Was just having a little thought and was wondering if we need to do any transfer business come january. Do we need to strengthen in any areas, and do any need to be shipped out? The three obvious that come to mind to either be sold or loaned out, are Harry Clarke, Baggot, and as much as it pains me to say it, as I think hes a cracking player, is Humphreys. Not sure if we'd have any space left, but maybe another #9? Hirst is OK in patches, and Azon is not a 90 minute player (or 70 minutes in our case). How well would Burns come back into the squad? Would he be a starter if over his injury? Lots of questions, with not a lot of answers . Your thoughts?
Much will depend if we are seriously challenging at the top. If, as we all hope, we continue this good run, I am sure they will want to bring in re-enforcements. Agree with yr thoughts re Baggot et al. Doubt very much that Burns will be strong enough for regular starts. Mindful of our last Prem foray, I am sure they will try to beef up several areas and not leave it til last minute like last summer.
I think we're pretty well covered in most positions but there aren't many positions people have nailed down yet nor shown they would be capable in the Premier League. I'd say try to work with what we've got in the forward positions as they haven't clicked yet and we've got cover in all areas, don't add another player in the mix. For me the biggest priority is finding a partner for Matusiwa who is also defensively capable of replacing him too. Beyond that we're an injury away from looking very short at CB and we also don't have natural cover at left back
We’ve currently got good squad depth, which we’d rightly expect after the amount of money we’ve spent over the last few transfer windows. I’d be reluctant for us to splash a load of money and have it impact the need to bring some better players in the summer - should we get promoted. Harry Clarke, Baggott, and Humphreys would probably all benefit from a loan move away, but I think we need to keep a couple for the homegrown stipulation for our match-day squads. If we can cash in on Ben Johnson, I’d say do it. He seems surplus to requirements currently and I’m not convinced he’s good cover at left back. I wouldn’t say Burns is a starter when he comes back - as Egeli has a much higher upside - but I’d certainly expect to see him in the matchday squad and a beneficiary of the rotation policy. He gives us something different to the current attacking players, so I hope we keep him. I just hope he’s still the same player after that lengthy injury. Regarding incomings, is there potentially scope to bring Chaplin back? He hasn’t been ripping up trees at Portsmouth, so they might be inclined to not make the deal permanent. Some fans would also like to see Morsy back, as he’s on a free, but I don’t think he’s a requirement with the current squad. Ironically, the best player who has left us is the maligned Muric, who is statistically one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A this season. But I don’t think he’ll be returning. As others have said, I’m concerned that a long term Davis injury would seriously impact the team. Townsend is also out for the season. Could we potentially bring in a loan for half a season to cover? Are we reassured by Young or Johnson covering there for a long amount of time? A fourth centre-back would be a good idea, but isn’t there anyone good in the academy we can potentially fast track? I agree with the consensus that our weakest area of the pitch is centre-forward, particularly considering the amount of chances we create. Hirst has underperformed, but he’s still the current first choice for me. Akpom hasn’t really had a run in the position, but I’m not convinced whenever I see him play. Azon is a handful, but he’s just not prolific or composed enough. Good centre forwards are expensive though, so I’m tempted to maybe just leave the current crop as is and reassess in the summer. Goals aren’t exactly an issue for this side, as the second highest goalscorers in the division, but I do feel that when we drop points - it’s frequently because the attacking players (not just the centre forward) squanders too many chances.
We have. 4 right backs so think 1 (Clarke) to go out on loan / sold. Certainly think Humphreys needs some proper game time - again loan to a league 1 side. Players to add - we need another defensive central midfielder, if Matusiwa gets 10 bookings and a 2 game ban (likely) we need cover and I don’t think Taylor, Cajuste or Nunez can play the role. Another centre forward would be fantastic but they don’t grow on trees and I can see the club sticking with Hirst, Azon and Akpom as the 3rd option
Any new additions must be PL-ready just as the likes of Luongo and Broadhead were ready to step up from League 1 to the Championship.I've still some doubts that's the case with those recruited over the Summer (Egili and,possibly,Nunez excepted)
