2018/19 Squad

Super excited for this season already. Bring in a goalscoring striker and high calibre CB and then it’s all about getting rid of our fringe players. We do have some serious pace in our side now.

 

Type "Zarate striker" into Google. You'll see how many publications describe him as such, including the official club website saying he plays as one or as an attacking midfielder. Ok, he doesn't always play right up top but it's reasonable to class him as one when doing rough groupings for the purposes of looking at our squad. I wasn't going to create a special category for one player who didn't even play for us last season and was on his way out.

 

Yes but i think the advice might be to "look away" for this particular smash and bash series.

 

"On the border" is a great song, as good as "Year of the cat" in my view.

 

Has Zarate actually gone yet? Not seen any confirmation anywhere (might be one of the clubs ‘under the radar’ departures)

 

Boca Juniors have officially confirmed Zarate as theirs today.

No mention of any fee but this twitter user says the rumour over there is £3m. We paid £2m apparently.
https://twitter.com/WatfordBrasil/status/1015245846194081792

Boca Juniors website;
http://www.bocajuniors.com.ar/el-club/mauro-zarate-boca

After overcoming the medical review, the forward appeared at the Bombonera and signed his contract with Boca. This Friday he joins the practices and will travel with the squad to the preseason in the United States.

One day away from traveling to the United States for the preseason, Boca added its third addition to face the triple competition in the second half of the year. Late in the afternoon of Thursday, Mauro Zárate signed his contract at the Pedro Pompilio complex and from this Friday he will be placed under the orders of Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

"I am very excited and with much expectation. I hope to do things well and be able to help keep winning things. I have been following the team and I know it. I hope to help from my place to keep getting things, "he said in dialogue with the official site.

After touring the club's facilities and stepping on La Bombonera's turf, the attacker added: "The Boca fan knows me as a player. Maturity always helps and I improve many things. Before, perhaps because of young or little experience, he made mistakes. They are things that one does not repeat now. "

In his extensive career in Argentine and international soccer, Zarate scored 106 goals and gave 46 assists in 347 official matches. The attacker, as he said, adds as another option for the lead of Guillermo's team. "There are many players on offense, but that's better for the team. The technician has more options to decide the best. I hope we can all play and that we contribute to achieve great things, "he concluded.

Boca Juniors twitter feed;
"¡You Are Welcome Mauro!"

 

Hindsight huh...

 

Gray is a clown, never a striker.

 

Zarate transfer now confirmed by WFC.

https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/official-zarate-leaves-hornets

Mauro Zárate has left the Hornets and returned to his native Argentina after signing with Boca Juniors for an undisclosed fee.

The 31-year-old, who first arrived at Watford in January 2017, has completed a permanent move to the 33-time Argentine Primera División champions.

Zárate played three times for the Hornets before suffering a serious knee injury in February 2017, and the forward spent time on loan with Al Nasr and Vélez Sarsfield during 2017/18.

 

I know only YotC, TP & the earlier Past, Present & Future, in which his interest in historical themes first became evident.

Most of the songs are really polished, the result of singing them live many times, often before they were recorded.

He was also careful to select top musicians, session boys but real craftsmen. No ego which allows AS's softly, slightly fey, vocals to stand out clearly.

 

Good enough for the Seniors?

 

Are you able to edit your original post to keep this updated? Because that would be great to keep up to date with what the squad looks like. Thanks for starting this

 

I'm not sure if he will be able to edit his original post as there is a time limit on editing posts now.

Having said that, I'm not sure about this but he might be able to do so by clicking on the reply button on his original post and altering the "reply" on a new post?

 

Starting to take shape nicely in terms of transfers in. Assuming we don't lose anyone that we don't want to, then I think we are now just a quality striker and centre back away from having our best and most balanced squad since returning to the Premier League.

Now if we can just shift on Okaka, Dja Djedje, Britos (please), Holebas (please x 5), Zeegelaar, Amarabat, Sinclair and Oulare, then we'll be laughing.

 

If we shift Holebas and Zeegelar as wished we will only have 1 left back!?

 

Estupinan may well come into the fold. Young left back that was on loan at Almeria last season.

I'd much rather have a hungry youngster that's already played at a decent level competing with Masina than the clowns that are Holebas and Zeegelaar.

 

I’d also rather try Estupinan, but he’s not here at the present time

 

All WFC strikers are hungry as they are not allowed to go to the buffet until Deeney has finished.

 

There won't be anything left anyway so no point going.

 

Definitely get rid of Dja Djedje, and Oulare, and at least one of Holebas and Zeegelaar.

Britos can go if we do get another centre-back, he's too much of a liability.

Okaka and Amrabat I'm not so sure of getting rid of, both can show some quality, and the latter impressed in the World Cup. Maybe we can hope someone makes an inflated offer. Sinclair may be worth giving one more season to, especially due to the Home-Grown quota.

 

Three and a half weeks until the transfer window closes and we're still eight players over the squad limit for over 21s. Going to be a lot of outgoings in the next few weeks...

 

Does it confirm his position?

 

Now the World Cup is over I'd imagine things will start moving in the transfer market.

As it's approximately 5:15am in Argentina right now I'd say there's a good chance his position is lying down. Or it could be any 1 of 64 positions in the Karma Sutra if he's got a special friend staying. If he's on holiday though it could literally be any position, depending where in the world he's gone.

I'll be honest, I don't know.

 

HG:
Bachmann, Cathcart, Chalobah, Cleverley, Deeney, Foster, Gray, Hoban, Hughes, Mariappa, Sinclair
(Total = 11)

Overseas:
Amrabat, Britos, Capoue, Deulofeu, Dja Djédjé, Doucouré, Femenía, Foulquier, Gomes, Holebas, Janmaat, Kabasele, Kaboul, Masina, Navarro, Okaka, Oularé, Pereyra, Pr*dl, Sema, Success, Zeegelaar
(Total = 22)

U21 (Born on or after 1/1/97):
Dahlberg, Estupiñán, Folivi, Jakubiak, Lukebakio, Mukena, Peñaranda, Pereira, Richarlison, Wilmot

Key: Green = Goalkeepers, Dark blue = Centre-backs, Pink = Full-backs, Orange = Central midfielders, Light blue = Wingers, Red = Strikers

 

You’ve got to love the fact that we’ve got 8 wingers (and virtually no strikers).

 

It really wouldn’t surprise me if we deploy tactics similar to Liverpool (Mané and Salah) where we have the likes of Richarlison and Deloufeu used as auxiliary strikers rather than the buying yet another No.9 type of player.

I’m all for the transfer window shutting before the first game of the season but I do think it should be extended in summers where there is a tournament.

 

You would hope that;

Sinclair
Hoban
Amrabat (confirmed)
Djedje
Gomes
Okaka
Oulare
Holebas (it will be Zeegelaar though)

would all be the definite ones gone.

Then there are players you would like to keep but have a chance of being sold

Doucoure
Pereyra
Prodl
Gray

Followed by the players who you don’t mind staying but also don’t mind being sold either

Janmaat
Capoue
Britos

One thing for certain is, there will be a heck of a lot of chopping and changing in the next few weeks.

 

Firmino is basically Liverpool's No.9. And woe betide us if we try and rely on Richie for goals - composed in front of goal (* la Salah), is something he for sure isn't.

 

Not that it'll make any difference, but Jakubiak is over 21. If it came down to a choice between him and Sinclair as our fourth choice striker, I'd rather he got the nod. I suspect neither will make the cut though.

 

I don’t want us to sign a no.9. I want us to sign a striker, which is not the same thing at all in my book. However I do agree it’s unlikely that we’ll be playing with two up top, which is what I was brought up on and prefer.

 

Oh yes, my mistake. I added him and Folivi in an edit afterwards and forgot to check dates of birth!
But I agree, neither he or Sinclair will be in contention.

 

According to the BBC football gossip, the Times is saying that Richarlison might be going to Everton after all..........

 

Those gossip columns are a load of hot air. I would be utterly baffled if we sold anyone to Everton in the forseeable future.