As the title says, here is the squad as it stands for next season (not included KWP out of contract, not sure if anyone else is as well). Who stays Who goes because they will go Who goes because you want them to Who do we loan out GK Ramsdale McCarthy Bazunu Lumley DEF Bree Larios Sugawara Manning Welington Taylor Bednarek ABK THB Stephens Wood Edwards MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) Lallana Downes Aribo Fernandes Smallbone Matsuki Fraser Dibling Sulemana Charles Edozie Juan ATT Onuachu Archer Stewart Armstrong Ballard Diaz Total 35 players, which is part of the problem
GK Ramsdale - Go McCarthy - Go* Bazunu - Stay Lumley - Stay* *Not sure as depends on contract. DEF Bree - Stay Larios - Go Sugawara - Go Manning - Stay Welington - Stay Taylor - Go Bednarek - Stay ABK - Go THB - Go Stephens - Stay Wood - Stay Edwards - Stay MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) - Go Lallana - Go Downes - Stay Aribo - Go Fernandes - Go (sadly) Smallbone - Stay Matsuki - Go (Goztepe loan) Fraser - Stay Dibling - Go Sulemana - Go Charles - Stay Edozie - Stay Juan - Stay ATT Onuachu - Go Archer - Go Stewart - Stay Armstrong - Stay Ballard - Go (loan) Diaz - Go That is what I think, not hope. Massive rebuild on our hands. THB & Sugawara are 50/50s - they'll both want out but not sure anyone will pay enough. The only one I really hope I'm wrong on is Fernandes - the rest can go so long as money is good.
And in terms of potential loans-out, it'll be relevant to consider who is out of contract in 2026. Because we're highly unlikely to loan out anyone who will be entering their final year: McCarthy, Stephens, Bree, ABK, Taylor, Aribo, Smallbone, Fraser, Onuachu, Stewart. I think.
GK Ramsdale - will leave, can't blame him McCarthy - Sell if poss, Loan if not Bazunu - Take to a car boot sale and leave him there. Loan if somebody wants him. Lumley - Keep DEF Bree - keep Larios - sell Sugawara - sell Manning - keep Welington - keep Taylor - keep Bednarek - sell ABK - will leave. Good riddance THB - thinks he's too good for us. He isn't. Cash in Stephens - take out back and shoot. Wood - keep if cheap Edwards - ditto MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) - I'd gamble Lallana - keep on coaching staff possibly. Career over as a player Downes - sell Aribo - keep Fernandes - lock him up, don't let him out for the summer, tell other clubs his leg fell off Smallbone - sell Matsuki - keep Fraser - sell if anybody will buy, not the worst player if we do keep him Dibling - He's off, £50m would be lovely Sulemana - I'd keep him, if he'd stay Charles - keep Edozie - sell Juan - sell ATT Onuachu - sell Archer - loan Stewart - melt him down for glue Armstrong - will score goals, I'd keep him Ballard - loan Diaz - forgotten who he is I think I'd keep a dozen, sell the valuable players and the wannaways and loan out any dross we can't sell
GK Ramsdale go McCarthy stay Bazunu go Lumley go DEF Bree stay Larios go Sugawara go Manning go Welington stay Taylor stay Bednarek stay ABK go THB Stephens stay Wood stay Edwards stay MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) go Lallana go Downes stay Aribo stay Fernandes go Smallbone go Matsuki who?! Fraser go Dibling stay Sulemana go Charles stay Edozie stay Juan go ATT Onuachu go Archer stay Stewart go Armstrong stay Ballard ? Diaz go
I just have one wish: please please please can we not start next season with Bazunu in goal. He’s dreadful.
GK Ramsdale - Go (£30mill to any of the top 8 clubs who want him) McCarthy - Stay Bazunu - Stay DEF Bree - Stay Larios - Loan Sugawara - Go (£10mill Napoli) Manning - Stay Welington - Stay Taylor - Go Bednarek - Go (£10mill Roma) ABK - Go (could be for free all I care, but expect around £10mill) THB - Stay (controversial, I know.. but can’t see anyone paying what we’d want for him - suspect £30mill & I think with his contract he might have to suck it up and play a key role next season) Stephens - Stay (please only as a backup) Wood - Stay Edwards - Stay (starting 11 next year, has to be!) MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) - Go (No chance he’s here with a 15mill price tag, surely?) Lallana - Stay (as youth coach) Downes - Stay Aribo - Go (£8million I think he will find suitors abroad & play European football again, albeit for a smaller team) Fernandes - Stay (probs heart over head here, but we have to keep him. Best player we’ve bought since Tadic or Mane for me!) Smallbone - Stay Matsuki - Loan Fraser - Stay (backup) Dibling - Go (£60million I think he’ll end up going to either Newcastle, Spurs, Villa or Man Utd) Sulemana - Go (£12million, again to someone in Italy) Charles - Stay (key player for us next season) Edozie - Stay (can see him stepping up next year once back) Juan - Loan ATT Onuachu - Go (think we’ll get around £8million from someone in Turkey, Belgium or Holland) Archer - Stay Stewart - Stay Armstrong - Stay (undoubtedly quality in Championship) Ballard - Stay (depends on how he performs in pre season but could end up as Loan) Diaz - Go (£10million to Sheff Utd as agreed in his loan) Wanted to include the prices I think we’ll get for them too. Around £150 million worth of sales here, not including what we got for Amo either! This + parachute payments should mean the club shouldn’t have to sell the likes of THB & Fernandes if they see them as players that can compete in the Prem next time around and have a decent amount of money to spend on next players too!
Who I realistically think will stay, and who I want to stay are 2 very seperate propescts I'll think realistically about what could happen (rather than what I want to happen) GK Ramsdale - Go McCarthy - Stay Bazunu - Stay Lumley - Stay DEF Bree - Stay Larios - Go Sugawara - Go Manning - Stay Welington - Stay Taylor - Go Bednarek - Go ABK - Go THB - Go Stephens - Stay Wood - Stay Edwards - Stay MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) - Go Lallana - Go Downes - Go Aribo - Go Fernandes - Go Smallbone - Stay Matsuki - Go Fraser - Stay Dibling - Go Sulemanab- Go Charles - Stay Edozie - Stay Juan - Go ATT Onuachu - Go Archer - Go Stewart - Stay Armstrong - Stay Ballard - Go Diaz - Go That's quite the turnover, maybe I'm being unrealistic Ballard i expect will sadly get another loan. Larios, Matsuki and Juan's agents are already putting rumours out about leaving.
This is what I think will happen, not what I want to happen GK Ramsdale - Go McCarthy - Stay Bazunu - Stay Lumley - Go DEF Bree - Stay Larios - Stay Sugawara - Go Manning - Stay Welington - Stay Taylor - Stay Bednarek - Stay ABK - Go THB - Go Stephens - Stay Wood - Stay Edwards - Stay MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) - Go Lallana - Go Downes - Stay Aribo - Stay Fernandes - Go Smallbone - Stay Matsuki - Go Fraser - Stay Dibling - Go Sulemana - Go Charles - Stay Edozie - Stay Juan - Loan ATT Onuachu - Go Archer - Go Stewart - Stay Armstrong - Go Ballard - Loan Diaz - Go Feel like we will be unable to get rid of a few of the players we want to due to their wages/clubs who would realistically want them, but they will be fine as options in the Champ anyway. Looking at that list now I’ve done it the defence looks good enough for a playoff push minimum but we will have to hope we can sign a few who are going to score
This is what I think will happen (apart from ABK) GK Ramsdale GO McCarthy STAY Bazunu STAY Lumley STAY DEF Bree STAY Larios GO Sugawara STAY Manning STAY Welington STAY Taylor GO Bednarek STAY ABK FO THB STAY Stephens STAY Wood GO Edwards STAY MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) GO Lallana STAY Downes STAY Aribo STAY Fernandes GO Smallbone STAY Matsuki STAY Fraser GO Dibling GO Sulemana GO Charles STAY Edozie STAY Juan GO ATT Onuachu GO Archer STAY Stewart WHO? Armstrong STAY Ballard STAY (loan possibly) Diaz GO
I'll be a bit different and say who I want to stay or go realistically. Go is sold unless stated otherwise. GK Ramsdale Go McCarthy Stay Bazunu Go Lumley Stay DEF Bree Stay Larios Go (loan?) Sugawara Go Manning Stay Welington Stay Taylor Go Bednarek Go ABK Go THB Stay Stephens Go Wood Stay Edwards Stay MID Gronbaek (exercise buy option) Go (end of loan) Lallana (join coaching staff?) Downes Stay Aribo Go Fernandes Stay Smallbone Stay Matsuki Go (loan?) Fraser Go Dibling Go Sulemana Go Charles Stay Edozie Stay Juan Go ATT Onuachu Stay Archer Stay Stewart (dunno???) Armstrong Stay Ballard Go (loan?) Diaz Go
