Depends how good Spurs and Chelsea and Utd are after the window but I would not be confident without at least a CB and winger signing, and likely an RB.
Even then, so many question marks over the squad would remain. I wouldn´t say there is a single position in our squad where we can be totally confident of top quality performances.
If we could do this, A big rebuild : LW, RW, CM, DM, CB, RB
Okay phew, I thought I was getting irrationally worried.
We are literally doing nothing. Even with glaring weaknesses at CB, RB, CM, RW.
Nah its not you, think quite a few are seeing this now as something that is causing alarm, initially we thought it wont be bad as the wc was taking place …but now its becoming clear we are having issues and there seems to be no activity to address these glaring problems, fsg must pay hughes a fortune for doing what exectly ? Whereas we have supporters here and everywhere that offer solutions for nothing…and genuinely make more sense that having someone like hughes on the books for doing what exactly?
I’d sack him just for the prices he paid for Wirtz and Isak. And the fact that other spots needed urgent attention and were ignored.
And for the fact that he got a RWB when we needed a proper RB.
And now he’s swanning off to Saudi
Here will be my list:
In:
Konsa (CB/RB)
Tomori (CB/RB)
Spence (RB/LB)
Wharton (DM/CM)
Endrick (RW/CF) or Nwaneri (RW)
Barcola (LW/CF/RW) (if Gakpo is out)
(Next season: Quansah)
Out:
Gakpo (I’d like to try to get Spence if we indeed sell him to Tottenham)
Jones/Endo/Macca (one of them)
You can see my preference from my list above: to overload our back four + defensive midfielder depth. Also note that we only have one non-HG transfer spot left currently.
I think we are being a bit harsh on the upper level. Last season we had the same players available from the title winning team plus we spent on Wirtz, Isak, Hugo and Leoni. Then spent the year playing dire football. We never utilise youngsters like Klopp did and struggled through the season. I don’t think we need a complete rout again. Add Frimpong to that as well.
Could be argued as you say.
Could also be argued Trent, Salah, Diaz, Robbo, Konate and Jota aren´t here from that season and Van Dijk and to a lesser extent Ali are not the same force they were.
Big fan of Wirtz talents but we have neither the midfield behind him nor the runners in front of him yet and I think he has a lot to prove still.
I think it is likely we start the season with no new signings.Barcola will get done at the end of August and Hughes will call it a day.Shambolic transfer window if this happens.
Also the huge turnover in the squad was labelled as a reason for our poor form all season and now we are asking for another transfer window with huge turnover.
Another 2 players - winger and a CB is a minimum. But adding 4 or 5 is probably too much.
We really dodged a bullet there!
Wouldnt “phew” be better used for the realization that you were in fact being irrational not that your fears have been validated?
Sitting on a plane before take off and starting to hyperventilate with fear about it crashing. Someone sits down next to you, sees your growing anxiety and says “scared of flying? You should be. These things have become really unsafe with the cuts at TSA.”
You: “Phew, good to know. I thought I was just being irrationally worried.”
With the transfer dealings the way they are at this moment, it could well be that the names of the players that Hughes wants to activate a transfer for; which were probably influenced by Slot remember; have been put on hold by AI…
Besides inheriting an unfamiliar squad, I mean why should he also get lumbered with even more players that have been chosen by others, probably to fit a differing playing pattern…
AI might have put the brakes on all new activity until he gets a full opportunity to see what his present choices are. Attitude shown by these players I would have thought would be high on the list of scrutiny… While players that are capable of following his tactical instructions to a tee, will also be high on the list.
Given the present scenario we are in, with the rushed dismissal and quick hiring of the new gaffer, personally, I don’t care if we don’t buy anyone this window, and we cope with who we have.
To me, AI deserves some breathing space at the moment, a chance to get his feet firmly under the table, for it is to be remembered, we needed him, as much as he needed us.
Lets not risk souring the relationship with him at the outset if poor performances occur, because our patience is fragile.
The pressing monster and fluidity we all crave may eventually arrive throughout the team, but this will take calendar months of instruction, guidance and advice from AI in his everyday interactions with the players. This group personality is not something that can be learned from a spreadsheet, more a growing together and toughening it out to achieve common goals… Unfortunately, these things take a little time.
Saw over 30 new posts, and came on to get some juicy, unreliable rumors. All I got was wet beds.
His rationality means a lot to him.
One winger isn’t a enough as good a talent Rio is 2 goals and 1 assists in a 1000 minutes wasn’t setting the world alight.
I agree.
I think the general thinking on here is that Gakpo is good and will be better than last year. So we´d have Barcola for example, Gakpo, Muñoz and Rio.
That would be enough if Gakpo does indeed improve as they expect, though maybe you could argue that it leaves us light on the right. Then again, surely Muñoz should be expected to be good on the right.
I have major doubts on that four being enough though it would be considerably better than how we started the window.
Especially considering Gakpo is playing through the middle a fair bit most of this season. We will be lucky to see any real involvement out of Etitike.
Yes that´s a good point.
I wanted us to move him on and upgrade on him but being realistic maybe I am ignoring that he can play as a striker and we have very very little depth there.
Wirtz and Elliott will probably play wide too, maybe not all the time but I imagine it’ll be something we see a lot of across the season. Especially in big games or late in close games I could see us adding in an extra midfielder and moving Wirtz wide.
If we end up with Barcola, Gakpo, Ngumoha and Munoz then I agree it is a decent group of wingers.
To my mind Gakpo might still be a question mark, and if there is good money on the table for him from Spurs, I would be tempted to take it to either sign Minteh for a clear RW option to balance it out, or I’d be temped to sign Fernandez-Pardo, who can play across the front and be a back up to Isak while Ekitike recovers.
I think we will do more business this window and I’m still fairly chilled. I expect at the least a winger and a defender, and then after that probably one in one out sort of thing, but the incoming replacement will be more useful to Iraola.