Okay. Its only 2 weeks until the highly anticipated January transfer window opens for business and already the speculation and discussion is well under way. Who goes; who stays and who do we need are the most asked questions. According to some we need left backs, right backs, central defenders, wide men and strikers. Maybe for some up to 4 or 5 or even more to come in and maybe we do but I have another thought on the January window. I want to pose this thought for discussion amongst everyone. We have, by anyones standards, had an abysmal few months since the season begun on a sunny August afternoon this year. 14 new faces were brought in and half a dozen shipped out including our star player and our talisman cum biggest disappointment (who has just sacked his 3rd manager in 4 years btw) and a few flops out on loan. We have sacked our manager and brought in a fresh manager to the EPL management 'gravy train' who has slowly but surely turned us around as a unit and a team and in decent position to start and put a run of results together. He has fixed the broken dressing room and developed a togetherness so obviously culminating in a magnificent victory over a Billionaires plaything in Chelsea last night to put us into the Semi Final of a major domestic final for the first time in an age and hopefully this will impact on our league campaign now. So, after introducing 14 new faces to disastrous effect in the summer, I don't think we need to be doing the same in January by upsetting the new found togetherness by flooding the dressing room with 4 or 5 new faces that will need time to settle. Also, we don't need a load of expensive faces that may not be required in MAy and might be a financial dead weight. Instead, I think we should concentrate on 2 key areas and make that it for January. We need a striker for sure as we don't have enough potency and I think there is something up with Fletcher (I don't buy the illness line put out by the club last night) so we need a goal scorer for sure. For me I'd try for Hernandez on loan from Man Utd or how about Demba Ba on loan. Both seem surplus and both would be brilliant. Secondly, I think we need to try and make Ki a permanent transfer if we can and Swansea are willing. He has been the major difference in games this season for us and suits Poyets style of play perfectly. If we can get a couple of lower league additions that Gus knows and wants then okay but those 2 are my main positions to fill. I don't think we can afford to let many go at all as the squad will be vital for the rest of the season and our better strength in depth over the likes of Norwich, Palace, WBA, Hull, Stoke Fulham and West Ham. Starting with Norwich on Saturday, I can see this team gaining strength and momentum with the games we have coming up and if we make it, then Gus can have carte blanche in the summer to do what he wants. Until then, we need to let this squad develop and grow together and hopefully make strides to safety as they go. Great result last night. Cant wait for the Semi Final and who know what else this season will throw at us. From disaster to glory, this season may be a remarkable and memorable one for all the reasons we didn't expect 6 or 7 weeks ago.
Don't think ki will sign tbh.. If we stay up he probs would but if he doesn't know what league we're Gona be in why would he? And we def need a striker and I would maybe go for an experienced centre half incase brown gets injured! Apart from that I think we're good enough to stop up "just" rebuild in the summer "again"
I think Ki would sign either way, with a semi final to look forward to and probably a thing in his contract saying he can go for less money if the dreaded happened. He cant get into the Swansea squad and I think we need to sign him up before Swansea realise just how useful he could be.
This could turn out to be our best season in the 7 years we have been in the premier league which is bizarre, great draw in the F A cup and the best January we may probably ever have, may have 6 home games and 3-4 quality players brought in!. And if we sign defoe is he cup tied?.
I don't think we have poor strikers, we have poor providers. I would like to see 2 signings = a robust centre back to take O'Shea out of the side (slow, nervous and can't pass more than 15 yards) and another central midfielder who has a bit of attacking quality. We need a Stefan Schwarz type of midfielder who can tackle, play and get the odd goal. As much as I like Colback he can't score and Cattermole will always be open to suspension and injury. At a push we could get a strong keeper in. Our team was crippled by a bad run of fixtures at the start of the season and some mental Di Canio antics. We have more quality in the side than a few teams in the league already, it's just a case of application. Could use with getting rid of a lot of dead wood though.
Sure we can't sign the likes of Ba or Hernandez on loan as our quota is filled? (unless we make Ki and/ or Borini perm) We have to move some on or they can go for nothing in the Summer. Sorry. I don't have a solution. x
i think its a must that we try and get ki signed up. we have lost out on loan players before and he is a class act. if swansea think he's not good enough for them then make them a decent offer and get him on board. that would also free up one of the loan sports for a decent striker untill the end of the season
Good heavens it is not that often that I agree with the general drift Cest is going. We do need a finisher/striker, I like, everyone else, am concerned with Fletcher's form, he is lacking sharpness or has lead in his boots or what? I would take either of the names mentioned, although our manager has a fellow countryman who has scored more goals alone than many teams in total in the Premier League, any chance of loan? We do need an attacking central midfielder, somebody who can chip in with a few goals. I will take anybody itk about how many loanees we can have otherwise buy. The other side of the coin is that we have to sell to buy loan and for discussion I offer up Johnson and Wickham...
I disagree about O'shea, he has been quality since Brown got back in the team alongside him (Have we ever had a more polished defender than Brown)? A striker would be nice, but we will be bottom still or at least in the bottom 3, who, realistically would want to come to us?
i have never rated o'shea but he has done ok recently but i think thats more down to browns quality. i worry if brown is injured then we are stuck with o'shea. i would prefer a better defender to come in and replace o'shea so that he can goto the bench or pair up with brown or the new defender if we have an injury. without brown we could end up playing o'shea and cueller again which is asking for trouble
I don;t think the 14 players brought in is actually a reason for anything - how many first teamers were there? The papers blamed the amount of players brought in but, when you look at last night, Mannone, Dossena, Celutska, Giaccherini and Altidore were all new signings. And Ki came off the bench. So that's 6 of the newbies. Moberg-Karlsson, Ba, Mavrias & Watmore have very few competitive minutes between them. Mannone was brought in as cover for Westwood (IMO) but has stepped up superbly when asked and can;t be knocked. Celutska and Dossena on season long deals. Cabral, Diakite and Roberge all new signings in among that 14 but they also are not playing regularly (although, after watching Roberge shoot at half time yesterday I'd put him up front ahead of Jozy!!)
Cest, Hernandez is not 'surplus' at United, he's just not a regular starter. He's an integral part of the squad and has featured in 12 of our 25 fixtures this season. For him to displace RVP or Rooney it might be a step too far, he might force his way out of the club eventually but he's by no means a redundant player as per maybe Bebe, Macheda or Anderson would possibly be considered.
More like Zaha I think. Manchester United's David Moyes may allow Wilfried Zaha to go on loan • Manager weighs up options for former Crystal Palace winger • Old Trafford club yet to receive any enquiries about player theguardian.com, Wednesday 18 December 2013 05.30 EST Wilfried Zaha may be loaned out by Manchester United in the new year – unless the squad is hit by injuries. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images David Moyes would consider allowing Wilfried Zaha to go on loan in January, although the Manchester United manager is yet to receive any calls from interested clubs about a potential deal. He would weigh up how much he needed the winger, who has made only four senior appearances since his £15m signing from Crystal Palace, against whether Zaha was playing enough football. Moyes said: "I've not looked at it yet but I did say to Wilf if I didn't think I was getting enough games [for him] I would consider it. But obviously if we've got injuries or if we've got other reasons then I wouldn't take it on board – or if I think there's a reason where I think I'm going to have plenty of chances to use him. "There's a lot of competition for people who are in front of him. The truth is we haven't had anyone phoning up at the moment and while it's like that I'm fine." Of those appearances for Zaha, two have come in United's last two Premier League games.
Terry, I may not have explained my use of surplus too well. My point is I think Moyes will want his own men in next month or definitely in the summer and Hernandez is not a regular at a club like Man Utd but is good enough to be our first choice. It might suit all parties to get him a 6 month loan deal and Moyes can make a decision in July about him. We could give him games and goal opportunities, he could save our season.
i agree marcus ,compared to what has come in previous dealings for huge amounts of money by others i dont think much harm has been done, look at wickham,graham ,ji and johnson not getting my pulse racing and all on good money.
Yeah but that would be for different reasons, the kid needs games to develop which we can't offer him right now, he's not so much surplus... Unless he has been porking Moyes' daughter! Understood mate, I think you're right Moyes needs to put his stamp on the team but I'd imagine it will be summer before we do any big business, I think January will be fairly quiet for us, sadly as I think that could ruin our chances of 4th if we fail to add a CM and move a couple out. As for the bit in bold... who's going to save our season??? Anyway looking forward to playing you lot over two legs, should be a close one. I don't fancy West Ham's chances much so I'd imagine whoever wins will be playing City, City will probably be hoping we win the SF in all honesty!
GUS POYET hopes to reinforce his Sunderland squad as soon as the transfer window opens. Poyet has spent the past month plotting the Black Cats’ strategy for the January window alongside director of football Roberto De Fanti, with the head coach holding daily meetings over possible incomings and outgoings. The former Brighton manager realises it is difficult to put a timescale on deals in the transfer market, with a host of hurdles involved in signing new players. But Poyet wants immediate breakthroughs at the start of January to boost a squad that has spent the last four months confined to the Premier League’s relegation zone. Poyet told the Echo: “My aim all the time is to do things quickly in January. “We’re having meetings practically every day and we’re getting close to January now. “January 1 is a Wednesday, it’s not on the weekend, so if there are not any problems with bringing them in from abroad, they could be signed that day. “Those are the things that you need to manage. “But it’s not only in my hands. It’s in the hands of the other people as well – the player, the other club, the transfer, the agreement and if there are other options. “There are so many things involved. “Now, as the manager, I want them in tomorrow so they could train with us for a week before the first! “That would be perfection.” In an ideal world, Poyet admits there would be some players he was prepared to wait for in the market to see if they became available. But time is not on Sunderland’s side in the relegation battle. Even if Sunderland triumph in their three remaining league encounters of 2013, against Norwich, Everton and Cardiff, the Black Cats would still average less than a point per game. And Poyet realises he needs to boost his options before it is too late for Sunderland to claw back the deficit with those lying above them in the table – even if it means signing different players. “There are some deals that I would prefer not to do immediately because you need to wait,” he added. “But, with waiting, you don’t know if it’s going to happen. “If I have got another option, which I like and is similar, I’ll do it and the other one loses his chance. If you wait and wait, you can lose six or seven games by then.” ...................................................................... SUNDERLAND are one of a number of Premier League clubs tracking Nottingham Forest youngster Jamaal Lascelles. The Black Cats, along with Spurs and Aston Villa, have been watching the 20-year-old over recent weeks after his promotion into the Forest first-team. England Under-20 international Lascelles has made nine appearances for Forest this season, with the centre-half under contract at the City Ground until the summer of 2016. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...t-for-nottingham-forest-s-lascelles-1-6325262
