January 2018 transfer window thread.

[trueblue10]

This is the worry for me. We rely on Gylfi to cover for Martina all the time. If Walcott comes I presume Gylfi will go central so who will cover at LB? Walcott? Bolasie? I don't think so. If we play those two we can't have a passenger for a LB.

Been saying exactly this for the last 13 days.

We need a left back signed pronto, just to bring some balance to the team if nothing else.

 

[trueblue10]

Sessegnon will almost certainly move to a CL club.

There must be a left full back out there in world football capable of relieving us all of Cuco Martina who is realistic and affordable.

Our DOF is on it, finger on the beating pulse of left backs world wide.









Allegedly.

 

[trueblue10]

....not really getting all of this ferver over a LB. Allardyce has come in and made us better defensively but we remain poor as an attacking force. The priority was to bolster those areas of the pitch. The squad is too big, the squad is unbalanced so players will need to move on.

We need a permanent replacement for Baines, he seems brittle and hasn’t got the agility he once had. It’s a tough league for little fellas. Regardless, there’s 5 months of the season left and we are managing without him. Martina is a stop gap but we are managing. Galloway might return, Garbutt might be registered depending on the prognosis for Baines but if either are introduced they’ll almost certainly be behind Martina in the queue.

This squad needs an overhaul, players will have to leave. I suspect we’ll all have to put up with Martina for a few more months or at least until Baines is fit.

Because our attack building players are out left covering Martina. Bollassie and Siggy are both instructed to back Martina up when we are defending, when we look to break quickly all our options are either on the right, Lennon and JJK, or a long hoof up to half way to DCL.

Watch the game today, when we look to break quickly it will go long to Cenk or wide right to Lennon. We have no other options.

If i'm wrong, i expect a thrashing on here tomorrow.

 

[trueblue10]

This is the crux of it (in bold). We are managing with Martina but that is the precise problem. Our entire left side and to some degree the centre of defence and our holding midfielders all have to compensate for him. This blunts our ability to go from defence to attack with any sort of speed as everyone has been pulled back. Other sides are figuring this out with teams often doubling up on Martina pulling Gylfi and Williams over creating space in the centre. Martina often side foots the ball out for a throw in because he doesn't trust his left peg for launching it, in true BFS style, up the pitch. His presence in the team puts us under increased pressure in defence generally, unbalances our defence leaving more space for opposition forwards and impedes our ability to counterattack.

We need a LB. In my opinion, at least.

I completely agree with ALL of this.

Continue to play with Martina at left back and we continue to throw the whole balance of our team out of sinc.

 

[trueblue10]

..I don’t disagree with the ‘need’, I just accept a LB might not be a priority for this window. If Walcott comes in, it looks like he and Bolasie will fill the wide positions. Sigurdsson first choice no10 perhaps.

With respect sir,

We could sign Messi and Ronaldo and Walcott, Sam's first training session would have them covering our left back every time we were attacked down our left hand side.

Thus nullifying our counter attacking options down our left wing.

 

[trueblue10]

Tosun. 27 m
Walcott 20 m
LB 25 m
That’s 72 m in the Jan window
Everton spending 72 m in January , but Moshiri is a fraud ?
There’s no way we will take in even half that this window so I’m not sure the money is there to buy a long term LB in this window.
Best hope is Shaw on loan ( if Utd get Rose ) with an option to buy at a fixed price in the summer

Actual spend this window so far is 12M after you take the 15M off Tosun's 27M.

 

[Eggs]

With respect sir,

We could sign Messi and Ronaldo and Walcott, Sam's first training session would have them covering our left back every time we were attacked down our left hand side.

Thus nullifying our counter attacking options down our left wing.

..it’s a very fair point, I just don’t see us signing a LB in this window. I’m not sure how close Baines is to a return but I expect it’s weeks rather than months.

 

[Abraders]

Actual spend this window so far is 12M after you take the 15M off Tosun's 27M.

And then factor in that apparently he was only 22m euros + add ons..

 

[trueblue10]

And then factor in that apparently he was only 22m euros + add ons..

Don't do Euro's.

Does that mean we spent more or less?

 

[trueblue10]

I can see a late move for a left back when others have been sold

We are 6 months too late all ready.

 

[Abraders]

Don't do Euro's.

Does that mean we spent more or less?

Closer to 19m sterling + add ons, if the turkish reports were to be believed

 

[CairnsToffee]

Story linking us with a straight swap, Niasse for Van Arnolt at Palace. Not a terrible plan, we need a left back and Niasse is now 3rd choice, but if Niasse does go we will still a 3rd choice. I suppose if we get Walcott he can play up front, but think he is better on the wing

Discussed last week, Schlupp is injured and VAn Aarhold twitted he wasn't going anywhere

None starter, plus he is under dollop

 

[trueblue10]

Closer to 19m sterling + add ons, if the turkish reports were to be believed

So after the Barkley deal we have only stumped up £4m plus add ons?

We're loaded aren't we.

 

[blueblue]

So after the Barkley deal we have only stumped up £4m plus add ons?

We're loaded aren't we.

Would you be happier if we had spent more ?
The desire is to sign players as cheaply as possible, not as expensively as possible just to try to prove something.
The player was signed, that is what matters.

 

[Toffeelover]

We are 6 months too late all ready.

Maybe, who was our manager 6 months ago? and Cuco was a fave of his?