We have always been famous for not doing it early in the transfer window. However, the window is slow for others as well this time. Chelsea have got couple of incomings for free from Fulham and Liverpool, Man United and Man City are yet to make a move. Newcastle bought Lewis Hall from Chelsea in a 28m deal but that’s going to complicate things for them even further, they need to sell some players to not break FFP rules.
We did have a clear-out though. We have let go of Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares from the first team. Contracts for them ended at the end of the season and we have no reasons to renew it now. We have also released some of the youngsters in Kido Taylor-Hart, Tyreece John-Jules, Arthur Okonkwo, Henry Davies. These are some names we have heard, seen on bench and thought they will have a bright future a year back. Teams like City, Man Utd, Newcastle, Madrid, Bayern, Chelsea have made it tough for anyone else to grow a pair and give time to young guns. When the margins are negligible between the winner and the 2nd place, you can’t afford to drop points because you played few 18 year old kids against Forrest.
We need ready made players who can make an impact from the first game in red and white. We have tightly coupled team, no one important is going anywhere and we have challenged for the title for consecutive season. We need a player or two who can push us that extra bit.
Right, so what’s my expectation?
Assuming we don’t have enough free money to spend, we would have to generate some first.
Goalkeepers
We have Aaron Ramsdale, David Raya and Karl Hein on the books. There is already some money owed to Brentford for Raya, and if you remember, we did a loan + buy because we needed to comply with FFP.
I think Aaron will make a move. The rumours of us putting a 50m price tag on him is absurd. He will fetch a handsome 35 odd million pounds, and we will go again in the market and get his replacement. We are not going to splurge a lot of money, since Raya will be the main man next season.
Me, personally would ask Ramsdale to continue. We will play a lot of games and it’s not like he is that bad with his feet that he can’t play at all. He was our main man a season back.
Mikel, when asked last season about having 2 GK, said ‘WHY NOT’! Well, we will find out if he meant that.
Defenders
We have Saliba + Gabriel CB partership, Ben White at RB and Timber is going to be the preferred player at LB. Tomiyasu is a great utility player who can play both sides, and is primarily a CB. Kiwior played some brilliant games at that LB position so that’s that. I think we are covered on both sides but we might need a CB to assist both Gabriel and Saliba. Saliba played all minutes last season, but it’s not going to be that every season. Gabriel gets fatigued as well.
Even if Mikel decides to try out Ben White or Tomiyasu at that CB, we need a back up. How are going to do that? By selling Zinchenko (sorry mate).
Midfielders
Our preferred ine up is Odegaard on the right, Partey in the middle and Rice on the left. havertz can cover that left side andRice can play in the middle but we do not have a competition for Odegaard. We saw our captain drop some bad games, and any injury to him can jeopardise our chances.
I still believe Emile Smith Rowe should have been developed as a competition to Odegaard but that ship has sailed in Mikel’s book. Fabio Vieira showed some glimpse but he still can’t do it for 90 minutes. We need a starting XI player who can take up what Odegaard does without a drop in quality.
Oh, and I forgot Jorginho whom we renewed. He is here to stay, and is going to be a part of that midfield. I fail to see both him and Partey continuing this year, so this is probably an end to the Ghanaian’s days in red and white. We get some money hopefully, we encash ESR and we bring in a midfielder is what I hope. I can be happy if we keep Vieira for one more season, see what he does except getting injured.
Forwards
Saka on the right, Martinelli on the left and Jesus/Havertz in the middle. I know the club is trying to bring a specialist CF and I hope we do it as early as possible. Getting a CF gives us that edge in the middle and allows Havertz to rotate and cover in the midfield if the need be. For Gabriel Jesus can compete on the wings where he plays best.
We have Trossard as well. A very important utility player, who loves to score. He can cover the bad days of Martinelli.
Reiss Nelson and Nketiah needs to be sold. The money we get will help us get that CF.
On loan
Right, we do have some players that we sent on loan. Tierney is back with the squad, and I am guessing he will be sold as well. Tavares was bright prospect when he came in initially, but he is not going to make it in that playing XI. Lokonga will be sold as well. That’s about 50m of money that can be spent on filling the spaces that gets vacant when do a clear out.
We can generate some money. We don’t need a complete overhaul in our playing XI. A decent CF can fix the playing XI and it will be a matter of getting back ups and/or competition in different places, which can be achieved without shelling 100m.
Lets see what Edu and Mikel has in mind.
Wrapping up
Sorry for ghosting you guys. The work’s always hectic and I need to take care of my health seriously.
As a tradition, I have revamped the website before the new season begin. I might change it further in coming days, but if you see/face any issues, give me a shoutout.
Note : I went through the 470+ comments on my previous post and some older ones. I expect that we respect each other’s opinions and we don’t make it personal. Readers come here to feel good in a rather distressing time, and lets not make it worse for each other.
Lets keep it to football. It’s the views / opinions / ideas that should be criticized, not the person. I will keep a tab of such, and please refrain from doing so.
TRVL
We’ve just got to sit back and let demand enough rope to hang himself. He’s been lucky the last couple of seasons that he hasn’t been challenged by Liverpool, ManU or Chelsea.
Between his limited ability and the fact that at least one of them will get their acts together he’ll be in trouble sooner rather than later and as with all charlatans when the pressure hits them they really lose the plot.
The closest to EPL
England vs Denmark.
England is up goal by Kane ,assist by Saka ,but credit for the goal and pre-assist to Walker who sprinted up as Saka gave up, won the ball and..etc
Wake up you guys
Southgate is a one trick pony with total stress on raking long passes. As the pass traverses the field it gets read and intercepted. An occasional of such pass has surprise in it and serves the purpose. But totally playing same way is pony trot – trot. Cute ,but useless.
If that dodo Southgate were to take over Manure
Fuck a long ground shot in and is 1-1
Hoopah
Southgate has a trick?
Well he needs to use it!
How does a manager take players of the quality of Foden, Kane, Saka, Rice, Bellingham etc etc and make them play so badly not in one match but across 3 halves of 2 matches?
Scatter brain football after 4 substitutions. But Denmark played with equal energy ,bit maintained shape. So England looking less lethal and Bellingham feeling lost in the scatter brain football.
Think Denmark players been auditioning themselves for lucrative contracts in England.
This sort of negative performance has Southgate’s prints all over it…does his one trick pony approach remind you of any??? they both deploy that miserable 4-2-3-1, yet they’ve got bags of pace, and like MA, there’s very little countering to speak of…pathetic
TRVL
Southgate makes Arteta look like a top manager.
I really didn’t think there was anyone who could manage that.
Marc-not sure about that, as I can see MA deploying the exact same tactics in this sort of tournament format…just look what MA’s done in Europe…it does make me appreciate Ode even more, as this team moves very similarly to ours once the opposition is allowed to organize in the low block, so you need someone that can properly unlock defences
Marc
No trick just pony.
A nation with a meagre population of just under 6million stood their ground against the mighty England. Southgate hasn’t got a clue and yes TRVL he does remind me of someone.
“No trick just pony.”
Christ that should be put on Southgate’s headstone.
Marc
Southgate reminds me of the sketch with John Major eating peas. Little did we know Mr boring was shafting Edwina at the time. Perhaps Southgate is having the time of his life with the wags – no.
Hoopah
Not good evening entertainment for you – is it broadcast in Goa or the good old BBC.
Norg
Best joke I ever heard about Major was on “the New Statesman” (that’s the story about my political hero Alan B’Stard not the magazine etc) where he describes Major as being so boring he’s the only boy to run away from the circus to join a firm of accounts.
if it keeps happening, this could be known as the European own goal championship
So far VAR has been good at the Euro’s and decisions have been made quickly and on the whole correctly.
Then we get the PL morons involved and its shit.
Its not VAR its the cunts who are in charge of it who are the problem.
The Euros feature the best Refs of the best in Europe. For that reason, no English referee should ever be allowed to oversee a match. PGMOL have incompetent morons as their referees.
For long periods that France/Netherlands match was painful to watch…that’s what tends to happen when you have two organized teams without clinical finishers up top…there’s no doubt Mbappe’s potting one of those 3-4 Greizmann chances and Depay should be at best a depth piece for any contending side…way too negative for my liking
Killroy
The PL brings in the best players from around world and the best managers from around the world – why not bring in Ref’s from overseas?
If it costs more just take a fixed amount from each clubs TV money to fund it.
New post!