If RE really only wants 11 NHG players in his squad, who goes? Gaspar Louza Manaj Pedro Sema Kamara Asprilla Bayo Sarr Dennis Kabasele Sierralta Okoye Kayembe Samir Kalu Dahlberg l make it 6 have to go sold or loan assuming we only bring further HG players in this window.
11 won’t happen. Around 13 would be a good result. Dahlberg, Samir, Dennis and Sarr all to go. If we kept one of Dennis/Sarr, then Kalu instead.
I think Kalu and Dahlberg certainly. Controversially I think Okoye was bought for the future and won't sit on the bench due to HG rules so will go out on loan til Jan for first team experience. Samir will go. Dennis or Sarr will go (or both) Maybe we will accept 12 or even 13 as one or two will always be injured/suspended etc.
An interesting way of looking at it is that there were 11 in the squad, and then Okoye, Louza and Gaspar still to come in. All the others will leave. So if we want to get down to 11, we’d need to jettison 3 from last night’s squad. If one of Sarr/Dennis leave (which is what I’m expecting) then that’s 13. Who else would be leaving? Kabasele, Kayembe, Asprilla (on loan) and Sema would be candidates but it looks like RE is quite partial to each of them. So I agree that sticking with 13 and then factoring on injuries/suspensions and even having Okoye out of the squad when not in the XI seems the way to go.
Gaspar - keep Louza - keep Manaj - keep Pedro - keep Sema - keep Kamara - keep Asprilla - keep Bayo - keep Sarr - sell Dennis - sell Kabasele - keep Sierralta - keep Okoye - loan Kayembe - keep Samir - sell Kalu - loan Dahlberg - loan Everyone else - loan/sell If we keep Dennis and/or Sarr I'd offload Sema but I think we'll have 12-13 non HG which we'll have to manage.
Kalu, Dahlberg, Samir, Okoye. Keep Sarr and Dennis. If adamant that you can only have 11 and no more, bin off Sema and Kabasele. Or Kayembe should we be able to get a HG centre-mid through the door. Add: HG LCB HG CM HG GK This is obviously the optimal situation!
He needs to be playing so surely loan him off but only til Jan initially in case Bachmann needs replacing. Makes no sense for him to be on the bench using up a HG space.
Because unless Bachmann makes a series of errors he will get no game time. It makes no sense to buy a promising young keeper who played well in the top Dutch league in his early 20s and have him sitting around the club not even in the matchday squads, just in case Bachmann is dropped. Just my view of course but I think he needs to be playing regularly in a decent league.
Reports from the Wobby/the Athletic have suggested that our Gk department isn’t quite that hierarchical and that the competition for the number 1 journey is ongoing, even if Bachmann is the incumbent. As we’ve seen with Dahlberg you can send a goalie on loan and still have them stuck on the bench.
I guess the club would say that wouldn't they though ! I bet Okoye isn't part of the matchday squad between now and the end of the year other than any cup games. Yes we ruined Dahlberg, still, at least he got to sit on a bench
Samir, Kalu, Dahlberg go, leaving us with 14. Okoye could go on loan to take it to 13. That feels fine. Sarr and/or Dennis take it down to 11 if they go, or Kaba/Sema could go if we bring in an extra HG CB/LWB. Louza is already missing for a while and Sema, Gaspar, Bayo, Manaj, Asprilla etc might just have to take it in turns to miss out on the bench. JP becomes HG in January so it will soon ease further.
My preference would be Samir, Kalu, Dahlberg permanent, Asprilla & Bayo loans, keeping 12. Must keep Okoye to challenge for #1 spot.
Dennis will be sold, I just cant see anybody coming in for Sarr based on his form at the end of last season for the money we are asking. Dahlberg loaned out again unless he pushes for a move. I thought Samir was leaving? Kalu will be loaned out I imagine. If Pedro plays like he did last night for the next month I can see someone coming in for him to be honest. Aspilla will be in the squad, too much potential at this level to be loaned out. I cant see any of the others leaving to be honest but that depends on if we get some HG incomings I suppose. Laird and Clarke look quite plausible loan targets. If Clarke comes in I can see one of Kabs or Sierralta being shown towards the exit.
And yet it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. If that rumour appears I might chain myself to the goalpost with a shirt saying "Just Keep Sierralta". He's so good because he only plays it simple. A defender should always defend first and think about playing football second - something our other CBs need to learn.
Problem is we need someone to want these miscellaneous unwanted duds. If the club are really serious about making sure they adhere to this rule this season in the strictest way possible and to the way Edwards seems to want, then some may need forced out or paid off. Otherwise Edwards ‘all in this together’ modus operandi may not get off the ground with sulky players sitting around not getting close to squads. I just can’t see who is going to want Kalu, Dahlberg etc. Hardly covered themselves in glory over the past year or 2. If we keep Sarr and Dennis, there’s a decent chance we could have Bayo, Okoye, Kabasele, Dahlberg, Kalu all sitting around this year doing naff all.
Be better off building it around Rose - would cover far more ground #Fattest #Bodyshaming #WhatDoICareNobodyCalledMeNice #SulkingLikeA4YearOld
I was a bit surprised to see Kabasele start last night, he did fine, but he strikes me as being the most expendable of the three CBs because of his NHG status (and general brainlessness!). Naturally Gaspar comes into the squad, but I wonder if he goes to RCB instead of Kabasele (or maybe even of course the Hertfordshire-raised WTE!). Kalu will probably stay by virtue of being forgotten by everyone including us, but I think Dahlberg will get suitors at some level, didn't he almost go to St Johnstone? There were 2 L1 clubs who were interested enough to sign him (at the bottom of the table admittedly, but regular football is the most important thing)
I think goalkeepers and defenders would want to be loaned to teams nearer the bottom of tables as they get more practice maybe? WTE would be out the door before Kabs, HG or not.
Well it depends, there's a difference between getting peppered with shots left right and centre compared to what Bachmann has had to deal with in the Championship, and of course the higher you are in the pyramid, the more likely that your manager will demand more of you with the ball at your feet
Why not? It'd be the ultimate Pozzo bullsh*t deal. Signs for another club for £1m, we instantly sign him for £5m, then we loan him out a few weeks later, probably back to the club he came from. Perfection.
There is for squad registration purposes, but they’re still non-HG with regards to the matchday ‘rule of 11’.
In which case you go with 13 Someone will always be injured or suspended The bigger problem is going to have 25 man squad plus U21s