Transfer Deadline Day: It's weird because it's October

OldCastleSwift

Someone has made a good point on another forum re the squad size; we're not just at risk of losing players through injury, but COVID, too. Already we've lost Diop and Cullen, and seeing how footballers seem incapable of not breaching the rules, it could only be a matter of time before we see another breakout at the club.

alderz

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Of course our squad isn't perfect. Of course we are a few injuries away from having a much weaker side. Tell me the clubs in the league that isn't also true for.

I'm personally not expecting us (or anyone) to have a squad that wouldn't be weakened by injury. What I expect is having a squad that would be able to keep their preferred system beyond one injury.

If Masuaku gets injured, we have to change system.
If Soucek or Rice get injured, we have have to change system.

That's not anywhere near enough depth to be ok with, IMO,

I'm not expecting us to sign a world beater to play CM for us, but I would expect us to have someone who can do the same job as the people they are competing with, just maybe not quite as well.

You can't tell me you'd be happy with Cresswell, for example?

Hamstew

alderz said:

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Of course our squad isn't perfect. Of course we are a few injuries away from having a much weaker side. Tell me the clubs in the league that isn't also true for.

I'm personally not expecting us (or anyone) to have a squad that wouldn't be weakened by injury. What I expect is having a squad that would be able to keep their preferred system beyond one injury.

If Masuaku gets injured, we have to change system.
If Soucek or Rice get injured, we have have to change system.

That's not anywhere near enough depth to be ok with, IMO,

I'm not expecting us to sign a world beater to play CM for us, but I would expect us to have someone who can do the same job as the people they are competing with, just maybe not quite as well.

You can't tell me you'd be happy with Cresswell, for example?

Yep basically what I was saying earlier.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

We have a big squad, but a big squad of bodies not players, people that Moyes doesn't trust and have done little to suggest he's wrong

GK: Fab, Randolph
DF: Ogbonna, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell, Coufal, Masuaku & Fredericks (debatable)
MF: Rice, Soucek, Noble, Fornals, Bowen, yarmo (debstably)
ATT: Antonio, Haller (debatably)

Think anyone not listed above aren't realistically going to see any minutes unless we have literally no other choice (yes including Johnson who this season may come a year too soon)

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Alderz,

The problem with Cresswell is that he is a poor LB defensively.

LWB doesn’t have the same defensive pressure. So yes, I wouldn’t lose my mind if I saw Cresswell shifted to LWB and Diop covering as LCB.

As I say, not ideal but at the same time the bench is full of what currently seems to be deadwood. Getting people in for the sake of getting them in is a mistake that can take years to rectify.

I’d love to get one of the attackers festering on the bench out and a defender/midfielder in, but how hard that clearly is to do is in itself a warning to not do it again.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Alderz,

The problem with Cresswell is that he is a poor LB defensively.

LWB doesn’t have the same defensive pressure. So yes, I wouldn’t lose my mind if I saw Cresswell shifted to LWB and Diop covering as LCB.

As I say, not ideal but at the same time the bench is full of what currently seems to be deadwood. Getting people in for the sake of getting them in is a mistake that can take years to rectify.

I’d love to get one of the attackers festering on the bench out and a defender/midfielder in, but how hard that clearly is to do is in itself a warning to not do it again.

Omg Cresswell at LWB would be dire, he has zero pace

I get your point, think the frustrations is that Moyes has specifically said he wants defenders, and given our bids indicate that he wants a CB as priority and we are less than 12 hours from deadline and we haven't go a CB in

I don't want us to pad the team out with rubbish, we have too much deadwood already, but you can see that we've put ourselves in this situation leaving it so late and as of right now, there has been no justification for allowing Diangana to leave

OldCastleSwift

Jorderz, no-one is being derisive about those players. We can all appreciate how good Soucek is and how encouraging Coufal's debut was.

The derision I have is solely for GSB. They have their friends in the media who blindly repeat their narrative, and the Talksport piece was just that; basically we should all be grateful because we signed a player who played well in beating Leicester. Nothing about where the Grady money has gone, nothing about the fact that we're almost seven hours away from the PL window closing and we still haven't signed the player the manager wanted as a priority, noting about the imbalances in the squad that still haven't been addressed.

puddleglumhammers

Alderz, the little I have seen of Cullen he looked OK as a holding midfield player and would be adequate cover, which we need. Noble is nearly done. It seems another Diangana situation.

alderz

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Alderz,

The problem with Cresswell is that he is a poor LB defensively.

LWB doesn’t have the same defensive pressure. So yes, I wouldn’t lose my mind if I saw Cresswell shifted to LWB and Diop covering as LCB.

I personally don't think he's that bad defensively - he works very well as a LCB, which relies on a good level of defensive ability. My issue with him as a fullback or wingback is that he doesn't have enough of an engine to get up and down the line. I think he would be a real liability at LWB, personally.

I think that the past two results have definitely made it easier to swallow a lack of signings, but I am still cross about the Diangana sale, and the way the board have handled this window. If we don't sign anyone I'm not going to go apoplectic, but I haven't heard an argument yet that makes me feel ok about our business to date.

OldCastleSwift

Ex saying that no player is close to joining and we'll turn our attention to the Championship if this doesn't change before 11pm.

Also says we would let Anderson go on loan if someone was prepared to pay all of his wages.

So that's Anderson staying then, with full knowledge that the board have been actively seeking to move him on.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Apparantly Manning is available for £5mil as he won't extend his QPR contract

No brainer imo

Attacking full back, so can likely play LWB, is 24 so offers sell on value, and can cover both LM and CM

alderz

puddleglumhammers said:

Alderz, the little I have seen of Cullen he looked OK as a holding midfield player and would be adequate cover, which we need. Noble is nearly done. It seems another Diangana situation.

I don't necessarily disagree, but I guess that what I would say is that I, like you, have only seen little of him. If Moyes (and Pellegrini and Bilic, for that matter) have all had a look at him over the past 5 years and decided he wasn't ready, then I feel like you have to trust the manager's judgement.

baracks_a_hammer

It’s Porto potentially looking at Anderson on loan isn’t it? Not a problem, as we do have cover with the likes of Grady.... ok, scratch that...

Hamstew

baracks_a_hammer said:

It’s Porto potentially looking at Anderson on loan isn’t it? Not a problem, as we do have cover with the likes of Grady.... ok, scratch that...

I think we still have 6 left midfielders left if Anderson goes 🙃

OutcastLondoner

Cresswell is completely out of the question at LWB for me. Masuaku has been able to retreat quickly to track players but more importantly, apart from defensive or attacking work, Masuaku is like a release valve the way he can drive us up the pitch with the ball at his feet, from a defensive starting position.

Maybe Ben Johnson could do that but I think this is a position we should look to cove from the Championship window as there are a lot of young attacking fullbacks and we will be able to accommodate defensive weaknesses.

I said early in the summer that I didn't expect us to make more than 1 or 2 signings, so I'm not so fussed about the number. I didn't expect us to sell Diangana, though. Coufal looks great and improves the first team but I do think we need to ensure this system can survive a couple of injuries.

OutcastLondoner

I feel like I'm being catfished every time I realise OCS isn't Rav.

OldCastleSwift

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years said:

Apparantly Manning is available for £5mil as he won't extend his QPR contract

No brainer imo

Attacking full back, so can likely play LWB, is 24 so offers sell on value, and can cover both LM and CM

Would definitely suit a back five. At £5m I'm surprised we haven't already gone in for him. Sullivan waiting for Deadline Day 2 to see if he can knock a couple of million off?

Yeoldhammer

https://twitter.com/sportspeteo/status/1313063555210637313

Eriksen on Loan anyone ?

Hamstew

Nah

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Nah

A brilliant player but a luxury one, and can't imagine he'd like to be playing deep and tracking runners

baracks_a_hammer

If we can have him just for the Spurs game and then give him back, then yes.

Ravel49

WEST HAM WAITING ON OUTGOINGS

Aidan Magee on Sky Sports News:

"I was told this morning that there was only a small chance that West Ham would get something done today in terms of an incoming, they did identify the defensive area as priority.

"But they had a great result yesterday, they kept a clean sheet without Issa Diop and beat Wolves 4-0 at the London Stadium the weekend before that. There were two decent cup games and a good performance at Arsenal in there too

"David Moyes said throughout the window he only wanted players who were going to be an improvement on what he already has so maybe they’ve re-evaluated their targets for now, certainly defensively.

"We’re awaiting the announcement of two players who are heading out. Josh Cullen is heading to Anderlecht in Belgium for £1m and there is Xande Dasilva as well, who is heading to Aris in Greece on a season-long loan."

Pearces_Left_Foot

I think one of the main issues with this and every other transfer window is the amount of stories leaked to the press(C&H) and enough said about Sullivan Talksport interview the better. It would be nice if we did n't do all our business so publically

baracks_a_hammer

Crikey, we got rid of a shed load of c/f’s a year ago and it will be another 3 in this window potentially.

Please stay fit, Michail.

OldCastleSwift

Diamantis_Are_Forever said:

WEST HAM WAITING ON OUTGOINGS

Aidan Magee on Sky Sports News:

"But they had a great result yesterday, they kept a clean sheet without Issa Diop and beat Wolves 4-0 at the London Stadium the weekend before that. There were two decent cup games and a good performance at Arsenal in there too

"David Moyes said throughout the window he only wanted players who were going to be an improvement on what he already has so maybe they’ve re-evaluated their targets for now, certainly defensively.

And there's the Sullivan narrative. No need to strengthen because we got a couple of good results, and even if we hadn't, it would be Moyes’s fault we didn't sign anyone because he won't accept any random player that Salthouse wants a piece of.

Cuz1

Just because we’ve had a couple of really good performances doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strengthen, before these performances moyes had said he wanted a centre back in hence the Burnley boy, one bad defensive game and we back to wishful thinking but Ay ho what do I know the board are a disgrace imo

baracks_a_hammer

Sully is at his most reluctant to strengthen when results are good.

Remember the Payet season when remarkably we on the brink of a CL spot. And in came the likes of Eminike

At the end of that season, along came the likes of Calleri.

The reason soucek and Bowen suddenly arrived was because he saw a real and imminent threat to our Prem existence

He has no interest in this club actually progressing.

Ravel49

OutcastLondoner said:

I feel like I'm being catfished every time I realise OCS isn't Rav.

😂 I come on here.. see me..and think I don’t remember posting that 🧐

OldCastleSwift

Diamantis_Are_Forever said:

OutcastLondoner said:

I feel like I'm being catfished every time I realise OCS isn't Rav.

😂 I come on here.. see me..and think I don’t remember posting that 🧐

Ravel49

Ha I’ve only just watched the US office

And my word

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

When Dwight goes to that house party and is hanging off the banisters 😂 😂