Morning all
Having watched the game yday and having taken an interest in the transfer window, I personally don’t think that the club was ever going to have all its business done for the start of the season.
It seems that the Richarlison deal had to be done by a certain date but the feeling at that time was that we would struggle to bring any players in for a fee and would struggle to cover key areas of the pitch in general. I’m guessing that in wanting to play 3-4-3 that defence and midfield was the priority and tbh the business we’ve done there is a lot better than I thought we possible.
While the prospect of DCL getting an injury may have appeared obvious, and the need for a contingency clear, I think, at the time midfield and defence were the priority positions. We had one of the worst defences and midfields in the league and while the argument that we needed a Richarlison replacement and should have had one in place when he was sold is sound, it is also the case that the forward positions are the most difficult to find premier league quality in and generally require the largest outlay in fees
Given the business done to date I’m reasonably confident we’ll have the cover we need by the end of the window but not necessarily in time for the opening games, which while a dangerous strategy is a lot better than i thought possible and I feel is the net result of previous mismanagement.
While we can all agree we should have been better prepared maybe it’s also fair to say the club, in terms of transfers, is showing some signs of progress and is starting to dig its was out of what was an absolute mire.