful year of injury and set back. What a player he is and will contribute with his...direct ball carrying (a pattern is emerging). Buendia is back too, last seen looking twice as strong in pre-season 2023. Let's hope Emery continues to do what he does best; improve everybody.

Duran, the crank, has stuck around. Probably for the best as he's dripping with talent, if only he could harness it.

Mings back in training. Hopefully we'll see him before the pumpkins are fully ripe. A certain upgrade on Lenglet. I hope he's as good as we remember, as centre half could feel very light otherwise.

I'd have liked another attacking player and another centre half. It's not feasible financially. Maybe after we've scooped £50m in Champions League prize money, the 10s of millions in extra sponsorship and associated revenue, shed the contracts of Dendonker et al, we can flex a little further in 2025.

Whether we're ready to cope with the extra demands of Europe, nobody really knows. But I have a supreme confidence in Emery. I think, largely thanks to the trio of ACLs returning, that we're stronger than last season. The benches so far are witness to that.

I find it difficult to reconcile the 4/10 scores in the context of what we have had to do. Not much needed doing fortunately, as we were excellent.

[Risso]

I think we’ve been hamstrung by Monchi. He’s not remotely on the same level as Unai.

[robleflaneur]

Improving a Champions League side is very hard to do, as the pool of players capable of doing that and in the Premier League, is finite.

Add on the complexities of not 1 but 2 rigorous sets of PSR to comply with and you're looking at very narrow margins.

The club has a long term plan to widen that margin. We've signed players this season who will likely replace some first teamers in the windows to come. Tielemans appears to have been that for Luiz, with the midfield style changing again this season. It helps having a genius for a manager.

Onana adds legs and strength defensively that Luiz couldn't. He's the percentage ball in the box that's already paid off. While he doesn't look as attacking, he's just as adept at beating the press. Him and Kamara would be defensively formidable in the double pivot. Barkley seems a smart pick up to add to the squad to cover either Tielemans or Onana.

Maatsen is a very exciting talent and an upgrade on the departed Moreno, who didn't look the same post injury. He adopts a position higher than Digne and has a real quality about him. The perfect touch to JJ a case in point.

We're not going to be about that right hand axis of everything through Bailey or left back plus JJ from the season before; the January signing of Rogers has to be one of the most exciting purchases that we had no idea of at the time. That's what gives me hope my skepticism of Philogene is misplaced.

He is clearly very highly thought of by Emery, who was bemoaning his sale weekly to all who'd listen. Can he cover for Diaby? We'll have to hope so, although it's all a bit irrelevant as neither would be getting a look in over Rogers.

What we have has also impacted the window. A fit again JJ after an awful year of injury and set back. What a player he is and will contribute with his...direct ball carrying (a pattern is emerging). Buendia is back too, last seen looking twice as strong in pre-season 2023. Let's hope Emery continues to do what he does best; improve everybody.

Duran, the crank, has stuck around. Probably for the best as he's dripping with talent, if only he could harness it.

Mings back in training. Hopefully we'll see him before the pumpkins are fully ripe. A certain upgrade on Lenglet. I hope he's as good as we remember, as centre half could feel very light otherwise.

I'd have liked another attacking player and another centre half. It's not feasible financially. Maybe after we've scooped £50m in Champions League prize money, the 10s of millions in extra sponsorship and associated revenue, shed the contracts of Dendonker et al, we can flex a little further in 2025.

Whether we're ready to cope with the extra demands of Europe, nobody really knows. But I have a supreme confidence in Emery. I think, largely thanks to the trio of ACLs returning, that we're stronger than last season. The benches so far are witness to that.

I find it difficult to reconcile the 4/10 scores in the context of what we have had to do. Not much needed doing fortunately, as we were excellent.

Brilliant summary.

[OzVilla]

For all the talk of our incomings don’t forget we have 3 players who were 1st team regulars previously and pretty much missed the whole of last season back.