Summer transfer window 2021

[Jas10]

Many of us seem to want the obvious players or targets (which isn’t necessarily a problem) but I’m more excited by us finding more obscure talent that could be drastically better & better value too. It’s why we’ve employed a more advanced scouting department - to identify and target the very best players and upcoming talent around the globe... what would be the point otherwise?

As fans, sometimes our thinking and scope can be quite limited at times and we can sometimes be a little too negative and pessimistic, especially with foreign players but maybe that’s understandable with some of our past, negative experiences. But what we need to realise is that this is a new era and we don’t act like a small time club anymore (e.g. Lambert era ). We signed a lot of duds in our past seasons in the PL but we were massively in decline and practically a relegation battling side - they were torrid times in all honesty.

We are nothing like that anymore and I’m sure we won’t be signing any crappy players. We are legit now, the real article and have brilliant owners who’ve invested heavily in every area of the club to try and push into the elite moving forwards.

 

I love the idea of us signing lesser known players who could/would have a major impact and “shock the league” with their quality... that would be fantastic.

Looking back at history, some of the top or most successful sides have managed to do something similar and some of those players are renowned as the greatest ever to have played in this league... been watching the Motd top 10 series lately and that was another reminder...

 

PL players are going to cost a bomb in huge fees and wages, I don’t want us to waste our budget e.g I think 40m on Tammy would be excessive and so would his wages but, on the other hand, he’s still young and has high potential. I just don’t see him as a necessity for us either. But it’s better than spending big on an older player too. But we don’t have unlimited funds and squad spaces either, we need to invest wisely (and heavily) in the most key areas. 
 

But who knows, maybe we have a massive kitty this time

Can’t help but be enthusiastic.

[danceoftheshamen]

I was thinking last night about the last truly successful team we had (has to be the Saunders 80/81/82 League & European cup side). So looking at the balance that team had and comapring it to the current team highlights some issues for me.

Here was the main 11 of that side..

...................Rimmer

Swain........McNaught......Evans......Gibson

Bremner.....Mortimer.....Cowans.....Morley

..............Withe.......Shaw

 

Now comapring it with the current 11

....................Martinez

Cash.......Konsa.....Mings.....Targett

...............Luiz........McGinn.....

Traore...............Barkley...........Grealish

......................Watkins

I know formations have changed but the ingredients of those teams highlight glaring weaknesses in the current 11 for me.

I would say Keepers are similar quality, if anything Martinez maybe even edges it.

RB = Cash lacks the silky class of Swain at the moment (Experience or lack of?)

CD = The central defenders lack the presence in the air that McNaught & Evans did and most definatley lack the goal threat posed by those two. They would usually end up with 5/6 each per season so thats missing goals which we need to improve on.

LB = Similar standard i would say although maybe Targett lacks some of the pace of Gibson & Williams after him. 

Midfield 

I would say Luiz is our closest version to Mortimer but again lacks the goal threat and is nowhere near the leader that Mortimer was (Though can still improve)

Grealish is our modern day version of Morley but again lacks that electric pace. Grealish however can also play the no.10 role & switch which would not have suited the out & out winger that Morley was. So for me these two are a good match overall.

Mcginn is our modern day Des Bremner. Full of grit & determination and has a similar goals output too so far (At prem level)

Then we have our missing ingredient..SId Cowans! The deadbball specialist... We simply have no answer to him in this current side. So full of class & guile.

Watkins i do liken to Withe however.. Similar battling attributes though with more pace than Peter used to posess.

But what about Shaw? We do not have a clever fox in the box finisher like him in this current side. Traore, Elghazi & Trez combined do not replace what he offered.

So for me it's quite obvious even though combining two totally separate teams from different era's

We lack pace & finishing prowess across the team. The Defenders do not convert enough chances & neither do the likes of McGinn/Luiz/Nakamba/Sansom etc. We lack a foil for Watkins to share the scoring burden, this is highlighted even more with the aforementioned not contributing goals as they should. 

Most of all we miss a set piece specialist, our Cowans. That bit of class which makes all the difference in midfield.

So for me it's about adding pace/goals & set piece ability this window.

 

[KangarooVillan]

On 11/05/2021 at 23:59, Villan4Life said:

Buendia is 100% worth going for at £40mil.

24 year old Japanese Attacking Midfielder/ Right Winger Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt) is having a great season is one we should monitor. 5 goals and 11 assists this season in 30 League appearances. He's also scored 6 goals in 16 games in Europa League.

His playing style is very similar to Jack Grealish.

 

 

More and more I think this is a good idea.

Would he leave considering Frankfurt are looking likely for a Euro place if not CL?

[KenjiOgiwara]

I think Tammy can become cheaper than people are anticipating tbh. Tuchel might be interested in bringing in some players of his own and there are limits to how many players Chelsea can stock pile. 

Same goes for Barkley. His value is now in the dirt. There's absolutely no chance anyone is paying what Chelsea thought they would be getting. He's not going to get the wages he'd have expected either. 

[ferguson1]

Would love to see James Ward-Prowse as our number 10 next season.  Start with an opening 40m bid and go from there. 

[rodders0223]

1 hour ago, AVTuco said:

Tammy and Tuanzebe back would be welcome, if not too expensive. I don't especially want them, but they would strengthen us.

Ringing endorsement lol

[The Other Mat]

8 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

He's defo looking through pictures of Jack's calf muscles in this one. 

[lexicon]

@danceoftheshamen

Going on about weaknesses in the side and then bigging up John McGinn. Hmm.

Edited May 16, 2021 by lexicon

[Mazrim]

21 minutes ago, lexicon said:

@danceoftheshamen

Going on about weaknesses in the side and then bigging up John McGinn. Hmm.

I think McGinn on this seasons form is nothing more than a bench player who needs to impress from the bench to keep his place in the squad. The midfield, since January, has been the weak point. There isn't one player who has played in the 3 that should expect to start, but they're all capable of it. It's just not balanced yet. They're all box to box 8s and need specialists behind and ahead of them.

[MrSmirch]

11 hours ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

I don't want to be rude, but is possibly some of the worst football opinion I've ever read on here ever.

Haha well let’s wait and see. 

People write players off too easily.

[MrSmirch]

49 minutes ago, ferguson1 said:

Would love to see James Ward-Prowse as our number 10 next season.  Start with an opening 40m bid and go from there. 

[brummybloke]

10 hours ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

I'm going to be hugely disappointed if De Arrasceata isn't signed now. 

Work permit could be an issue unless he is in the top 2 or 3 players cost wise.

So in theory we would need to sign him first if he is around the 25 million mark if we are looking to buy 2 or 3 top players this summer.

[Phil Silvers]

1 hour ago, ferguson1 said:

Would love to see James Ward-Prowse as our number 10 next season.  Start with an opening 40m bid and go from there. 

I like him too, slots right in as well without having to wait a season to see if he's up to it. He can play the 10 or in the 2 in a 4231. Brilliant dead ball specialist too, I think it's a no brained unless they asking to much, he is a 40/45m player.

[sne]

6 minutes ago, brummybloke said:

Work permit could be an issue unless he is in the top 2 or 3 players cost wise.

So in theory we would need to sign him first if he is around the 25 million mark if we are looking to buy 2 or 3 top players this summer.

Uruguay are ranked 9th in the world the Brazilian league should have an OK ranking and Flamengo are the top ranked club in that league. Not exactly sure how it works but should be OK for WP.

[lexicon]

37 minutes ago, Mazrim said:

I think McGinn on this seasons form is nothing more than a bench player who needs to impress from the bench to keep his place in the squad. The midfield, since January, has been the weak point. There isn't one player who has played in the 3 that should expect to start, but they're all capable of it. It's just not balanced yet. They're all box to box 8s and need specialists behind and ahead of them.

I think Luiz is good enough and Sanson will be - we desperately need a top-quality consistent CAM imo.

[danceoftheshamen]

1 hour ago, lexicon said:

@danceoftheshamen

Going on about weaknesses in the side and then bigging up John McGinn. Hmm.

How is that bigging up McGinn exactly? I mentioned he reminds me of Bremner who was seen by many as lacking scoring prowess & quality/skill though was awash with grit & energy in abundance.. That does remind me of McGinn this season, not sure how that is bigging him up tbh.

[lexicon]

6 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

How is that bigging up McGinn exactly? I mentioned he reminds me of Bremner who was seen by many as lacking scoring prowess & quality/skill though was awash with grit & energy in abundance.. That does remind me of McGinn this season, not sure how that is bigging him up tbh.

Grit, maybe, but definitely not energy. He was overweight last season after his injury and giving him the benefit of the doubt, has been battered by covid this year. He's shown a bit more in recent weeks but he's had a poor season.

[Phil Silvers]

                         Ollie

Jack.              J W-P.           Buendia

 

             LUIZ.            Hojbjerg

 

     Back 5 as is.

 

 

[danceoftheshamen]

Just now, lexicon said:

Grit, maybe, but definitely not energy. He was overweight last season after his injury and giving him the benefit of the doubt, has been battered by covid this year. He's shown a bit more in recent weeks but he's had a poor season.

I agree totally, this season that energy seems to be lacking though normally thats his game (remembers all the incessant running clips). I actually did mean he was the weakness in that midfield when comparing him with Bremner as that was also how he was perceived as i remember. 

Anyhow i agree he's not been at his best this season.

[VillaChris]

1 hour ago, ferguson1 said:

Would love to see James Ward-Prowse as our number 10 next season.  Start with an opening 40m bid and go from there. 

He has never played that position in his life for Southampton.