Core For Next Season

Football is a funny game, but if anyone is really stupid enough to pay £15m for Sarr they would need locking up.

 

Is he worth £15m on the basis of his performances this season, probably not, but he has been in the past, and there's definitely someone out there who will think they can unlock that level of performance again

 

Yeah but they'll want to pay far less for taking the risk of getting him back to that £15m level (which is probably not far short of his peak value).

 

I can see the club playing Quina next year and talking about the remarkable development of the lad.

And the COGs lapping it up like a D icken's orphan with gruel, when Quina says this was always where he wanted to be, and praising the role of 'one of our own' (from West Ham) in our respectable 14th place finish.

 

Despite a great goal against Birmingham, he's miles off it sadly, he won player of the month for Huddersfield but I'm guessing that's mostly down to scoring the winner in their only victory of the month. Blue is his time in Scotland last year and in red is this season with Huddersfield. Just doesn't really excel at anything in particular.

 

When? (Don’t say that Liverpool game.)

 

Christ. That's the sort of team that draws 0-0 at home to Preston next year.

 

Not bad at winning fouls. Surely worth a 5 year deal??

 

That game against Liverpool was a remarkable night - he seems to be living off that as much as Quina is from his goal at Reading.

I'd love to know what we saw in Sarr to think he was worth the £35m plus we have spent on him. Undoubtedly the worst signing in the history of the club.

 

The difference is that the sum of Quina's career to date consists basically of that goal and another against Cardiff, Sarr has a decent goal and assist record for us, roasted probably the best team in the world at the time (to be fair he was pretty good all season), and was good for Rennes in France where he roasted Arsenal in Europe. No doubt we overpayed (not to mention he shouldn't have been our priority), but I'm sure we'll get 8 figures for him

 

Not with our set piece takers!

 

His peak was that Liverpool game no doubt, but he was pretty good all that season, especially when Geri was fit alongside him

 

I still think he'll end up at a higher level than our current flavour of the month Morris.

 

I quite like Morris defensively, but lacks a lot of attacking ability in my opinion which is pretty much a necessity for any half decent full-back these days.

 

Keep
Pedro
Cathcart
Morris
Porteus
Kone
Hoedt
Sema
Louza

Sell
Everyone else

That should give us a healthy transfer budget of about 50 quid

 

He's absolutely fine at this level defensively, but offers nothing in attack and I think his recovery pace would be far too slow in the top flight.

My guess is he'll end up in League 1 and have a very decent career. But if we keep hold of him hoping to play him, we'll harbour next-to-no ambition to be a PL club.

 

Morris has a better record at Championship level tbf, I can see Morris having a solid Championship career if you play to his strengths, not sure about Hungbo

 

A bit on the short side, but could he do a job as a LCB in a back 3? It's sort of similar to a traditional LB role (although I wouldn't have him down as a Wilder style overlapping CB!)

 

Gonna bump this seeing as our season is over bar a miracle.

Starting XI for next season. For the sake of argument I’m going 3 5 2.

……………….Bachmann

……….Porteous New CB Hoedt

Ferreira …………………………….Sema

….Asprilla…..Louza……Kone………

…………..New CF….New CF………..


Sell Sarr and Pedro for 40 mill. Rebuild funds for Manga to prove his worth .

Squad back up

Okoye
Cathcart, Kabasele, Sierralta
Ngakia, Gaspar , Morris
Kayembe, Cleverly , Bacuna , TDB
Martins Kalu

Need 4 or 5 high quality first teams signings and 4 or 5 squad players .

Concentrate on young players who have their careers to play for and hopefully free from the toxic lethargy that has infected the senior players for a few years now .

 

If we sell both for £40m, we only need to find another £10m or so to cover the loan. They won't create funds for manga. Any Manga replacements will be cheap bargains, FTs and loans.

 

I'm sure we will. Unfortunately they won't be vintage or in their original boxes, so unlikely to he of particular interest to collectors.

 

Stop dragging Bargain Hunt into every thread.

 

Presumably from Benfica using Costa's contacts, they must be pretty chuffed with Araujo's development. Either that or maybe we could continue to tap into our special neighbourly relationship with Arsenal and see if Edu has a daughter we could sign for the women's team?

 

I just don't see how Bachmann can have any role to play beyond bench warmer if we're serious about promotion.

 

.....YES !

 

Martins is on loan and is a winger so in that formation can't see him returning. Cleverly out of contract although incredibly we seem to have offered him a new one! Bacuna only here till end of the season I think. I think Gaspar will go back to Spain and Kalu will hopefully retire due to old age

 

I think you're right but with limited funds there are probably other areas of the team that we will prioritise

 

First name in the team sheet next season then!

 

I get that but we've picked up Almunia and Gomes in the past on frees - I think it's as much about finding the right experienced character, possibly someone who's not getting game time at a bigger club, than throwing money at the problem. For me it's imperative the defence have a reliable keeper behind them they can trust in or the whole house is built on sand.

 

Might explain why we have a lopsided pitch.

 

Admittedly the finances dont look great, if Manga was as highly sought as it seems, then I doubt he would come to a club where he isn't going to get any funds to work with.

 

It is a complete mystery why he came. I presume he was sold the plan that we would get promotion and then these new US investors that were talked about on social media would buy in. I can't see anyway that he will get anything other than loose change to spend in the summer. They've already bet the ranch, there's nothing left to bet....we can only cover loan repayment with asset sales, operating cashflow surpluses, or new investment.

 

There aren't many who could fit that profile around though.

Perhaps Tom Heaton if Man Utd don't take up their option to extend his deal by a year in the summer.

Or even Loris Karius, if he's willing to drop down a division to get regular football.

Bachmann himself is still just 28, which is far from old for a goalkeeper. He was good enough to help get us promoted before and could still improve again.

 

That might be difficult to get rid of so many and probably more importantly replace them. Four goalkeepers? You wouldn't keep Pedro?