I heard we are interested in Joshua Zirkzee and to be honest I think this makes more sense. As he's more of a 'false 9'. If we signed a Toney or a Osimhen - this would mean a system change to some extent. Or it means we are signing a player for 60-100m just to be an Nkteiah upgrade (come off the bench and offer depth) Whereas I think a player like Isak, Zirkzee or cough.. Mbappe fits our system better. All offer the ability to cover a WF position and drop a little deeper down the middle. When you consider Saka and Martinelli are both only 22 - both players can be 20+ a Season Wide players soo personally I think we need a forward to helps facilitate that. Not just a classic no.9.
Well, doesn't matter because it seems like it's a done deal now between him and Madrid. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68346321
Thank you Jurgen for this public commendation because it will add an extra few ££ to his price when we look to sell this Summer.
I would defo love to see Ollie Watkins at our club. He can link up play and more importantly he can score. He's young and would defo fit our system
28 is not old for a striker. He has at least 5 years left in him at this level and his all round game is better than Toney's. I would defo have him all day long
This is the only season in his career he's managed more than 1 in 2 in a top league and I bet he drops below that level by the end of the season. He only managed it once in four seasons in the Championship in his prime age of 22 to 24 in one of the best and highest scoring teams in the division. He's not good enough. And he's not young. And his all-round game is not better than Toney's. But I don't really want Toney either. We shouldn't be laying down £60m+ on 28-year-olds like Toney and Watkins. Spend that on Vlahovic or push it to £100m and get Osimhen or Isak.
For me, it's not even about age necessarily. Does Watkins have that superstar quality to win us a league or a CL? I don't think he will. Villa will also demand a crazy fee considering he's recently penned a new deal. Not worth it IMO.
I just think he will thrive at Arsenal and will score more goals than Jesus and Nketiah. Villa are only decent this season, the Championship is difficult no matter what team you are. You could be right about the fee though. It's all about opinion.
I mean 27-30 is usually the peak for a forward. Soo if we signed Watkins at 29 - that's hardly ideal. I think we'd be better off getting someone in the 24-25 age range. Personally think Isak would be great for us. Zirkzee also look like another great option - although Bayern and United are currently interested.
We're likely going to face fixture congestion as Chelsea and Wolves will both be expected to make the FA Cup semi-finals (both our fixtures against them this month will be rescheduled). And depending on what happens in the Champions League, April/start of May could be a very hectic period. We need as many players back for the final stretch as possible.
With us looking likely to sign a midfielder this Summer, and Elneny leaving in June when his contract expires, this move makes so much sense. Perfect replacement for Elneny as a 3rd/4th choice midfielder who has more to offer and is a great player for dressing room morale
Yeah plus recent financial results show us 50m in the Red for the last year. So any incomings will need to be offset by Sales. Need to fully offload Elneny, Tavares, Marquinhos, Tierney, Lokonga, Cedrick and Nketiah. Will see what happens with Thomas Partey also. If we can bring in another quality CF and a DM/CM then our squad will be in pretty damn good shape.
Yeah I saw our financial results, but my understanding is we still have a bit of wiggle room currently with new sponsorship deals and (assuming we get CL again for next season) additional CL income. We are also healthier in comparison to a lot of clubs. Our wage bill:revenue ratio is one of the lowest in the division. Also, any sales that happened after the 1st July 2023 would be factored into following year’s balance sheet, so I think we are in a healthier position than those published results show. Some of that £52m loss was down to ripping players’ contracts up (i.e. Pepe) and contract renewals. Cedric and Elneny will be leaving this Summer, which will free up additional wage room and squad space. Then there is the likely permanent departures (sales) of Ramsdale, Lokonga, Tierney, Nketiah, & Tavares - possibly Partey, Patino and Nelson too. Things aren’t perfect but we’re still in a strong position.
Reports going around that Newcastle and Bayern Munich are eyeing up a move for Zinchenko for £45 million. I would absolutely take this. Zinchenko's a good player, but I do feel like we've evolved past him and his deficiencies defensively are a problem for us. He's 28 this year, so I think £45m would be a good price to sell him for.
Agree, this would be a good deal. He's just not as consistent as he was in the first season. White and Kiwior play the system well and can defend. With Tommy in the back ground and Timber near fitness, I think we could afford to let him go. I'm not sure what academy players we have or if they are ready to step up next year but these 4 gives us a good base.
