Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[Leeroy]

12 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Moreno will still be around next season so he'll be first choice and Lino will be eased in league cup. Wouldn't rule out Ben Chrisene either. He's starting every week for Blackburn and their defensive record has improved last few weeks. Last night at Cardiff he played as LWB in a 3-4-2-1 so that suggests he could be an able Moreno deputy in time.

Also played 13 times for Kilmarnock in first half of 22-23 so he's got a decent amount of experience for someone just turned 20.

Yeah maybe. Selling Digne without a ready made replacement would weaken us though, no doubt about it. Moreno is no spring chicken himself and he missed nearly 4 months of this season with an injury. I’d be a bit worried if we had to call on Chrisene or Sousa for several months next season if he got injured again. Unless we played someone like Mings there (or Hermoso if we signed him).
 

I think if we sell Digne, bring in a proven left back even if just on a loan (eg Tierney), then assess the progress of Sousa and Chrisene in summer 2025. 

[zab6359]

On 20/02/2024 at 17:41, PeterSw said:

I think we will see a lot more of Konsa at RB next season if/when Mings is back.

Konsa/Mings/Torres/Moreno would possibly be the first choice defence.

Nedeljković, Carlos, Hermoso (who I agree I think we will sign.. pretty much a left sided version of Konsa) and Sousa would be the 'back ups'

I think Konsa will be ahead of Mings as a first choice CB next season next to Torres, if we are selling Cash we need to buy a quality RB as first choice and have the Serb kid as an understudy. 

[zab6359]

16 hours ago, duke313 said:

Remember we were linked with this guy, huge bullet dodged.

I really wanted us to sign him at the time, not so much bullet dodged different time and place and the injury may never have happened.

[Leeroy]

12 hours ago, CVByrne said:

We will sign a LCB/LB option like we use Konsa for on right.

We'll have essentially Moreno and Cash (or replacement). We'll have 5 CBs but two can operate at LB or RB. Then we have the two under studies Sousa and Nedeljkovic. So total of 9 defenders. 

Yeah sounds about right. Best scenario is we sell Cash, Digne and Carlos for a combined £40-50m and also Chambers and Hause, getting nearly £400K a week off the books and put the money towards a very good attacking right back (ie a more technically gifted version of Cash) and a younger right footed centre back to replace Carlos. Then bring in a cheap left sided option like Lenglet or Hermoso if we are restricted by FFP.  Then our focus should go on bringing in a proper replacement for Kamara like Palacios. 
 

I’d love an attacking addition like Gloukh but I think our defence is priority especially considering many of our defenders are 30+ now (Digne, Moreno, Mings, Carlos). 

[fightoffyour]

1 hour ago, CVByrne said:

No, he's central of a back 3 so he'll play CB with Pau or Hermosso (lets say) at LB and Konsa RCB.

 

Well that's possible, and I don't know anything about Hermoso, but I would put former LB Mings at LCB before Pau. Not that we're likely to use that formation very often.

Edited February 22 by fightoffyour

[Kiwivillan]

1 hour ago, zab6359 said:

I really wanted us to sign him at the time, not so much bullet dodged different time and place and the injury may never have happened.

Many years ago. Not last few years

[Don_Simon]

3 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

I don't think we're getting him back from Everton

Is he still there?!

[Kiwivillan]

1 hour ago, fightoffyour said:

Well that's possible, and I don't know anything about Hermoso, but I would put former LB Mings at LCB before Pau. Not that we're likely to use that formation very often.

We don't even know if Mings will come back at level needed and our league record with Torres at LCB is nuts 17 starts +80min 13W 2D 2L

[fightoffyour]

18 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

We don't even know if Mings will come back at level needed and our league record with Torres at LCB is nuts 17 starts +80min 13W 2D 2L

That's why I'm advocating keeping Torres there. The Mings L(C)B formation is the opposite of the Konsa R(C)B one, as in now we sometimes play:

Moreno - Torres - Carlos - Konsa

if we want to reverse that with the attacking impetus down the right instead of the left for tactical reason occasionally, then we could go (assuming Mings does get back to his old level):

Mings - Torres - Konsa - Kosta

But either way I assume the plan for this season and what we will hopefully see next season is this as our first choice back 4:

Moreno - Mings - Torres - Konsa

Which side Mings and Torres would actually play in that scenario, I'm not sure.

Edited February 22 by fightoffyour

[KevinRichardsonsMoustache]

Is there a chance that some of those players like Sanson and Coutinho (maybe Digne) going in the summer that this will free up wages a bit to give us sufficient FFP breathing room? Or is it more about us recouping transfer fees, so needing to sell someone like JJ?

 

[duke313]

13 minutes ago, KevinRichardsonsMoustache said:

Is there a chance that some of those players like Sanson and Coutinho (maybe Digne) going in the summer that this will free up wages a bit to give us sufficient FFP breathing room? Or is it more about us recouping transfer fees, so needing to sell someone like JJ?

 

Don't Nice have a buy option with Sanson loan?  He's doing quite well there, played in every league game, i'd imagine they'd activate the clause in the summer.

[PeterSw]

2 hours ago, Leeroy said:

cheap left sided option like Lenglet

Lenglet is on £250k p/w at Barca. He'll  not be moving anywhere unless it gets matched

[PeterSw]

14 minutes ago, duke313 said:

Don't Nice have a buy option with Sanson loan?  He's doing quite well there, played in every league game, i'd imagine they'd activate the clause in the summer.

According to the below link, Sanson must start at least 17 Ligue 1 games for Le Gym and Nice must finish 8th or above in France’s top-flight. 

Morgan Sanson nearing conditions to make OGC Nice move permanent - Get French Football News (getfootballnewsfrance.com)

So far he has started 19 games and Nice are 3rd in league so it's on track to be triggered

[villa89]

12 minutes ago, PeterSw said:

Lenglet is on £250k p/w at Barca. He'll  not be moving anywhere unless it gets matched

His agent must be a god to get him that. 

[Leeroy]

11 minutes ago, PeterSw said:

Lenglet is on £250k p/w at Barca. He'll  not be moving anywhere unless it gets matched

He ain't getting anywhere close to that wherever he goes. Unless he's prepared to take a significant pay cut (i.e. accept 25-30% of what he on now) then he'll be stuck in Barca reserves. Pau Torres is on £100K a week so Lenglet would get around half of that if we signed him given Pau is the better player.

 

Footballer's salaries are absolutely bonkers. As soon as they get a few international caps teams like Barca throw stupid money at them and get themselves into massive financial trouble in the process. Even at his best level 3-4 years ago Lenglet was worth nowhere near £250K, that sort of salary should be reserved for the very best players in the world and even then it's too high. 

[Zatman]

10 hours ago, Villaphan04 said:

Azaz had a League 2 loan at first, then league 1 then championship. Sousa got the championship loan right after signing so it feels a bit different

Azaz was also nearly 21 when we signed him while Sousa has just gone 19

[Zatman]

32 minutes ago, villa89 said:

His agent must be a god to get him that. 

Not sure, this is a club that recently signed Braithwaite, Eric Garcia and Adama Traore

[zab6359]

3 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

Many years ago. Not last few years

First and second season back in the PL he would have improved us a lot, but yes that ship has definitely sailed!

[Mazrim]

5 hours ago, zab6359 said:

I think Konsa will be ahead of Mings as a first choice CB next season next to Torres, if we are selling Cash we need to buy a quality RB as first choice and have the Serb kid as an understudy. 

The more I discover about Nedeljkovic, the more the more I think he'll be starting sooner rather than later, He seems to have it all except experience.

[zab6359]

3 hours ago, fightoffyour said:

That's why I'm advocating keeping Torres there. The Mings L(C)B formation is the opposite of the Konsa R(C)B one, as in now we sometimes play:

Moreno - Torres - Carlos - Konsa

if we want to reverse that with the attacking impetus down the right instead of the left for tactical reason occasionally, then we could go (assuming Mings does get back to his old level):

Mings - Torres - Konsa - Kosta

But either way I assume the plan for this season and what we will hopefully see next season is this as our first choice back 4:

Moreno - Mings - Torres - Konsa

Which side Mings and Torres would actually play in that scenario, I'm not sure.

As good as Konsa is at RB when called upon he is a CB and a very good one at that, Torres LCB Konsa RCB is what makes sense as a starting CB pairing next season, Carlos will either be a squad player or moved on, Lenglet will not be here so will need replacing depending on how TM recovers. What happens at RB will be interesting same with LB if Digne goes.