January 2018 transfer window thread.

[JammyP]

Player with 6 goals in 14 appearances this season going cheap. £13.5 million. Only 27. Enthusiastic poacher.
Shame we are selling him...

 

[kenada_blue]

Hearing some Gaitan shouts.

Yes please. An actual footballer not scared of the ball.

 

[bluestevon]

There is often significant value to be had taking lads who are a bit older too. Look at Mirallas, if he was 24 there's no way Olympiakos could get him for a (decent) loan fee. I see Gaitan and Turan as similar for us really.

The other thing is is that Allardyce has proven very adept at taking lads with a similar profile to Gaitan and Turan at Bolton. He can clearly get a tune out of lads who may have fallen out of love with game a little.

They are a short term fix. As a whole I'm not in favour of short termism at all. You can kind of see from the Derby once Liverpool have developed a broader plan they have moved away from us. However under Allardyce it's where we are currently and better players can also help support the younger ones. I think Kenny looks an even better player with Bolasie in front of him for example. We will see.

the key is to get a balance of younger players who will improve, players at their peak with at least 3-4 years at that level ahead, and that the experienced ones still add something to the first team - and the ones past it are moved on. with the eventual aim being each category shifts up over a 2-4 year period to the next category and each cycle the quality in each group improves progressively.

Likes of Gaitan or Turan etc would add experience and quality to the squad for a 2-3 years period whilst the younger players developed with luck. and are natural upgrades over Lennon, Mirallas - and although similar age - think Gaitans a year younger than Lennon, are on a different level ability wise, so even if they do start regressing - they are doing so from a far higher level of ability which in turn prolongs their period of being good enough for the first team etc.

 

[Tel001]

Dedoncker is good on FM.

Fifa too?

 

[Khalekan]

Im all over this and the answer is no.

No links
No rumours.
Nothing.

Cuco Martina will be our left back again at the wide open spaces of Wembley this weekend.

Can imagine Pottechino playing Son, Erickson and Trippier all on the right this weekend. Which will pull us completely out of shape as our midfield all go left to cover Cuco.

Then when we clear the ball there are no midfielders to collect it, because they are all in our left back position, so we hoof it to our CF , who looses the header and they start all over again.

It'll be like the alamo back there this weekend.

And all for the want of a left footed ,half decent left back.

But then again i'm not a premier league manager, scout or DOF, so what do i know?

Unbelievable

 

[Khalekan]

Just been publically criticised by Puel for not trying hard enough.

It is not hard to imagine a City starlet whom was let go feeling he is a cut above Leicester.

These kids are imbued with a massive sense of entitlement from a very early age.

 

[Zatara]

Yep, that midfield has a mix of everything.

Ultimately it can't be played in every game.

I do think though, if McCarthy stays fit and Gana too (we don't know how bad his injury actually is), then Gana-Rooney-McCarthy can be a good midfield to play against the stronger sides or away, and at home against sides we should have more of the ball, Gana-Davies-Rooney.

That midfield has energy in Gana, who can pretty much cover the entirety of the pitch in front of the defence.

A playmaker in Rooney, who is so much better receiving the ball while he is facing goal.

And a box-to-box player to engage a high press and make runs beyond the attack.

However, it does lack height/physical presence.

Agree. Gana is an elite ball winning defensive mid. Keep him there.

My concern is that McCarthy is not a good enough box to box guy, either. He's also more of a DM or a 6. Wants to hold the ball, pass it backwards and sideways. Davies is a bit better, runs with it, but he's almost better playing the creative final ball. McCarthy to me would be Gana's backup or partner if we played two DMs. Doucoure is MUCH better than either. He gets the ball and he's gone. We really don't have that player, although we've asked Gana to play it. Rooney roams around and can play it a bit. But you put Bolaisse wide, Siggy, Rooney, and Tosun who has good movement out there with Doucoure to move the ball quickly and efficiently, you've changed our team.

But again, if your left mid is covering for your left back for 90 minutes, no number 8 is going to have as many options as they should.

I think the key is to have 3 types of players in central midfield...

1- The defensive midfielder such as Butt / Mascherano.
2 - The box to box midfielder such as Keane / Gerrard
3 - The playmaker (attacking/deep) Scholes / Alonso

Theres examples of these types of systems in all successful 3's.

Where weve fallen short is 2 fold.
1 -- Schneiderlin is dross, lazy and uninterested it seems.
2 -- Gana cannot pass...he can only harry and tackle (brilliantly)

The reality is that we only have Baningime who appears to be able to put in decent performances in defensive midfield and Davies whose on paper the box-box option.

However...they are TOO YOUNG there, I said it lol....fine as rotation options but not able or experienced enough to play each week. Davies is going through 2nd season syndrome and Baningime could play a few games now to get up to speed as a rotation option next season.

Besic, McCarthy, Klaassen just need to be sold...as well as Schneiderlin.
Gana I'm not sure about...hes an easy player to love..but can he fit a successful system? Perhaps with a player better than schneiderlin next to him but then we become very defensive...

Personally...I would consider selling all of our central midfielders apart from Baningime and Davies. Then spend big on a rock solid defensive midfield 'sitter' and a box to box player who can score 10 goals a season.

The only one I would have doubts about selling is Gana

In the playmaker position I think we have Rooney, Sigurdsson, Dowell and Vlasic who could all be candidates...though we only need 2 really. So perhaps 2 of them could be used wide...?

the key is to get a balance of younger players who will improve, players at their peak with at least 3-4 years at that level ahead, and that the experienced ones still add something to the first team - and the ones past it are moved on. with the eventual aim being each category shifts up over a 2-4 year period to the next category and each cycle the quality in each group improves progressively.

Likes of Gaitan or Turan etc would add experience and quality to the squad for a 2-3 years period whilst the younger players developed with luck. and are natural upgrades over Lennon, Mirallas - and although similar age - think Gaitans a year younger than Lennon, are on a different level ability wise, so even if they do start regressing - they are doing so from a far higher level of ability which in turn prolongs their period of being good enough for the first team etc.

I think a lot depends on what I wrote about the central areas above...if we used Rooney as the playmaker with Dowell as rotation next season then Sigurdsson would start left midfield with Lookman as rotation (though we have onyekuru also) also vlasic on the right side with probably bolasie rotating (should be sold).

However, I wonder about Sigurdsson playing as the playmaker (rooney is too slow against the top sides) OR could he be the box to box midfielder as he covers a lot of ground?

If Sigurdsson was central then on the left either we go with lookman and onyekuru or if they aren't quite ready as consistent starters then I would agree we should sign a player for 2 seasons who has bags of experience and hopefully they can learn from him also.

For me, I wouldn't sign a winger this window. I think its important for lookman and vlasic to get as many games as possible to see how they perform before making decisions in the summer.



In short, a lot depends on where we play Sigurdsson and also is Gana able to play defensive midfield alongside a true box to box player.

 

[trueblue10]

Unbelievable

Unbelievable is right

 

[MichiganToffee-NSNO]

We're screwed aren't we? Like who else are we going to bring in this window?

 

[bol-uk]

We're screwed aren't we? Like who else are we going to bring in this window?

We will bring in 3 more I reckon

 

[dublinbluenose]

Seeing the Andre Silva from Milan rumours again today. Can't see us paying 40m though.

 

[davek]

LB is THE priority for us. We are all over the place and bent out of shape with no better-than-competent LB.

I'm warming to the idea of Tierney.

 

[trueblue10]

At last, we are being linked with somebody.






GAITAN CHASE HOTS UP

A quartet of Premier League clubs are leading the chase to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Nicolas Gaitan, reports Marca.

Watford, West Ham, Southampton and Everton are all battling it out to land the 29-year-old.

Marca reports that two of these Premier League clubs want to sign him on a permanent basis, while the other pair are interested in a loan deal until the end of the season.

Atleti, who value Gaitan at €20m, plan to sit down with the player soon to decide which offer from England is the most suitable for all parties concerned.

 

[People75]

If we are not willing to spend £40m on a striker, we are lost.

That would be a minimum, for a decent striker, and we need to a top class striker aswell.

Just to follow up, on the missing signings from the summer window.

Or am i missing something,

 

[Eggs]

Seeing the Andre Silva from Milan rumours again today. Can't see us paying 40m though.

...Milan’s DoF issued a statement earlier saying the player is going nowhere.