Team A ------------------------- 1) Michel Vorm --------------------------------------- -------------- 4) Chico ----------------- 6) Ash Williams ---------------------- 22) Rangel -------------------------------------------------- 3) Neil Taylor---- ---------------------- 8) Canas ------ 7) Leon Britton ------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- 11) Pablo Hernandez --- 9) Michu ----- 15) Wayne Routledge ---------- ------------------------------ 10) ??????????? --------------------------------- Team B -------------------------- 25) Gerhard Tremmel -------------------------------- --------------- 16) Garry Monk ---------- 2) Kyle Bartley ---------------------- 21) Dwight Tiendalli -------------------------------------- 33) Ben Davies----- ------------------------- 24) Ki ----- 26) Kemy Agustien ----------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------- 12) Nathan Dyer ----- ???????????? ------ 14) Roland Lamah (Loan) --- -------------------------------- 19) Luke Moore --------------------------------- Remaining squad members; 13) David Cornell (GK) - Season long loan 5) Alan Tate (CB/RB) - To be sold 28) Curtis Obeng (RB) - Has he gone yet? 35) Daniel Alfei (FB) - Youngster - needs another loan....been out at Wrexham this year 23) Darnell Situ (CB) - Hasn't worked out - likely to leave 37) Scott Tancock (CB) - Youngster 29) Jazz Richards (Utility) - Is he going too step up? 31) Lee Lucas (CM) - Youngster we will be looking to loan....needs to make his mark soon 34) Henri Jones (MF) - Youngster 39) Kurtis March (MF) - Promising youngster by all accounts 38) Gwion Edwards (Winger) - Very, very promising - Laudrup took him on last season's pre season tour along with Ben Davies. Been on loan in Scotland with St. Johnstone, probably needs another year or 2 of loans in increasingly better outfits 36) James Loveridge (ST) - Promising youngster 41) Rory Donnelly (ST) - Looking to loan him out - Yeovil or Rotherham rumoured ??) Kenji Gorre (AM/Winger) - Goal scoring youngster who might get promoted? 30) Daniel Sheehan (DF) - Thought he'd left but he's still on the BBC site
IMO it's clear we need 2 Strikers, at least 1 centre-back, 1 goal scoring/creative midfielder and maybe 1 winger (possibly cancelling Lamah's loan) and 1 more centre-mid to replace Agustien. I make that 6 (7 if we get 2 centre-backs and ship out Bartley).....2 good loans would help! Or will another youngster step up to the plate to fill one of the roles? Another question is who leaves? He wants 23 hard core squad players backed up by youngsters.....maybe some difficult decisions need to be made this summer.
That Kenji Gorre looks set to sign (I believe he's had an extended trial with the academy team?) another promising winger. If Gwion edwards doesn't go on loan I would like to see him given some games off the bench (especially if Lamah goes back). we really do need a senior CB if Situ and Tate and Monk etc go. Just for depth if nothing else. 2 strikers would be the most vital investment for me (assuming no-one leaves). At least one of them needs to be as good as we can afford. Negredo would be great but looks too pricey, Lukaku looks like staying at Chelsea, Aspas gone to the 'Pool. I wonder who we will get? The club will almost certainly break the transfer record for the right man (I hope). We could make up the other missing squad players with free transfers (like Canas) or loanees. Whatever it takes to balance the books to get one good striker and one great one.
My 23 man squad would look something like this; 1) Vorm 2) Rangel 3) Taylor 4) Chico 5) Ash 6) Canas 7) Hernandez 8) Ki 9) Cornelius / Bony / Aubemeyang etc. 10) Michu 11) Routledge 12) Tiendalli 13) Davies 14) Bakary Kone / Botia / Kjaer etc. 15) Bartley (or young replacement - Mancienne? The Danish boy of African descent that we were linked with at the end of last summer?) 16) Britton 17) Dyer (or replacement e.g. Ince / Capel / Pedro Leon etc.) 18) Huddlestone / Bridcutt or similar 19) Young striker......or short term back-up option such as Odemwingie / Kone 20) Pozuelo / Tom Ince / De Guzman etc. 21) Tremmel 22) Richards 23) Moore 24) & 25) spare for emergencies and can be notionally filled by the 2 most in form youngsters ie. Gorre and Edwards. The youngsters need a carrot to aim for.
Wasn't due to return until pre-season, so hopefully yes. Unfortunate for him as he was playing regularly in the reserves until his injury in Oct I think and probably would have got a few 1st team appearances. As it is neither us or Laudrup have any idea if he's good enough...certainly has the pedigree and attributes though.
Thanks Norfolk. Terrowit - I don't think you can name any U21 to your 25 man squad and if you have any players on the books over 21 they have to be in the 25 before you can have slots open come registration day. So right now Ben wouldn't count and Monk would have to be in there. And I'm not sure how old Bartley is.
There are two milestones to keep in mind: the first is July 1 (or so) when we report back for training and I presume players on hand at that time will represent whatever squad we need to name and prepare for the start of the Europa competition; second, the end of the transfer window and final squad registration at the end of August (or thereabouts). We can and probably will acquire players throughout this window. We know that Canas will join us at the start of training and JDG, unless things change, will not. Tiendalli is still negotiating (WTF). As for anybody else .... who's to say, it's probably all out guerrilla war out there between clubs and agents and players - basically those that are homeless and those that want something better. In core positions we are starting this season (July) in better shape than we were at the same time last season - we know we have Ben, we may have Gwion Edwards showing through - we have Lamah in his first full season to stake a claim - Pablo starts fresh as does Ki. Moore - win or lose it time for him. Mystery man Bartley starts fresh (to be determined - whatever you've done son eat crow or find some dirty photos of ML or do something). There is a lot at stake for a lot of players.
We are definitely stronger as you say Yankee. The youngsters have had time out on loan or been progressing with the youth system. Ben has eased our concerns at LB and saved us millions, what a future he has! Several of the last bunch of signings have had time to adapt. Canas coming. stronger already but with the luxury of having not spent anything yet. A bit of shrewd business strengthening the not so vital positions would leave us the funds to be able to sign the top striker we need to be much more dangerous. I'm really looking forward to the transfer window although the Laudrup stuff recently might slow things down...
SJ ... I think it's still very early in the player acquisition game. No doubt in the last week of August we'll all either be clapping our hands in delight, bashing Dai Twp for the usual reasons, or having a good ****ing moan. Hopefully, the first; but the second option has its merits too - sorry Dai, I'm sure you're keen insight will be proven right again.
Bartley is 22, born on the 22nd of May....not sure if that means he counts as an under-21? Handy that Ben doesn't need to be registered as that means Monk can have his slot and fill in in emergencies. I realised that under-21s didn't need to be registered but was trying to think about the 23 that Laudrup would want to work with. Ben forcing his way in affords us the luxury of registering Monk....24) & 25) although empty would be notionally filled by 2 under 21 players. So the youngsters know that for example if we have 4 injuries, 1/2 out on loan and a suspension or 2 (unlikely scenario but does happen on occasion)....they are our 24th and 25th man and would make the bench. Re: Tiendalli As well as he's done there is a part of me that hopes he doesn't sign. Jazz would have his slot creating extra room for an attacker in the squad. Also if Rangel was injured, and Jazz wasn't cutting it, Chico has played a lot of football at right-back and looks like he'd be excellent there for us....which would mean the centre-back we'll be signing gets more opportunities. I would be selling Tate, Agustien and maybe Dyer (although I'd rather keep him if the Tiendalli situation goes as above)....and maybe Bartley (only because Laudrup doesn't seem to rate him and look at replacing with another young centre-half) What would your 23 look like Yankee?
Thanks! I thought Bartley was a loan signing? If he's ours, I'd like to see him stay. Another thread had him on a possible swap with another kid from Birmingham, but he looked pretty good when we played him for a coupla games. I'd also like to see Jazz get an extended trial. If you'd judged Ben Davies on his first coupla games, you'd have said he needed a bit more practice, looked nervous, but showed promise. As it turned out, his forced inclusion turned him into a three-cap (and counting) Welsh international. I'm not saying that'll happen to Jazz, but there's a chance. Despite all the fuss with the manager, his agent, the chairman and his dog, as long as the players are mostly signed by the start of 'pre season', it'll be the same as if they were signed on the last day of the season.
My 23 man squad now looks something like this; 1) Vorm 2) Rangel 3) Taylor 4) Chico 5) Ash 6) Canas 7) Hernandez 8) Ki 9) Wilfried Bony / Bafetimbi Gomis 10) Michu 11) Routledge 12) Jazz Richards 13) Davies 14) Jordi Amat 15) Monk or REPLACEMENT - e.g. Mancienne? Botia? 16) Britton 17) Dyer or REPLACEMENT - e.g. Ince / Capel / Pedro Leon etc.) 18) Jonathan De Guzman - LOAN 19) YOUNG STRIKER - Vydra loan? Alvaro Morata loan? Michy Batshuayi? 20) Alejandro Pozuelo 21) Tremmel 22) Roland Lamah - LOAN or will he be sent back and someone like Wakaso Mubarak or Nacer Chadli come in. 23) Moore or will he be let go and Jonjo Shelvey brought in (with Michu being our emergency option up front) ? Got to say that by my measure Hugh & co. are delivering
23 man squad now looks something like this; 1) Vorm 2) Rangel 3) Taylor 4) Chico 5) Ash 6) Canas 7) Hernandez 8) Ki 9) Wilfried Bony / Bafetimbi Gomis 10) Michu 11) Routledge 12) Jazz Richards 13) Davies 14) Jordi Amat 15) Monk or REPLACEMENT - e.g. Mancienne? Botia? 16) Britton 17) Dyer or REPLACEMENT - e.g. Ince / Capel / Pedro Leon etc.) 18) Jonathan De Guzman - LOAN 19) YOUNG STRIKER - Vydra loan? Alvaro Morata loan? Michy Batshuayi? 20) Alejandro Pozuelo 21) Tremmel 22) Roland Lamah - LOAN or will he be sent back and someone like Wakaso Mubarak or Nacer Chadli come in. 23) Jonjo Shelvey I am now convinced Luke Moore, Kemy Agustien, Alan Tate, Curtis Obeng, Leyroy Lita and possibly Roland Lamah will all be sold/let go/paid off/loan cancelled (I realise that some of the above 23 are under 21 and so some extra spots could be available for the likes of Moore, Lamah and Agustien but I don't think our wage bill will take it....IMO only Monk will be afforded this luxury, taking Davies' spot but not actually being considered as a realistic option as part of the 23). We are averaging something like a signing a day now, a first choice striker and decent back-up striker and we will have been positively spoilt as fans!
Can't see us selling Tate before his testimonial v Utd, but it could well be his "Swansong" in a Jack shirt before going last minute. Legend! I told you all to wait til July before you started chucking toys!
