Time to try to keep track of how many players we have and how many we'll be trying to cull before the close of the Summer transfer window. Here's the current state of play, will update periodically. Red indicates HG, blue is u21. Any corrections welcome. Gomes Pantilimon Arlauskis Djedje Janmaat Holebas Paredes Prodl Britos Kabasele Kaboul Mariappa Cathcart Hoban Behrami Capoue Doucoure Cleverley Hughes Watson Agbo Suarez Amrabat Pereyra Zarate Berghuis Success Penaranda Deeney Okaka Sinclair Oulare Running totals: Non HG - 21 (4 over max) HG - 7 U21 - 4
Yes but I thought I'd show him as u21 as that doesn't impact squad numbers. If it makes you happy, I'll put his name in alternate red and blue letters...
Gomes Pantilimon - sell Arlauskis - sell Djedje - loan, if we sign a replacement Janmaat Holebas Paredes -sell Prodl Britos - sell Kabasele Kaboul - sell Mariappa - sell, either him or Cathcart Cathcart - sell, either him or Mapps Hoban - loan Behrami - sell Capoue - sell when Lemina/Allan join Doucoure Cleverley Hughes Watson - sell Agbo - think he counts as u21 one more season Suarez - sell Amrabat Pereyra Zarate - sell, he wants to go home Berghuis - sell, even though I want him to stay, he doesn't want to be here Success Penaranda - loan Deeney Okaka - sell Sinclair - loan Oulare - sell Running totals: Non HG - 10( 7 under max) HG - 4 U21 - 2 Total squad of 16 with sales/loans leaving plenty of room for better players Which will hopefully be GK: Neto/Karnezis RB: Iorfa - HG LB: Robertson CB: Chambers (loan)/Holding (loan) - HG CB: Subotic/Acerbi/Mbodj/ Zouma (loan) CM: Lemina/Allan RW: Markovic LW: Sebá CAM: ST: Simeone/Iheanacho (loan) - HG ST: Woodrow - HG Non HG - 17 HG - 8 U21 - 3-4 Total squad of 25 with potentially only 21/22 having to be registered. Still missing a CAM but I honestly couldn't think of a realistic target to replace Zarate. I know that would take us 1 player over, unless it is a HG CAM. I know that team is probably not realistic and I've gone a bit too much FM/FIFA but if we lined up this season with that squad I would be very confident of a top 10 finish.
I'm still confused why people want to sell the player with the highest successful pass percentage and also the highest tackling percentage under QSF, just because WM refused to play him.
Had no idea we still owned Suarez, I'd definitely give him another go during pre season if he wants to stick about.
Well our signings have been a "box of revels" as Merson would say, so I thought I would help them out. I submitted it to Gino and got a reply Grazie per il tuo indirizzo email ma non mi interessa cosa pensi It was nice of him to respond
I thought he did because the Prem seasons starts when he is 21, he doesn't turn 22 until 4th December.
Gomes - KEEP Pantilimon - keep loan out or sell Arlauskis - loan out or sell Djedje - loan out or sell Janmaat - KEEP Holebas - KEEP Paredes - loan out or sell Prodl - KEEP Britos - keep loan out or sell Kabasele - KEEP Kaboul - keep loan out or sell Mariappa - KEEP Cathcart - KEEP Hoban - keep or loan out Behrami - sell Capoue - loan out or sell Doucoure -KEEP Cleverley - KEEP Hughes - KEEP Watson - keep / loan out or sell Agbo - keep or loan out Suarez - Loan out or sell Amrabat - Loan out or sell Pereyra - KEEP Zarate - KEEP Berghuis - KEEP Success - keep or Loan out Penaranda - Loan out or sell Deeney - KEEP Okaka - KEEP Sinclair - Loan out or sell Oulare - Loan out or sell Running totals: Non HG - 21 (4 over max) HG - 7 U21 - 4 I would only definitely keep 10 of our overseas players + another 4 (5 if Sucess has to be included in our 17 overseas players, not sure if he does as he is u21) that I would possibly keep, but more than likely try to offload most of those five. Therefore we could have room to bring in up to 6/7 new overseas players, that is should we find better quality than we have right now. IMO we need 2 new keepers, but might settle for one. We could do with 3 or 4 defenders, maybe a MF player or 2, and at least 2 strikers.
The Premier League rules state that the player has to be under 21 on January 1st of the calendar year that the season starts - so for this coming season, the key date will be their age on 01/01/17, making the cut off birth date 01/01/96. Uche Agbo was born in December 1995 so misses out by a few weeks.
Think Juanfran is still ours, realistically not likely to influence our squad though. Was also going to add Sven Kums but checking the interweb it looks like he's gone. Must have missed this, did we seriously buy him, loan him to Udinese for a season, and then sell him for £2m less? What's all that about?
He was never bought for us. The loss is slightly odd, but they obviously felt that's the best price they could get for him.
I think everyone is forgetting that Luke Dowling and Duxbury have both said, repeatedly, that we would only be looking at bringing in 4 or 5 players maximum this year, all who could go straight in to the first team. Behrami we know will be leaving so we need a replacement. Hughes is already here, so we are looking at two or three more players. Each year we are linked with tens of players that are pure nonsense, none ever get anywhere near the club and we end up signing the unexpected, often last minute. We might all think that we need 6, 7 or 8 new players, in reality we need a keeper, left back and midfielder and maybe a striker if one is available at the right price
What are you people who want to sell Capoue going on about? He may have had some disappointing games last year, as did nearly the whole squad, but he's still comfortably one of the best we have
Going on the basis of 4 or 5 new players who could go straight into the starting line up, surely we are looking at Hughes, Lemina, Markovic, Robertson and a keeper (Neto etc.) In addition to this I feel since those interviews the need for another striker must have been identified (we have been linked to Ze Luis). Possible Starting XI: New Keeper Janmaat, Kabasele, Prodl, Robertson Doucoure, Lemina Markovic, Hughes, Pereyra Deeney (or Ze Luis)
Assuming Agbo is ready for the Premier League then a midfield group of Capoue, Doucoure, Agbo, Cleverley, Hughes, Pereyra and Allan/Lemina is a perfect mix and as good as it gets outside of the top 6 or 7 imo.
Strange that we haven't even been linked to a Centre Back yet (sick-note Vermaelen aside) given our line-up vs City. Biggest hope for the season is that Pereyra returns and returns at the same level - wonderful player
They say that every window so it doesn't cause to much unrest. If we all know that we need at least 6-8 new signings then so do they. They are not going to come out and say that though. They will say what they normally say after signing more than 4-5 players. "An opportunity presented itself to us, and it match our value, the player had a desire to join us and when an opportunity like that comes a long, you have to take it." Or something a long those lines. I would be surprised if we don't see at least 7 players sign for us this window.
Really ? If you take away the games players missed with injuries or games where players played with injuries last season, we had a pretty decent squad. It doesn't need a lot adding to it
Where are you actually getting that list from? We need a centre back more than we need a keeper or a left back, for a start (even though we need both). We absolutely need a striker, because we do not own one who does not come with a power chute surgically attached to them, and it's unlikely all of the few we currently possess will be here next season. We've got a midfielder, and the club are already making a lot of noise about trying to bring in another one, and how can we possibly not need any wingers? We know Silva plays with them, and we pretty much own none at the moment, certainly not who will be seen fit to make the grade; that is unless Pereyra is being lined up for the left wing role, in which case we have one. Berghuis is available and will surely go to Feyenoord, Success is not a winger and has a great deal to learn and it remains to be seen whether Amrabat will be here in August. His entire game will have to be reshaped if he is and wishes to play, not to mention production greatly and magically increased. Penaranda is both injured and without a work permit, and Zarate is a 30 year old in the middle of a cruciate ligament rehab; who knows if he's ever really coming back at all? We will be in some bother if our options in those areas of the pitch do not change drastically in the next 2 months, as I fully expect them to do.
Is it just me or are we being linked with even more players that usual this summer? Which takes some doing. If we signed them all we'd have about 100 players.
I think we're getting ready for our development squads going into the lower leagues: Watford A in Div 1, Watford B in Div 2...
I agree with they whole injuries thing and our squad wasn't bad in the Prem last season when there were weaker teams than us. This season will be different because I really only see Huddersfield as nailed on for relegation. Outside of them I think it could be any of Brighton, Stoke, Burnley, Bournemouth, Leicester, Swansea, Palace and Watford. We have to make sure that our squad stronger than most of theirs and they will be thinking the same thing. Our defence is horrific. 1 decent GK who is in the twilight of his career. 2 shocking back up GK's. 1 decent RB (Janmaat), with another who might fall into the urban legends category. 1 decent CB (Prodl) another one who I hope has setttled now and will find consistency (Kabasele). In my opinion, the other 4 CB's are either too old and should be sold or just not good enough to take us where the club desires to go. I dread the thought of Kaboul or Britos starting/replacing an injured Prodl or Kabasele. 1 decent LB who is 33 and a suspension waiting to happen. Another who has bags of potential. So that alone tells me we need at least 1 starting GK, possibly a RB if Djedje can't get over his injuries. At least 1 starting CB, but I would like 1 starter and 1 back up. Then a starting/competition for Holebas LB and possibly a back up LB if Holebas goes. That is at least 3 definite signings we need (GK, CB, LB) but potentially what we could need (depending on sales/injuries) is 6 signings (GK, RB, CB, CB, LB & LB) Hopefully our defence looks something like Neto/Karnezis, Gomes Janmaat, Djedje (or his replacement) Prodl, new CB, Kabasele, new CB (u21 with huge potential), Mapps/Cathcart Holebas, Robertson Everyone keeps going on about how we need goals and a new striker because Deeney isn't good enough, which I personally don't agree with. However there is no point in scoring goals if we're just going to concede more, which we will with our defence at the moment.
If you listen (and believe) the half whit Tony Adams interview when he took Granada down last season, between Udinese & Watford we had 74 players parked there 'on loan'.
Would like to see us linked with a few more centre backs, as this is a position we could definitely strengthen. Britos, Kaboul and Cathcart are all good squad players, but shouldn't be starters if we are looking to improve this year. Kabasele definitely has potential and I would like to see him have a run of games, but I would happily see Britos or Kaboul replaced with a ball playing CB to partner Prodl. Considering how much we are supposedly prepared to pay for Lemina and Markovic, I am surprised we arent looking at spending on an established centre back.
It seems you need about 40ish goals to stay up. Looking at the list I can't see where 40 goals are going to come from. Hughes, Cleverly and Amrabat will be lucky to get 5 goals between them add 6 o 7 from the defence and that means Troy is going to have to have a good season just for us to stay up.
Good strikers are never available at the right price. They are crucial to success and the rarest breed of player.
I don't see Hughes as a player who is going to walk straight into the first team . If he is then I'm worried for next season
