Potential Outs - ASM - I don't see him staying. He probably wont be first choice, and although sometimes he tries, he doesn't defend well at all. Unless he's happy being like 4th choice, he'll probably go back to the french league. Also a tad injury prone. If we can get 20m for him, just take it and reinvest. Fraser - 5m and out. Lewis - ****e. Just not good enough. --------------- Keepers - Pope, Dubravka, Gillespi, Karius - Good depth. RB - Trippier, Krafth, manq, Ashby - Good depth CB - Schar, Botman, Lascelles, Burn - Decent depth. LB - Targett, Burn, Lewis - Poor depth CM's - Bruno, Joelinton, Willock, Longstaff, Anderson - Poor depth after first choice. Wingers - Almiron, Gordon, Murphy, ASM?, (Joelinton/Willock can cover) - Decent. Strikers - Isak, Wilson - No depth. -------------------------- Priorities - LB - I like Burn, but I'd like him to focus on being part of our CB depth, and play LB when and where necessary, as I'd really like a LB with pace and ability to overlap and cross. Striker - I don't think Isak is injury prone, but you never know. Wilson is definitely injury prone, and should be 3rd choice. If he wasn't injury prone, maybe 2nd. I think Wilson has gotten a bit of unfair stick, his all round scoring record is 27 in 62, and has scored 7 from 18 this season. He's been on bad form, but the team haven't really scored much at all in 2023 until sunday, and that was against Wolves, where as Wilson has had to start vs Arsenal, Man Utd, Man City etc. But that being said, you cannot rely on Wilson's fitness, he'll likely score 8-10 goals a season as a back up in a decent side, and that's ok for 3rd choice, he usually scores 1 goal every 2.2 games. CM - We have a good first team in this position. Our first 4 options are decent, but we need better if we want to compete. Willock and Longstaff should be squad players only, not first choice options. Our record without Bruno says it all. We cannot win without him, and that's awful. We need likely a proper CDM, and also a creative CM/CAM like Maddison. CB - Lascelles and Burn are good, but a class below schar and botman at CB IMO. I'm so happy for Lascelles improving a lot, he's impressed me when he's played under Howe, but are we happy with just Burn and Lascelles for cover considering the level we want to play at? I think one more CB signing would be good, as Burn may well still play LB at times, leaving us with only Lascelles for cover. Extras - Another winger, as we have no midfielders that can actually cross and rely on Trippier for too much of our creativity, almost everything from the wing came from him until Almiron came on.
Departures - Fraser, Lewis, Krafth, ASM, Dummett, Laecelles, Manq, and the ones whose contracts expire or who are out on loan - ie Ritchie, Clark, Hendrick, Matty etc In: - top centre back to partner Botman, with Schar going to stand in - top level midfielder (Madison?), to go with first choices of Bruno, Joelinton and/or Willock - striker, ie poacher! One who takes places in the middle and can get on the end of crosses.
I don't see why Lascelles has to go tbh. He's been ok when he's played and I think he's an ok 4-5th choice behind the best two + burn and new cb
I just think it's part of the transition tbh with the now previous first choices becoming stand ins, and the stand ins now leaving. Obviously the likes of Clark, Hendrick, Hayden blah blah were the first to go, but I can now see the likes of Laecelles and Dummett being phased out, with Schar, Longstaff, Targett etc becoming the stand ins.
Now we've got isak backing up Wilson and asm backing up Murphy we're looking much better in terms of depth
They don't call us the bottomless pit because of all the money we have, it's actually cos of the amazing squad depth you've highlighted above.
First team players Out Gillespie - expires 2023 Darlow - expires 2025 Karius - expires 2023 Krafth or Manquillo - expires 2024 Lascelles - expires 2024 Clark - expires 2023 Watts - expires 2024 Lewis - expires 2025 Dummett - expires 2023 Hayden - expires 2026 Hendrick - expires 2024 Maybe Matty Longstaff - expires 2023 Fraser - expires 2025 Ritchie - expires 2023 Wood - Sold Still leaves Pope, Trippier, CB, Botman, LB, Bruno, Joelinton, CM, Gordon, ASM, Isak Dubravka, Krafth/Manqy, Schar, Burn, Targett, Longstaff, Willock, Anderson, Miggy, Murphy, Wilson + 3 more spaces - maybe CB, CM but one must be a CF. So I think 4-6 players in needed - 8 (after 6 contract expiry this summer) out but there's no way all that gets done in the summer. Think 4 in shouldn't be a problem and depending on where we finish is how quickly we can go for the top end talent out there. IDEAL incomings LB - Tierney - If that comes off I'd be amazed but there are rumblings apparently. CB - Hincapie - young Ecuadorian CB at Leverkusen - looks top prospect, decent speed (covering for Botman) and strong, only issue is he's left footed... if money were no object I'd be after De Ligt off Juve who seem to have a lot of financial instability again and him and Botman either side we would dominate possession. CM - Tielmans/Maddison - both quality and surely will want out of Leicester - Tielmans will be on a free and Maddison could be a decent price in the summer either would be a great addition to the squad. CF/WM - Marcus Thuram or Moussa Dembele - link wont go away with Thuram and Dembele another who seems constantly linked - both on Free's this summer. If you could bring in all 6 we'd be flying and you could probably get them all for £120m if Tielmans, Thuram and Delmebele were all on free's...
I'm praying for Maddison. 9 goals and 5 assists already this season in a **** leicester side despite being injured for periods of the season. His output is insane.
Diaby---------Isak----------Almiron -------------Maddison---------------- ---Joelinton-------Bruno---------------- Tierny---Botman---Schar----Trippier ------------------Pope-------------------
Diaby 2 years left on contract, so won't be astronomical. Arsenal surely more likely for him, but would be massive if we land him. Still think Schar upgrade is needed though.
Either would do me! in fact any of those listed above coming in would be a massive step up. Interesting of the older lads staying, in Wilson, Burn and Schar (all 30-31) expire next year 2024.
I'd be extending Schar's contract like, our best CB. I know he's 30/31 but these days he could still do really well, just look at T.Silva.
Truth. A CB partnership of Botman and someone at a similar level is what we need to take the next step up.
