Summer Transfer Window 2023

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Comments

  • Pengeman said:

    I see that Romelu Lukaku is being linked with us. I can't help wondering whether at age 30 he has passed his prime and unlikely to be an EPL player in maybe another 3 years. As he has already won the Serie A title, will he have the hunger. I always wondered why he didn't get on at Chelsea.

    In his prime he'd be perfect for us (although we'd have no chance of signing him), but he looked very overweight and slow for Inter last season. I know he still scored at a good rate (14 goals and 7 assists in less than 2,000 minutes across 37 games), last season but that was for a team that finished 3rd in Serie A and runners up in the Champions League. Serie A is a much slower league than the PL, and I think he'd really struggle in a side that plays a low block and looks to counter-attack.

    He's a definite no from me even if a deal could be reached; I'm not saying he's not good enough for us, just that he's very ill-suited to how we play.
  • I think he didnt click at Chelsea because their style didnt suit him and they didnt alter it to accommodate him. He scored goals everywhere else he's played. I would imagine, after what hes done, earned and won allied to how the Chelsea thing went that he's probably not the most motivated of players. I am not suggesting we sign him but if we loaned him he wouldnt have to score that many goals to be our top scorer :)
  • Pengeman said:

    I see that Romelu Lukaku is being linked with us. I can't help wondering whether at age 30 he has passed his prime and unlikely to be an EPL player in maybe another 3 years. As he has already won the Serie A title, will he have the hunger. I always wondered why he didn't get on at Chelsea.

    No chance

    There are protests in Italy (OK I know Italian fans are like this) to stop him from joining their clubs

    The guy has no ambition left, he's had a long career and made a lot of money he doesn't want to be fighting for a team like us
  • No to Lukaku. He would be disruptive.
  • Personally, I think Lukaku would be awesome for us. I don’t think it will happen, but if it does then I think he’d be great.
  • On Lukaku, I've just stuck his stats from last season into the comparator thing I made last week (https://whu606.com/discussion/comment/1051571#Comment_1051571).



    The gist of it is that Lukaku is fairly similar when it comes to ball carrying, his hold up play is very similar to Antonio for most things, but he's not as good at winning fouls in particular. He's not anywhere near as effective at defending from the front, but he is a much, much greater attacking threat. Far more creative, and a much better finisher.
  • He has no pace and doesn't run the channels. he would be the definition of Scamacca and Haller but with better hold up and shooting. We need pace up front and someone prepared to graft and run the channels. Our football needs to evolve. Even as a counter-attacking team you need pace.
  • I agree. Pace is everything up front for us.
  • Maybe I'm wrong, but I have never really thought Lukaku had no pace? I think he can be a bit slow to turn at times, but I think he's got a good burst of pace. Though I don't watch much Italian football so maybe he's gone off a cliff over the past year.

    If you're saying our football needs to evolve then presumably we need someone different to Antonio to enable us to change our play style, but I also see plenty of dissent towards signing players similar to Antonio.
  • edited August 2023
    I think we could do with a FB, but not sure the club see that a priority with Coufal & Kehrer, Emerson & Cresswell, with Johnson able to cover both sides.

    Couple of attacking players now needs to be the focus. A WG & ST.
  • I think if we sign Kudus or a player who can similarly play across the front four positions, I would be ok with nothing else. I like it when we sign fewer players, and I think one of these versatile players would add depth to a bunch of positions. I'd obviously like a striker too, but I'm comfortable without one provided we bring in someone versatile.
  • Lukaku has no pace, that went years ago. He also plays in teams who dominate the ball not counter-attacking teams who have 11 behind the ball at most points during a game. His running was essentially passed off to the rest of his team which is fine when you have the calibre of players that he has around him and adopt that strategy.
  • Broja has returned to training. We should be pushing to sign him IMO. He's young, strong and fast. Knows the league and would totally fit in to our style of play.
  • Bit concerned about his injure ,However he would suit us
  • Absolutely no way Chelsea are going to let Broja go this window

    With Nkunku reportedly out until mid-December their only centre forward options are Nicholas Jackson, 20yo Mason Burstow who has had a whole 7 minutes of first team football or Raheem Sterling played out of position

    Maybe if they sign Balogun they might be open to letting him go but even then I reckon they might want to hang onto him until January

    Sort of a Craig Dawson situation
  • Kehrer linked with Bayern Munich, Fornals with Sevilla
  • edited August 2023
    West Ham on verge of agreement with Ajax for Mohammed Kudus. €44.5m. 10% sell on fee & 5-year deal already agreed with player. The Athletic.
  • SKY reporting we're close to Kudos. Rumoured offer is  €41.5m + €3m add ons + 10% sell on. 5 year deal.
  • Lukerz said:

    Kehrer linked with Bayern Munich, Fornals with Sevilla

    No, please do not be true.
  • edited August 2023
    Must admit I don't know much about the guy but he does seem pretty quick and knows where the back of the net is (18 goals and 7 assists in 42 matches, but less than 2,700 minutes or 30 full games), admittedly in an easier league though. Pace is definitely something we need, as long as there's end product as well.

    Last season he played mostly as a CF or RW, with some games as an attacking midfielder as well. Given we seem likely to be playing a variation of 4-3-3 you'd think he'll be earmarked for one of the front 3 positions, it will be interesting to see who else we go for and who we ship out to see where he'll play, should we manage to get the deal over the line.
  • edited August 2023
    So are we looking at playing him up top? He doesn’t normally play on the left. He can play on the right but Bowen I doubt will play as a lone forward.

    Areola
    Coufal - Zouma (c) - Aguerd - Emerson
    Ward-Prowse - Alvarez
    Bowen - Paqueta - Benrahma
    Kudus

    Fabianski, Mavropanos, Ogbonna, Kehrer, Soucek, Fornals, Cornet, Antonio, Ings

    Could always add Lingard to this. Leaves Johnson & Cresswell absent from squad.
  • edited August 2023
    The idea may be for Bowen and Kudus to keep swapping during the game? I don’t think Lingard is needed in this scenario.
  • I have seriously lost count of how many times this has been mentioned over the seasons....

    West Ham have also opened talks with Sevilla over a possible deal for Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri, 26.
  • Bazshuayi said:

    I have seriously lost count of how many times this has been mentioned over the seasons....

    West Ham have also opened talks with Sevilla over a possible deal for Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri, 26.

    I know, it's amazing that he's still only 26.

    Sevilla do need to sell some players apparently.

  • Kudus runs at defenders - wins fouls - JWP scores free kicks - simples
  • Kudus is also name of an African antelope, known for its speed and agility...just saying
  • Not quite a llama but...


  • Kudos for that...
  • Just updated my spreadsheet with the current rumoured targets, and decided to visualise it slightly differently this time. Everyone on the same chart, with their difference from Antonio averaged based on the category of stat.

    Basically, Balogun is very similar to Antonio in playing style. Lukaku is a similar option for hold up play, but less so far defending from the front. En-Nesyri is not similar to Antonio at all, his ball carrying, hold up play and creating stats are far poorer.

    Kudus is able to do everything Antonio does, and do it well, BUT he hasn't been playing as a CF for most of the past year, so a fairly large pinch of salt needs to be taken with his stats.



This discussion has been closed.