Post Transfer Window reflections

grey_til_I_dye

Eski

Didn't forget him - we didn't add a player for him, so I didn't add him in.

Some might feel he is a loss that hasn't been replaced, others will think it gives Oxford his opening.

PrestonHammer

That is wrong in my opinion. I don't think any club should be allowed to build up a squad of players just to go out on loan. Over 30 of them will never play for the first team and I think it is just plain wrong.

Hantshammer

tomkinsworldclass said:

IMO its been a great window for the club. Hopefully all the foundations are in place so we dont have to do as much business in the new few windows because we've got all the ingredients to really build something long term. Great to get Lanzini signed permanently and to retain Payet; Nordveidt and Feghouli on frees were superb bits of business as well. Ashley Fletcher has also been very impressive in his appearances and looks a very promising acquisition. Next on the agenda, at some stage a new deal for Slaven ;thumbsup ;thumbsup ;scarf

P.S if Sakho is still at the club, he may still be an asset for the club if he commits himself properly.

Agree. Hopefully Sakho will come good and Carroll gets back to full fitness so he can figure in Allardyces England plans. At risk of sounding greedy wish we had pursued Bony more-thought he was off to China in January but is at Stoke for 12 months

steve

Carroll stays fit for England ;nonono how about staying fit for us

sweepy23

EXETERHAMMER

Does that make us 5th?

secrethammersfan

A sign of intent?

McHammer

Swansea mistakenly published an article about their new signing Enner Valencia, the problem being the Ecuador forward had instead signed for Everton. (London Evening Standard)

Lukerz

So we spent the window reinforcing the first XI with players not as good as our better players but better than last season's lesser player. £41m net spent on improving the subs bench. An interesting tactic, when we've spent the last two years improving the first XI (Kouyate, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Lanzini, Antonio, Sakho, Payet etc). So a slight change in philosophy. It seems a consolidation of the squad, balancing our positions, reinforcing those we lacked in and letting go a couple where we were strong in. Tbf, there's nothing wrong with a window of taking stock, as long as the owners don't expect top five after last season.

GK: Randolph, Adrian
CB: Reid, Collins, Ogbonna, Oxford
FB: Cresswell, Arbeloa, Byram, Masuaku
CM: Nordtveit, Kouyate, Obiang, Noble
WG: Feghouli, Tore, Payet, Antonio
AM: Lanzini, Fernandes
ST: Carroll, Zaza, Sakho, Ayew, Calleri

Biggest problem last season was our defence. We were one of the top scorers, but were quite open at the back. We seem to have attempted to address this by scrapping the Antonio plan and signing as experienced a RB as you could get to compete with Byram. We've signed a LB who looks capable of playing as a first choice, and we've signed a specialist DM. The only issue is that many would say none of them should start in our first team ahead of other options (Byram, Kouyate/Noble, Cresswell) so, if that is the case, the problem positions from last season are not resolved.

Moses and Emenike have been 'upgraded' with Feghouli and Tore. Now it's hard to know if Feghouli is a better option than Moses (especially when you see how well the latter has started for Chelsea this season as a sub) and so far Tore doesn't look an improvement on Emenike or Moses.

Ayew replaces Valencia, which is 100% an improvement. Zaza replaces Sakho, who unfortunately looks like he'll never play again, and Calleri adds extra competition to the three forwards we had last season. Whether Zaza is good enough to replace Sakho (who got 12 goals in his first season), we don't know. We have replaced our No.1 forward from the past two years with Juventus' fourth choice forward. The fact we tried to sign Vardy, Batshuayi, Bacca and Lacazette ahead of Zaza means I have to rate our business as 6/10. Had we signed who we wanted, it would've been 7-8/10.

Keeping Payet is a great achievement. Am surprised nobody made a concrete, public move for him. Lanzini signing was also important, because we would've lost him had he not. Those two being in the side will mean we always have a chance of winning matches.

However, our business approach this summer has highlighted the importance of an experienced bench straight away, because we can field this squad against Watford, despite missing Cresswell, Feghouli, Ayew, Carroll and Sakho:

Adrian, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Noble, Kouyate, Antonio, Lanzini, Payet, Zaza

With still a strong bench of: Randolph, Collins, Oxford, Nordtveit, Obiang, Tore, Calleri

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Agree with most of your points.

What I'd add, though, is that improving the squad does improve the first team in other ways.

For example, competition for places.

Also, it means players can be rested when they need it, which isn't always possible when you need points and have no viable replacements in the squad.

Players should theoretically stay fitter, sharper and accrue less injuries.

If 80-90% of that squad is regularly fit, providing we don't get lots of injuries in the same position, we should finis comfortably top 8.

Ravel49

One lettuce doesn't make a salad

OldCastleSwift

But he does make man happy

Ravel49

#trudat bro ;ok

SuzanneClaret

;lol

IronHerb

Couple of points Lukerz.

Fernandes is not in the announced Premier League 25, which is odd as we spent £5m on him.
Sahko is in the announced Premier League 25 so will be involved at some stage I would guess.

OldCastleSwift

Good point Herbie. SB did say Fernandes was being bought for the squad now and the future ;hmm

grey_til_I_dye

Isn't Fernandes under 21? In which case he can play.

eskimoking

This doesn't make any sense. They made a big deal announcing Fernandes before a match and then don't put him in the squad. But do put in Sam Westley (who?).

eskimoking

A home-grown player will be defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the Season during which he turns 21).

OldCastleSwift

I think Grey has the answer. He's 20 so doesn't have to be registered.

Edit: Fernandes is 20. Grey, not so much... ;whistle

eskimoking

Ignore that, I meant to paste something else. Anyway, you're right Grey anyone under 21, regardless of nationality, can play.

grey_til_I_dye

OldCastleSwift said:

Edit: Fernandes is 20. Grey, not so much... ;whistle

Harsh, but true ;weep

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Lukerz just a quick question, of the players who moved this transfer window, excluding Lacazette, Bacca, Batshuayi and Vardy, would improve out first XI

I mean if we bought Wijnaldum for £25mil, who we were linked with, would he get in our first XI?
What about Bolasie, do people think he could've got in our first XI

Lucas Perez? Surely there are more question marks over him then zaza, he's 28 with one good season behind him

Borja Baston? Possibly but it isn't a 100% thing that he'd join

Bony & Benteke? Once again it's possible but the firm of those 2 isn't better than Carroll last year, and will be interesting to see how they adapt

Can't think of too many right backs who moved as well during this window, all the big teams have stuck with their right backs and the teams around us, maybe there just isn't quality right backs on he market

Saying we haven't signed players for the first XI is all well and good but it's hard given the first XI the club has assembled

With the £50mil we obviously had to spend which players would you have liked us to get I'm intruiged

grey_til_I_dye

I see it a bit differently, Lukerz.

I think if you look at who would be first choice starters based on their performances last season, you'd generally get a consensus around the following:

		Adrian
RB	Reid	Ogbonna / Collins	Cresswell
	Noble		Kouyate
Antonio		Lanzini	Payet
	AM
		CF

It's hard to see how we could get in too many players better than them, since that would suggest we were looking at players who would be good enough for top 4, and they don't tend to come to us.

In the positions we needed to strengthen:

RB - I think it is right to give Brian his shot, and the club have got a very decent cover if it doesn't work out.

AM - Ayew or Feghouli are both potential starters, imo.

CF - a frustrating window for the club, but in signing Zaza, Calleri and Fletcher I think that we have at least improved the pool.

I think the other players we have signed give us greater strength in depth, which is what we needed to consolidate at the right end of the table, imo.

brookingsirons

we will be a real force when the first team is fit , many teams will find it hard to cope with the attacking power this side has , quick players running behind into space and 5/6 goal scorers who can pop up at any time and score real exciting attacking looking side I have no worries we will finish in the top 8 this season .

;scarf

MarkNobleLocalHero

Sam Westley, defender, aged 22 so if we would like the possibility of playing him he needs to be named in squad. More likely we had a place left over and he fills it.

OldCastleSwift

Terry's son.

But definitely not the reason he's in the squad.

Yeoldhammer

it most definitely is the reason XD

IronHerb

brookingsirons said:

we will be a real force when the first team is fit , many teams will find it hard to cope with the attacking power this side has , quick players running behind into space and 5/6 goal scorers who can pop up at any time and score real exciting attacking looking side I have no worries we will finish in the top 8 this season .

;scarf

But as Luke mentioned earlier it is the defence that now needs looking to, and even the DM's

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

It may be an oversimplification but Byram will improve that over last season drastically
Not just that he's more of a natural defender than Antonio but allows Antonio to play on the wing as he's the hardest working winger we have so will doubly help out the right hand side

Moses emenike, sakho and Valencia didn't offer any protection down the right for Antonio, antonio wont do the same to byram

Hopefully Nordveit comes good as he's a DM by trade, or maybe a quiet word in Kouyate and Nobles ear that one should sit a bit more