At the time of writing, we sit 2nd top of the league. Second top! That's the result of a team with some top players, backed up by workers who do the grind, and managed by a quietly spoken master of the game. There's some in the squad who have had minimal game time this season and have little chance of getting more than tiny amounts of playing time going on into the future. This is a tough moment. The group are family and some have given the club the best years of their professional lives. But if we want to strengthen - and I guess our owners do - then the squad needs some work. So who would you thank, and now sell / retire from playing staff / free transfer in January? My thoughts for outgoings, in no particular order: Dubz - 33 Mark Gillespie - 30 Loris Karius - 29 Jamaal Lascelles - 29 Paul Dummett - 31 Javier Manquillo - 28 Jonjo Shelvey - 30 Matt Ritchie - 33 Jacob Murphy - 27 Ryan Fraser - 28 There can't be much sentiment if we want another striker / left sides player in, or to give younger players with potential to get playing experience.
Think I'd keep hold of Karíus and Murphy in Jan. Karíus so we have an experienced 2nd keeper and Murphy as he's had quite a few minutes this season and while not great is good enough for cover through to summer window
In the short term I'd keep Murphy & Karius and Probably Lascelles, the rest can go but we need to have a RB a CM lined up who are ready to compete for the 1st team and Isak back available. Our squad is quite thin. I'm on edge the whole time waiting for an injury or two to de-rail us.
That's my biggest fear. Bruno, Botman and Pope need to stay fit. Haven't seen Karius play. I put Lascelles and Murphy in my list as we'd get some money for them - for FFP. I just don't see any of those players as being useful for our future. Shelvey won't be going anywhere with another injury. It'll be summer before he is off the books.
We definitely won't be able to shift all that lot in January, plus we'll bring in at the most 2 or 3 new players at the most (if that) so we'll need some squad depth. We need Karius as back up, and Murphy has done ok as an impact sub and is worth retaining. With Tripp's injury record, we need Manq, and on a similar note, it's probably worth retaining Laecelles as a stand in until the summer then get rid. As for the rest - Dubs is as good as gone already, and we should be able to shift Ritchie and Dimmett fairly easily as they know their time is up here. As for Shelvey, he's staying, he ain't gonna get an 80k per week offer anywhere else so I can't see him wanting to move.
I think we will not do much. If we can manage to get Maddison I think they'll do it. Otherwise I think they are looking for a young RB for Trippier to bring along as understudy.
If we qualify for European football (and it's not looking out of the question!) we can register 25 players but 8 have to be homegrown in England and 4 at the club. Longstaff (s) and Anderson are easy calls but I suspect Dummett will be kept as back-up for that reason and unless we buy back Woodman (and having 3rd choice keeper as HG would be ideal) or get in Fraser Forster or the like then longstaff (m) is likely to be around the squad next year too. 4 others who are HG in nation but not at club would I guess be Pope, Trippier, Burn, Willock, Wilson, etc so yeah the rest can GTFO.
Had not thought of that. Guess this is the cost of having a sh*t academy for years on end. We should really be in a position to reel off 4 HG club players who make the squad without issue.
Would Elliot Anderson not qualify Edit Ha just re read the post He is mentioned Ok, could we not say Dan Burn
There are indeed. 2 of the places are easy (longstaff S and Anderson), i reckon m longstaff will take up a third and then one of those you mention OR Dummett OR we buy back a player who qualifies (Forster, Woodman... Mbabu). I feel like as the season progresses and it becomes clear we are going to be registering a European squad next season there's no way this isn't on our radar. It has to be a consideration in our squad and transfer dealings.
