Then it’s more 400m than 300. And bigger problem is everyone on this list is followed by every top clubs, its almost impossible we get all of them. And with this list, where we play Wirtz?
I really like the four incoming. Olise would probably cost 120M and Anderson has been priced at 100M from the snippets we’ve seen. Not fully sure if Diomande needs to go up a bit too. It’s probably more like 370M for those players.
I’d be sad to see Jones leave, but two home grown midfielders coming in offsets it. I’ve shared my opinion on Mac Allister, and if he makes way for the midfielders you suggest I’m fine with that.
Gakpo is ok, but not elite, so having better ability on the wings to beat a man is good.
Alisson will come to an end at Liverpool sooner or later. I would like one more season of him but you never know.
Interesting choices. Makes us a lot more solid in midfield, and a lot more threatening on the wings. We added a new defender Jacquet, and I’m not sure where his transfer fee will be factored in.
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Another summer with a huge turnover. I’m sure that will work out just fine…
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Olise may have a release clause - at least I’ve heard rumors of one.
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Yeah, never will a club have so ripped apart a successful side so completely and so needlessly.
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No, he doesn’t. He’s untouchable.
If we get Anderson and Diomende, it’s already a successful window imo. Also, I want a new RB and to move Frimpong to attacking positions.
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Also we need more numbers, not less.
Don’t see why Barca would need Mac, they have some of the very best midfielders in the world. He’ll be 28 in December. Debatable whether some of the big guns will come in for him, but it’s also questionable who will sign new contracts at Liverpool out of our midfielders who don’t have much left…
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And perhaps more than numbers, sense, balance, clarity.
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I don’t think numbers for numbers sake is the answer. Slot will always want to play with a smaller squad. I think the goal should be to give him the best small squad we can hope for, full of players he’ll actually want to use, with the balance needed.
Our squad size is fine, although it could have more quality when you look at the fact that in our first 22-23 players, we have Leoni, Nyoni, Ngumoha and Chiesa.
But it’s the big questions for our starting XI that are the issue, we have a lack of balance there. Who is our 22nd or 23rd player is less important.
We don’t need 25 full seniors.
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How many clubs spend £50m+ on a player, and pay the sort of wages we do?
But why would they bid up a fee to the club rather than just up his wage offer? Our club won’t want to be keeping him around unless he is starting regularly because he will be taking up so much space on the wage bill. If we get anything like £50m as a fee then it is probably because we are still eating some of those wages.
How many players over the last 5 or 6 years have either club paid in the region of £70m for? Unless there is a deal in the offing for Alvarez or someone, or Barca find another infusion of cash from somewhere I can’t see him going for that.
I thought that had been dismissed as untrue last October?
Bayern would be my primary target, especially if we lure Olise this way. They were linked with Gakpo last summer. Newcastle would be another target.
Because they need to agree to a fee with us and there may be competition.
That’s a fair point, though I think Atlético might have to sell Alvarez this summer, which would open up their salary slot. Barca seemingly spends around 50M every summer despite their financial restraints. Perhaps if they can move some players off of their books, they’ll have room.
I’m not sure about that.
I appreciate the critique - admittedly, these ideas are a bit half-baked.
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I get the strategy. This year giving Arne 5 new signings was a problem, so the next year we are going to add 4, see if there is an improvement, then 3, 2, 1, until he starts getting it right.
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I would have thought there would be at least three first team squad signings - winger, central defender, midfielder. One of them is already in the bag. Arguably we could do one or two more signings, but the point is well made about too much change.
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Change was happening either way, folks. It’s been baked in for anyone who has been paying attention to the various ages and contract situations. I went through it all last summer on here, but there was always going to be significant turnover from the end of last season through the next two-three seasons. It started last summer, and it’ll continue as certain players leave because of their age or contract situations.
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Brentford has a new manager, new GK, sold 4 best players and looks fine. I think it’s more about the manager fuckin’ up with no clean plan and not knowing how to use his best players than having too many new members.
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I see 4 new first team players in the summer. That’s my prediction.
After that it should calm down a bit, as the new team will be built. Mind you, there’s a sense in which it is always a work in progress, but after this summer I expect the quantity of signings to be more modest.
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Fair enough. I think Slot could have done better too. I would also add that injuries have hindered us, and had two of his new signings been fit - Isak and Frimpong - we’d have seen a lot more of them.
Change is ever present. Losing 13 senior players from your title winning squad in 2 years represents a LOT more than change. Especially when its supplemented by losing an entire cohort from a successful youth group as well.
And you’ve still left yourself with Virgil, Robbo and Gomez, ones you’d have had an eye on replacing because of age and availability when this whole thing was started 2 years ago.
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