We do need a minimum of 5 players who can play regularly at EPL level. Otherwise we will need tactical brilliance and an unwavering team spirit to have any chance.
Pedro is no way good enough to be back-up in the PL next season. He's not looked like scoring in the Champ in ages, and it'll be no different in a tougher league. Deulofeu is gone and done. We'll need someone of his age and quality when we first signed him.
Can't see it tbh. Would cost a minimum of £25 million to replace GD. Probably need similar spent on a striker. It'll be interesting to see how they go about recruitment.
I mean, there were plenty of players in our 2015-16 squad who were no better than Championship level, but we had Ighalo banging in the goals, Deeney chipping in with a healthy amount, and a strong defensive set-up which took us far. We've got 1 PL level CB (at a push a PL level RB in Ngakia), and nobody at CF who's anywhere near Prem level atm
This is utterly wrong, see H-B's post above (except for his claim that Ngakia is PL level when he wasn't even good enough to be 1st choice for us this seaosn lol).
Again. I'm talking about the 19/20 squad who got relegated. I would be surprised if anyone believed the current lot could stay up without serious upgrades!
Yeah, which of our squads which stayed up was worse than the 19/20 squad which got relegated? I'll save you the hassle - none of them.
I would say 2016/17 (probably better if it didn't have so many injuries). Amrabat at wing back, a declining strikeforce and defence, with no Ake or Nyom in the latter, Doucoure, Deulofeu, Richarlison and Sarr were yet to sign, and a generally unsettled team with very hit-and-miss players like Zuniga and Niang coming in and out of it.
The prem is far stronger that it was 3 or 4 years ago and getting better every year. The bigger clubs like Leeds, Wolves and Villa are gradually finding their ways up and comfortably staying put. The weakest teams will be the 3 who come up plus Newcastle, Brighton and Burnley (who thrashed Wolves 4-0) today. No Huddersfields, Cardiffs, stokes, WBA, Sheff utd next season, no relegation fodder.
On the subject of Sema, I'm surprised one poster says he isn't fast enough. Is the average PL player that faster than the average Championship player (and speed isn't the be-all-and-end-all)? Going by his recent displays, he might be better employed as a wing back in the Prem, as he's showed he can defend (Boro apart). He'd still have the opportunities to go on his mazy runs past players without the danger of him losing the ball on the byline against better defenders.
I would add Palarse to that list. Hodgson will be off at the end of the season & half their first team squad is out of contract. I agree with your point about the Prem getting stronger though.
We don't play with wing-backs and and I doubt we'll go back to it - it's a dull, negative formation which also completely wastes our best player in Sarr. Sema has been okay, but not great for most of this season. He really isn't quick enough for a decent level winger - he strugglest to get passed Championship full-backs, he'll have even less chance vs Prem ones. He just doesn't offer enough attacking threat - Champ teams have regularly doubled or even tripled-up on Sarr because they know Sema won't pose them many problems.
While on paper the division certainly looks stronger now than the one we were used to in our 5 year spell, I do hope Palace are a team we can aim to finish above. Burnley too always look as though they're at breaking point, although they've been defying the odds for a good few seasons now! Newcastle maybe a candidate for relegation? They've been grim this season with a grim manager, although on paper they should have enough to stay clear of the drop
Nailed on starters in Green, rotation & back up in Red. GK: New number 1 GK: Bachmann RB: Femenia RB: Ngakia CB: Sierrelta CB: New CB CB: Cathcart CB: Wilmot CB: Troost Ekong LB: New LB LB: Masina CM: Hughes CM: New CM CM: Cleverley CM: Chalobah CM: Gosling CM: Sema LM: New winger LM: Pedro LM: Sema RM: Sarr RM: New winger ST: New striker ST: Cucho ST: Pedro Release / sell / loan: Kabasele, Navarro, Lazaar, Foster, Quina, TDB, Deeney & Gray. I think we need A LOT, hopefully, we can get some smart young loans in too to help with depth and squad limits HG etc etc.
Heaven forfend whoever that new striker is gets injured or needs a rest, or we'll be in even worse shape for goals than when Marlon got injured if those are our only "striker" options. Also, I literally told you three days ago that Cucho wasn't a striker, and you even 'liked' my message, yet you've still put him down as one again here! http://wfcforums.com/index.php?threads/joao-pedro.56614/page-9#post-2993223 In the same post which I'd replied to, you also said that you thought JP should be playing behind a striker, rather than as a striker, and yet you've just gone and contradicted yourself here by counting him as a striker!
I don't think the finances will allow a massive squad overhaul. But it is a balancing act anyway imo. On one side you have the QPR, Fulham approach of spending big. On the other hand you have the Norwich approach of not spending much at all. Both can fail. Sheffield Utd, and Huddersfield before them, have show how a good squad attitude and winning mentality can take an average squad a long way in their first year in the prem. Whatever we do, I think it's vital that we keep the current squad unity at its heart.
But that means signing 2 or 3 strikers don't it? I don't see that happening mate. Agree that JP isn't a striker and happy to trust your word that Cucho isn't either, I don't think Gino & co will see it the same however?
Starting 11 for next season: Bachmann Kiko Sierralta NEW CB NEW LB Hughes Chalobah NEW CM Sarr NEW ST NEW LW I would say we need 5 quality players to join the starting 11. It sounds like Ashley Young deal virtually done, so would imagine he'd be our LB along with Masina to challenge? Definitely need a partner for Sierralta. I think Cleverley has been exceptional this season, but do fear he's not perhaps good enough anymore to play week-in-week-out at the top level. Would be great as a squad player. I think JP will be a good player in the Prem, but we definitely need someone more clinical and experienced up top. Again, he'll be great as a back-up or a challenger for a starting position. Hopefully we'll have Cucho coming back this summer to compete as well? Sema has been hit and miss this season, again, as a back-up he could be decent but we should definitely be looking to strengthen in this position. Players that need to go: Deeney (not good enough) Gray (not good enough) Elliott (harsh maybe, but with Dahlberg coming back can't see him being needed?) Cathcart (out of contract?) Lazaar (obvious reasons) Success (I like him but he's not good enough sadly) Perica (not good enough) Kabasele (not good enough) Navarro (not good enough) Sanchez (done nothing wrong but at 35/36 and out of contract doesn't make sense to step up to the Prem) Penaranda (clearly has talent but like Success he just doesn't cut it, clearly) Players to keep in the squad: Foster (experience and still a good solid keeper) Dahlberg Ngakia WTE (as a back-up he'd do a job) Wilmot Masina Zinc Cleverley Quina JP Sema Gosling I would probably loan out Tom Dele-Bashiru for a season to the Championship. Clearly has talent but had a bad injury and probably needs the game time and experience so he doesn't drift down the leagues due to inactivity. Some big choices to be made this summer, but we have to be ruthless and sensible. A lot of players need to go.
If the Pozzos bank on JP (who hasn't even looked like scoring in his last 11 Championship games) and Cucho (who doesn't have a goal or assist this year) to be our 2 back-up strikers next season then it'll show that they've learned absolutely zilch from the fiasco of putting up with Deeney and Gray for so long. Without players who can stick the ball in the onion bag we won't have a chance. We'll need to sign at least 2 strikers, and probably 3 if we shift the deadwood, even if 1 is a massive punt and another is a loan. We really will have to pull a rabbit out of a hat somewhere. We saw this season with Murray, Perica, Gray and Success that it can be difficult to tell whether a striker will come good or not, and when you look at how many players clubs like Villa, West Ham and Wolves have signed to try and find good solutions for that position it's clear that the same goes for signing strikers for the PL - so pinning one's hopes on just 1 or even 2 signings can be a big risk as there are no guarantees they'll come good.
I haven't read all of this thread so apologies if I am repeating what has already been said . If Muff fail to go up then they surely will have to sell players and lower their wage bill. Maybe some bargains to have there ?.
I don't really know where Young would play for us. He's mostly played LWB for Inter, but we don't use wing-backs. I'm not sure he's got enough attacking threat to be one of our left-forwards. I really don't think he's t a LB either - he's never really played so far back, and full-backs playing on the opposite side to their preferred foot very rarely works. It is a very different thing being a forward-thinking player on the opposite flank, to a defensive-thinking player.
Maybe, but they’ll need deprogramming first, a bit like when someone returns from membership of ISIS.
A goalscorer is paramount however not one who scores too many because we will lose him straight away nor one who gets worked out by the opposition halfway through the season like Ighalo. A hardworking technical 10-15 a season striker will do . The tricky bit is finding him !.
We just need a forward to replace Pedro, who scored 4 goals in his last 27 games 1 of which was a pen. He is young and will hopefully come back stronger, but if we are dependent on him we are down. Given the money required to bring in a quality striker we will have to accept some areas of weakness. We will need to tap into the loan market and if we can get Young for a year, that may be enough on the left.
