While this is closely related to the 'who should we sign next season' I think it's worth a separate thread. 'Who should we Sign' involves throwing around a lot of names, whereas I think it would be interesting to take a step back and work out what areas of the squad people think need big name signings, backup signings or are OK as they are. Here's my first stab, but I'm more interested in what you guys think based on the format I'm proposing: Goal for Season: Comfortably avoid relegation. GK: No signings required. While none of our keepers are perfect, we have enough quality there in Krul/Darlow/Elliot/Sels that at least one of them needs to take the chance to step up and be our no. 1 Prem keeper. Woodman is also up-and-coming LB: Loan signing I think Dummet has done a decent job this season, but a young and hungry loan player could put a bit of pressure on him to perform as well as provide much needed cover. CB: Key signing. Maybe a controversial opinion, but I've seen Newcastle be so weak here over the years that the need for a really solid partnership is burned into my psyche. Watching Bramble and Boumsong will do that to a man. Mbemba, Clarke and Lascelles have *just* about cut it in the Championship, but I think without another good signing in this position we will struggle. RB: No signings required. Again, not a perfectly covered position, but between Anita and Yedlin I think we've got enough to limp through and save money for other areas, particularly if we strengthen the CB pairing. LM: Backup signing & a loan. At least. We've limped through with Atsu (who'd need to be signed) and Gouffran. I'd probably be happy enough with Atsu + a loan. DM: Key signing. Hayden has impressed here, and I think he deserves a chance. Colback not so much (although better than he has at CM). However, against Premiership firepower I think we need a major signing here to bolster our defence. CM: Backup signing, at least in the summer. Give Shelvey a chance to show he's really got premiership quality, but have some back up in case of injury and suspension. Don't want to see Colback in this role in the premiership. RM: Loan signing. Ritchie has been excellent but we need some backup for him. AM: Loan Signing. Chance for an exciting young player to impress their owners and put some pressure on the likes of Perez/Diame (assuming we keep them - I hope we shift Diame at least. He's like a **** Sissoko, which is saying something). CF: Key signing + loan signing. Don't think there's much controversy here. Looking at our squad I can't see where goals are going to come from. We need a focal point, and a backup option in the form of a young loan striker. Looking at this in total: 3 key signings (CB, DM & CF). Minimum £15M-£20M each in today's market. Say £40M total. 2 backup signing (LM & CM) ~ £7M each. £14M total. 5 Loans: (LB, LM, RM, AM, CF). Say ~£6M total for loan fees. That gives a total of £60M investment to comfortably avoid relegation this season. If we manage to sell on a few players and raise ~£10M then we're expecting Ashley to pump in £20M to protect his investment (on top of the £30M profit from last season). Most probably beyond what we can hope for - so expect a hard fought relegation battle.
Sorry for just jumping on the first point, but define "comrtably"? If it's finishing 13th/14th, then that's been Ashley's previous strategy which Rafa is never going to adhere to, Rafa's target will be a top half finish, and probably more ambition than just that. Totally disagree here - Clarke's been outstanding and is clearly Premiership quality, as he proved in the 6 or so years in the Prem before this season. Mbemba's made a few mistakes but has been been solid, and Laecelles is still developing. One CD to play alongside Clarke is needed, with Clarke being promoted to captain. Midfield needs at least 2 signings, and we need an entirely new attack - Gayle will be injured constantly, Mitro is nuts and doesn't score enough and Perez and Murphy should only be retained as back up.
Don't you think finishing 13th/14th is fairly ambitious for a first season back? Rafa is no fool. He understands what a long term strategy looks like: otherwise he wouldn't have spent a season managing in the championship. If we re-establish ourselves as a solid premiership side we will find it much easier to recruit players once it's clear we're not going to be sucked into a relegation dogfight. Re: the defence. I understand that it's a controversial opinion as we've looked fairly solid at the back in the championship. I just think we need to build from defence forwards if we're going to survive in the premier league. Clarke as you say has been outstanding in the championship, but struggled in the PL with Villa only 1 season ago. Rafa clearly doesn't rate Mbemba, and Lascelles has been hit-and-miss.
LM - this should be a KEY signing! We have Gouff and Sameobi - both of whom are ****e! Atsu is same quality (maybe slightly better) as Sameobi. Midfield - we need 2 new first team midfielders. We need someone behind the front man. There is 4 key signings. Then we need a LB and a striker. Oh and maybe a CB.
That £30m has been spent mate as far as I can ascertain, such was the size of the drop in TV revenue from relegation and the resulting losses we've been running at. In fact Ashley has apparently had to put a further £33m of his own money in to the club this season to balance the books. However, I'd estimate we could cobble together £35m from player sales if we sell one of Mitrovic, Gayle or Shelvey and add it to the £9m we'll get for Thauvin, £6m installment from the Sissoko sale, then maybe sell two or three of Colback, Hanley, Diame and some of the other fringe players. I agree with you that £60m is probably about what Rafa will need to play with to build a squad which can avoid the relegation scrap which would mean that Ashley will need to float the club another £25m probably to be paid back when the Premier League money starts rolling in later in the season (I'm assuming none of the money is paid up front).
I was listening to the phone-in on the radio earlier today and there was a fella on who thought that Ashley only had to put in £45m (to top up the transfer kitty to Alan Shearer's suggested £150m) since we had a £40m "profit" in the bank from last summer's trading surplus, Ashley had put in £33m this season which hadn't been spent in January and we'd get at least £30m from selling fringe players, so that would be £105m for Rafa to spend as starting point. If that's what people think the situation is and how much we will have to spend then there are going to be some disappointed fans.
We need players in the mould of Oliver Kahn, Tony Adams, Paulo Maldini, Lothar Matthaus, Marco Van Basten and Yohan Cruyff and we'll be just fine.
Keeper, left back, centre back, right back, defensive mid (Tiote type), backup centre mid, left winger, attacking/creative midfielder, 2 strikers
Reading into that £33m Ashley loan and £18m of it was to pay off the loan he made to the club the last time we were relegated and never got paid back. Why would he create a new loan to pay back an old loan you ask? Well the £33m new loan is from St James Holdings, whereas the old loan was a personal loan from Ashley himself. The upshot is though that only £15m of this £33m injection was needed to keep the club afloat this season so we perhaps haven't made as big a loss this season as we thought.
Part of what Rafa has to be able to do to force Ashley's hand is move around 10 players out the door. Most have contracts with good salaries.
Prem league figures from 2015/16 - which should go up with the new TV deal in place. Hopefully a chunk of this will be released for work to the squad
I think so long as we are the only club getting these TV payments then that huge advantage will put us in good stead to finish mid-table.
This is how money will be roughly divvied up for 2016-17 until 2018-19. Just shows the value of promotion and staying in the Premier League. Parachute payments work out at about 30million per year for first 3 years down, although its a sliding scale (40, 30, 12) but only 2 years if you go straight back down.
Oh wait you're actually serious I've got terrible news for you... It's not good... He's still an absolute **** of a man with zero professionalism and will never amount to **** all. Unfortunately he's blown it despite all that talent. Biggest single waste of talent in history of football. I can't think of many things worse for a club likely to be up against it than a player who plays solely for himself.
Personally I think we need a few experienced guaranteed 7/10 every week minimum starters, then I'd like to see an injection of youthful enthusiasm. Basically the model Bobby Robson had in place.
