Summer transfer window 2021

[sidcow]

48 minutes ago, picicata said:

Drop the majority on a defensive mid and a right winger. That'll immediately improve our first eleven and help improve those around them. 

A young left back, a CB capable of playing RB and some one like Olise would be good.

The difficult position is up front. Do we have the money to sign a player on Watkins level and then leave either that player(or Ollie) on the bench? 

 

27 minutes ago, lexicon said:

Don't agree - the absolute priority is a top quality CAM.

Totally agree.  Our defence has in the main been excellent.  All those clean sheets away. 

Our biggest problem has been creativity.   Someone to do what Barkley was supposed to bring.   Wingers and AM for me.  Defending also gets a whole lot easier when you are attacking and scoring goals. 

DM improvements are for 2022 once we've got the attack sorted. 

[picicata]

4 minutes ago, sidcow said:

 

Totally agree.  Our defence has in the main been excellent.  All those clean sheets away. 

Our biggest problem has been creativity.   Someone to do what Barkley was supposed to bring.   Wingers and AM for me.  Defending also gets a whole lot easier when you are attacking and scoring goals. 

DM improvements are for 2022 once we've got the attack sorted. 

That's fair enough and I'd certainly be happy to see that as well. What I really don't want to happen is for us to spread our funds over too many players. I'd rather drop the lot on two absolute stick on upgrades than spread it across five players that might be upgrades. I've seen people suggesting we need to sign an entire new midfield which is just mental!

[ROTTERDAM1982]

For me you have 6 players who are able enough to get you into Europe, back 5 and SJG, 2 players are probably going to be good enough, SJM and Ollie, the rest aren't good enough.

Put Bissouma, and say Mahrez into our team with SJG, and we are not far off.

No good faffing about with might bes/could bes, if we want to develop, improve we need at least 2 good/top quality players in CDM, and attacking right sided player.

I would love Bissouma, and Raphinia for example, but couls put up with a Neto

Quality needed

[ender4]

3 hours ago, lexicon said:

Don't agree - the absolute priority is a top quality CAM.

isn't that meant to be our summer signing of Sanson (which was brought forward by 5 months due to availability).

[Mazrim]

Tighten that midfield up so it doesnt get waltzed through as often, keep the ball more, we'll win more games.

 

The defence is very young but easily good enough with a bit more cover. The midfield is not balanced but there's potential to be great with another key piece or two. And we need to overhaul the attacking side. Keep Ollie and Jack and build something special around them. Competition for Watkins and the option for Jack to play wide or CAM. So 2 wingers or a winger and CAM. Plenty to do.

[Jas10]

Seems like most, if not all, of us agree on the area we need to strengthen as a priority.

It’s clear that our main deficiency is in creating chances (for our CF - Ollie is outstanding and just needs the service, I don’t think another CF is a priority but I would not be averse to us signing one, I don’t think Ollie should be shifted wide personally. We don’t have limitless funds and can never have the “perfect squad”) and retaining possession - our passing has been surprisingly poor for a while and we lack ideas and invention.

I’ve been quite appalled that we seem to have resorted to the long ball game again and just expect Ollie to chase and work miracles.

Unfortunately, Jack’s absence has again highlighted that we rely far too heavily on a single player. We need to address this as quickly as possible.

We have to spend big on exciting, attacking players that can be relied on for goals and assists. We simply cannot continue with players like El Ghazi & Trez. Barkley has turned out to be a failure.

I wouldn’t write off Traore though, he is clearly one of the most talented, skilful players in the squad and needs time to adapt and to work on his discipline. He should be a valuable member of the squad going forwards, whether that’s in the line up or off the bench. He hasn’t even completed a first season with us.
 

We simply don’t have enough quality around the odd decent player that we have in attack, it’s clear to see.

[Awol]

25 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

Seems like most, if not all, of us agree on the area we need to strengthen as a priority.

It’s clear that our main deficiency is in creating chances (for our CF - Ollie is outstanding and just needs the service, I don’t think another CF is a priority but I would not be averse to us signing one, I don’t think Ollie should be shifted wide personally. We don’t have limitless funds and can never have the “perfect squad”) and retaining possession - our passing has been surprisingly poor for a while and we lack ideas and invention.

I’ve been quite appalled that we seem to have resorted to the long ball game again and just expect Ollie to chase and work miracles.

Unfortunately, Jack’s absence has again highlighted that we rely far too heavily on a single player. We need to address this as quickly as possible.

We have to spend big on exciting, attacking players that can be relied on for goals and assists. We simply cannot continue with players like El Ghazi & Trez. Barkley has turned out to be a failure.

I wouldn’t write off Traore though, he is clearly one of the most talented, skilful players in the squad and needs time to adapt and to work on his discipline. He should be a valuable member of the squad going forwards, whether that’s in the line up or off the bench. He hasn’t even completed a first season with us.
 

We simply don’t have enough quality around the odd decent player that we have in attack, it’s clear to see.

If we’re after a second playmaker but from the right then Emi Buendia makes a lot of sense. Can also play centrally or from the left.

[Jas10]

7 minutes ago, Awol said:

If we’re after a second playmaker but from the right then Emi Buendia makes a lot of sense. Can also play centrally or from the left.

Agreed

[MrSmirch]

Need someone who can tackle, luiz and mcginn are incapable

[Dave-R]

10 hours ago, villalad21 said:

There are no players out there available that is anywhere near Jack's level.

Fact is Smith needs to do like Bielsa and get a lot out of mediocre players.

I wouldn't say that as players are just different but there are many at the level Jack is, they just don't do what Jack does that is all.

[TRO]

5 hours ago, sidcow said:

 

Totally agree.  Our defence has in the main been excellent.  All those clean sheets away. 

Our biggest problem has been creativity.   Someone to do what Barkley was supposed to bring.   Wingers and AM for me.  Defending also gets a whole lot easier when you are attacking and scoring goals. 

DM improvements are for 2022 once we've got the attack sorted. 

Where do you think the attacks come from? yesterday the ball came from Mings to set Ollie on his way.....a Good DM will turn the ball over and start attacks.

We have kept a lot of clean sheets, we have equally only failed to score in 7 games out of 31, so we are not that bad at scoring either, on par with Everton and Arsenal.....defence wise slightly better than Liverpool and Spurs.

You cannot just go attacking and scoring without adequate cover in midfield....We showed in the last 2 games as we scored first and lost both games 2-1.....you need a solid base in midfield to sustain leads.

44 goals is decent return, we just need players to help protect those leads particulary in the middle of the park.

We have 14 clean sheets,so we have conceded 35 goals in 17 games...do the maths....2 goals a game near enough, so we have to score 3 to win in those games, its a big ask, don't you think.....the goals for and against, don't explain the true picture.

Its a General and leader in the middle we need.....A Gareth Barry, Dennis Mortimer or an Andy Townsend.

[sne]

It's better ball retention higher up the pitch that we need.

Will help us create more chances and score more goals, and it will also help us defensively as we'll be less stretched as a team when/if we lose the ball compared to now when are in transition and out of position.

I'm all for upgrades in every area of the team but for me RW is the biggest issue. Be great if we also could add some other attributes at CM, be it creativity or stability. Realistically we are going to have 2 of our current CM starting for us next season too so a pipe dream to expect us to sign a quality DCM, ACM and RW. Just not going to be financially possible unless we get big offers for a couple of our current ones.

Edited April 22, 2021 by sne

[jacketspuds]

We need a leader in the centre of midfield. It all feels a bit wishy washy in a crucial area for us. Still feel like it’s a real weak point of ours. So much so that I wouldn’t be against us signing a DM and a CM this summer.

[Mazrim]

Give Sanson a chance next season. Then a player behind and ahead of him. Luiz to compete with Sanson, and McGinn... well, he needs to step up.

[KenjiOgiwara]

18 minutes ago, sne said:

It's better ball retention higher up the pitch that we need.

Completely agree. While we need better players in depth and key positions like mentioned on this page, the biggest issue we have is keeping the ball and creating with it in the opponents half. Jack is everything there.

Suspect that's also why we are so god damn awful against 10 men.

[lexicon]

5 hours ago, ender4 said:

isn't that meant to be our summer signing of Sanson (which was brought forward by 5 months due to availability).

No, Sanson is a box-to-box CM. Hopefully here to replace McGinn. 

[VillaChris]

11 minutes ago, lexicon said:

No, Sanson is a box-to-box CM. Hopefully here to replace McGinn. 

Yeah from what I've seen Sanson is more McGinn than Luiz in terms of how he plays.

Begs the question though, McGinn is someone who plays every minute of every game he's available for so pretty much one of the undroppables in the squad even when he's out of form.

Him and Sanson feels a bit too samey so you'd like to think we'd just rotate him more next season but I'm not sure DS mindset will just change in 3 months time so Sanson could just be expensive backup apart from probably games like last night where we want to pack the midfield area.

[Tomaszk]

Looking forward to Sanson after a full pre-season, I think he'll be very solid for us.

[Dave-R]

Our midfielders just seem all same do they not?? 

[Dave-R]

12 hours ago, sidcow said:

 

Totally agree.  Our defence has in the main been excellent.  All those clean sheets away. 

Our biggest problem has been creativity.   Someone to do what Barkley was supposed to bring.   Wingers and AM for me.  Defending also gets a whole lot easier when you are attacking and scoring goals. 

DM improvements are for 2022 once we've got the attack sorted. 

Defending gets easier if we keep the ball away from our defence which is not the case because our midfield and Wingers are not doing the jobs they should be doing.

We have one player between midfield and the front three working constantly since Grealish has been out, that means five other players are not making there positions work.

I would spend the money bringing in Wingers and Midfielders because we do not need another striker signings as we have options we can use especially Barry as a second striker.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Dave-R