Rehabbing a hamstring injury, has been back in training but isn't 100% yet. Everton still interested (as they were when he chose us over them) and Martin keen to keep him, if possible. Says they've had some good chats lately.
Edozie needs to learn to use that final ball (and Tella needs to shoot less and cross more). Two exciting works in progress, but perhaps Sulemana has even more potential. And Amo-Ameyaw looks better than all three.
We seem to have had quite a lot of injuries in the off season. And this isn’t supposed to be conspiratorial. Sulemana, ABK, Mara, Perraud, Ballard. I think McCarthy. Perhaps some others as well that don’t immediately jump to mind
Relegation no bad thing for Edozie. I think he'll be a key player for us once he gets his confidence up. He'll also win a lot of cheap fouls in and around the box. So long as *both* Tella and Sulemana aren't sold then I think that will be a position of real strength for us. Would love to see Amo-Ameyaw get a new contract even at this early stage (believe current one runs out in 2025?). Get him tied down for as long as possible and let him develop behind two starters, managing game time etc. Then if both Djenepo and Aribo are sold we might need someone with a little experience to boost the numbers.
Don't think it's fair to include Perraud and ABK in that list as they were both injured playing for us at the end of last season.
With Edozie and SAA behind them that would be most mangers dream this season. Just need to get in that striker and another creative 8 (mcatee) and we are looking very strong
That would have options at 8 (two slots), assuming the departure of JWP as Alcaraz, McAtee, Armstrong, Aribo and Smallbone. Feels like we’d need to at least move Aribo on I wonder if McAtee or similar would only come in if JWP goes? Our only real chance is if there is a combo of city not wanting him in the premier league yet (seemed to be the case with Delap) and the Wilcox connection Potential midfield options of: Charles, Smallbone, Alcaraz, Grimes (or another new signing), McAtee and Armstrong with cover from Doyle and apparently Manning. But maybe it will be one of Grimes or McAtee (or Downes but he doesn’t seem to want to drop down and or be part of a JWP deal. edit : what I will say is that if FM is even remotely correct on Aribo’s wages then we are going to struggle to get rid of him and better hope we can find a way for him to fit into the system. Even if there has been a 40% drop.
He’s 19 - 3 months could be a long time. Teenagers think a few years is an astronomical length of time because to them it is (relatively). I’m being a little glib though because it’s can’t have been that long. Unless he’s been interested for over 6 months and that is why he didn’t sign a new arsenal contract.
Master Bates Posted 3 minutes ago Saints willing to let Sulemana join Everton on loan, Everton want to buy
Apparently also including a buy option. Which I assume we have to in order for them to go for it but seems pointless. The point would be that he can come back if we go up. Not that a PL rival can take him off of us. Granted he needs to agree to go but if they stay up and he plays well then you’d think he would
Would absolutely love it if the rumours were about incoming signings instead of everyone being linked away. Ah well
If we do allow Sulemana to leave on loan I don't really understand how that fits in with our "only at the right price" policy.
Why not, to me it suggests we want to keep him, he perhaps doesn’t want to stay in the Championship, and if we go back up he becomes our player again, in the EPL. Seems totally logical to me. Unless he is sold of course, as we wouldn’t be loaning him, and he wouldn’t be coming back.
I thought the point was that, providing we want to keep a player, we will only sell him if the money is too good to turn down. Unless there is a big loan fee, which I doubt, it seems as though we should just say £30m or he stays to help us go up. A loan isn't going to help us get promoted.
That is easy to say though Ronnie. If the player doesn’t want to play it really isn’t easy to keep him happy and treat affects the other players. The manager seems to have instilled a good team bond in a short space of time. Wouldn’t think having someone around that could unsettle that would be productive. So not sure it is a case of having to get rid, just other factors at play.
