How many times in the last couple of seasons have we bemoaned the lack of someone, anyone to stick the ball in the back of the net?
The media are suggesting that we're adding Yedlin to the squad early on in the window, but I'm not sure that we've got space to do so. I could be wrong, but I'm sure that I remember us being up to 23 players and only having two homegrown slots available. Does he count as U21 or something?
Doesn't the squad go out the window when the window opens? And then you just have to be compliant when it shuts?
It'll either be that or some silly rule about us not being able to play him until we re-register the squad after the transfer window.
While I've been saying Dembele needs to go since the summer, there's a reason I haven't included him on the list of players to leave - if we ship out Paulinho, coupled with Bentaleb being spirited away for the ACoN, we're going to need some cover in that area. True, what I'm essentially saying is that Dembele can stay because other players won't be around, but it's better to have backup we may not need rather than have no backup when we need it. As for Shaquiri, as Huddlefro brought up we've been linked with him lately, there's two problems with his prospective signing: who do we drop to fit him in the team, and who makes way so he can be allocated a place in our squad? The first question is presumably Chadli, who seems to be in and out of the team at the moment after scoring a few goals early in the season - the latter may well be Townsend, as he's been linked with a loan moves to QPR, Newcastle and Sunderland.
Completely didn't realise Nabs will be away in Jan, that'll be a huge blow, he's been our best CM by a mile this season. As for Shaqiri I don't think we'll get him, I reckon a CL club will be his next destination if Bayern do indeed sell (quite surprising if they do though, both Ribery and Robben are over 30 now). IF we did get him, I think it will be Lamela and Lennon who have their places under threat, whenever I've seen Shaqiri he's played the right inside forward role. I think Chadli is back in the side now as a starter (undisputed too, I'd say), the past few weeks he was recovering from a knee injury so I reckon Poch was just easing him back, hence why he starting most games from the bench until Newcastle and Burnley.
I reckon we won't see Yedlin much in January as Poch will want him to get used to his new surroundings and while he's getting settled, I'd say it's pretty much inevitable we'll be shifting a few faces therefore opening some squad slots.
Lots of good discussion on this thread. Bentaleb to the ACON?! Oh balls. How often is it again? Is it now in its regular slot? Anyway - here's how I see it: OUT: Dembele. I know what HBIC has said has some weight. But we have Mason, Capoue, Stambouli...er, ok - that's looking a bit thin (obviously don't want to mention Paulinho). But out of all our players, including ones that have done far less, perhaps, in a Spurs shirt, he is the one player that I think we know well enough what he offers and know well enough that it's not good enough. I mean - just when do you need Dembele? When you need a goal? Nope. When you need to shore things up and hold onto a lead? Nope. It's frustrating and we will be left with so many "what if..."s but he's been here for a while and we all know he's not good enough. Plus we'll get decent money for him. Adebayor. One of our best players. But only when he plays. And even then that's not guaranteed. Looks like he's gone. I personally wouldn't sell him if I was boss but if he's not going to play then we need to get rid. Naughton. Finally got to look okay as a right back just when we had bought a RB cover in Yedlin and even a couple of CBs in the squad did pretty good jobs there. If we have abundant cover at RB then there really is no need to keep him. Poor bastard must never play LB again. And you know what? That's about it, I reckon. For all the moaning that I love to do about the class of 2013 I still think it's too early to judge some of them. With so many of our problems coming from squad upheaval I don't see the benefit of shipping another bunch out only to have to ship another bunch in. Yes Fazio and Chiriches look dodgy. Chiriches, in particular, is lucky not to be on my list above but he's been very good cover at RB (Yedlin will not be ready for the EPL when he joins) and he's the captain of Romania. He just needs to learn not to be such a twat on the ball - that's my main problem with him. Even Paulinho might prove useful over the course of the season. Though, to be fair, if any offer around the 15m mark comes in it'll be pointless to say no. 2/3/4 out and, if anything, less than that in. And I'd have Holtby on the "IN" list, BTW - very decent cover for almost anywhere in the MF. Yes we'll still have some dodgy players but that'll always be the case. Remember twenty/thirty years ago when a team'd make like 2/3 signings a summer? Back in the day you just accepted that some players at your club were a bit dodgy and didn't get in a tiz just cos they weren't sold at the earliest available opportunity. Mind you - in those days there was no transfer window so transfers went on throughout the season. So yeah - maybe I'm talking out of my arse. Happy Christmas!
There's two things affecting the January transfer window... ACoN: 17th January-8th February Asian Cup: 9th-31st January Coincidentally, that's when Twat Sam stops looking so smug as the Spammers plummet down the table like a stone, so there is at least one silver lining...
"Coincidentally, that's when t**t Sam stops looking so smug as the Spammers plummet down the table like a stone, so there is at least one silver lining... " You don't need the ACON for that. Just browse their PL fixtures from now til March.
Yeah,Brazilian international player,might not have worked out for him here,but he is a good player,look at his games in the last confed cup
Yep. That makes 4 good games we know he's had in his life. 3 in that tournament, and 1 for us against stoke. He also had the worst game ive ever seen in a spurs shirt when we got stuffed by west ham. He played the whole game i think and was utter dog ****e throughout. He's championship at best for me.
id forgotten about holtby !!! he still with us ???? btw, i'd rather keep naughton for now. walker could get injured again or leave, which would leave us with a totally inexperienced prem right back and a couple of makeshift centre backs. for me naughton's still next in for the prem if anything happens to walker.
