Transfer thread for 2016-17 season

All his family have the intro to White riot as their doorbell chime.
Well, they think they do (the police van outside when they open the door
could just be coincidence) .

 

His name popped up in January...but I simply forgot about him when typing up the list (see also: Keisuke Honda, Andre Shurrle, Islam Slimani, Gianluca Lapadula, Samuel Umtiti...)

 

some very interesting posts guys. Thanks for the info, lots I've learnt from that.

One thing I am seeing from a lot of posters is that we need "cover".
I'm now of the opinion that we should be trying to assemble a squad where "cover" isn't actually what we're looking for, at all.
For me, our problem this season (something that we've found out as the season has gone on) is that there's a huge gap between one set of players, and another. - take the Dortmund game for example when a lot of players were rested, and the other set came in. We looked like a different club! (Call it ability, playing style... whatever. - there's a big difference in there somewhere that needs addressing.)

We should be trying to make additions now that as fans we are scratching our heads trying to work out who will start midweek in the CL, and who will start at the weekend, as the competition for places is so strong.
Next season, we've got as many games as last year (give or take) so there's plenty of opportunities for the squad to be used and rotated effectively. - just gotta have the right players to do so.
Not to mention that we're in the CL now, so it's going to be a more appealing option to players that we previously may have struggled to secure the services of. That being said, we don't have to spend millions, but we should be trying to tailor the squad to poch's philosophy, whether that's experienced players costing £25m, or youngsters with potential. - just the correct players.

We used to use the "square peg round hole" description for a few of the players under AVB, but I think it can be said again for a few we have now, albeit not quite in the same way.

It's now a case of trying to assemble a squad who can play in any competition and won't feel like they are a "sub" or "cover", as they are getting enough football.

 

I agree with this to an extent Roo. The trouble is we've had two summers in the last 3 years where there has been a mass clear out and a mass recruitment, with roughly half a dozen coming or going in each direction. I'm not sure if a 3rd summer doing this will be healthy for the chemistry of the squad overall, unless every single incoming is brought in early enough to participate in all of our pre season schedule and get a minimum 3 weeks of training in with the team before the season kicks off. With Levy at the helm, I just don't see that happening.

I can't remember who pointed it out over on the Newcastle match thread but I found myself nodding along in agreement. We are very much a squad that is constructed of three distinct sections: very solid first team, adequate cover, and inadequate cover. The third category has only truly come into a clarity of focus as this season has progressed - at the beginning of the season it was impossible to predict that Mason would look completely out of his depth whereas Wimmer would prove to be a superb understudy. Now that these two categories are clearer, it is understood that there are first team players who literally seem to have zero adequate cover pushing them for their place or covering in their absence. Given the arguments made in favour of Son and Njie being given another year to shine, as well as the return of Pritch to look forward to, I would say that there are 4 slots that urgently need investing in to bring in cover at the level of a Kevin Wimmer:

Toby (right CB)
Dier (DM)
Dembele (CM)
Kane (ST)

Counter-balancing that, I'd predict 4 outgoings:

Fazio
Mason
Carroll
Chadli

Four in, four out sounds more than enough for me...if done properly and early on in the window. If we can bring in significant upgrades on the four players above, we will be formidable.

 

Totally agree. 4 players from outside the club was what I had in my head, too. If those 4 are of wimmers standard or better (in different positions obviously) we will be well on track to having a squad that can rotate adequately where the football doesn't suffer.

Who those players are, I don't know. I've been a little out of touch with it over the last year or so. But there has to be more inexpensive talent like Alli out there. - and Toby for that matter.

I think the striker will cost us the big bucks, and we'll struggle to get around that. - especially as everyone knows we only have 1 striker.
But I'm sure the rest of the incomings won't break the bank, especially if we can recoup a decent chunk from players like you mention above, for example.

 

Judging by the following groan-inducing (and in no way staged...) attempt at humour with Norbert during an interview with the Liverpool Echo, it's safe to rule out a move for Adam Lallana

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Thank **** for that!

Firstly, he's not all that. Little goal threat and a bit lightweight.

Secondly, he'd cost the earth and is on Liverpool wages (three times what he's worth).

Thirdly, those Nivea adverts.

Just no! If Klopp's that sold on him, then I'm surprised.

 

The main reason I never gave much credence to the Lallana rumours was the £80k he gets per week at Liverpool - the only Premiership teams where a player that isn't a nailed-on starter would be paid that are the Chavs or the two Manchester clubs.

 

This sounds a go-er http://www.express.co.uk/sport/foot...g-Clubs-Tottenham-Wanted-Transfer-News-Gossip

 

I like how they use the past tense to describe our level of interest...

 

Damiao can just p*ss off it isn't funny anymore. I'm much more interested in the subject of the video contained within that article - Saul Niguez. Superb player. Would cost an absolute fortune but would be worth every penny.

 

How's Alan Damiao doing ??

 

I can almost picture Levy saying "Fine, we'll sign Lassana Diarra if it stops the bloody stories coming up every summer..."

 

Damiao

Thought we'd heard the last of him, his career really has gone right down the pan, from the what was potentially the new Brazil number 9 to looking for what will now be club number 9.

 

A few headlines...
* Atletico Madrid have confirmed that Saul Niguez has signed a five-year contract, so he's a no-go
* The papers are using their joined-up logic to report that we'll be making a £15m bid for Callum Wilson, which breaks down as £9m + Mason
* Borussia Monchengladbach centre back Jannik Vestergaard, who seems like a Danish Wimmer, is supposedly on our radar for a £12m deal
* Milan striker M'Baye Niang has been linked...so can I bang on about his teammate Andrewa Bertolacci now?
* The Standard won't let go of the "Eriksen to Juventus" bone they've stubbornly chewed on since March
* Grant Ward is the latest player to be linked with a season-long loan to Rangers
* Nathan Oduwa is allegedly stalling on a new contract

 

Saul Niguez was always a non-runner. His club are in the CL Final for the second time in 3 years. They are building a new stadium, etc, etc.

Eriksen isn't going to Italy. MP has significantly improved him as a player. Italy's as competitive as Germany or France with a feel of 'Yesterday's News' about the whole league. The guy loves London and Turin is ****.

Oduwa's being a very silly boy. Money is said to be an issue. Surprising? No, not really.

West Ham are running around with their wad and asses on show. I guess the silence out of our club says we are doing business rather than PR.

 

We're being linked with Schurrle again today in several media outlets.

http://www.90min.com/posts/3222804-...-rated-andre-schurrle-lined-up?utm_source=RSS

 

Schurrle makes a lot of sense and ticks lots of boxes; plays as a LW or up top on his own, and seems quite content starting from bench as he has done multiple times this season for Wolfsburg. That LW spot has become something of a dilemma for us with Lamela and Son much stronger on the right with Chadli and Njie not quite up to standard and as a result we've seen Eriksen play there out of position to accommodate Alli in the centre.

Vestergaard is a great prospect but has established himself as a regular starter at BM...would he move here to basically be 4th choice CB? Tbh I'm more than content with rotating the bulk of our games amongst Toby, Jan and Kev. We definitely need another CB but I'd much prefer to bring in a Gallas or Naybet type than another kid.

 

One thing that could count against Schurrle is his fitness issues, summed up thus...

In October Schurrle gave an interview to SportBild, in which the German international explained: “I have a deformity, which affects my muscles. It makes them stiffen more easily. The muscles in my buttocks and thigh have repeatedly blocked, which is partly due to a vertebral problem in the back.

“Because of the stiffening, I could no longer perform certain movements without pain and couldn’t sprint.”

Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt was put to work and 'a series of injections and targeted chiropractic exercises' are hoped to have got Schurrle back on the right track.

That goes a long way to explaining why he's not been a regular starter.

 

Looks like we're stuck with Captain, Leader, Legend, Racist, Philanderer, Bellend for at least another season...