Welcome back Benik Afobe

[Lord Knows]

This. Talk of Andre Silva already and I would think you could add all sorts of players to that. Players most of us could only dream of in a Wolves shirt up till this season.

I would think Wolves will target high quality youngish talent who they see as an investment with future potential profit.

 

[machin05]

Talisca?

 

[Boozad]

The record breaking Reading side kept pretty much the same squad and finished 8th.

I'm not suggesting we should do the same, but there is a precedence, Burnley haven't hugely overhauled their squad either.

And I’d agree with keeping pretty much the same side, but we’d need maybe four quality key additions. I can’t think of any club who got promoted would think ‘we don’t need to sign anybody at all’ which is basically what Alan was suggesting. Ripping apart the Championship and being competitive in the Premier League are two completely different tasks as we’ve seen before.

This will probably all be moot anyway as, as has already been said, Fosun will more than likely surprise all of us with the players they bring in.

 

[pr0sl0]

Last summer I dismissed the reports we were about to sign Boly because "we already have enough centre-backs, it wouldn't leave space for players like Hause or Batth", and then Jota because "we already have enough attackers, where does it leave Graham or Marshall". And of course they came in and immediately showed why they were targets - Fosun's stated aim is to immediately make a push for turning Wolves into a club that regularly competes for European football qualification, and until you reach the level of a Man City or Barcelona you never run out of areas for improvement in a squad.

It took me a while to get over my ingrained mentality of: "We already have two players for position [x], so we should develop that talent further and focus on improving other areas where we're dramatically weaker than we should be rather than putting even more money into areas we're already strong." That was the official policy on transfers and player development at Wolves throughout the Morgan years, and it took Fosun's actions this past summer, not just their words when they took over, to make me slowly realise that we're not working that way any more. It still feels bizarre, though, and it's clear that it's taking a lot of us a while to adjust.

If we can get players better than we already have - and with Fosun's resources and connections, we absolutely will - then those players will come in. We've already been building for the Premier League with players like Neves and Jota, but I doubt anyone in this team is beyond being replaced if the opportunity presents itself. If we really do want to compete at the highest level then we'll need two or three more midfielders of Neves' quality, after all. This coming summer is going to probably be the most exciting one for Wolves supporters, in terms of transfer gossip and speculatio and actual outcome, in the lifetimes of the vast majority of fans.

 

[lemonjelly]

Agree with much of what proslo has written. I also am not sure that all the loan signings will be signed up permanently.

 

[The Bear]

I don't like the arrogance of thinking we can go up and say "we should be aiming to finish in the top 10".

Lets not run before we can walk. Let's go up, see how Fosun can improve the team and go from there. Make sure we stay up, then plan a crack at the top half.

It's going to be nowhere near as easy as this season has been. We'll get beaten a lot more often, and we need to see how our players react to that when we're not the best team in the division to easily bounce back.

 

[pr0sl0]

Agree with much of what proslo has written. I also am not sure that all the loan signings will be signed up permanently.

I think there are big question marks over Bonatini, Afobe, and N'Diaye. They're all good at this level, but right now the only clear reason to make Bonatini permanent would be because we could turn an easy quick profit on him, selling him back to a club in the Championship - and with Afobe and N'Diaye, their top flight careers to date have been spotty at best, and we could undoubtedly get better than either in the summer.

 

[Stan Hullis]

I don't like the arrogance of thinking we can go up and say "we should be aiming to finish in the top 10".

Lets not run before we can walk. Let's go up, see how Fosun can improve the team and go from there. Make sure we stay up, then plan a crack at the top half.

It's going to be nowhere near as easy as this season has been. We'll get beaten a lot more often, and we need to see how our players react to that when we're not the best team in the division to easily bounce back.

It's not arrogant to be ambitious - we should be aiming to finish in the top 10, whether we achieve it is a different matter but there is no harm in setting your sights high otherwise we may as well pack up and not bother.

 

[Tony Towner]

I've not seen much arrogance on here, just a realisation that Fosun will want and invest for more than just a point a game relegation battle. There is stupidity out there particularly on WM with Top 6 next season and Champions League the year after being spouted, but I don't think anyone on here is suggesting that.

 

[t3ch]

I don't like the arrogance of thinking we can go up and say "we should be aiming to finish in the top 10".

Lets not run before we can walk. Let's go up, see how Fosun can improve the team and go from there. Make sure we stay up, then plan a crack at the top half.

It's going to be nowhere near as easy as this season has been. We'll get beaten a lot more often, and we need to see how our players react to that when we're not the best team in the division to easily bounce back.

yeah I gotta say quite a number of comments I've noticed over the last few weeks seem to be getting wildly carried away. considering a top-10 finish the first promotion year a near guarantee? would be nice obviously, but I don't think it's an expectation. long-term, sure, but not 2018-19. champions league within 2 years? I'll have whatever you're smoking. we've got a good championship squad, we're nowhere near being ready to take over the premier league. even if we get 2-3 world class signings, we won't be ready to compete with any of the top-6 that soon.

It seems clear that the owners have ambition for the club, and they're managing things very well so far. They aren't miracle workers though. even City's turnaround wasn't that abrupt and they spent like mad. expectations should be optimistically tempered.

 

[Jinky]

The fact we have already been linked with the likes of Alex Telles and Andre Silva tell you the kind of quality Fosun will be aiming to bring in. We were in the same position last summer when the links to Neves & Jota came up and everyone scoffed and said "no chance".

Similar to people above, I'm not going to second guess the players we'll go for - but I can only really see Boly, Neves & Jota as "guaranteed" starters next season. The likes of Cav & Costa will of course have a massive part to play. I suspect Coady will start next season in the position he's made his own this season - I really, really hope he can cut it in the PL, but I do have reservations. So I'd argue that everyone else has a battle on their hands to keep their spot next season and let's not kid ourselves; as good as we've been this season, if Fosun really did want to improve most areas, they could.

Looking at the scope of Fosun and their ambitions, it's scary to think who we could target and bring in, but they have to be invested in the project and not just here to make a quick buck.

 

[Tom Hark]

We know their original thinking was 3 yrs to Prem, 10 to CL, so I'm sure they have realistic expectations. Even given that we look like being in the PL a year ahead of schedule, I can't see them reducing their CL target down too far from the original 7 years. Say 1. mid-table; 2 top 10; 3-4 challenging for Europa spot; 5-6 challenging for CL spot. I'd be delighted with that sort of progress I imagine they'll be looking at the bigger picture too: brand building; stadium redevelopment and so on. You can't do that overnight.

(I was going to say the supporters need time to relate to the players too, and vice versa, until I remenbered that two-thirds of our arguably best starting 11 weren't here last year. So much for sentimentality.)

 

[The Saturday Boy]

I've not seen much arrogance on here, just a realisation that Fosun will want and invest for more than just a point a game relegation battle. There is stupidity out there particularly on WM with Top 6 next season and Champions League the year after being spouted, but I don't think anyone on here is suggesting that.

I am. Burnley are currently 7th. They are a decent team but if they represent the best of the rest then the first ambition should be to aim to be the best of the rest and then see where that leads.

Burnley are 13 points behind Spurs in 5th and 12 points ahead of the last relegation spot. There's nothing in most of that division that should concern us.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Got to say I think we'll easily be in the top 10. Look at Burnley in 7th - if you did a combined Wolves/Burnely team it would have more Wolves players

 

[Lycan]

Burnley are an excellent football team, not just decent. Sean Dyche is an exceptional coach and his achievements with Burnley this season shouldn't be written off or downplayed as being the best of a bad division. If we do as well as Burnley next season we'll be doing amazingly well.

Of course it's way too early to be making any kind of judgement before we see what kind of recruitment happens in the summer but I think being comfortable next season is a realistic goal. Anything else above that would be an overachievement.

 

[Parkins left foot]

We have been spoiled this season as we have 3 players in Neves, Boly & Jota that not only were we surprised we could get but who are clearly too good for this division. That won't happen in the Premier though all those three I suspect will do well.

You won't be able to buy a complete new team & shouldn't as the team bonding will go out of the window. Wouldn't expect to challenge the top 6 or 7, but anything between 8th & 15th is doable (there's often not that many points between those places anyway). Doubt that Fosun will be prepared to see a real relegation battle & just staying up as progress.

They have shown the right 'nous' this season & as said have the wherewithal to finance the improvements. Given what happened last summer don't think anyone can predict what they will do in the next window

 

[Johnny75]

Burnley are an excellent football team, not just decent. Sean Dyche is an exceptional coach and his achievements with Burnley this season shouldn't be written off or downplayed as being the best of a bad division. If we do as well as Burnley next season we'll be doing amazingly well.

Of course it's way too early to be making any kind of judgement before we see what kind of recruitment happens in the summer but I think being comfortable next season is a realistic goal. Anything else above that would be an overachievement.

I would argue Nuno is a better coach than Dyche and that Burnley team isn't as good as ours is right now. Nuno is our best asset IMO and it's often the failing of promoted teams that their managers AND playing staff aren't equipped for the top flight. We can address one with Fosun's money the other is already in place.

 

[YoungWolf]

I agree Dyche is clearly a fantastic coach but even then, Burnley have had some freak games where they have barely registered a shot on target and ended up winning a game. Their defensive set up is absolutely brilliant, and then this season they've had some luck (which they have earned) in an attacking sense. On a consistent basis unless they improve personnel, I don't think they would keep it up beyond this season. I could be wrong mind!

 

[Penk Wolf]

Burnley are an excellent football team, not just decent. Sean Dyche is an exceptional coach and his achievements with Burnley this season shouldn't be written off or downplayed as being the best of a bad division. If we do as well as Burnley next season we'll be doing amazingly well.

Of course it's way too early to be making any kind of judgement before we see what kind of recruitment happens in the summer but I think being comfortable next season is a realistic goal. Anything else above that would be an overachievement.

I’d say with our current squad, on paper, we should be comfortable.

It will depend who we bring in over the summer how far above comfortable we will be.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

I am. Burnley are currently 7th. They are a decent team but if they represent the best of the rest then the first ambition should be to aim to be the best of the rest and then see where that leads.

Burnley are 13 points behind Spurs in 5th and 12 points ahead of the last relegation spot. There's nothing in most of that division that should concern us.

I agree.

Burnley are 7th and they are no better than us. I expect 7th -to 10th