Stay or Go?

[Deutsch Wolf]

As it stands, this is where I'd have the squad looking to next season (ignoring kids who've hardly/never played as they're neither here nor there):

Out of contract (will go)

Ruddy
José (might have a party when he fucks off, the hopeless bastard)

Out of contract (will probably stay)

Ait-Nouri
Vitinha

*Don't think these fees will be at the level pre-arranged last year, but both Angers and Porto will take what we give them due to their situation

Actively look to get rid

Marçal
Dendoncker
Cutrone
Mir
Vinagre
Ronan
Kilman
Giles
Gibbs-White
Jordao
Campana

Consider any serious offer

Adama (don't know who'd pay £30m+ for him now, but I'd be happy to let him go for that, you're never going to get the mythical world beater)
Semedo (close to money back and I'm sure we'd have a proper look)
Hoever (I'm sure he's got loads of ability, but I'd question when he's ever going to play)
Podence (probably won't be any interest because of his fitness issues)

Too old to attract interest for any return that's worth it

Rui
Boly
Saiss
Moutinho
Coady (not too old, but no-one would pay what we'd ask and he's not having a category of his own )

Keep at all costs

Fabio
Raul
Neves
Jonny
Neto

Hmmm.

Suddenly we're looking at an extremely busy summer, but that doesn't seem all too likely in the current climate. Plus we don't like massive upheaval if we can help it.

Depends who does indeed end up on the good ship Do One, we could do with anything between 5-8 signings, all of whom need to be first team ready from the off.

Over to you, Nuno and Jeff...

 

[Tredman]

Don't disagree with any of that - I do think we will massively regret getting rid of MGW but he should leave. I'd move Coady in to the keep section, but that's because I would also keep 5 at the back..

 

[PuntsWolf]

I was thinking this when I thought about how stale we’ve gone.

I’d move Donck into looking at offers. The others on that list though if they left we wouldn’t even notice.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I didn't know where to put Sanderson on the list. Rave reviews of course, but in a position we've hardly used him in even at Academy level for years, one year left on his deal, is playing well for a League One club (one that's expected to win most weeks) really particularly relevant when we're looking at playing for a mid-table and upwards (hopefully!) Premier League team...

I know some would bring Mir back but I think he's too limited technically, again only one year left on his deal and this is where we can cash in based on his goalscoring record this season. Plus I seriously doubt he particularly wants to come back and we saw how that went with Cutrone and his "efforts" vs Chorley.

 

[sycophantia]

Similar to Tredman really, + worth keeping Marcal and hope he stays fit enough to cover RAN? RAN has impressed me lately, stepped up better physically than I thought he would. If Vitinha cab also improve his physicality then he seems an ideal replacement for Moutinho. Would also keep Donk as a squad player. Agree with all DW's keepers but would probably add Boly (despite his occasional poor performances) we absolutely need a top class CB next season

 

[Norman Deeley]

The big problem for me is saying "over to you, Nuno and Jeff." They've made such a pig's arse of the last few windows that I'm not sure I want them anywhere near the next one. With suggestions for Cash and Eze, just off the top of my head, this Forum would probably have done a better job

 

[Tony Towner]

Keep at all costs

Fabio - still unlikely to be suited to starting regularly
Raul - Will start the season having 8 months without playing and a question mark about how he recovers mentally
Neves - Been here 4 years, will he want a new challenge?
Jonny - Out for probably half the season
Neto - Out for at least the first 2 months

Quite worrying when you look at it like that

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Hoever is a funny one. Still young but where will he play? Is he a full back, wing back or centre back?

I think we'll regret letting MGW go but if Nuno stays (I can't imagine he won't) he goes as if he won't play him at the moment I can't see when he will.

I'd never have imagined I'd agree with so many players going but there's no point having players the manager seemingly won't play under any circumstances.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

With suggestions for Cash and Eze, just off the top of my head, this Forum would probably have done a better job

They were both mine, my friend

In fact just give me the job, I'll be the cheapest DoF in the league and the only perk I want is to give Willian José a literal kick up the arse when he clears out his locker.

 

[Tredman]

Hoever is a funny one. Still young but where will he play? Is he a full back, wing back or centre back?

I think we'll regret letting MGW go but if Nuno stays (I can't imagine he won't) he goes as if he won't play him at the moment I can't see when he will.

I'd never have imagined I'd agree with so many players going but there's no point having players the manager seemingly won't play under any circumstances.

Most of the actively looking to get rid lost don't play here anyway really.

 

[prawnking]

As it stands, this is where I'd have the squad looking to next season (ignoring kids who've hardly/never played as they're neither here nor there):

Out of contract (will go)

Ruddy
José (might have a party when he fucks off, the hopeless bastard)

Out of contract (will probably stay)

Ait-Nouri
Vitinha

*Don't think these fees will be at the level pre-arranged last year, but both Angers and Porto will take what we give them due to their situation

Actively look to get rid

Marçal
Dendoncker
Cutrone
Mir
Vinagre
Ronan
Kilman
Giles
Gibbs-White
Jordao
Campana

Consider any serious offer

Adama (don't know who'd pay £30m+ for him now, but I'd be happy to let him go for that, you're never going to get the mythical world beater)
Semedo (close to money back and I'm sure we'd have a proper look)
Hoever (I'm sure he's got loads of ability, but I'd question when he's ever going to play)
Podence (probably won't be any interest because of his fitness issues)

Too old to attract interest for any return that's worth it

Rui
Boly
Saiss
Moutinho
Coady (not too old, but no-one would pay what we'd ask and he's not having a category of his own )

Keep at all costs

Fabio
Raul
Neves
Jonny
Neto

Hmmm.

Suddenly we're looking at an extremely busy summer, but that doesn't seem all too likely in the current climate. Plus we don't like massive upheaval if we can help it.

Depends who does indeed end up on the good ship Do One, we could do with anything between 5-8 signings, all of whom need to be first team ready from the off.

Over to you, Nuno and Jeff...

Great post. Looks like a two year job to me, so we'll have to all get our patient hats on and perhaps lower expections a little.

Up to Nuno to get an effective team out of that and the transfers, doesn't have to be perfect, but we have to look like we're heading somewhere

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Most of the actively looking to get rid lost don't play here anyway really.

Yes, hence my agreement they should be offloaded.

 

[Tony Towner]

I do think we will massively regret getting rid of MGW but he should leave.

If I were her him I'd be kicking the door down to get out. His development over the last 2 years has been badly hampered by the way he has been treated. I wouldn't say that's been badly as Nuno kept him around both last and this year as a body, but it's definitely been to the detriment of the player

 

[prawnking]

They were both mine, my friend

In fact just give me the job, I'll be the cheapest DoF in the league and the only perk I want is to give Willian José a literal kick up the arse when he clears out his locker.

Getting Ted/Bishop Brennan images here

 

[Tredman]

If I were her him I'd be kicking the door down to get out. His development over the last 2 years has been badly hampered by the way he has been treated. I wouldn't say that's been badly as Nuno kept him around both last and this year as a body, but it's definitely been to the detriment of the player

Agreed. Its not as though he's even looked bad in the (very) short time he's played. Absolutely should be playing instead of Podence, even if it means more of a 3-5-2 than a 3 (though feck knows where Pod even plays)

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Oh aye, also remember that whichever category you personally put them in, Boly and Saiss aren't here next Jan/Feb.

 

[Jinky]

Massive investment in the squad is required but the two major issues I have are -

1) I don't think Fosun will spend a fortune and
2) I don't trust them to sign the right players even if they did

It's been a long time since we've had a genuinely successful window. I'm not talking about the odd reasonable signing here & there. I think we all agree on that, at this point. So do we have the confidence in Jeff & Co to get it right in this window? Personally, I don't.

Their business tact is to buy young, improve them, and sell at a profit. Unfortunately we don't need that right now - we need readymade first teamers that are going to come in and make an immediate impact on the starting 11 - but I don't see Fosun paying what is required. We'll probably end up chasing some big name player that is totally unrealistic (similar to the Dias/Cancelo saga's) throughout the whole window - being told it will be completed after the Euro's - before we miss out and end up with someone not good enough. That's a familiar tale...

From DW's list, I agree with the "keep at all costs" list. The rest can go/be improved on. We definitely need a "squad overhaul" but I think we'll all be disappointed.

 

[Del Woppio]

I'd be keeping Hoever, he's got lovely technique and looks like he can really understand the game; I could see him being Jonny-ish, even if it's hard to imagine him being a dominant centre back.

I've been over Dendonker for a good while tbh, he's just not a very good footballer. Other than that, I'd also be actively trying to sell Adama, Semedo and Podence. If we could get anywhere near £70m for the three, we've done very well - and given the income hit, we do basically need to make wholesale changes over the next 2-3 windows to try and plug the gaps. We've basically just got loads of players that were being bailed out by the system, but now that the system isn't working, they're no good to us

 

[sycophantia]

Yep I'm disappointed about MGW, I'd be in the keep camp but only if he's going to be used in a meaningful way, seems to me Nuno just doesn't fancy him so may ad well get rid....10-15 million?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yep I'm disappointed about MGW, I'd be in the keep camp but only if he's going to be used in a meaningful way, seems to me Nuno just doesn't fancy him so may ad well get rid....10-15 million?

Can't see us getting that much. I know he's only 21 (but then Bright was "only X" for how many years) but he's started 12 league games for anyone, ever, and scored one goal.

No-one knows where he plays.

You don't get £10m+ for that.