Rate the Summer 2022 Transfer Window

[tomsky_11]

1 hour ago, VillaLion63 said:

We need a STRIKER badly and I mean a 50 m striker ! X

Who? This came up a while back and the realistic options across the top leagues in Europe, even if we wanted to spend that kind of money, looked fairly limited. There seemed to be very few out and out strikers getting 15+ goals, so having Watkins and Ings, plus Archer potentially breaking through, I think we're about as set as we could be without taking an expensive gamble and getting lucky.

1 hour ago, VillaLion63 said:

Midlfield Meh we’ve got plenty but they need someone to give the ball to !

This is where I'd have spent any remaining money we had, because I think we look maybe one or two short here, on more attacking end of midfield especially. This is assuming Sanson and possibly Nakamba are moved on to somewhere with window still open, which I expect for at least one of them.

I think our window has been somewhere between good and average personally:

- Kamara was an exceptional signing in terms of ability, potential, requirement in our squad and sell on potential.

- Carlos very good. Reasonable value given figures suggested for him in prior windows.

- Coutinho ok. If he can recaputure his early form from last season then this probably changes to good/v.good. On current form glad we didn't pay initially agreed price but ok with it at reduced rate.

- Olsen and Augustinsson are fairly cheap and reasonable quality in areas we needed numbers and unlikely to improve first choice so good for me. (See also Young renewal)

- Dendoncker ok. Reasonable value utility option adding some height and strength in middle.

- Bednarek ok. Cheap short term fix for Carlos issue. Rather this than rushing a longer term, more expensive option that means we are overstocked in area by end of season.

- Retaining Luiz, ok. Will need to have decent contribution this season to justify turning down sale, will look very good if has big impact, we improve and he renews.

- Carney ok, shame to lose him but money useful in short term and think we've plenty more propects to fill the gap in years to come.

Edited September 2, 2022 by tomsky_11

[El-Reacho]

Reckon the top end signings we thought we could get toward the end of the window when we'd shifted a few had second thoughts when they realised the Gerrard project was a load of s***e. I also think the owners know they'll be giving a new manager quite a bit to spend in January so held back in last week or two. The Sarr money is still largely there. 

[Davkaus]

27 minutes ago, El-Reacho said:

I also think the owners know they'll be giving a new manager quite a bit to spend in January so held back in last week or two. The Sarr money is still largely there. 

That'd be throwing good money after bad if we let this farce continue for a few more weeks.

[sharkyvilla]

2 hours ago, messi11 said:

What happened to the £26 Million we had for Sarr?

Half for Dendoncker, the other half for sacking Gerrard and the staff.  Or they were actually going to cash in on Doug.

[Chine]

A couple of really good signings in Bouba and the unfortunate Carlos we managed to trick into coming before they got chance to see what our system is all about , I don’t think we would have got them in with our current form! They wouldn’t risk there career , yesterday’s business seems more in keeping with level of player we can entice to where we are in the league 

[abdulaziz1]

7/10, which isn’t bad at all. Would’ve kept Traore though. 

[It's Your Round]

It remains to be seen is probably the best answer I can give here.
 

It started with so much promise, and quality, with Kamara and Carlos. I’m happy with Augustinsson and Olsen as competition for Digne and Martinez. I was happy with Coutinho’s permanent signing but we’ve not seen the best of him at all, maybe a better manager can incorporate him into a system that utilises his strengths. 
 

Dendonker may just be what we need to get us through this season, with that objective being somewhat downgraded from a European challenge to don’t get relegated. Bednarek provides cover. 
 

Im disappointed for Traore, I wanted to keep him but there’s no point with Gerrard hating width. We all know Bert is capable of that ‘bit of magic in the final third’ that Gerrard so desperately seeks. 
 

It’s not been a terrible window. Yes we needed more quality in midfield, but I feel it’s a bit pointless looking at the individuals to determine what’s missing from the team. Until we get a new manager, it doesn’t really matter who plays. 

[allani]

I'd say it was a window of 2 halves.  Probably an 8.5 for the first half and a 5 for the second half.  I think Kamara and Carlos are very good signings (at least 8.5 / 9 each).  I think Couts is a good signing (probably an 8 or 8.5).  Augustinininininson and Olsen nicely cover gaps in the current squad but seemingly with an eye on the fact that replacements may be coming from the academy in the next season or two (7s).  I am underwhelmed with Dendonker and Bednarek (possible 6s each but I fear that they may be more Drinkwater than Chambers).  

Hard to argue with any of the outs - Bertie possibly but he's a luxury player who might provide a spark to help finish 8th rather than 9th rather than someone who will keep us out of the relegation battle.

My big issue is that we have failed for the 3rd or 4th summer to address the midfield problem.  If we want to compete in the top half we needed to be bringing in real quality or potential into that key area of the pitch.  This will mean that we will (at best) remain very inconsistent from match to match / month to month or (at worse) remain pretty ineffective going forwards or backwards because we don't win enough of midfield battles.  

That and the fact that our manager decided to make McGinn captain - which has precious little to do with the transfer window but massively diminishes my confidence that we are turning this around any time soon....

[useless]

Rate the Summer 2022 Transfer Window, Okay I'll rate the Summer 2022 Transfer Window.

Boubacar Kamara, Coutinho, Diego Carlos, good signings, especially Kamara, too bad about Diego's injury, nothing club can do about that, Olsen, Augustinsson, Bednarek, all good squad options, Dendoncker is a good player in of himself.

But now for the negatives, we added just two guaranteed starters to a team that finished fourteenth last season, one of them now injured, we lost our best academy since Grealish, as above Dendoncker not a bad player in of himself and when it looked like Luiz might peel from the joint I thought it looked like a good signing, but with Luiz staying it doesn't really feel necessary, as Kamara, Luiz, Chambers, Nakamba, can all play DM, not just can, three of them it's their specialist postion, and even Chambers won player of the year for Fulham in that role, we didn't really need another deep sitting midfielder, we needed an 'eight' to challenge Ramsey and McGinn, we've left ourselves short in attack after the departures, of El Ghazi, Traore, Trezeguet, and Chukwuemeka, for now we have just three players, Buendia, Coutinho, and Bailey, for the No.10 / wide forward roles, if any two of those get injured at the same time then, we're going to be forced to either play two up front, or play players out of position, and truth be told we just didn't upgrade our starting eleven enough overall, another top class forward, and central midfielder was needed at least.

Looks like the the negatives outway the positives, but to try and put a positive spin on things, I think we can't ignore other recent windows, Digne, Buendia, Bailey, Ings, Coutinho, Carlos, and Kamara, all good additons over three windows and a one year period, we may still yet see more from the likes of Buendia, Ings, and Bailey as last season was a disruptive season in one way or another, especially for Bailey, he could be like a new signing for real, and the one that I think a lot of people are clinging to, which is the idea that we didn't improve the squad as much as we might have done because of saving some money for a potential new manager.

I'd rate the window as having some good aspects and some not so good aspects, but if we keep seeing through it we might yet see another beautiful day.

[Rustibrooks]

I voted average, the first month or so I was on a high with Kamara and Carlos coming in. I thought it was the start of a legendary summer for us, but then it went stale. I felt like I was sort of sold a dream about this 'big summer'. 

[useless]

We signed some very good players, and some decent back-up players, but we didn't strengthen enough overall, short in attack after many departures,, and the 'eight' positions, but we could still yet see more from other recent additons from the last two transfer windows, that we didn't strengthen more in attack might mean a chance for Archer eventually, I think he would have been better off out on loan, but at the same time he could eventually capitalize if we have a few injuries in the attacking positions. Wilson and Simpson good signings for the academy, not really related to this thread as doesn't have a direct affect on mens team, but Rachel Daly incredible siging for the women's team.

Maybe this window a smaller part of a bigger picture, so hard to rate it in isloation, the best judge will be the season itself.

[markavfc40]

Depending on how highly you rate Dendonker then we have signed four players that when fit and firing improve our first 11. Unfortunately Carlos has got injured and Coutinho has been out of sorts, but he was never going to thrive in a struggling side. 

Add in 3 more players that improve squad strength/depth then that has to be considered a good window. The fact we have a manager who is clueless which has resulted in a dire start is I think clouding the perception of how we did in the transfer window.

 

[KMitch]

I honestly liked our business this window, but as long as Gerrard is here, we won't see the fruits of it.  Our next manager will utilize all the pieces of the squad to their fullest.  

[STO]

I'm interested in seeing what Dendonker can do and where he is going play.  Will her sit next to Kamara or will Gerrard push Kamara further forward?  Who knows, but he might turn out to be a bargain. 

[VillaChris]

3 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

Depending on how highly you rate Dendonker then we have signed four players that when fit and firing improve our first 11. Unfortunately Carlos has got injured and Coutinho has been out of sorts, but he was never going to thrive in a struggling side. 

Add in 3 more players that improve squad strength/depth then that has to be considered a good window. The fact we have a manager who is clueless which has resulted in a dire start is I think clouding the perception of how we did in the transfer window.

 

It was all on signing another midfielder to sit in alongside Kamara. We wanted one in January so I really don't understand why we just gave up and gave Gerrard chance to indulge in his McGinn love in.

I guarentee first thing next manager will do if he's installed soon will buy a new central midfielder in January. Unless McGinn starts putting on masterclass performances every week but he's not good enough anymore to do that consistently. Then he'll buy a wide player and perhaps another striker.

Do that and we should have much better second half of the season, they'll still be 20 games to play from January after all.

[MrBlack]

For all the good we've done in improving squad depth and slightly improving quality.

We've done it based on the formation Gerrard is wedded to.

If you consider that we now have only one recognised winger, and another that can play on the wing, but sadly the same side as the only recognised winger we have. Then you see that it's traded our central midfield issues for one in the wings. Arguably, we've had a left wing issue since Grealish left, but it's far worse now. 

On that basis, it cannot be considered better than average.

Looking at what we sold/lost, we didn't get good value for most of them. Caleb the exception on that. So again, more bad than good, but at least the wage bill is lower.

Average, average, average.