The Next Transfer Window

Lukerz

Fabianski
Dalot - Diop - Ogbonna - Robinson
Rice - Soucek
Bowen - Eze - Diangana
Antonio

If all rumours this week happened 😂

OutcastLondoner

Did Moyes really choose him? I wonder now, because he barely played him during his stint and that signing is just so at odds with how well Bowen and Soucek have worked out. Or maybe Hugill was just the one that went wrong.

Lukerz

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/28/west-ham-chase-for-qpr-20m-rated-eberechi-eze

West Ham step up efforts to sign Eze.

OldCastleSwift

And yet C&H are down-playing the Eze stories and reporting that Moyes is going to be concentrating on fixing the defence.

Ah, the magic of a transfer window.

Lukerz

Well to be fair we did not struggle for goals under Moyes.

Sorting that defence is definitely something that needs doing.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

At least the club has saved between £120k/150k a week on wages by releasing Zab and Sanchez

Fortuneseeker

Lukerz, see you appear to have fallen into the trap we didn't want G&S to fall into that Antonio is a Centre Forward.

Lukerz

Well I would have agreed with you six months ago but watching the last 7 games he looked very much like a centre forward to me.

Lukerz

I mean even if we signed no attacking players, we have; Anderson, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Wilshere, Bowen, Diangana, Snodgrass, Antonio, Fornals.

I know many will not be happy with that, but it would be over to Moyes to add value with his coaching/management to those players that underperformed.

Fortuneseeker

Lukerz, you forgot Haller who is our centre forward.

Yeoldhammer

So if the rumours are to go by we have probably 15 - 20m left in the budget. If we can get Eze and move Hugill over to them then cheap buys in Kipre in Robinson and then loan deals might be enough to stay in the league next season.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Well the team we had this season was enough to stay in the league

Plus Soucek and Bowen will have a full season instead of the 10 games they got this year

And if we dont sign anyone Diangana and Johnson (and maybe Coventry or Holland) will be fully integrated into the first team, both of whom are starters

Lanzini and Anderson have arguably had their worst seasons ever, if they aren't sold (I would like to see then gone) I'm sure that, while they may never reach their peak levels, they will have a much better season than this one

Lukerz

Fabianski
Johnson - Diop - Ogbonna - Cresswell
Rice - Soucek
Bowen - Fornals - Diangana
Antonio

Randolph
Fredericks - Balbuena - Cardosa - Masuaku
Noble - Wilshere
Yarmolenko - Lanzini - Anderson
Haller

(Plus Snodgrass in reserve)

I mean there is no way the owners are going to justify spending another £100m when we basically have two starting 11’s that could probably both compete in any PL game outside the top 5. Nor should they.

OldCastleSwift

So if the season were to start tomorrow, we'd be looking at a starting XI of:

Fab
Johnson Diop Ogbonna Cresswell
Soucek Rice
Bowen Fornals Diangana
Antonio

With a reserve team of:

Randy
Fredericks Balbuena Cardoso Masuaku
Noble Wilshere
Yarmolenko Lanzini Anderson
Haller

On paper, that's actually a pretty decent squad. That starting XI doesn't actually need a great deal of work; a new left-back is a must, IMO, but I'd be happy otherwise if we went into next season with that.

The problem is the squad depth and our injury record. Fredericks, Wilshere, Antonio and Yarmolenko haven't been the most reliable, fitness wise, and Johnson has already had a couple of hamstring injuries in his short career, so potentially they could be significant risks going into the new season.

Balbuena clearly isn't fancied by Moyes, and Cardoso has barely featured in a match day squad, so I think we need a new CB to compete with/provide back-up to Diop and Oggy. Lanzini and Anderson will probably be moved on to fund the players coming in, so I think we need another attacking midfielder (Eze, Benrahma?) to compliment our current starters.

As well as Antonio has done since the return, trusting him and Haller to maintain form and fitness for 40+ games is a risk, so I think we need another striker that Moyes trusts (Ajeti and Silva don't seem to tick that box), so there's another player I think we need in.

So I think to considerably improve on last season we need a minimum of three players (LB, CB and ST), with an attacking midfielder as a bonus.

IronHerb

Your second XI would have a problem competing in the Championship let alone the Prem.
Individually they're ok but as a team?

OldCastleSwift

IronHerb said:

Your second XI would have a problem competing in the Championship let alone the Prem.
Individually they're ok but as a team?

I agree Herb, but how many PL teams have a second XI that is as good as their first? Even Man City struggle in some positions to have a back-up as good as their starter.

IronHerb

I was replaying to Lukerz who said they would be competitive in the Prem. I agree re second strings.
If Cresswell is our starting LB then we will have done little to improve our defensive issues.

Lukerz

Ogbonna & Fabianski are going to need long term replacements, as are Cresswell & Noble.

That’s four positions we need to invest in over the next year, I would say. We could probs get away with it this summer, but rumour is that Nobes is planning next season to be his last. If Fab’s slight dip in form last season continues next, we are going to need a new keeper quicker than we maybe thought a year ago. Hopefully it was just rustiness after injury.

Lukerz

IronHerb said:

I was replaying to Lukerz who said they would be competitive in the Prem. I agree re second strings.
If Cresswell is our starting LB then we will have done little to improve our defensive issues.

That second 11 was pretty much our first choice team last season, except Cardosa & Wilshere.

IronHerb

"That second 11 was pretty much our first choice team last season, except Cardosa & Wilshere."

Along with Randolph, Yarmolenko and Haller.

Hamstew

I wouldn't trust that second 11 to out fight or out run any other team except Noble. That's the problem.

OldCastleSwift

IronHerb said:

I was replaying to Lukerz who said they would be competitive in the Prem. I agree re second strings.
If Cresswell is our starting LB then we will have done little to improve our defensive issues.

Sorry, I didn't see Lukerz's post. Must have been typing mine when he posted. Still, great minds and all that...

Lukerz

From Sky Sports

IronHerb

OCS

alderz

Josh Maja career stats:

Sunderland:
2017/18 (Championship): 17 games, 1 goal
2018/19 (League One): 24 games, 15 oals

Bordeaux:
2018/19 (Ligue 1): 7 games, 1 goal
2019/20 (Ligue 1): 22 games, 6 goals

Nigeria:
2019: 1 cap, 0 goals

To see he's unproven is a massive understatement

OldCastleSwift

alderz said:

Josh Maja career stats:

Sunderland:
2017/18 (Championship): 17 games, 1 goal
2018/19 (League One): 24 games, 15 oals

Bordeaux:
2018/19 (Ligue 1): 7 games, 1 goal
2019/20 (Ligue 1): 22 games, 6 goals

Nigeria:
2019: 1 cap, 0 goals

To see he's unproven is a massive understatement

Yes, but it sounds like he'll be cheap, which given our financial situation may trump all of the above

Yeoldhammer

Looks like a complete waste of money.

Lukerz

My 60 year old stepdad’s a Mackem.

He says Josh is one of the most talented players he has seen at Sunderland in many a year.

Yeoldhammer

His stats says otherwise. Even Hugill has better stats than that.

Lukerz

Not too sure 6 goals in 22 for Bordeaux & 15 at League One level, given he was only 19-20, is not too bad at all.

Compare that to some of our equivalent youth of that age.