Transfer Rumours The Summer Transfer Rumour Thread 2016

Just like Siggurdson did

 

Tobes is back with his "big club" nonsense over on the Swansea board. I do so hope they keep Williams or sting Everton for far too much.

 

I really think we could do with a player like Iker Muniain, can we kidnap him when he is over?!

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/foot...SunFootball-_-20160802-_-Football-_-535162912

 

I really wish he'd just buy a willy enlarger, get therapy or something. Funny how some people don't understand when you're laughing at the very behaviour they think is 'big and clever'. Oh well.

If they sell Swansea will make them pay +++ and buy a decent replacement 10yrs younger as they actually seem to have a scouting system.

I

 

Claude spoke to the BBC, Daily Echo and The Telegraph today.

Has refused to rule out more signings but says he is happy with the current squad for the Watford game.

 

I think we will look back and think we sold Mane too cheaply

 

Another DM/CM? Would be a surprise.

 

We most certainly will. Then the next match it will feel like we got a brilliant deal. Then he'll be too cheap again.........

 

1984

Already right up there!

 

I said last week, we're going to play 2-6-2 or 2-6-1-1

 

Claude saying he sees Redmond as a striker. If so, I think we'll see another AM come in.

Austin/Long/Redmond/Rodriguez as strikers would mean we're pretty covered in terms of depth, too.

 

Redmond as a striker will be a fun experiment, given that he has been a pretty terrible finisher to this point in his career.

 

Did you read the interview with Jeremy Wilson, DTLW posted?
Puel mentions his work with a young Thierry Henry and his finishing.
Can lightening strike twice?

 

That's what will make it a fun experiment. I'm pretty dubious, but some of the tools are there.

 

IMO, Redmond is the only winger on the team now. The rest are strikers who have played on the wing (eg. Long, Rodriguez) or guys who can play and might even be more effective in the middle (Tadic).

So if Puel is talking Redmond up as a striker, then I'm guessing we are playing 4-1-2-1-2.

 

I reckon we might be involved in a lot of 1-0's this season.

 

Seems very likely that we're playing a diamond. Regarding Tadic, I prefer him on the (left!) wing, but we'll see.

Our defense is going to be the most important part of the season, without question. We're going to need the fullbacks to provide all the width, which will place quite a bit of pressure on them and on the CBs to occasionally handle counters by their lonesome, as we saw under Poch. Think it's becoming apparent why Puel's results have been so variable year-to-year...he isn't afraid to go off in his own direction, sometimes to excellent effect, sometimes less so.

 

Redmond as a CF is interesting, as it implies we'll be looking for our forwards to press intensely, which really doesn't suit Austin at all. Yet, without Austin, I struggle to see who's going to be able to finish our chances. (As you say, Redmond's a bloody awful finisher, and Puel isn't going to turn him into Henry in a fortnight.)

This season's exciting, merely for the fact I've not a clue how we're planning to integrate a system with the players we've got at our disposal.

 

I personally like the diamond. Not only as a tactical formation, but I believe it suits our personnel better.

I like the diamond, personally. I hear what you are saying about the formation lacking width. But, OTOH Redmond and Tadic weren't going to offer us a whole lot on defense on the flanks anyway.

Our strength at this point is probably in central midfield, and particularly with DM or somewhat defensively/deep-playing oriented midfielders anyway. A diamond of Romeu-Clasie/Hojbjerg-Davis (or Tadic) is rather appealing to me. The 4-1-2-1-2 can easily be collapsed into a 4-3-3 or even a near 4-4-2. We ended up playing 5 at the back last season. IMO, we did that less because of issues of width but because our defense didn't have enough quality to get it done with a back 4 and 2 DM. So now we can have 7 back but with an extra DM instead of an extra CB which gives us a little more going forward. Yes, we will give up a bit in width but we can make up for it by packing the middle and taking away the end product.

It also lets us play both Austin and Long in central roles. And probably Rodriguez at this point is more suited there as well. We lack a great striker, but we can make up for it in quantity by playing two.

It's definitely a risk. I'm not saying for sure it's better. But I see the logic behind it, and if Puel is more comfortable in that formation, I'm cool with it. I'm less worried about our CB's because 1) I think they are good and 2) IMO, they'll actually have more support. But I agree it will be up to the FB's-- particularly at RB to step up and prevent us from being overrun on the flanks.