Ignoring Chalobah and Penaranda because I have no idea what the hell their situations are. Keep (generally first choice or competing for first choice) Deulofeu (please) Capoue Foster Janmaat Holebas Cathcart Quina Bench (back up option) Deeney - Still does a job but need better if we are to progress. Too slow, too static, doesn't score enough goals that aren't penalties. Hughes - Good footballer but if he's going to be exclusively utilised and considered as a winger, which baffles me, then not good enough. Mariappa - Has to be third or fourth choice and nothing more. Femenia - Think he's extremely average barring his good pace. Other than that I think Janmaat equals or beats him in every area. Gray - Worth keeping as a super sub, which has proven his best role. Not good enough to be starting week in, week out. Cleverley - Decent to bring on when looking on to a result due to his work rate, but that's about it. Sell Doucoure - I'd like to keep him, but he's as good as gone. Pereyra - He's not interested. Success Kabasele Sema Masina Britos Prodl Okaka Sinclair Navarro
I agree with nearly all of that. Need to keep a few of those ‘sell’ players just for squad depth (probably Sema and Masina, maybe Kabasele) but they aren’t good enough to warrant regular playing time. As for Chalobah and Peñaranda- Nate needs a loan and Adalberto, despite having the best name in the team, can’t be very good to have received so few minutes all year.
We have not spent four years building a mid table squad to suddenly ship out 11 players. On the assumption that Gomes retires, Britos returns to South America and Okaka stays at Udinesse. The chances are Prodl will leave as will Pereya, as he has certainly left enough hints and has jogged through since January. So that's five senior players to replace. I think that will be it. All are overseas players and I am sure the replacements have already being lined up. The bigger problem will be replacing Doucoure - but again they have probably been working on that for the last year. If they can't get who they want I would not be surprised if they refuse to sell, (unless we receive a mega >£40 million offer).
Good points. It's not going to be a major clear out, and we cannot afford that either. We probably have only enough money for a couple of investments. For me spend some money on getting a quality CB plus maybe a freebie like Cahill. Then the rest of the money to be spent on a striker. If we're clever then £30m should cover all that. The rest will be outgoings. We can make money on selling Lukebakio and Pereyra, plus I have a feeling Janmaat will be sold too. We probably will only get small change for Prodl, Okaka, Sinclair. We know Gomes and Britos are going. Kaboul was a high earner at the club, so we've made some savings on his salary. I think we can do good business in the market and really strengthen, but we do need to do this and get it right.
According to the website with all the salaries, I'd say we could afford him. He'd be one of the highest earners, but would not break the wage structure. I think he would be perfect for us, but I'm sure there would be plenty of options for him. Bournemouth certainly could do with a few centre backs as well, and they will always trump us on salaries.
We would definitely benefit from more leaders on the pitch but I doubt Pozzo would pay a wages premium for this if they we keep Caps/Foster/Holly/Troy.
We can't afford to change half the team, and it would be a mistake to make too many changes, and it's unnecessary. We need a proper pair of centre backs and a complete forward and that will do us. We've needed them for 3 years.
We need wingers too. Pereyra has been useless since last year and is probably going, Hughes is a square peg in a round hole and Sema is awful. We are hugely lacking in options.
Some pace in most areas is required I think.. In defence/out wide and maybe less so up front as Gray has it but not much else.
That many being sold won’t happen and shouldn’t considering the season we’ve had. The last few games aside when players are thinking about a cup final we have proved we are decent A replacement for Doucs is essential unless Chalobah can prove his fitness. Dodi to replace Pereyra. A striker would be nice. Can Cucho be that? Two centre backs would do for me
AT LEAST ONE CLINICAL STRIKER IS OUR NO.I PRIORITY IMO, but I would not say no to two. The defence also needs improving, but our MF could probably survive without major investment if need be.
I don’t get this clamour for a ‘clinical’ striker. Deulofeu has shown he can be that in recent weeks and months. The club should be aiming for 2 CB’s who are better than anything we currently have before looking at any other position. Just one isn’t enough, as it’ll only take an injury to Cathcart or one new CB to see Kabasele or Mariappa back in. They shouldn’t be seen as back-up to me - they are no better than emergency defenders.
I agree. TWO central defenders has to be our main priority, but we do need something more up front. We saw how ineffective we were without Deeney. Take Deulofeu out and we lose any unpredictability. Gray is good from the bench, but then we run dry with what we have in the squad. Three players is not enough for this position. We need at least one more viable option up front. Okaka, Success and Sinclair are not the answer. Penaranda seems to not be Gracia's type at all, so we do need to improve. Thankfully, if the winter window was anything to go by, it does look like the club want to improve these positions. I only hope they are able to do it. The rest of the squad is good enough for a comfortable mid-table finish I think, but we concede too many soft goals and miss too many good chances, to be considered comfortable.
Keep Capoue Foster Holebas Cathcart Deeney Hughes Chalobah Squad (back up option) Mariappa Femenia Gray Cleverley Quina Bachmann Dahlberg Wilmot Penaranda - (not sure where to place him. He's looked exciting, but Gracia doesn't seem to play him) Sell Success Kabasele Sema Masina Britos Prodl Okaka Sinclair Navarro Gomes Zeegelaar Hoban Lukebakio Foulquier Club could sell but I would rather retain Deulofeu Janmaat Doucoure Pereyra New additions from within Hernandez Pedro Stuparevic
Keep (generally first choice or competing for first choice) Deulofeu Deeney Chalobah Cathcart Doucoure Hughes Femenia Wilmot Holebas Foster Capoue Bench (back up option) Mariappa Cleverley Success Masina Penaranda Gray Quina Navarro Kabasele Bachmann Sell Gomes (keep as back up option for another season if he decides not to retire) Janmaat Britos (release) Prodl Sema Dahlberg (loan) Hoban (release) Okaka Pereyra Foulquier Zeegelaar Lukebakio Sinclair Folivi (loan) Jakubiak Stuparevic (loan) Hernandez (loan)
In my list, and I appreciate it's objective, but I can see 14 players could go without any impact to the first team. Clearly the club wouldn't sell as many players as this, but I consider them as taking a wage without contributing. Of course I'm not including Gomes in that, but he's retiring most likely. Success, Kabasele, Okaka and Lukebakio would bring in a decent sum of money, if we can sell them. Masina is ok as a back up, but I think he was brought in to replace Holebas. From what I've seen he's not a first team regular. Britos is going to leave anyway. Prodl wants to go, which is no surprise really. I think this summer we do need to be quite a bit of business. If we sell a few from my 'Sell' list, and maybe one of the big guns as well, I'm sure this restructuring could be possible.
Keep the above average ones Sell the **** ones Bench the new crop of rubbish ones we'll get from Udinese and <insert second division Spanish team here>
Pereyra may have been useless since January but he was one of the league's best players prior to that. Richarlison was turd after Christmas as well but he's fired Everton to 8th. In order to progress you have to keep the good and sell the bad. If Pereyra was more consistent he wouldn't be at Watford. If you sell him and Doucoure then we're going backwards like Southampton. Therefore keep all of the current first 11 and frequent subs. Do as you wish with the rest. Absolute sells are Sema, Success and Navarro who are just not good enough. Worrying as two are summer signings... Would we really replace Doucoure/Pereyra/Deulofeu with as good a player? Absolutely no chance.
No is advocating selling Deulofeu I don’t think. And we’d all keep Doucoure but there comes a time when you can’t hold a player back and if bigger clubs come along and pay the price, then the owner will be fair with the player. I doubt he would have signed the contract last summer otherwise. Personally I think we could replace a player like Pereyra with someone just as good. Pereyra has skill in abundance but it’s all too fleetingly shown and the work rate he often shows isn’t high enough. Can we replace the skill ability? Maybe not. But I do think we can replace with someone better in terms of a player who will benefit the team better. He simply needs to perform like he can more often.
Starting 11 (if same / similar formation) GK Foster RB Fem-maat LB Holebas CB *NEW* CB *NEW* CM Doucoure CM Capoue AM Pereya AM Hughes ST Deulofeu ST *NEW* Back-up squad GK Dahlberg / Bachman RB Jan-menia LB Masina CB Cathcart CB Marriappa / Kabasele CM Chalobah / Cleverley CM Quina / Wilmot AM Lukebakio AM *NEW* ST Deeney / Gray ST Peneranda / Cucho Anyone not mentioned to go
Keep (first choice/ frequently coming off bench) Foster Janmaat Cathcart Wilmot Holebas Capoue Quina Hughes Chalobah Deulofeu Bench/ rest of 25 man squad Gomes as a player/ coach if he's willing to stay Dahlberg Deeney Mariappa Femenia Cleverley Gray Masina Sema Navarro Cucho (new striker, box-to-box midfielder and CB needed) Sell Doucoure (I'd love to keep him, but he'll go) Lukebakio Pereyra Success Kabasele Britos Prodl Okaka Sinclair Bachman Penaranda (I'd loan him if I thought it would do him any good)
Interesting that nobody seems keen on giving Lukebakio a chance despite having a very good season in Germany
I'm going to go at this by position. I'm also only going to address loan players who might come back into the side. GK - Pick some of what we have. Loan the rest. Not a priority this year. RB - One of Femenia/Navarro/Janmaat needs to go. One better option in. I'm assuming that that is not Foulquier. PRIORITY. CB - Prodl and Britos will leave. Assume Wilmot returns. Add 1 here - PRIORITY. Must have footballing/passing skills. Add 2nd here - Nice to have. LB - We're rolling the dice here with Holebas' age. If Masina isn't the answer... Holebas goes - Add 1 here. Important, but not top priority. RW - No changes assuming that Deulofeu stays. Lukebakio added. CM - Doucoure likely leaving. Add 1 here - PRIORITY. Preferably a creative type. Hughes-like but pacier. Chalobah, Cleverley need to be holding mids. LW - Can Lukebakio play on this side as well? Sema needs to step up or go on loan. Add 1. Important, but not top Priority. Need someone who is a threat who can play here when Pereyra needs rest. Could be an older bloke. ST. - Is Cucho ready for the EPL? Can Lukebakio play alongside Deeney? WTH is wrong with Penaranda? Add 1 - PRIORITY (could be Cucho). The worse of Success or Penaranda (no longer a u21) goes on loan. I think 4 impactful players is the most we can hope for in a year. Any other additions will be squad player or "ones for the future".
Based purely on the season he's had in the Bundesliga I'd love to see him come back and given a chance. Unfortunately it seems he's looking for a move.
Muff would pay a higher salary, but the Pozzo's will offer a 6 year contract. Tough choice for the lad.
Well our injury record has improved no ends this year so building players by combining the best of both of them seems a logical step now.
I got the impression the lad wants a chance to improve himself and his agent is flailing about for a move. If Gracia wants him, I have confidence in GP to put the agent in his place. "Hey you. this is a con-tract. Bugger off or we'll loan your boy to the Armenian super-league" "Dodi... did you not see what happened with Richarlison? Your agent is a git. Play here for a season and make a bigger name for yourself and either we'll pay you more or sell you then for twice what you'd get now. "
Agreed. It is easy to overlook the improvement in injuries/recovery. Lets make sure we keep whatever staff have been responsible for this.