We could do with a pacy striker who is comfortable down the middle on loan before end of the window. Just so we can keep Rashford in his best position off the left
What do we still need? Aka The never ending story
- Thread starter Devil may care
- Start date
Gk: Costa/Vandervoordt
RB: Vanderson
CM: Caicedo
CM: Kokcu
Striker: Osimhen, Ferguson or Sesko.
Kokcu is a 22 year old midfielder who plays for Feyenoord. And there's always going to be question marks over his potential to step up to EPL level. But as far as profiles go, he's a high volume passer, comfortable on either foot and can operate in all three phases of play centrally. Very creative player and plays with a real intensity.
His stats below are also very interesting for anyone that is interested in observing statistics.
And a midfield three of Casemiro, Caicedo and Kokcu looks very balanced with a good mix of technical, physical and athletic capabilities. All three players are potentially very good on the ball aswell. And if people haven't noticed whilst watching Caicedo, he's very very good at making passes whilst under extreme pressure and the stats below back that up.
RB: Vanderson
CM: Caicedo
CM: Kokcu
Striker: Osimhen, Ferguson or Sesko.
Kokcu is a 22 year old midfielder who plays for Feyenoord. And there's always going to be question marks over his potential to step up to EPL level. But as far as profiles go, he's a high volume passer, comfortable on either foot and can operate in all three phases of play centrally. Very creative player and plays with a real intensity.
His stats below are also very interesting for anyone that is interested in observing statistics.
And a midfield three of Casemiro, Caicedo and Kokcu looks very balanced with a good mix of technical, physical and athletic capabilities. All three players are potentially very good on the ball aswell. And if people haven't noticed whilst watching Caicedo, he's very very good at making passes whilst under extreme pressure and the stats below back that up.
Given both Frenkie and Enzo look highly unlikely, im praying Brighton hold firm and keep hold of Caicedo for the rest of the season, allowing us a shot at him in the summer.
If we could ship out McTominay in the summer (could be a nice Rice replacement for West Ham) and add in Caicedo (70m) and Tielemans (free), we suddenly have a lot of depth and quality in the middle.
Add in Gonçalo Ramos / Kane / Osimhen / Vlahovic to fill the void up top, and another reinforcement at CB to replace whoever leaves there (Lindelof or Maguire), then we’re starting to have a pretty complete looking squad.
First things first though, Brighton need to hold on to Caicedo.
Yeah be amazed if they keep him past tonight with Arsenal sniffing around constantly and suspect much like Benfica that Brighton will buckle too.
Once De Jong is off the table then we may well have to hope Bellingham has a change of heart about the scousers this summer.
Last edited:
The tweet below is from Brighton's, The Athletic correspondent. I don't believe Brighton care how many bids Arsenal throw their way.
Did Levy move from Spurs to Brighton? Kinda familiar statement
Putting on a penny pinching mindset if we need to drop costs while still improving, I'd say we should:
- Release de Gea, replace with Raya for cheap and relatively low wages (probably save 250k per week if we give him even 100k for example)
- Get Tielemans in on a free
- Sell Maguire and McTominay (could get 40m combined at least?)
- Sell Sancho back to Dortmund (40m at least) and probably subsidize 100k per week wages or find some deal, promote Amad and Pellistri to bigger roles
- Sell Elanga (could get 25m at least I'd think?)
- Sell Van de Beek for 15m
- Sign a younger CB with potential and DM with potential on much lower wages than McTominay and Maguire, possibly from a relegated side like Lavia for DM. Take punt on someone like Ahmedhodzic at CB or Bella kotchap from possibly relegated Southampon (net spend 0 from Maguire and McTominay but lower wages)
Don't think we're going to get 25m for Elanga...
Would only sell Sancho if he fails to prove himself in this second half of the season. I like the other ideas you have put forward though
Looks like we are going to do no business on deadline day. have a feeling we might regret that - not the glazers give a stuff
We have been relatively lucky with injuries. A couple more and we will really struggle. We need to strengthen but we won't.
Squad for 2023-2026
De Gea/Butland/Heaton
Dalot/Bissaka Varane/Lindelof Martinez/Young CB Shaw/Malacia
Casemiro/Mainoo Eriksen/Fred/Iqbal
Bruno/Amad
Antony/Sancho/Pellistri CF/Weghorst Rashford/Garnacho
Selling Maguire, Bailly, Telles, Mctominay, Donny, Elanga and Martial will fund the signing of a top striker and young CB.
De Gea/Butland/Heaton
Dalot/Bissaka Varane/Lindelof Martinez/Young CB Shaw/Malacia
Casemiro/Mainoo Eriksen/Fred/Iqbal
Bruno/Amad
Antony/Sancho/Pellistri CF/Weghorst Rashford/Garnacho
Selling Maguire, Bailly, Telles, Mctominay, Donny, Elanga and Martial will fund the signing of a top striker and young CB.
Kokcu is a great shout, a very talented and creative midfielder who is also comfortable in deeper areas and is someone ETH is surely aware of.
He shares some similar qualities to Eriksen: adept with both feet, dead ball specialist and provides danger with his long shots. Also, I like the fact that he is Feyenoord's captain at a young age which shows a bit of his mentality and character.
I'm glad someone agrees. I've been watching him sporadically for the last few years and he looks a excellent player with a high level of technical skill on the ball.
There's always going to be doubts surrounding him due to the league he plays in. But he's definitely a player who I feel we should take a chance on and he plays at a club who likely won't ask for a ridiculous sum.
By all accounts, he will leave at the end of this season.
Yes, there is always a little bit of doubt with players who technically dominate lower quality leagues but I think for about £30m he can be a low risk purchase who can turn out as a bargain in the future.
I hope ETH has made it clear to the twits above him that we need to do a lot of business (and quickly) in the summer if we are to be anywhere close to having a squad to match Chelsea's, City's and now even Arsenal's... not much point striving hard to close the gap at the top if you are just going to allow it to widen again
Eh. A top striker should have us pretty much on a par with all of them. Chelsea have 29 points.
Yeah we need for first XI
ST
CM (progressive)
GK
Squad depth (ideally two of)
CDM
ST
CB
RB
Which two would you prioritise?
Definitely need to be looking at the free agent market there to see if we can pick up one of Tielemans/Aouar and N'dicka. I know Benzema is available but can't see that one and RB is tricky now Gusto off table. Maybe we look at more of a hybrid option who can play CB & RB like Timber.
Last edited:
To improve the first 11 we still need a complete GK, top level CM unless Sabitzer becomes the GOAT during the loan, and the ST that fits a profile like Oshimen (Young enough, fast, powerful, goal scoring with an aerial ability.
3 starters are needed.
GK - Raya, Diogo Costa
CM - Bellingham, De Jong, Pedri (Got to aim high to improve on Eriksen/Sabitzer
ST - Oshimen/Vlahovic/Schick
3 starters are needed.
GK - Raya, Diogo Costa
CM - Bellingham, De Jong, Pedri (Got to aim high to improve on Eriksen/Sabitzer
ST - Oshimen/Vlahovic/Schick
Can we make a move for a miserable Guardiola player?
Reports that Silva and Laporte are looking to leave.
Reports that Silva and Laporte are looking to leave.
I like the Pedri mention. We should aim as high as it gets, and money can’t be an issue.
Bellingham and FDJ will get a lot of press, but one guy that also would fit tremendously well in ETHs system is Nicolo Barella.
Inter has financial problems. Would they hang on to Barella if we offered 125m? He is definitely better now than Bellingham, Enzo F and co. But also of course at the peak of his career.
Am I getting ahead of myself/this team if I answer ‘the only City players I would consider are Diaz, Haaland and Rodri’?
Thing is, there is a little little bit of seriousness there.
How ETH handle our options in the front three will be interesting for next season.
With what Garnacho and Amad is showing this season, I don't think either will be happy as third choice next year.
But if we sign a new striker I can see Rashford and Anthony as starters and Sancho as first back-up for both wings.
If Martial and Weghorst stay on there will be few games where Rashford rotate as a striker too.
With what Garnacho and Amad is showing this season, I don't think either will be happy as third choice next year.
But if we sign a new striker I can see Rashford and Anthony as starters and Sancho as first back-up for both wings.
If Martial and Weghorst stay on there will be few games where Rashford rotate as a striker too.
Interesting to hear you rate him better than Bellingham and Fernandez,would imagine Pedri has an eye watering release clause or am I mixing him up with Gavi.
City wouldn't let Bernardo leave and IF by some miracle they did only see him wanting Barca
Absolute top priority is a centre forward, a proven goal scorer. not a huge number of them available but the obvious one for me, despite his "age" is Kane. not sure he'll join another english club and we might well end up with Dušan Vlahović.
Despite the abuse I'll get (already get) for saying this, I still don't think DDG is a good enough all-round keeper; there are certainly better ones. We might go for Emiliano Martinez despite his antics, which, frankly don't worry me much. After the, it must be two differing midfielders...
chelsea have 29 points - and now have eight (or is it nine, with the youngster?) new players. that's more than half a team! If they strengthen again in the summer, what then?
They can only play 11
Or at least, more experienced, stronger, more consistent etc.
I think it goes for all of these guys — Bellingham, Camavinga, Tchouameni and co — regardless what potential they have, they are not quite there yet.
My current guess:
-----------------------------Ramos(Martial)
Rashford(Garnacho)------------------------Antony(Sancho)
-----------------Eriksen(Sabitzer)-Bruno(Fred)
------------------------------Casemiro(DM)-------------------------
Shaw(Malacia)--Lisandro(Lindelof)-Varane(CB)-Dalot(RB)
---------------------------------GK(Heaton)--------------------------
with Elanga, Amad or Pellistri as a 7th attacker and the others on loan (or maybe Pellistri is just sold), Mainoo or Iqbal as the 7th midfielder (other on loan) and at least one, maybe 2 defenders, so let's say Alvaro and a right-footer, maybe a young signing who goes straight into the U-21s or Tuanzebe if he does okay at Stoke and in pre-season, or a random free transfer like Amartey or Pontus Jansson who has Prem experience and is happy to be 5th or 6th really (Shaw) choice CB here. 3rd keeper maybe Butland stays, dunno.
6 players seems like a lot, but Sabitzer is already here, we need a #9 and a passing GK and it seems like Maguire will leave, and literally all 3 of our RW options (Antony, Sancho, Amad, i'm assuming Pellistri will be sold) seem to be best at creating great opportunities for their surrounding teammates and Wan-Bissaka's final 3rd play isn't going to suddenly become really good, so my guess is we do swap in someone there since Wan-Bissaka will have a year plus an option year left this summer, so can still get a decent price for him but otherwise we have to commit to him for a bunch of years.
Mctominay-DM
Maguire-CB
WanBissaka-RB
DeGea-GK
probably all work out to about even including wages, so you're looking at a huge expenditure on a #9, 20M or so on Sabitzer and that's about it. If there's more than that, maybe we pass on Sabitzer and just sign De Jong or Rice or someone expensive.
-----------------------------Ramos(Martial)
Rashford(Garnacho)------------------------Antony(Sancho)
-----------------Eriksen(Sabitzer)-Bruno(Fred)
------------------------------Casemiro(DM)-------------------------
Shaw(Malacia)--Lisandro(Lindelof)-Varane(CB)-Dalot(RB)
---------------------------------GK(Heaton)--------------------------
with Elanga, Amad or Pellistri as a 7th attacker and the others on loan (or maybe Pellistri is just sold), Mainoo or Iqbal as the 7th midfielder (other on loan) and at least one, maybe 2 defenders, so let's say Alvaro and a right-footer, maybe a young signing who goes straight into the U-21s or Tuanzebe if he does okay at Stoke and in pre-season, or a random free transfer like Amartey or Pontus Jansson who has Prem experience and is happy to be 5th or 6th really (Shaw) choice CB here. 3rd keeper maybe Butland stays, dunno.
6 players seems like a lot, but Sabitzer is already here, we need a #9 and a passing GK and it seems like Maguire will leave, and literally all 3 of our RW options (Antony, Sancho, Amad, i'm assuming Pellistri will be sold) seem to be best at creating great opportunities for their surrounding teammates and Wan-Bissaka's final 3rd play isn't going to suddenly become really good, so my guess is we do swap in someone there since Wan-Bissaka will have a year plus an option year left this summer, so can still get a decent price for him but otherwise we have to commit to him for a bunch of years.
Mctominay-DM
Maguire-CB
WanBissaka-RB
DeGea-GK
probably all work out to about even including wages, so you're looking at a huge expenditure on a #9, 20M or so on Sabitzer and that's about it. If there's more than that, maybe we pass on Sabitzer and just sign De Jong or Rice or someone expensive.
and have seven on the bench, isn't it? I did say it was about squad strength. look what happens to us when we get a couple of midfield injuries
Despite not necessarily being what we need - I really wanted us to get Joao Felix. I just like the way he plays.
Sancho, Antony, Bruno, Amad, Rashford, Garnacho, Martial/Weghorst, new CF.
8 players for 4 positions. We can keep Pellistri too, but will prefer to see him loaned to a PL side.
8 players for 4 positions. We can keep Pellistri too, but will prefer to see him loaned to a PL side.
Think Erik only wants players who fit in,clearly he felt that we had enough cover in wide areas
Yeah there is too much drop off when we have lost Varane to injury and Casa to suspension
What about Paqueta? Doesn't he already play next to Casemiro in the NT? He also said his favorite position is left centre mid, what a coincidence..
(Yes, I'm typing this after he scored
)
(Yes, I'm typing this after he scored
)We need midfielders. Get some midfielders in in summer the rest is ok, with the exception of a striker
Make Sabitzer permanent,De Jong/Barella and maybe Tielemans on a free
I don't know about the money and capablities and all, but if they can get Felix, Osimhen and Frenkie – assuming they all settle in fine and dandy – you'd have a great squad that I think would fit ETH's plans perfectly for the title challenges. For perfection see if you can get a ball playing GK and an all round back up in defense, who can play both fullback positions in case of busy schedules and injury lists, and one DM backup who is okay with playing only when Casemiro doesn't. This one would be extra luxury if Frenkie comes.
----
Now a list of the squad setup with the ideal summer mentioned above, minus the GK and extra defender/midfielder. Assuming Telles returns permanently and Frenkie comes, they are not priority to me. For easiness I considered a permanent Sabitzer as backup. I assume someone like McT could leave, but for now he'll count as DM backup.
----
GK: De Gea is good enough, maybe I don't consider goalkeepers enough, but a more ball playing option would be good in the long run. But for the overall play, I'd focus on buying field players for as long as De Gea is still around and gets along with his team mates. The backups are backups and should be fine – great is a luxury here.
CB: Varane, Martinez, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw.
FB: AWB, Shaw, Dalot, Malacia, Telles.
DM: Casemiro, Frenkie, McT, Sabitzer.
CM: Frenkie, Eriksen, Fred, Sabitzer.
AM: Bruno, Eriksen, Sancho, Felix.
WF: Rashford, Sancho, Antony, Felix, Garnacho.
CF: Osimhen, Felix, Martial, Rashford.
----
in a more exclusive to position way that counts as:
----
GK: De Gea, Heaton, whoever wants to be the loanie of the year.
RB: Wan-Bissaka, Dalot.
RCB: Varane, Lindelof.
LCB: Martinez, Maguire.
LB: Shaw, Malacia, Telles.
DM: Casemiro, McTominay.
CM: Frenkie, Sabitzer, Fred.
AM: Bruno, Eriksen.
RW: Sancho, Antony.
LW: Rashford, Garnacho
CF: Felix, Osimhen, Martial.
----
Look, an extra cover at CB could be nice, and so would a better DM than McT, but this squad as your main setup would be excellent in my eyes, with pretty strong cover for the first eleven, so we don't have to see setups like we've seen in recent games for game on game on end. Same goes for Maguire possibly needing a replacement, but with Shaw able to play there, as well, it could be much, much worse.
So, get Felix, Osimhen and Frenkie, and if you want make Sabitzer (or someone similar) permanent and you're a better side than you are now, with pretty much full coverage.
----
Now a list of the squad setup with the ideal summer mentioned above, minus the GK and extra defender/midfielder. Assuming Telles returns permanently and Frenkie comes, they are not priority to me. For easiness I considered a permanent Sabitzer as backup. I assume someone like McT could leave, but for now he'll count as DM backup.
----
GK: De Gea is good enough, maybe I don't consider goalkeepers enough, but a more ball playing option would be good in the long run. But for the overall play, I'd focus on buying field players for as long as De Gea is still around and gets along with his team mates. The backups are backups and should be fine – great is a luxury here.
CB: Varane, Martinez, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw.
FB: AWB, Shaw, Dalot, Malacia, Telles.
DM: Casemiro, Frenkie, McT, Sabitzer.
CM: Frenkie, Eriksen, Fred, Sabitzer.
AM: Bruno, Eriksen, Sancho, Felix.
WF: Rashford, Sancho, Antony, Felix, Garnacho.
CF: Osimhen, Felix, Martial, Rashford.
----
in a more exclusive to position way that counts as:
----
GK: De Gea, Heaton, whoever wants to be the loanie of the year.
RB: Wan-Bissaka, Dalot.
RCB: Varane, Lindelof.
LCB: Martinez, Maguire.
LB: Shaw, Malacia, Telles.
DM: Casemiro, McTominay.
CM: Frenkie, Sabitzer, Fred.
AM: Bruno, Eriksen.
RW: Sancho, Antony.
LW: Rashford, Garnacho
CF: Felix, Osimhen, Martial.
----
Look, an extra cover at CB could be nice, and so would a better DM than McT, but this squad as your main setup would be excellent in my eyes, with pretty strong cover for the first eleven, so we don't have to see setups like we've seen in recent games for game on game on end. Same goes for Maguire possibly needing a replacement, but with Shaw able to play there, as well, it could be much, much worse.
So, get Felix, Osimhen and Frenkie, and if you want make Sabitzer (or someone similar) permanent and you're a better side than you are now, with pretty much full coverage.
I think we'll sign.
Raya
Tielemans
Sabitzer
Gonçalo Ramos
Raya
Tielemans
Sabitzer
Gonçalo Ramos