On the back of the transfer thread thought it would be useful to keep track of our current first team squad. Sold/Released/Loaned (first team squad) Pritchard - Loaned to Brentford Sigurdsson - Sold to Swansea Archer - Loan to Northampton Falque - Sold to Genoa Carroll - loaned to Swansea Dawson - Sold to Hull Sandro - Sold to QPR Holtby - Loaned to Hamburg Fryers - Sold to Crystal Palace As it stands - 1st Team Squad 24 players (if we include Mason). However we currently have 17 overseas players and the limit is 17. Goalkeepers (3) Lloris Vorm Friedel Defenders (9+1 U21) Kaboul Dier (U21) Vertonghen Naughton Davies Walker Rose Chiriches Fazio Assou-Ekotto Midfied/Wingers (10+1) Lennon Dembele Stambouli Townsend Chadli Paulinho Capoue Lamela Eriksen Ceballos (U21) Mason Forwards (2 + 1 U21) Soldado Adebayor Kane (U21) Bold are homegrown - currently 9. Harry Kane will be 21 soon, so not needing inclusion in our 25. Erik Lamela turned 22 in March and Christian Erksen turned 22 in February are both now not considered U21 (I think?). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Squad by Homegrown/Overseas = Maximum 25, currently 25 Homegrown Minimum 8 (to have a squad of 24) Currently 7 not including U21 Goalkeepers Defenders Naughton Davies Walker Rose Midfield/Wingers Lennon Bentaleb (U21) Townsend Ceballos (U21) Mason Forwards Kane (U21) Overseas Maximum 17, currently 17 not including U21 Goalkeepers Lloris Vorm Friedel Defenders Kaboul Vertonghen Chiriches Fazio Dier (U21) Assou-Ekotto Midfield/Wingers Dembele Stambouli Chadli Paulinho Capoue Lamela Eriksen Forwards Soldado Adebayor
Beat me to that PS, was just about to say the same, though I'd presume Mason will be on his way out soon. A shame as I (kind of) know the guy through friends and seems a top guy.
True - copied last year when Carroll was U21, so not taking one of the HG places, but now would. I'll update.
I see poch has said there wont be much transfer activity and that we'll be relying on existing players. Tbh i'd be happy with that if it meant our academy kids coming through, but i think it more than likely means the proven flops from last summer's transfer disaster. Noone's going to buy paulinho now after his woeful world cup, and i can see it taking some time to shift his useless fat ass out of the team. I love to think of lamella as being some superstar in the making, but weve seen nothing to suggest that he's anything of the sort, and again i look forward to the day when the manager can turn round to levy and say 'look i know you oaid a fortune for him, but he's s**t. I want to play the academy kids'. I,d also far rather see harry kane playing than soldado tbh. Anyway, i didnt mean to have a rant, it just came out, so sorry for that. Right then, in terms of our squad, if we bring the lad from roma in then that should give plenty of options up front. Defence is obvs a worry, but if davies comes in then we have him, ekotto, fryers and rose (plus naughton) for left back. Left back is the new right back !!!!! Right back walker and naughton should do.. Centre back looks a problem. Kaboul looked totally finished last season, and with dawson proven garbage that really leaves next to nothing beyond verts and vlad, apart from the academy kid. One more cb an absolute must imo. Then midfield, id look at it like this : Holding : capoue, sandro Box to box : bentalab, holtby, dembele, paulinho Wide : kane, falque, chadli, townsend, lennon, ceballos, lamella Advanced : carroll, eriksen, (holtby) So coming back to my rant, the players id love to see being given a go are bentalab, kane, carroll, possibly falque and ceballos. Thanks. I'll get my coat
So, in summary, i'd be happy with something like this : Lloris Naughton chiriches vertonghen davies? Bentaleb dembele Ceballos, eriksen, Kane Adebayore Keeper, Fryers, walker, carroll, falque, holtby, soldado
That team would struggle to avoid relegation. We have to believe there is more to come from Lamela, Soldado, Chadli and Capoue or we are stuffed.
After last night's game, what's the instant knee-jerk suggestion? Dawson, Naughton and Rose out the door ASAP?
I dont see any reason at all why it would struggle to avoid relegation. I think chadli and capoue will be useful this season, but i dont see why we have to hope they come good rather than the kids. We have to hope some players come good, but for me it doesnt matter whether it's the kids or the signings from last season. As the academy kids have shown far more promise than the likes of lamella and paulinho, i'd sooner place my hope in their hands.
That's a joke, right? Good one, too. Seriously, though, I think we discovered under Sherwoodie that Naughton, Kane, and Bentaleb simply are not good enough for a side that has European aspirations. Sure, if fans are happy to settle with mid-table mediocrity and the occasional flirt with relegation, fine. I, for one, am not, so that players can have only bit-parts to play in a domestic campaign.
That's bollocks though really. We found out that naughton os a **** left back. He was pretty good at right back, and probably more reliable a distributor than walker. Kane improved markedly at the end of last season and bentaleb was class for a young player. Anyone who wrote bemtaleb off after last season needs to put their specs on the right way round
That's all fine and dandy, but it doesn't answer my main point. With a first XI that includes those three players, we will never make top 6, and may even struggle to stay in the Prem.
You can't really think that you can judge the careers of two young players by watching them play in a poor system under a rookie manager? Even if you do we got quite a few points with them on the field. No logic at all in saying they would be relegation fodder.
Kane and Bentaleb might make decent squad players but unlikely much more. As for Naughton, he has done nothing to show he has the capability to be even a half-decent defender - not at LB or RB - and the sooner he moves on the better.
There's quite a few are saying Naughton should be moved on and Fredericks comes in as Walker's understudy after last night's game.
It's too early to take such views on Bentaleb as first he wasn't the best Mf in the development team, then he wasn't worthy of a place in our first team yet in the space of 7 months or so he has gone from development player to first team player, to holding his own at the world cup. Kane I would agree with but when Peter Crouch was a QPR and Villa player, would anyone have said he would be a striker that helps a team gain top four qualification and scoring in the champions league? No. That's why I'll give Kane and other youngsters a chance before I dismiss them as different managers bring out the best in different players and Bentaleb has potential to be more then just a squad player if he continues to improve.
So, you believe that we'd make top 4 with Naughton, Bentaleb and Kane in the starting XI? Sorry, but we're going to struggle to finish top 4 with a team that has a better trio in it than those three. If you truly believe that Bentaleb and Kane are better than first-team options at Chavs, £ity, Gunners, United, or even 'Pool, then I have to seriously question your sanity.
