Transfer Deadline Day... & Post Deadline Speculation

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

The core of the squad is a good age

GK: Areola (29)
RB: Coufal (31)
CB: Zouma (28), Aguerd (27), Kehrer (26), Minos (25)
LB: Emerson (29)
CM: Soucek (28), Alvarez (25), JWP (28) , Paqueta (26)
AM: Bowen (26), Benrahma (28), Fornals (27), Kudus (23), Cornet (26)

So other than up front I think we have players who will be at this level or better for the next 4 or 5, Coufal (and maybe Emerson) the exception

Think we have a well balanced squad, we have depth at the CB and CM and in the attacking band behind the striker

Outgoings obviously hard to plan for, but the club are pretty well stocked for next year as striker and full backs will be the priority

A new striker would've made this a amazing window, but while we are in "profit" this season, easy to forget we were among the highest spenders last year, spending net in excess of £100mil so we couldn't go on a huge splurge

buffybegood

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years said:

The core of the squad is a good age

GK: Areola (29)
RB: Coufal (31)
CB: Zouma (28), Aguerd (27), Kehrer (26), Minos (25)
LB: Emerson (29)
CM: Soucek (28), Alvarez (25), JWP (28) , Paqueta (26)
AM: Bowen (26), Benrahma (28), Fornals (27), Kudus (23), Cornet (26)

Whilst I agree with what you're saying about the now, my issue is more about 2 or 3 or 4 years time. Given we need to replace 4 players next summer, if there really wasn't any more money available this summer, then the first chance we'll have to replace any other players could be 2 years time. Then it will be Coufal 33, Emerson 31, Soucek 30, JWP 30, Benrahma 30. I'm not saying just because they're 30 they are worthless and need discarding, just highlighting that just because we're OK now, it doesn't mean we'll be OK in a couple of year's time. And this ignores the fact that some players will be OOC within the next 2 years and will need replacing if they don't accept a new contract.

Anyway, hopefully Steidten was brought in to help to try and address this issue, so that we can source younger and cheaper replacements in future windows and ensure that the age issue doesn't come to a head as I fear it would do without a change in strategy.

thornburyiron

I’m not worried at all about 2,3 or 4 years down the road. It’s the here and now that’s important because if we haven’t got that right and I think we have then we may well not be in this league and any problems will be a lot bigger.

buffybegood

thornburyiron said:

I’m not worried at all about 2,3 or 4 years down the road. It’s the here and now that’s important because if we haven’t got that right and I think we have then we may well not be in this league and any problems will be a lot bigger.

Obviously the here and now is very important, but you shouldn't just ignore the future imo.

Bazshuayi

I think, whatever a squads age, its basically a case that it needs almost constant refreshing and tinkering with (or am I still in fantasypremierleague mode)

ASLEFshrugged

Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired this summer aged 41, made his last appearance 18 March 2023 for AC Milan against Udinese and scored.

Kazuyoshi Miura plays for Oliveirense in the Portuguese 2nd tier, he'll be 57 in February!

OutcastLondoner

I was never very fond of Ibrahimovic but I do quite like that for all the propaganda about Cristiano Ronaldo's obsessive diets and health regimes, he dropped out of Europe's top leagues far sooner than Ibrahimovic (who is a great athlete but less is made of it) and actually didn't last that much longer than someone like Zidane.

alderz

ASLEFshrugged said:

Kazuyoshi Miura plays for Oliveirense in the Portuguese 2nd tier, he'll be 57 in February!

“Plays” is a loose term when it comes to Miura though. 26 minutes last season and 2 so far this!

ASLEFshrugged

alderz said:

ASLEFshrugged said:

Kazuyoshi Miura plays for Oliveirense in the Portuguese 2nd tier, he'll be 57 in February!

“Plays” is a loose term when it comes to Miura though. 26 minutes last season and 2 so far this!

Granted and the second tier of Portuguese football is about the same level as the Conference but he is still officially the oldest professional footballer in the world

Real Betis captain Joaquín Sánchez Rodríguez also retired in the summer, aged 41, 30 appearances last season but just 10 starts

It's not like the 70s and 80s when players were finished by 30, today its whether they can carry on playing at the top level

Bazshuayi

Soooo... After thinking whilst driving, I decided that if I have the choice between JWP and Rice in the team....

I'd choose JWP. He's busy in midfield and his goals and assists contribution make him more vital and he basically contributes more for me.

Who's with me and who's for the R man?

(and yes I know Alvarez being a total tank of a DM helps but my question is a choice between the 2 above players)

nychammer66

I’d choose JWP because he wants to be here and Rice doesn’t.

ASLEFshrugged

I’d choose JWP because he wants to be is here and Rice doesn’t isn't

Davinson Sánchez and Tanguy Ndombele have left Spurs to join Galatasaray (Turkish window doesn't close until 15th September).

alderz

What’s happening with Lingard? I’m pretty surprised that we’ve not heard anything

PrestonHammer

alderz said:

What’s happening with Lingard? I’m pretty surprised that we’ve not heard anything

He's still doing burpees and star jumps, trying to impress Moyes.

secrethammersfan

This is off topic, but Preston mentioned burpees, which is my opportunity to tell anyone and everyone that the exercise is called a burpee after it’s inventor, Dr. Burpee. If you have never seen a photo of Dr. Burpee, you need to immediately Google a photo of Dr. Burpee.

alderz

secrethammersfan said:

This is off topic, but Preston mentioned burpees, which is my opportunity to tell anyone and everyone that the exercise is called a burpee after it’s inventor, Dr. Burpee. If you have never seen a photo of Dr. Burpee, you need to immediately Google a photo of Dr. Burpee.

Having just googled Dr Royal Huddleston Burpee Snr, I concur that people should google him.

secrethammersfan

I can’t believe I’d forgotten his first name is Royal -on top of everything else!

jay_in_cpt

SSN reporting Saudi team Al Ittihad trying late move to sign Aguerd, but we say he’s not for sale….

Bazshuayi

I read yesterday that we will offer JLingz a short termer in the international break (cant remember where sorry and I'm out the door for work so havent got time to google it or Burpee yet)

OutcastLondoner

alderz said:

secrethammersfan said:

This is off topic, but Preston mentioned burpees, which is my opportunity to tell anyone and everyone that the exercise is called a burpee after it’s inventor, Dr. Burpee. If you have never seen a photo of Dr. Burpee, you need to immediately Google a photo of Dr. Burpee.

Having just googled Dr Royal Huddleston Burpee Snr, I concur that people should google him.

Looks exactly like someone who would create the most despicable of exercises.

secrethammersfan

OutcastLondoner said:

Looks exactly like someone who would create the most despicable of exercises.

"What do you mean, 'difficult'? I've done fifteen of them while talking to you here now!"

PrestonHammer

I got tired just watching someone doing a burpee.

Bazshuayi

Is it like this?

ASLEFshrugged

West Ham Football tweeted at 11:15pm last night

"James Ward Prowse is reported to have suffered a knock in training today, I am told he will have a scan tomorrow but it is not thought to be serious"

West Ham Football is possibly Sean Whetstone who writes for various West Ham related sites. No idea how reliable he is

buffybegood

According to the BBC (on their "Live VAR debate page):

"West Ham are in a battle with Turkish clubs to sign free agent Jesse Lingard, report Football Insider.

Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are both keen to sign the 30-year-old former Manchester United and England midfielder.

Lingard has been training with the Hammers after leaving Nottingham Forest in the summer."

BubblesNeverDies

Given how much importance he attaches to being close to family and friends in Manchester (or so it has been reported), a move to Turkey seems a bit unlikely.

ASLEFshrugged

Washington Post claimed that Lingard was going to join DC United but they couldn't meet his contract demands

It seems Ravel Morrison is at DC United, sort of.

He signed an 18 month contract in July 2022 and played 14 times in the second half of the MLS season but he was left out of the squad for 2023 season. He has continued training with the team and now Rooney want to bring him back

Bazshuayi

Well reading this just whets the appetite for Kudus even more...

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11685/12955337/mohammed-kudus-to-west-ham-how-fc-nordsjaellands-accelerated-learning-means-ghanaian-is-premier-league-ready

Bazshuayi

ASLEFshrugged said:

Washington Post claimed that Lingard was going to join DC United but they couldn't meet his contract demands

It seems Ravel Morrison is at DC United, sort of.

He signed an 18 month contract in July 2022 and played 14 times in the second half of the MLS season but he was left out of the squad for 2023 season. He has continued training with the team and now Rooney want to bring him back

I read it was more about the caps at DC that was stopping them signing Lingard, Morrison and someone else.

I personally think he's done well in training with us because he likes the place, atmosphere and team spirit alongside the manager having love/faith in him

nychammer66

If he’s talking to Turkish clubs then I doubt his commitment.