Jamie Maclaren

So I reckon we need the following this window:

1x Goalkeeper (ideally should be homegrown, a solid back up to Gomes, needs to be relied upon between the sticks as Gomes is getting on a bit)
2x Central Defenders (ideally we want two ball playing defenders, I would like to see us do some shopping in the Bundesliga for this position)
2x Wing backs (two competitive wingbacks to provide competition to Holebas and Janmaat)
3-4x Midfielders (we need two box to box midfielders, an extra playmaker and another holding midfielder)
2-3x Forwards (at least one winger, although ideally two, and a striker who is more than just a target man)

All in all as a bare minimum we need 10 new players before next season!

 

Mancini would be a fantastic manager for us, but I just cant see that happening. I actually really like Prandelli. I'm jus not completely sold on Silva, however he is young and enthusiastic. I would also like for us to consider the Huddersfield manager if they don't go up!

 

Some good points to kick this thread off.

I would say this summer will be the biggest overhaul since the Pozzo's first took over.

Not only a head coach, but all the back room staff and even an U23 coach and maybe a review of the medical team.

Even if we go down next season, I do not think it will be quite as horrible as this one. The divide between club and fans is the widest I've ever known it, but that can be rectified easily with a more personable head coach. Silva very much fits the bill in that aspect.

On the playing side we have a lot of dead wood at this club. You have to look at the attitude when the chips are down. Who goes missing.

Now clearly we cannot get rid of the entire squad, and we do have a lot of talent, but talent alone does not win you anything, if the attitude is wrong.

Don't forget there are a lot of players out on loan. Peneranda, Agbo, Kums, Suarez, Ranegie & Berghuis. There is also Segura and Velásquez, the two centre backs we signed for next season.

We know Niang, Berhami and Zuniga will go. Djedje, Arlauskis, Pantilimon & Ranegie will be on the transfer list also.

I think it's likely Watson, Britos, Sinclair and Amrabat could go. Berghuis I doubt will want to come back, unless given assurances from the new coach.

Question marks over Success and Okaka. Success as he will be looked at by clubs and Okaka seems like Udinese will take him on.

Deeney and Capoue could be the big names on the hit list and Gomes may call time if not the number one. Holebas who knows what this guy will do.

So you can see, there are a lot of players under threat, so it would be a hell of a lot of new faces coming in, if even half that lot go.

It's probably an easier list to compile of players I think will be 100% safe. They would be Cleverley, Doucoure, Kaboul, Prodl, Mapps, Cathcart, Kabasele, Janmaat, Pereyra & Zarate,

 

Options, I don't disagree with your OP and if Silva is the top target I hope his appointment is sewn up before the end of the working week.

 

I think we'll find out next Wednesday after his meeting with the Hull chairman.

 

I agree, I can't see Mancini coming here but we should be everything possible to get him to.

Prandelli is such a huge risk I think personally. In terms of club football the last significant thing he did was get Fiorentina into the CL back in 2008, that's nearly a decade ago. He just hasn't done enough for me. I know he got to the Euro final with Italy in 2012 but that's totally different than club football.

Wagner has done very well at Huddersfield, would be a risk though.

 

The community club thing is a bit of a myth to be honest. There is a slight decrease in connection due to other factors other than winning but we're still doing as much in the community as ever, At Your Place events, coaching during holidays, half term meets with players, hospital trips all of that nice stuff, more than most Prem clubs I'd say but nobody cares when you're losing every week.

If we win, we're happy. Fessi, Abdi, Vydra, Cassetti, Ighalo, Battochio etc were all loved by fans because we/they played well and won games rather than being "nice".

Anyway, in terms of rebuild. There's a lot to be done, obviously a new manager but I can't see any realistic outstanding candidates and to be honest I don't trust Gino to make the right choice here.

In terms of playing staff, god knows if Deeney is staying or going and good luck guessing the rest. I think finishing 17th and all the negative press surrounding us at the moment could damage us this summer in terms of being an attractive option to players so the new manager has to be spot on. Right now if you've got a choice of Paul Clement's Swansea, Eddie Howe's Bournemouth, Rafa Benitez's Newcastle, Bilic's West Ham as well as Palace, West Brom & Leicester. Why would you come to Watford?

I think if we got 4 at the back, any combo of Cathcart, Britos, Prodl, Kaboul & Kabasele is pretty decent depth. One centre back a lot better than them wouldn't hurt but not priority for me unless Cathcart and Kaboul have serious long term injury concerns.

SELL / DO NOT SIGN / RELEASE:

Pants & Arlauskis.
Behrami
Watson
Zuniga
Niang

Plus let all the other junk like Paredes leave permanently.

SIGN:

A HG keeper, no idea why we wasted Non HG spots on keepers.
Zabaleta as rotation for Janmaat.
Kieran Gibbs or Charlie Taylor to rotate with Holebas.
A dominant holding midfielder / tackler to screen the defence and replace Behrami. Is Kums that kinda player, could be really useful if so? His name makes him seem more of an action type player. Miguel Veloso might be a free agent this summer I'd have him too.
A right winger because Amrabat should only be a bench option.
A quick striker / poacher type player. Would LOVE Andre Gray here to play next to Deeney but won't happen. Some foreigner from somewhere like Destro will do.
Keisuke Honda good be a nice addition as well.


In conclusion, our squad depth is actually decent, we're just missing a few quality players that can go straight into the starting 11, obviously that's not easy to do.

Ideally our bench next season would be strong: Janmaat, Holebas, Britos, Capoue, Berghuis, Amrabat & Okaka would be an amazing bench and if we end up something close to that then it's been a great summer of recruitment. If we just end up signing average players to fill up the squad then we're looking at relegation.

 

Talented Malaga left back. Possible straight swap for Holebas?

 

Can he realistically play for us and carry out his duties as President of the EU?

 

Possibilities with Sven Kums joining the squad.

 

Toss him in to the squad.

 

Would fit in well with the rest of them.

 

Some of you talk about deadwood players but perhaps we just need a better motivational head coach to inspire them more.

We have fairly decent players who just haven't seemed overly enthused to play.

 

That's why I keep saying Roger Schmidt. He's like Wagner but with shedloads more experience.

 

I think we can be reassured that the owners and executive team running the club are ambitious for us. They are also fully aware that the financial rewards for not simply surviving but ending up the table are huge. 17th has given us about £8 million in prize money, whereas 9th is £23 million. That is a big difference and basically would in one season have repaid all the money spent on the stadium since the Pozzos took over the club. Maintaining our Premier League status is therefore the essential starting point of planning for next season. If you take West Brom as a benchmark of a club that has recently established a foothold, their finishing position from this year to the first season back in the Premier League (2010/11) is 14th; 13th; 17th; 8th; 10th;11th. So in Six seasons they have done no better than 8th and worst was 17th. A more recent example is Southampton, who have faired better - 6th;7th;8th;14th (promoted 20110). Southampton have had less stability than WBA; frequently appointing Head coaches and the incumbent is likely to get sacked. WBA, Southampton and ourselves got promoted as runners up from the championship and have all started to put roots down in the top level. If we can take anything from those two examples, then i would say having good recruitment and setting high expectations of the head coach are ones we need to focus on. Rather than an obsession with continuity and having a British core to the squad.

 

I'm probably repeating myself here from another thread, but this summer is one where I can see more mass overhauls, like the previous two summers. This will obviously impact the coaching setup most, as I can't imagine any of Walter's imported backroom staff will remain in place. I know it probably sounds like I'm dragging a dead horse here, but I would like to see Dean Austin return to a coaching role, or someone of that ilk. I remember reading somewhere that Chelsea have this policy of having an Assistant Manager who is either English or has a background in Chelsea. That would be a useful system to have.

 

Hmmm I see what your saying Andrew, but there are plans afoot to increase the number of homegrown players required in the squad from 7 to 10. It is therefore essential that we do have a homegrown core of players. As others have said there is really no need to have your no.2 or 3 keeper using up a foreign player slot.

 

Is he available though? Or would he be out of our league? Im asking as I really have no idea.

I actually think Prandelli would be a good coach for us. I know he has had a couple of years out of the limelight, but there is no doubting that his sides play football that is not only entertaining, but actually quite solid defensively.

 

Very good post.

The only part is slightly disagree with is your comment about continuity and a British core. I think that's a missing ingredient which would do us a lot of good. Now continuity can be a number of things.

Personally I think a new coach every 2 or 3 seasons is about right. If the coach is not up to standard, he will go, if he's exceptional he will move on, but if he's a good fit i.e not attractive enough for the big clubs, but not bad enough to sack he could stay for some time.

I think it's that sort of coach we need. Someone who is a good fit for the club and that's very hard to find. Dyche was this person, but was a victim of the take-over. Since then probably only Joka came closest.

Everyone else had a firm downward trajectory before they left. So continuity is helpful, but only if it's the right person, not just for the sake of it.

With regards to a British core, I think this is something we lack, and would earn us a lot of cheap points against the teams in the second half of the table. We need a bit of steel and durability, which is natural to British players.

It's all about balance. We need the technical flair of the foreign players, but the heart of the British. Get that, and some stability, we'll be a very good side.

 

Sounding a bit UKIPy here HB1.

The likes of Vidal & Nainggolan would eat any English player alive.

 

If not Dean Austin - maybe he's not of the coaching level required? - I would like to suggest Keith Millen. Was assistant at a successful Palace for years until Fat Sam dumped him for Sammy Lee. Even took over as caretaker a few times with good results and I remember a lot of their players spoke very highly of him.

Please note though, I'm suggesting him for Assitant Manager or First Team Coach, not manager.

We could do worse than getting Lloyd and Robbo involved with the U-23's as well I think.

 

Some good points mentioned in the above posts!

The new manager works with the current players he should be able to work with other members of WFC staff

Get Dean Austin and Kenny Jacket on the staff, plus a medical team that don't come with the new coach

 

Suggestion of Juankar now makes no sense over-zealous mod.

 

He's available (been out of work since March) and would probably love to manage in the PL. The only downside is he's still getting paid 60k a week from getting sacked from Leverkusen and will keep getting paid that until 2019. No idea what we pay our managers but I'd be surprised if it's anywhere near that figure.

 

All my thoughts on Optis choices are highlighted in bold above!

 

I hear many speak highly of him but other than Merkel do Gino and Giampaolo have a history of trading with Germany?

 

Nope, but they didn't have a history of hiring Serbians before Joka so they're probably open to the idea. That being said not many German managers get a chance over here for some reason.

 

I don't think Brandon mason currently cuts it in the PL but I think he has enough about him where he could play for a relegation scrapping team in 5-7 years

 

Gustavo would be awesome and exactly what we need , and we ve been tenuously linked with him before

 

Agree with all of that, maybe keep behrami if he was happy to be squad back up as players like him are great to have around the training ground .
Maybe sell Deeney if we got £25 mill and had a pacey striker to replace .

 

We will get overseas players no one's heard of that may or may not be good at low Premier League prices.

 

Nigel? He is slightly older than 33 but could still do a job for us I expect

 

We need more goals. I would get Babacar from Florentina