Defoe and Pickford will go. The rest can do a Jones town for all i care. Drink the cool aid. Rodwell will still **** that up. The useless ****.
We need a complete clean out, get shot of all the Everton rejects and start again, promote from the Under 23s and get ready to see out the next 2 to 3 seasons in the Championship. There are a few I'd try and keep such as N'Dong and i'd build the team round him. Whatever happens it ain't going to be pretty.
Easy to forget about him but we should get a few quid for Lens. I'd be half tempted to bid for Denayer if they'd accept about 5 mil, he's grown on me and would be useful in the champs.
I don't care who is there from our current lot the only one I'm arsed about keeping is Cattermole. He will be pivotal next season providing he can stay injury free. Obviously I'd love to keep Defoe and Pickford but I know there is a 99.9% chance that they will both be gone. Best case scenario would be sell Pickford for big money with a season loan back to us which would probably be the best thing for Pickford as well.
The **** has scored more against us at the stadium of light in 45 mins than he has score for us in 31 games. Now that really is taking the piss.
Aye should fetch 7/8m for Lens. I like Denayer, thought he did well yesterday. His place isn't at City but would imagine he'll have better offers and not sure we'll spend that on him.
We paid about 11m for him iirc and still not far off a Dutch international. He's probably better than Borini and Khazri and I'd like to think we'd get 5m each for them.
he has had in in for Khazri but his attitude is not right, but will Duncan fergusson make a return hehe. Pickford to Chelsea for £50 m, Rodwell to Bayern m for £30m, Gibson to Barcelona for £20m then we can finally get Ronaldo here who Real want to sell ! but I have been on the piss lads, he would score about 50 goals in the championship. Too many of these players will bottle it like Borini etc 43,000 there and 10 points adrift ! fickle Arsenal supporters would only dream of that attendance.
What is a concern is that your squad is so small, and players will leave as well. Defoe is certain to leave, Kone less so but I'd expect him to go, the rest are not guaranteed to leave. The ones who will probably leave are Lens, Pickford and Kichhoff, the latter should be flat out refused a new contract. Then your loanees will return to their parent clubs, Adnan, Denayer, Manquillo. Regardless of whether you like/loathe them, that's a total of 8 players off the books. Your squad is already way too small for a 38 game season, and you find yourself heading into a season where you'll play a minimum of 46 league games. I've read a few comments regarding the U-23's, and as talented as the squad may be, it's a different game and it's foolish to think a bunch of kids will run riot over a league that is probably one of the strongest leagues in Europe, outside of the elite. My guess is that 2 or 3 will step up, over the course of the season and become useful squad players, perhaps first team. You're going to need 10-12 signings in my opinion assuming nobody else goes on top of those listed above, which is doable as you'll be a bigger pull for the league than most teams, but if you have to sell first it could turn into a complete nightmare. Moyes has a busy summer, he best forget about holidays in the sun for this summer.
If the squad is tiny it means the wage bill is low, exactly what short wants and needs. There will be a mass of youth promoted and they won't run riot mate no you're quite right(not to say in the following seasons they won't improve to a good champ standard), We'll have a bit of money to invest and fill out the squad but that's exactly what they will be, fillers. A strict wage budget will be place to prevent progressive investment but it will be low enough in the short term for Short to swallow up transfer fees and savings and prize money/para into paying the debt to himself off(as much as possible) in order to lower his price to sell the club. That's my prediction for next season. I think we'll finish in the bottom half.
The key to it all, again, and we've said this many times before is getting business started and finished as early as possible. It's not unforgivable at this point, if Moyes begins making moves to shift players out and bring players in, with preparation for a season in the championship in mind. You have to take an advantage and to leave it even 3 or 4 more weeks from now, until it becomes mathematically impossible to survive, is probably naive. Look at who else is going down, Boro, Hull, Swansea it's more than likely going to be 2 from those 3 and you'd expect those teams to keep the nucleus of their squads together, losing a few of the classier players perhaps but their squads are pretty much set as they are. If you get to August 1st and Moyes hasn't got the majority of his squad together by then, then I'd agree it'll probably be a struggle at first.
I think getting business done early will depend heavily on what sort of relegation clauses have been put in place. If realistic minimum releases fees are in place then it's been geared to shift players quick, if not, Short will probably be looking to try and drive hard bargains which would draw that window right out till the final day of the window. We'll see, can't see anything but a bottom half finish though. It's all about prepping for sale imo, with little thought towards an instant return to the prem. So long as we don't go down again I think Championship preservation is all Short will require to move the club at/before the end of next season.
Your views are right on the playing side I just think we need a tactically aware manager, even a dour one (SAF was pretty dour) but our team operate in a tactically void workplace My other concern is the owner who has financially backed us but unsuccessfully - he needs to go and successfully make money in business - I don't think he'll sell us short (no pun) as its so easy to fall under our magical spell and I believe he does have the clubs interests at heart Now see what happens on Saturday - no more bubbles here -
Strangely I think Defoe may decide to stay as Southgate has indicated that Defoe in the championship is still in contention for the England team. Makes sense to me - scoring goals in a winning team or scoring (less) goals in a struggling team. He enjoys it here hero worshipped and getting us up out of the feeder league is a new challenge for him. Also think Pickford would be best to stay here as some negative media comments about his performance ("could have reacted quicker") indicate how he is still developing and needs "local hero support" which he'll only get here.