Contrary to popular belief, our squad is actually bloated. As it stands, the below is a list of players who would be considered 1st team squad players who are already on our books next season:
Patterson, Bass, Hume, Huggins, Ballard, Batth, Wright, Alese, Anderson, Cirkin, O'Nien, Gooch,. Evans, Matete, Neil, Ekwah, Ba, Embleton, Pritchard, Clarke, Bennette, Roberts, Lihadji, Stewart, Dejaku
That's 25 players which is already too big of a squad. To be a club looking to promote and develop youth, you have to be a little leaner in my opinion. There's no room to have players like Rigg, Watson and Johnson join the first team squad without wastage. As a club trying to be sustainable, paying so many players dilutes the salary we can pay.
I think we'll see more squad turnaround this summer than people expect.
I think we'll be moving on/will lose:
Clarke (he's a Premier League player and will be sold to fund the rebuild)
Stewart (he's not signing a new contract)
Pritchard (just feels like he's away this summer)
Bass (will want a 1st team gig)
Wright (On a free somewhere late summer when he's fit)
Anderson (On loan as he's nowhere near the 1st team)
Matete (Part of a bloated squad that isn't improving the first team)
Dejaku (Not good enough)
Gooch (Controversial this one, but he's in to the last year of his contract is essentially 3rd choice in every position now)
So, based on that, I see our squad looking like this:
GK: Patterson, back up keeper (someone with experience)
Defenders: Hume, Huggins, Cirkin, Alese, Ballard, Batth, O'Nien, 1 new signing (Cashin to be longer term Batth replacement?)
Midfielders: Evans, Neil, Ekwah, Embleton, Ba, 2 new players (Bellingham and the successor to Evans - really ambitious but Harry Winks?)
Wingers: Bennette, Roberts, Lihadji, 2 more needed (Rak-Sakyi on loan, maybe as part of a deal for Clarke, Carlos Borges from City on loan)
Forwards: 3 new signings needed (Keinan Davis permanent - last year of his contract at Villa, Cannon/Simms or Leaburn permanent, Soonsup-Bell or Joffy on loan)