Transfer Rumours Summer Transfer window

It’ll just be promotion bonuses. We may well have contracted some pretty generous ones to get the players we have but can’t argue they do t thoroughly deserve it!

 

Great to see we haven’t suddenly dropped focus on the absolutely superb setup of scouting and collecting young talent.

 

Mepham linked with sheff united

 

Having watched PSG last night, feel like if we signed Dembele, Doue, Vitinha and Hakimi we’d be canny decent.

May as well take Bastoni off Inter as well.

ITK here they all spoke about pink slices after game.

 

I think Dan Neil has to stay at out club. I think he should be our captain too.

Why, after 170 odd games at 23 and captaining our team back to the premier league would we not move heaven and earth to do that? He has been brilliant as a player and now as a leader.

Add to this he is a local lad who loves this club. We could sign a better player, maybe more experienced, but never one that will give as much, or care as much.

We all throw names around like confetti in thinking about next season. But my own opinion is there has to be room for lads like Dan in our 11. If we play next season with Neil, Rigg, Hume, ONien, Jobe, Patto as bit part players we have rippes the heart out of something we as suporters havent had in 30 years. A team we can connect with.

Folk say there is no room for sentimentality. Of course there is. Football is a game of passion, and beauty, and commitment. We know we have lads who will give every last drop of sweat for us fans. And us fans have shown what they mean to us. That in itself is potent in any football match.

Football is about stories, and memories, and moments. It is about going on a journey, together, with mates. Lets keep the unbelievable core we have, those that never said die these last couple of seasons, and complement them carefully.

 

Good though he has been I think we need better and I think we already at least two that are if they are fit in Ballard and Alese. My main priority in terms of recruitment would be two central defenders. For premier league football I think it’s arguably our weakest position. Ironic as for championship it’s pretty strong but it’s a different game pace and “ legal” physicality wise.

 

Agree, some won’t step up but they have earned their chance. No one is guaranteed a place though and they all know that. Up to them to prove themselves against even better players recruited.

 

Beautiful post.

And I believe most of those you’ve listed will adapt. We will struggle early doors but they will adapt.

There’s been PL interest in most if not all you listed, they will adapt.

We absolutely need to buy 8-9 players.

I’d love to think only 4-5 of them needed to be starters.

 

I still remember our first match after being promoted under Reidy, but we all know what happened after that.
Keep the faith.

 

Aye, and we carried almost the whole side over.

We were fortunate that second game we had Watford (I think) and got an early win.

Be nice to have a winnable home early like that to ‘arrive’ and calm the lads.

 

They wanted him last season didnt they? Think we nicked him off them.

 

No. No-one is. I just think he is a bit under appreciated at times. He performs a very difficult role, to which frankly no player is really born. They have to learn it. Rodri, who many will say is about the best at it, said he had sleepless nights trying to master it and asked Guardiola to just " let him play football". It's a hard job to do well.

Many can do the one part of this very well, the screening and short passing bit. But Neil can do more once the play opens up, something many who play in that position cannot.

But we'll see. They get a lot more right than they get wrong now, so I think they'll get this right too. Whereas I get more things wrong than right.!

 

I think we all want to keep the core together, and hopefully most show they are capable of stepping up

That's why I want quality signings, as it'll push our players to new levels

We've always got to look to improve as a club and hopefully these boys can come on the journey with us

Some we will outgrow and some will outgrow us

Gooch is a good example of that, a great lad who we developed but we were outgrowing him so we moved on

 

Good point - this is exactly what KS said at the talk in at the stadium before the start of the season. Sometimes a player will outgrow the club and sometimes the club outgrows the player. Gooch is a good example from our transition from L1 to Championship so it will be interesting to see which of our current players it applies to now that we are in the Premier. It’s such a fine line - these lads gave their all to get us promoted and as has already been said you don’t want to destabilise the good mood in the dressing room but it’s as clear as day that we need better players to compete / survive so who do we feel isn’t going to make the step up

 

This is absolutely right. We will outgrow some of these players and need to keep investing in quality.

To me though, that growth looks like a new midfielder added to the mix, Dan Neil making 25 starts next year instead of 38 and Alan Browne moving on.

If we're talking about selling players like Neil, we're talking about replacing the whole squad which is the worst thing we can do imo.

 

My goodness just been watching a few bits about Singo and yes ****ing please.

Lad looks an absolute beast (I know clips are best bits) but he’s bouncing people off ball, carrying it, passing it.

PL as ****.

 

The only reason why we are talking about it is due to his contract situation, think most want him to stay - i certainly do as I still feel there is so much potential that's not been realised yet

 

Agree wholeheartedly. This is a team that not only do we all support, it's a team we really like.

This is just not always the case at all, looking back at some of the wage thieves who have disgraced us in the past. These lads will need help, and the trick will be to get them that help without swamping them or making them peripheral figures. They will lose a lot of their development if that happens, and I doubt if that chimes with the direction the club has set. We can't afford to go and sign five or six premier league ready players anyway, and even if we could, the rules don't allow it. We are actually more tightly bound than clubs already in the PL.

It will take imagination, thorough planning and some luck to give us a chance. But the players, and the club have fully earned our backing in their approach. Unconditional backing I'd say.