Morning gents, Just thinking about realistic signings for next season and how we may line up, this is what I'd like to see in terms of incoming players, I think the following could really push us to the next level - give me your opinions... Shay Given (Man C) - £5-10M Currently rotting on the bench at City, would easily displace Gomes, Friedel as backup. Lukas Podolski (FC Cologne) - £10-15M Underrated, versatile, can play wide left or centrally, plus he seems to be angling for a move to England. Samuel Eto'o (Inter) - £20-30M Could be the big signing that we need, wages may be a problem but maybe Levy could be smart about it and compensate with a bonus for finishing in the top 4? Quick, strong and clinical would complete the jigsaw and is interested in playing in England. Leandro Damiao (Internacional) - 12M Will need time to adjust, one for the future. Scott Parker (West Ham) - 8M Would be a decent backup for the loss of the other central midfielders Outgoing: Kranjcar £10M Jenas £5M Palacios £12M Keane £6M Dos Santos £5M Bentley £5M Crouch £7M O'Hara £5M Hutton £5M Bassong £5M Pavlyuchenko £10M. Starting lineup: -----------------Given------------------- ----------------------------------------- --------Dawson---------Gallas----------- Walker----------------------------Bale--- ----------------------------------------- ---------Sandro-------Modric------------ ----------------------------------------- Lennon------------------------Podolski-- ------------Van Der Vaart--------------- ---------------------------------------- ----------------Eto'o-------------------- Not saying we will get those but would look a good bet for a top 4 finish if we could get them. Plus Redkapp has said in the past that he thinks Bale will succeed as a left back. COYS!
Too much change there. Podolski is over rated in my eyes, the guy doesn't score enough at club level and to play him at LW with Bale at LB is not as good as having BAE and Bale. Eto'o would be amazing but I think he will want CL football and mega bucks for wages. Also you have us selling 3 of our strikers and bringing in Eto'o with only Defoe as back up??
I like Podolski a lot, but I doubt whether we are actually interested in him, as for eto'o I think hes wages will be too much. I agree with you tho that walker should be at rb, looked very impressive for vila and in the u21 championships. I think if barca end up getting sanchez then we should try and poach rossi
I'd question keeping Defoe and selling Pav. I also don't think we've got any chance of getting Eto'o but I'd be delighted to be proved wrong. I don't think we'll get a new 'keeper either so I'd have in; Tomkins, Parker, Marin(unlikely, I admit), Damiao and Anelka
Its all ifs, buts and maybes at the minute but IMHO the probables are; IN Damiao Parker Joe bloody Cole Connor Wickham And the OUTS Jenas Keane Bentley J2S Hutton Niko *Palacios IF we get another CB, then I can see it being on the back of Seb Bassong going. Too much more change than that would de-stabilise us, I think...
The thing is, 'Arry talks of 2/3 'top' players that would elevate us to the next level. Out of all the 'ins' being touted at the mo, none really do that. Damiao maybe, but are we riding on the Sandro wave a bit here? The money (transfer) won't be a problem, it's a combination of wages/who's available/convincing them that will be our stumbling block. 10-15 goals each for Defoe & Pav could have made the 'convincing' element a bit easier, but then again in January we were sitting pretty on a couple of fronts and our status then didn't help much <headhurts>
Arry still considers Cole to be a world beater, and Parker to be the DM of the moment so that could explain his top 2-3 players with Damiao as the other 'IN' Depends on how Arry defines top class, surely???
Differently from most of us, it appears But that's why he's the manager and I'm sitting in an office looking at the rain <erm>
I dare say it's the step-up from the fizzy league to the Prem that has his mouth watering? It's a big enough step-up for most players, esp a young lad like him.
I wouldn't mind Given, but I doubt City will sell to us. Remember last season when we tried to get Bellamy? They ended up giving him to Cardiff on a loan deal where City continued to pay most of his wages, allegedly.
It's a case of, What we would like, and what we're liable to get. Firstly, we have to remember that we are not in the CL next year, and that we don't pay anywhere near top wages. So, where does that leave us? Eto?. TBH, it's not going to happen, is it. For the reasons atated above. Falcao? probably end up at Chavski. Rossi? Barca want him, and that seems to be his preffered option. Drogba? Possibly. If he's prepared to take a big wage cut. But he would only be a short term option. That leaves us with Osvaldo? Again, possibly. However, others are interested and the price may go too high. Damiao? Probable. But will take time to settle. Adebayor? Possibly, again. But, there's the wage cut, and his suspect temperament. I'm sure I've missed or forgotten a few others. But in general, you get the idea that anybody who has the slightest idea of how to find the goal, is highly sought after. As others have said, I'm sure we'll end up with Parker (why?) and Joe bloody Cole Neither of those are going to solve our main problem, though.
Still think Forlan would be a cracking signing for you. Not to expensive, has been brilliant for a few years now but probably not quite sought after enough that he is unattainable. Getting on a bit but 2-3 years is a long time in football. Could probably link up well with Defoe also.
V-Boas,wants to sign Eto-o according to bbc sport,along with Falcao and they reckon Drogba and Alnelka will be off loaded. Napoli have bid 12 million for Palacios,and Ipswich want 12 million for Wickham,Harry's got some wheelong and dealing to do for any of them
I think wages would be a massive stumbling block - would be interesting to see what he's on at the moment.
Football365 had an article stating Forlans preferred move would be to England... I doubt he's on megabucks at Atletico anyway...
If so then he's in range - will he be able to get the monkey off his back from his first time in the Prem though? I'm not so sure
Really? I´d be surprised if Atletico are paying that much! Not impossible, but they never win anything, and the general level of debt in Spanish football is less than in the UK so I always assumed outside of Barca/Real wages in Spain were kind of on a par with Spurs structure. Having said that if Atletico want to keep Aguero now they´re going to have to give him a fat pay packet!
