To be fair though there is the possibility that we will have a new manager and possibly a formation change after this season and Doucoure may also be elsewhere.
Does Brooks offer much defensively? There really aren't many teams anywhere nowadays that play with an attack-minded #10 who can't also drop back to help out in central midfield. Players in the PL that play closest to a #10 such as KDB, Fernandes and Maddison all put a real shift in. Brooks seems as if he might be a bit lightweight for that (though I may be mistaken, he's not played for a while).
He has good work rate and offers us more going forward than what we currently, either way we have to change our approach because it has not worked.
Sure he's good going forwards, but if we actually had a decent #9 that posed sufficient goal threat then we wouldn't be so over-reliant on goals from midfield or set-pieces. As per my the second paragraph I just added to my post above, most teams that play 4-5-1/4-3-3 with something akin to a #10 have a player there who is also solid defensively. Doucoure is actually decent in that role for us as he's decent both going backwards and forwards, the problem is more who he (and Del and Sarr) has in front of him.
I understand what you are saying but we are not going to have a decent 9 next season, we all know its going to be Troy Deeney, I think that the best we can hope for is Danny Welbeck (doubtful) staying fit and getting an opportunity down the middle.
Brooks looked decent before his injury. But I'd want to see a return to that kind of form before you could say he's worth what Bournemouth would inevitably want for him. I'd rather Lallana on a free for a couple of years. Personally think Nathaniel Clyne is worth a look as well.
Kris Ajer. Celtic. Think I’ve mentioned him before. Spoke with a Celtic fan and he reckons this lad will be better than Liverpool’s £75m man Vvd. Trouble is there’s now interest from Milan and he wouldn’t come cheap. But we could always chuck our eggs in one basket like we done with Sarr Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The lower league clubs are going to be in financial ruin after this virus, we need to act fast and circle them like vultures should be able to get any young british talent at a third of the price. Normally clubs put off by the lower leagues demanding to much and going abroad for cheaper options. This could be a good thing for English lower league talent to get an opportunity but also a bad thing for football as these poor clubs won’t be able to refuse a cash injection. So instead of raiding premier league academies for what could be the next bargain let’s look down the leagues. Toney from Peterborough Eze from QPR Are 2 I can think of Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A front 3 of Welbeck Sarr and Del are good enough to cause problems to anyone What we need is stop the hoof and find a style that enables them to function We need to spend the cash on a back 4 of ball playing defenders
I would take Todd Cantwell at Norwich. I’d then sell Suarez and Cucho and buy Olie Watkins (assuming Brentford don’t go up)
Would absolutely love this guy, just never thought he would be able to secure his services. Would say he's more Harry Maguire than Van Dijk though. A real beast in the air and hardly ever looses a header. Good passer and comfortable bringing the ball out of defence.
Thinking about goalscorers it might be feasible for us to sign, how about whoever was the top scorer in the Eridivisie last season? Some chap called Steven Berghaus?
Rather go for Boadu at AZ. Young, raw but going to be a terrific goal scorer. And Jeppe Kjær at AC Horsens, young winger.
Watkins reminds me too much of Southampton flop Che Adams somehow. He could be a teensy bit better, but I'm not entirely convinced.
Do you think my suggestion was genuine? Boadu will be very good, but he's also too young to come in and be the immediate Deeney replacement we'll need next season. He'll also go to a far bigger club than us for sure, he's represented by Mino Raiola for one thing.
He is, but he became his client before he moved to Spurs. He only ended up at us because he flopped there.
Like Cantwell a lot, but have to imagine if they are selling him, it's to a bigger club than us. Farke was rather open after their match today about how they had to sell Maddison to keep the club financially stable, managed to get promoted when many didn't expect it, haven't spent a lot this year, etc. I imagine their finances will be okay if they go down (certainly compared to Villa, Bournemouth or us), but wonder if they'll feel pressure to move Cantwell or Buendia on so they can regroup a bit. Keeping that core of players with goal of coming back up quickly feels like a stretch.
They both play in different positions, so it wouldn't necessarily be either, or. Eze impressed me when we played them in our friendly last summer, and he's had a very good season. He's also useful in that he is equally adept at playing anywhere across the attacking midfield area, including as the most advanced midfielder in a 3 and also as a right-winger/cover for Sarr.
A slightly left-field potential striker option. Given that we seem to like signing players that have done well in the Europa League I went through the top scorers from this season's competition so far. The player who seems perhaps the most interesting option is Marko Raguz of LASK Linz. Scored 5 goals in the EL, including all 3 of LASK's goals as they progressed passed joint-top Eredivisie team AZ Alkmaar (shown below). He's only 22, so still has room to progress, though might still need a season or two to be ready. However, he shouldn't cost too much and could have a fair bit of upside, so might just be worth a punt. His playing style seems like a cross between Berbatov and Inzaghi. Takes penalties as well.
More of a wish list than suggestions Smalling, Ake, Brooks, Panzo, Loftus-Cheek, Paitek & Hart as back up to Foster, keep Wellbeck obviously Vydra & Forestiari We'll be saying goodbye to, Marriappa, Gomes, Cathcart, Holebas, Success, Sema, Grey, Pereyra, Penaranda
Ahahaha, absolute nonsense there even as a "wish list". Smalling seems to already have a deal pretty much agreed with Roma. Loftus-Cheek is a recent full England interntional who Chelsea won't sell and even if they did it would be to a bigger club than us for a fee far higher than we would likely pay. Paitek I presume is Piatek who moneybags Hertha Berlin paid €24mil for in the last winter transfer window.
Another slightly left-field striker idea, Eldor Shomurodov, joint 4th top scorer in the Russian Premier League despite being at Rostov, not one of the traditionally bigger clubs there. 25 years old, so at a good age to come in to his own. Appears a decent all-round CF. AA Gent (who we sold Sven Kums to) have already had a bid rejected for him this summer, it seems they're lining him up to be a replacement striker for Jonathan David who is likely on his way to Lille. Shouldn't cost more than £10mil, if that. Scores half the goals in this vid:
Desperately need two centre backs. Ajer who was mentioned earlier. Rodon out injured at the moment looks the business when I've seen him play. Both would be very expensive though. Right back, Ngakia I would be happy with. Left Back, hopefully that's Pervis because he looks the part and would push Masina hard for the starting spot. The rest depends on who we can move on. But replacement for Doucs, Pereyra, Gray and competition for captain fantastic. Patrik Schik whose on loan to Liepzig from Roma is my choice but alas can't see that happening either.
More fantasy and nonsense, not so much left field but left scratching our heads why you bothered to suggest such tosh
We could also just go for Jonathan David, but Ah diddums. I'm so so sorry if my post hurt your feelings, perhaps it would be best for you if you rather licked your wounds than make such a lame attempt at seeking vengeance.
In your opinion. If we want to achieve what the owner and board keep telling us they want to achieve, they are the level of players to take us to the next level. Disagree by all means, but I don't understand the need to muster belittling and aggression when you reply.
What part of Piatek having only been bought by Hertha in January for €24mil, and Smalling about to sign permanently for Roma who he was already on loan to last season, do you not understand? No "opinion" about it - they will simply not be sold to us. Fact.
I would like us to be in the frame for Lallana as well. I know Clyne had a bad injury but is he ok now? Not heard about him for ages
I would imagine lots of clubs will be looking at Lallana, Rodgers is a big fan so expect him to go a club playing European football. Possibly even back to the Saints but unfortunately not us. Clyne is a no from me. We already have one crocked Right back.
