I think we should always be prepared to buy players who will improve our squad. However I think that is increasingly difficult. Most of the players who are obviously better than what we have already pay for richer clubs. I still don't think I can see many players who joined any PL Club in the summer who would have definitely improved our squad.
I actually think Levy has changed the transfer policy positively: from a scatter gun approach to only signing players who are likely to improve the squad. I do actually agree with you that the new financial strength we get from the new stadium should allow bigger transfer deals. But I really worry we will sell someone like Winks and sign someone like Kovacic and find in two years that was the wrong decision.
So unless PSV do you a favour against Inter and/or you take a least a point off Barcelona, it's unlikely you'll now qualify. Would you sooner finish bottom and avoid the EL enabling you to focus on the PL (or League Cup according to Tim Sherwood) or do you want to go into the EL?
Lloris Trippier is a very good player but we had a right back better than him called Kyle Walker who we sold. Son, Dele and Eriksen are good players also but need competition like others have said to stop them being complacent and to give them a rest.
I still feel we need some iron in our team. They seem so lackadaisical. A Sergio Ramos type perhaps,but where is he? We've been lucky to win some games and unlucky to win/draw others.Something is definitely missing!
Unlikely yes but not impossible - I certainly don't envisage us giving up now, we will try to beat PSV in the home game if we do we will be virtually guaranteed Europa league, if Barca win in Milan and we beat Milan we will start the final matches in 2nd and needing to match Inters result with PSV, Barcelona will have qualified and may not put out all their best players so a win at the Camp Nou might be possible, now thats positive thinking! We will be playing European Football in the spring for sure.
It's certainly not difficult to get better than our centre midfield at the moment (while there's also scope to improve on a few squad players). Dembele is nowhere near the level he once was while Winks - despite an improvement in form - is nowhere near the level we need right now, nor do I think he ever will be. In terms of signings made by other Prem clubs who could've improved us from a first XI aspect: Jorginho Kovacic Seri You can also arguably add Andre Gomes and Joao Moutinho to the list, albeit the latter would be a stop-gap option. In terms of signings outside of the much needed CM position; Mahrez, Maddison, Diop, Brooks - the latter three all players we've been linked with in the past - would all have been good additions to the XI or squad and considering the form of Lloris over the past 14-15 months, you'd have to say Alisson and Rui Patricio would definitely be improvements on him.
Nope, if we can't get through to the knockouts then I want third and entry into the Europa. Great competition that deserves respect. I'd be livid if we do end up dropping down into Europe only to chuck a rotated side into it and crash out. With the added incentive of qualifying for the CL if you win Europa, every team in the competition should want to win it that little bit more.
The issue we had during the summer with DEMBELE REPLACEMENT is, simply put, we need an actual replacement and not a stopgap who hopefully won't balls it up too much for their brief tenure at the club - and if they can be quickly moved on when the actual replacement arrives that would be a bonus. That's the main problem we have at the moment: while Dembele has shown he can impose himself on a game for half an hour he has also shown he can't do it for the full 90 minutes - and that's the issue of bringing in a Stambouli-like player for the sake of bringing somebody in, because if they can't perform like they're expected to then they're wasting a spot in the squad. At this point the main options are as follows i.) Grit our teeth while waiting for Boca's involvement in the Copa Libertadores to wrap up - and with them leading 2-0 after the first leg of the semi final, we may be gritting them until the end of November (or the Argentine summer break beginning a week or so later, whichever...) - ii.) If Adrien Rabiot hasn't signed a new contract with PSG come New Year's Eve, send a bid their way just in time for them to start singing Auld Lang Syne on the Champs-Elysees iii.) "Hello, Celta Vigo? About that release clause in Stanislav Lobotka's contract...?"
It’s not about signing players to sit on the bench though is it. We need players that can compete for positions to keep players fresh and stop complacency. Centre midfield for example. No1 is excelling their this season but where are the options when we need to change things?
Kyle Walker demanded to leave just before an FA Cup semi final and while we were chasing Chelsea in the title race...we won 12 out of our last 13 matches...he was sold cos he clearly had his head turned. That is not the fault of the club that he was so disloyal. As for Lloris ... Yep he ****ed up yesterday big time and against Barcelona but he saved up 2 points v Cardiff and 3 points v West Ham. He is a fantastic keeper who is having a rough patch. As I am very critical of Walker for being disloyal and can not abide Rose cos of his two faced, money grabbing disloyalty I would be a hypocrite if I showed no loyalty to Hugo. He is a great keeper who has made a few high profile mistakes, just like all other great keepers have.
It seems that we went into this season knowing that.... Big Vic has a chronic knee condition and is likely to mirror Ledley's level of readiness to play games; Mousa Dembele's fitness and effectiveness is fast diminishing and he is a shadow of the player of 2 years ago; Harry Winks hadn't had a pre-season for the last 2 years and had no form at all; Moussa Sissoko, who does his best but has his limits set at a pretty low level; and Eric Dier, who had just spent a summer at a World Cup and hardly missed any games for 4 years. The back-ups were a very promising 17 year old in Oliver Skipp and Luke Amos. That's pretty ****ing pathetic. Given that, I'd expect us to entertain the need to do whatever we could to get someone in or have held onto Josh Onomah. It seems that we've taken an almighty gamble again. I'll be very disappointed if we can't do better in January...even a loan player is better than naming GKN in the squad and having no intention of ever picking him.
I'll put it another way. We've got Lamela, Lucas, Son, Dele and Eriksen competing for attacking midfield. The only player better than those who was available was Mahrez. The centre midfield story I simply don't understand. Dier and Winks are perfectly fine and Dembele, Wanyama and Sissoko are also not easy to improve on. Seri is not in the same class. Kovacic would be fine but we didn't have the leverage to get him on loan.
There are still issues with Lamela fitness too, Hasn't completed 90 minutes or been picked to start succesive matches despite his good form
Dier, Winks, Dembele, Wanyama and Sissoko as central midfield options for a side in the Champions League and wanting to be in a title race is appalling options. Where are the scouts? There were more out there than just Seri or Kovacic surely?
Dier is the only reliable player we have at the moment in the centre of the park. Wanyama is crocked to potentially Ledley's level and likely to be sold. Dembele is a shadow of his former self and looks set to go to China at the end of the season. Winks is basic beyond belief and would be lucky to make the XI of any other top ten side but sentimentality clouds fan's judgement. Sissoko is limited albeit has his uses. Seri is much better than the current Dembele and miles better than Winks, worth remembering Barca were minutes from signing him in 2017 before opting to go for Paunlinho, while Chelsea, City, Arsenal and us were all linked with him at various stages. It really is a miracle he ended up at Fulham. We need potentially two but at least one CM and one DM in January otherwise I fear for us in the latter half of the season once fatigue really starts to creep in.
Standing still (which we did in the summer) is the same as going backwards in today’s football world. The fact we didn’t sign anyone doesn’t mean there wasn’t anyone out there, it means we have a poor recruitment set up.
