They will have a good idea of the type of player they want, in terms of ability, age, attitude and how they fit the overall plan. The danger of signing players who don't fit that plan is that we end up stuck with players we can't shift when the right players are available - look how hard it was getting rid of the players we already didn't want. It also risks us not being able to afford the players we want under FFP further down the line. That leaves loans and unfortunately teams that may have been willing to loan to us in the past will now see us as a threat and will be unwilling to help us out. We've come a long way in just 8 months since the start of the year and I would expect further strengthening each window. The existing crop of players do have obvious weaknesses once we get injuries. However, Eddie has shown that he can use them to deliver results in the second half of last season. They warned us when they took over that it would be a gradual rebuild, and I think overall we are probably ahead of schedule. We're not in a position to challenge the top teams, but we are in a position to challenge for top half - which is about where we should expect to be aiming in year one of a 5 year plan. If the squad has any sort of over achievement we could even end up challenging for top 8. It's easy to get impatient when we know how rich the owners are, but they are delivering exactly what they said they would. I don't think we can criticise any of the signings other than Woods - and he served a purpose last year, even if it was only to weaken our main relegation rival at the time of his signing.
They will have a good idea of the type of player they want, in terms of ability, age, attitude and how they fit the overall plan. The danger of signing players who don't fit that plan is that we end up stuck with players we can't shift when the right players are available - look how hard it was getting rid of the players we already didn't want. It also risks us not being able to afford the players we want under FFP further down the line. That leaves loans and unfortunately teams that may have been willing to loan to us in the past will now see us as a threat and will be unwilling to help us out. We've come a long way in just 8 months since the start of the year and I would expect further strengthening each window. The existing crop of players do have obvious weaknesses once we get injuries. However, Eddie has shown that he can use them to deliver results in the second half of last season. They warned us when they took over that it would be a gradual rebuild, and I think overall we are probably ahead of schedule. We're not in a position to challenge the top teams, but we are in a position to challenge for top half - which is about where we should expect to be aiming in year one of a 5 year plan. If the squad has any sort of over achievement we could even end up challenging for top 8. It's easy to get impatient when we know how rich the owners are, but they are delivering exactly what they said they would. I don't think we can criticise any of the signings other than Woods - and he served a purpose last year, even if it was only to weaken our main relegation rival at the time of his signing.
Eddie Howe was quite candid about rival clubs and the transfer window, saying clubs would do us no favours and were inflating prices. But I don't think that could come as a surprise, and is actually a compliment. Our challenge is we don't have enough revenue so we can't do what Chelsea/Man City do and simply stump up the cash for the player they want. I mean, Cucurella for £70m?! It's not isolated towards us, that's for sure. And even abroad, Ajax and Madrid both took Man U for chumps. Sure, those players sort of improve their first XI, but for £170m?! We're going to have to be smart about youth and canny with scouting, I reckon, until the commercial deals improve. What I am 100% convinced about is we could not have a better manager. Just glad the window is finally over and we can just focus on the football.
According to some Leeds were entertaining the idea of selling Harrison to us ,2 offers were made but they were looking for £35m we offered £25,should we have bit the bullet or said no to their gouging,time will tell.
You finished 11th and with more points than everyone bar city and Liverpool. Now you’re 12th and won 1 game in 5. Looks like you’re going backwards to me
Just shows how crooked the PL really is if we had third highest points but were told we had finished eleventh.
When you say we finished 11th as a comparison to how we started the year 8 months ago, I think you're the one going backwards Biscan!!
