January Transfer Deadline Day

Pearces_Left_Foot

If we don’t beat Liverpool and Man City away now I will be disappointed

OldCastleSwift

So, what do we reckon then. Good transfer window?

We've partially addressed the midfield problem; Soucek seems to be able to play DM and box-to-box, but I still think we're a bit light. Basically he has replaced Obiang in the squad, just four months too late.

Bowen is a brilliant signing. Credit to the board for getting him in. He'll add some pace and directness to our attack, which we're hopelessly short of. Basically he has replaced Hernandez in the squad, just four months too late.

I do feel that we're a couple of players short still. I'd have liked to have seen a new full back, and another Antonio-esque striker. If we were comfortably mid-table, I'd be more than happy with the three signings that we've made, but in our position, I think we needed a bit more to help Moyes.

That said, a fit squad would allow a match day 18 of:

Fab
Fredericks Diop Ogbonna Cresswell
Soucek Rice
Bowen Fornals Anderson
Haller

Randy, Balbuena, Johnson, Noble, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Antonio

Which should be enough to get the five wins we will probably need to stay up.

EXETERHAMMER

Well said Swift.

Needs to start today.

Cuz1

When I saw we’d signed J Bowen I thought smashing, super, great, and on those wages he can afford his own BFH

Pearces_Left_Foot

Transfer window overall rate as a 7 out of 10 we sorted goalkeeper and added some pace and legs to midfield signing players who are a good age . Disappointed not to get a right back or another striker but think we have enough to stay up hopefully maybe fingers crossed .

IronHerb

A decent window imo.

Hamstew

We'll probably have to wait and see.

Adam

8.5 out of 10 for me. We now have 25 players in the squad (the maximum), excluding Rice who’s U-21.

MrsGrey

Hamstew said:

We'll probably have to wait and see.

As always...

Lukerz

Personally I am happy with Randolph because he was the best keeper in the Championship only last season, & he is a clear upgrade on Roberto. However, the hope is that Fab remains fit now until gameweek 38 anyway, so Randolph won’t be seen.

Soucek seems like the sort of midfielder we have been crying out for for a while. Defensive, but with a good goal/assist record. Seems like a proper box to box midfielder on paper. We’ll have to see how he does.

Bowen is a gamble, but he is versatile, quick, has a goal scoring pedigree, young, in form & is certainly worth the gamble. Hoping for maybe a young Jamie Vardy sort of player. He will certainly give us counter attacking dynamics.

Moyes now has no time to get them all into a formation that works. Still not convinced 3 at the back is worth going with but Moyes seems intent on it.

OldCastleSwift

I think it's because none of our full backs are good enough for the modern game. Fredericks and Masuaku are physically there, in that they're quick and able to bomb forward, but neither has the positional sense of a top class full back. Zaba is pretty much the opposite.

Cresswell is Championship standard, IMO, and obviously neither Johnson or Ngakia are proven at any level.

So I don't think Moyes trusts any of them to be able to perform consistently well enough to play in a four. Ogbonna aside, the centre backs haven't exactly covered themselves in glory either, so maybe he prefers the security of three at the back at the moment.

Pretty sure he'll be looking at the defence for an overhaul in the summer, and maybe then we'll see a flat back four more often.

Lukerz

Which is fine, but then you can’t go Snodgrass, Noble, Rice & Lanzini in a four in front of the back five, with Haller up top on his own. We just won’t score goals like that.

OldCastleSwift

Again, agreed.

If it's three at the back, then Rice sits, the wing-backs push on to provide the width, Fornals and Soucek play behind Haller and Antonio/Bowen.

On paper and with the new signings, 4-2-3-1 is probably our most effective formation with Anderson and Antonio/Bowen supporting Haller as inside forwards, and I think this is what we'll see more of next season.

Lukerz

After the last few games, I want to see Rice in a more advanced position. That run v Sheff Utd & then against Liverpool. Clearly he has it in his locker.

Pearces_Left_Foot

Bowen has played as a second striker before wonder if they will push him up top with Haller

Hammerwombat

Well Mr Moyes has said he is like an old fashioned inside right, so he could be a perfect foil for Haller. Time will tell.

Lukerz

Rumoured £25m relegation release clause for Bowen should we go down.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Sounds fair

Hes joined a team on the verge

If we go down we at least recoup our initial outlay plus some (as I assume he wont hit all of the add-ons in the first 6 months)

OutcastLondoner

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about Soucek as box-to-box but what I’ve read from people who’ve watched him says he’s not that at all. He’ll do both defensive and attacking work but might not be the person moving us from one to another. So not sure we should be expecting that.

He actually sounds to me like what Wilshere was supposed to be but with more defensive awareness.

BubblesNeverDies

Outcast, it's been mentioned on here that he could take over Rice's role so that Declan can be the box to box MF.

Fortuneseeker

A European football pundit called Soucek a robot as he never stops running.

OldCastleSwift

Hope you all enjoyed your January transfers.

Because two of the three will be leaving in the summer.

thornburyiron

Along with several others.

IronHerb

As long as they take Noble with them

SuzanneClaret

We haven’t bought what we have needed in a very long time.

That is down to the owners and the way Sullivan identifies players.

In DIY terms we’ve needed new windows and a front door. Instead of going to several shops and choosing what is best for us at a good price then negotiating with the shop owner. We’ve let the shop keepers come to us and sell us a bag of carrots and a toilet brush.

Cuz1

A bit similar when I asked my kids to nip to the shop for me lol

ASLEFshrugged

IronHerb said:

As long as they take Noble with them

Noble will probably one of the few players left if we get relegated

OldCastleSwift

Of course Noble will stay. No other PL will have him, for a start.

Soucek will probably do enough to get a move to another PL club in the summer, and I'm confident Bowen will get plenty of suitors over the next four months.

Rice and Haller will escape pretty quickly. Anderson probably goes back to Italy. Diop will find a PL club and become prime Marcel Desailly next season.

We'll be a husk of a team, and ironically will probably be welcoming Joe Allen in June rather than January.

West Ham United. Ruining moods since 1895.

Fortuneseeker

We should have recognised where we needed new players earlier in the window and gone out and got them as we suffered today not having someone on the bench to shake things up when Antonio came off. The stories that have been circulating about the lack of a scouting network and the way the club is run generally is simply depressing and alarming.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

It's a question, have we won the window or panic buyed

On PAPER Bowen and Soucek are exactly what we need

But weve been taught how to view transfers differently

Are they the right players for us?
Why did it take so long?
Why so late in the window?

These questions need to be answered, we NEED a strategy, and last minute signings and panic buys wont do anymore , the modern football fan looks beyond net spends