So is £20m enough? Probably given the number of players available on frees, loans and reduced fees. Allardyce will probably plunder a few from Bolton and Blackburn and as the signings of Cisse and Jelavic show, there's gold in them there hills if you shop around carefully. Four £5million signings, two free transfers - including Joe Cole - and a couple of quality loan signings would do us very nicely thank you very much.
It promises to be an interesting summer. And it threatens to be a challenging Premiership next season unless Martinez leaves and Wigan fall apart, and Villa fail to recruit and invest in a quality manager.
Second season blues could hit Swansea and Norwich and Reading are likely to struggle. The Martin O'Neill factor seems to have run out of steam at Sunderland too. A bad start to next season will test his commitment to a club he claims to support. Meanwhile, the managerial appointment at West Brom could be telling. They are overdue a yo-yo!
But new signings apart, the most crucial thing is the early season fixture list. Two years ago, the computer spewed out a nightmare first seven games and we never recovered. The same happened to Bolton this season. Muamba survived after dying on the pitch, but no amount of heart massage could revive the Trotters after their dreadful start , just as Grant's atonement and even the signing of Ba proved irrelevant after our dire start to 2010-11.
And as QPR proved too, winning at home is the key to survival. The twelfth man needs to get behind West Ham at the Boleyn!
Anony-mouse says,
ReplyDeleteWe need to have a good Summer in the market. We need strengthening in key positions- full back, creative midfielder. We also need good acquisitions to provide cover at centre half and centre forward.
It will be a tough season I'm sure, but Allardyce's teams have never been relegated so I think we'll give it a go. UP will be vital as it was that first season we went up last time. Then the atmosphere was cracking and it spurred a hungry young team on.
What has been confirmed since Saturday is had we stayed down players would have had to be sold and we would not have had the size and quality of squad next season that we'd had this. The club are £80 million in debt so money will have to be used carefully and well. Certainly no frivolous signings like Barrera, who cost us 2/3rds of Grant's Summer budget.
A couple of blogs have Berbatov speculation. Not sure his stock has fallen far enough that we could afford or he would be interested, but he would be a perfect fit with the way Big Sam approaches the last third (long and into the box). Be nice to get him for reasonable wages/transfer fee and then turn our attention to the areas that, as Anony-mouse correctly points out, are our areas of greatest concern.
ReplyDeleteI think we need a few players this season some maybe slightly unrealistic but any how
ReplyDeleteGk if green wants silly wages then let him go and sign robinson from blackburn
left back ferrira at chelsea
center back rio if he will come back depending on wages too
def mid reo joker maybe worth punt
Right wing benayoun if avalible
left wing joe cole if we can
striker sturridge fingers crossed, or kalou
that would make an amazing team only position i cant think of is
left back unless we could get bosingwa but think thats a step too far any thoughts
Joe Cole - no thanks. Laughable idea - another academy prospect who has actually failed to rise to the heights that he was allegedly capable of.
ReplyDeleteI can't see kalou, Sturridge being remotely interested.
Benayoun coming back - no chance.
Reo Coker - I hope not.
That leaves who, exactly ? Some low price journeymen, Bosmans etc. Which might be just enough to keep us up. Just.
But that's all for the coming season....
I'd bet any amount of money that none of them players are joining.
ReplyDeleteSam will have to do some fancy trading in the market 'cos we need about 8 players and that assumes resigning McCartney and keeping Green. We might get by without signing a centre half this close season. Here's a list of possibly viable targets based on their suitability to Sam's way of playing, though I'm hoping we'll see more 4-4-2 next season.
ReplyDelete£18m - Kightly, Jarvis and Johnson (Wolves).
Benefit: Addresses lack of width in squad and Johnson gives us another aerial threat on set pieces. Could also be a deal done early in the close season which is important considering how long it takes for players to adjust to Sam's style (a misnomer, really).
£3m - £5m (right back ?). Dunno who but this is the most important of all positions to fill and must be one for the long haul, not a 33-year-old free transfer.
Loan - Rafael. Benefit: Ferguson wants him out on loan for the season and he provides cover in both fullback slots. Would hope he would be a started on the left, injury permitting.
Free - Kevin Davies.
Benefit: Due a free if he wants, knows what Sam is looking for and can get it translated onto the pitch.
Free / 1m - Victor Obinna.
Benefit: Only played 7 times for Moscow since joining so could cost little or nothing. Should do well under Sam 'cos his real strength is fast feet around the box. Could play off Davies or Cole. All three could play in a 4-3-3.
Free - Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen.
Benefit: Experienced and can all help help finish off a game when we're leading or add something different when chasing. They are all excellent passers and should be open to wage deals heavily linked to appearances. No sign-on fee for Hargreaves, relatively small for Poulsen and Cole could be more accommodating to us than others.
Free - 3rd goalkeeper.
Benefit: looks like all the bright young things of the past few are gone. Probably best to get one with experience who can rotate with Henderson. Bench keepers should play reserve team football quite regularly, IMO.
Ringer - Kenwyne Jones.
Benefit: Aware of the bid for Dost but Jones could be available much cheaper, maybe £4m. Definitely Sam's type. If he can be motivated, he is a real handful with good pace. Would round out the squad giving us a second big striker and is far better in the air than Cole.
Sell £4m - O'Neill and two out of Vaz Te, Baldock, Maynard.
Benefit: The latter looks the best of the three forwards from what little I've seen because he links with the midfield better. Vaz Te's awareness and first touch is atrocious, and he's all round a bit daft - he nearly missed that 6-yarder in the play-off. I cannot see him functioning in the PL. If his end-of-season form attracts some transfer heat then take any offer over £1.5m (might get more). Not sure about Baldock but like his pace. Sullivan has said often that a squad needs three big strikers. Considering who the manager is, I suspect Maynard's ability to lead a line, even if not particularly an aerial threat makes him the best option and may get more for Baldock. Gary O'Neill might fetch 500k. Danny Collins out on a free if Johnson or other decent CB comes in, otherwise keep him. Joey O'Brien, unlikely to be worth anything.
Proposed 25-man squad:
GK - Green, Henderson, AN other
FB - Rafael, McCartney, AN other.
Cover from Taylor, Demel; and Spence & Potts (outside the 25).
CB - Tomkins, Reid, Johnson, Demel.
MF - Noble, Nolan, Collison, Taylor, Morrisson, Poulsen, Hargreaves, Cole, Kightly, Jarvis.
FW - Cole, Davies, Obinna, Jones, Maynard.
Budget
Ins - £24m
loans/free transfer sign on fees - £6
Outs - £4m
Net expenditure - £26m