...how much do you think the Allams would dedicate to transfers/wages? Based on how you feel about our squad currently (see other thread), you should be able to roughly judge who would be ok and who wouldn't (I'm thinking Wayne Brown/Michael Bridges here) and therefore how many replacements we'd need. Last time we went up with a decent team, players like Turner, Folan, Fagan and Myhill stepped up well in that first PL season. Outgoings were too few and the money spent was unwise (think it came to about £7m combined for Gardener, Halmosi and Zayatte *shudder*). I reckon that Chester, Olofinjana, Stewart, Hobbs, Koren, McKenna (maybe, Ash and Daws did it so he should be alright), Dudgeon, Evans and Rosenior would be ok in the PL, so with that in mind I'll go for a budget of £7.5m. With that, I'd make Mannone a permanent (maybe £1m), same Brady (£800k). I'd then look at another striker (Gary Madine/Jordan Rhodes £2m/£3m), a back up for Manonne (£1m-£2m), a solid pacy winger (Liam Feeney or Albert Adomah (£2m?) and maybe a cheeky free aent/loan from abroad. Keep Basso for 3rd choice goalie. Out would go: Gulacsi (wouldn't bother making it permanent, if he hasn't gone back already), McShane, McLean, Cullen (a loan to the last chance saloon), Atkinson, Harper, Garcia (think it maybe a bridge too far for him). Take whatever you can get for those; I imagine we'd only get a fee for Garcia or McShane and even then it wouldn't be a lot. But with the wages left over and the spare transfer money we should be able to offer competitive deals to quality players without being sold short. Care to wager a guess?
Regardless of division I think we need about 9 players signing up. 2 goalkeepers - we don't currently have anyone for next season. 1 left back - This will be Dawson when they eventually get round to him signing 1 centreback - we currently only have Hobbs providing bulk and Cooper is the only cover 1 right back - there's only Rosenior now 1 defensive midfielder - McKenna is the only one. 2 wingers - Brady (end of loan) and Garcia (out of contract) will leave us with just Stewart and McLean, and I wouldn't fancy McLean in it much if we'd gone up, especially if we went 442. 1 forward - we have nobody who can play the lone striker role, or with any size to play as the big man alongside the other strikers. If we go up we don't need the DM as much. Evans is another option there as Cairney and Oli can share the duties in the other deep lying midfield role, although that is assuming Cairney's problem is the lack of time on the ball in this division. McShane will also be considered one or both of the defenders if we go up, attempting to offload him if we don't. The savings from not having to sign the DM and one of the defenders can be put towards the extra striker we'll need if we've gone up. ----------------------------------- Based on that I'd go: Mannone and a back up, or Mannone and Smithies if we've gone up and Huddersfield haven't. (if they stay down I can see Rhodes going and others following) Someone like Connolly at QPR should be fairly cheap since he can't make their 25 anymore. If we've gone up, Davies at CM I'd go for even though the position isn't as essential a signing. Wingers - Hamill plus someone from abroad because you tend to get better value than with British wingers. Strikers - no idea off the top of my head, my choice just went to Reading. I'd go for loans for the 2nd striker and another defender if McShane is offloaded. That improves the squad significantly, at what will be relatively low costs, and gives us players we shouldn't worry too much about losing if we come back down again. That way we can do a WBA and either hang on to most of the squad if we go down to try to get straight back up, or we can make similar improvements the next summer and build slowly like that to establish ourselves.
Mannone, Rosenior, Koren, Chester, Evans, Stewart, Brady and possibly Mckenna and Hobbs would do ok in the premiership. Look at Norwich and Swansea, squads of largely Championship players last season who are holding their own in the premier league compared to QPR who have bought more established players and are the lowest in the table of the 3 promoted clubs. Agree with Ricardo though, which ever league we are in next season we need to look at adding to the squad quite a bit.
+++++++++++++++++ First of all the FREE AGENT MARKET..IMO....should be looked at by the club. Players such as Anthony Gerrard, Jackob Butterfield, Kevin Davies as an example of 3 who would improve Hull City and not cost a penny transfer fee wise. Then i would also say a bid of £2-3m would tempt Sunderland to let Turner go. Norwich City have done there player recruitement very well. Picking up star championship players/small fee players £2-3m/free agents in the main and look at them now. This is a principal of what Phil Brown should have done but failed to do. NB will know who is going in the summer regardless so who goes is down to Nick not us. I would say looking at the superb quality on the Free Agents Lists would mean that City would only have to spend around £30million on players, if that. From the £80m that comes from TV that leaves £50m for the Allams or put in the bank. Not incl. all other forms of revenues (sponsorship, passes, tickets, corporate etc etc etc) the club would be well set. IMO, 8 of the current main 11 are already good enough to start week in and week out in the PL. Thats not a bad place to start is it.? Nick Barmby as our manager will be a massive draw for players unlike Brown was and that will give him an advantage with players.
Just a small point, but Butterfield would not be free. Barnsley would be due compensation and as he's in demand, there'd be a substantial signing of fee too, I don't think he's going to be a cheap option for anyone.
he is out of contract in the summer and as most of us know the compensation is nowhere near what a true and proper fee would be. as for the demand, it would depend on which other clubs wanted him and the pulling power of Nick Barmby. for sure Butterfield would be well within a PL budget for us. His current injury may also put many off ?
Small point but why would we pay 1-2 million pound for a back up keeper to Mannone? Not a chance of paying that for a back up keeper.
why ? Norwich have just spent £2m on Johhny Howson from Leeds who is currently injured. Any compo paid i would guess would be in comparrison with his injury ? Butterfield wont be that expensive overall. imo.
What do you mean why?!? You stated it may put others off so why are we not included in that? Why would it put others off and not us? Do we know something they don't?
others who wont have PL money to spend for starters. others who will have a tighter budget. his injury IMO is not an issue but it could well be for other clubs. Butterfield as an out of contract player in the summer would be a perfect fit for city and at not much money.
Yep, long before Reading were interested I said he should have been at least looked at. He was out of contract at Blackburn in the summer and they weren't going to play him and trigger an extra year on his deal. We could have had him on loan til the summer with a view to a permanent and had him on a fraction of his actual wages.