Winter 25-26 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[eamonn]

Very good!

[Dante Lavelli]

Keep Doug, jettison Barkley.

[eamonn]

Is that nu-haiku ?

[brontebilly]

He's getting a fair bit of flack considering he's clearly not as match fit as he could be. It seems to me the coaching staff are telling him to play the role down a bit until he's back up to speed, but who knows. Playing alongside Onana isn't helping him either, he's looked well off it these past few games.

Doug let the game pass him by a bit v Leeds but that's still better than Onana's no show! If Luiz form picks up then I'm not sure you get a better option to rotate/challenge with Tielemans. Hope he can do it.

[TheToffnar]

He's playing too deep for me, especially compared to when he did his best work for us but again, that could well via instruction. We simply cannot afford for him to run himself into the ground and get injured as it stands.

[OCD]

When I said I wasn't sure we would buy Doug, it's because I wonder whether we'll prefer to get someone like Gabriel Sara instead.

[N'ZMAV]

I'd go Luiz and Barkely v the dog heads

[PeterWithe]

I didn't think Onana was that bad against Leeds, not at his best but not terrible.

Whilst Barkely did very well, I would be a bit worried about a midfield pairing of him and Duggie when a turnover happens, they are just not mobile enough, at least not yet.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I wouldn't mind Barkley playing instead Buendia, push him further forward.

[Mellin]

Yeah, I'd start Barkley at 10 and put Rogers wide left. I'd do that every week tbh, if his legs can handle it.

Good way to combat the "just stick all bodies inside" tactic that teams are employing against us right now too. Erm, Rogers is out there, lads. Out you go.

[Hookeysmith]

With any luck we will be venturing into our 4th season in a row in Europe, possibly 2nd out of 4 in Champons league and still.the talk is we either don't have  pot to piss in or we have to sell our best players.

When it's this depressing shit going to change?

[Dave]

The only "talk" is relatively benign speculation on here, about selling one of the (arguably) best players in the world to one the half dozen or so (current) better teams in the world than us.

That would be a thing regardless of any SCR conversations.

[eamonn]

With any luck we will be venturing into our 4th season in a row in Europe, possibly 2nd out of 4 in Champons league and still.the talk is we either don't have  pot to piss in or we have to sell our best players.

When it's this depressing shit going to change?

I'm gonna buy one of those lush new items from the Villa Adidas retro range. What more do you want?!

[OCD]

Yeah, I'd start Barkley at 10 and put Rogers wide left. I'd do that every week tbh, if his legs can handle it.

Good way to combat the "just stick all bodies inside" tactic that teams are employing against us right now too. Erm, Rogers is out there, lads. Out you go.

I prefer Rogers on the left. He seems to play his best more consistently there.