SirRodneyEffing
Vital Squad Member
Here's my thoughts on the players mentioned so far:
INS:
Divock Origi:
If he was to leave Liverpool then it would almost certainly be to one of Europe's top clubs. No chance.
Martin Odegaard:
I doubt that Real Madrid would sell him, but he might be available for loan again. We would probably need to qualify for the Champions League to get their attention above other top sides though.
Kalvin Phillips:
I think that Sander Berge will compete with Norwood for the DM slot in the longer term, so I don't see where he would fit in out team. Leeds would also demand stupid money for him. He's a good player though.
Max Aarons:
He'd be a great signing, but we would probably have a lot of competition from teams with larger pockets. Worth a try though.
Ben Godfrey:
He has a lot of potential, but isn't good enough defensively to go into our team at the moment. If Retsos doesn't work out then we could look at him as possible Bash cover/long-term replacement.
Xherdan Shaqiri:
This one seems unrealistic, mainly due to cost, but also he wouldn't fit into our system at all.
Danny Ings:
I'd love him at the Lane, but he is a Southampton fan and given their current form, I expect that they will be looking to build around him to have a go at European qualification next season.
Teemu Pukki:
I was against signing him earlier in the season, but now I think he would be a decent buy. He still has a few years left in him and his form doesn't seem to be dying away like I worried it might do. I think one of Sharp or McGoldrick (or maybe both) might be moved on in the summer, so a bit of experience up front would be a good thing as well.
Lucas Moura:
A good player, but he's mainly a winger, so I don't think he would fit. I suspect that the finances are currently beyond us as well.
Chris Wood:
Another experienced goal-scorer who would add something to our attack and would be in our budget. Decent shout.
Troy Deeney:
He's pretty much Mr Watford, so I expect that he would want to stay there even if they are relegated. If they do want to move him on, then I wouldn't be against it.
Aaron Ramsdale:
If we can't get Deano back then yes. He's had an excellent season in a struggling Bournemouth team and is only going to improve from here given his age. I'd imagine he would jump at the chance to come back as well.
David Brooks:
I'm in two minds. He is a good player, but I'm unsure of his long-term fitness. I'd probably pass at this point.
OUTS:
Callum Robinson:
By all accounts he had a very good debut for West Brom as a wide attacker. I know that CW said he is still in our plans, but unless we are looking at changing to a 3-4-3 like Wolves then I don't think he will ever fit with us. If he continues to play well on loan then we can likely at least get our money back on him, so I'd let him go.
Oliver McBurnie:
Absolutely not. He's been our best attacker (and one of our best players in general) in the second third of the season. I'm surprised that there are still people who want to get rid of him.
Leon Clarke:
I can't believe he is still with us now, let alone next season. I hope he can find a decent club to move to.
A couple of other players that I would consider as well:
Todd Cantwell:
Like with Aarons, he's another one who is attracting the attention of big clubs, but he'd be a really good signing for us if we could get him.
Sebastien Haller:
This one is a little bit out there and would probably require us to be in Europe, but if West Ham go down then I would imagine he would be available for transfer, and maybe even on loan if we couldn't afford to buy him. He was very successful in Germany playing in a front two, but has struggled at West Ham as a lone striker. He's still managed six goals though and I think he could fit into our system well. The fact that he is seen as having flopped would potentially limit the competition for him and according to reports, his wages are lower than might be expected (between 60 and 70k a week.) Compare that to Mitrovic at Fulham, who is on more than 100k a week, and even Jarrod Bowen who's now on a reported 80k a week.
INS:
Divock Origi:
If he was to leave Liverpool then it would almost certainly be to one of Europe's top clubs. No chance.
Martin Odegaard:
I doubt that Real Madrid would sell him, but he might be available for loan again. We would probably need to qualify for the Champions League to get their attention above other top sides though.
Kalvin Phillips:
I think that Sander Berge will compete with Norwood for the DM slot in the longer term, so I don't see where he would fit in out team. Leeds would also demand stupid money for him. He's a good player though.
Max Aarons:
He'd be a great signing, but we would probably have a lot of competition from teams with larger pockets. Worth a try though.
Ben Godfrey:
He has a lot of potential, but isn't good enough defensively to go into our team at the moment. If Retsos doesn't work out then we could look at him as possible Bash cover/long-term replacement.
Xherdan Shaqiri:
This one seems unrealistic, mainly due to cost, but also he wouldn't fit into our system at all.
Danny Ings:
I'd love him at the Lane, but he is a Southampton fan and given their current form, I expect that they will be looking to build around him to have a go at European qualification next season.
Teemu Pukki:
I was against signing him earlier in the season, but now I think he would be a decent buy. He still has a few years left in him and his form doesn't seem to be dying away like I worried it might do. I think one of Sharp or McGoldrick (or maybe both) might be moved on in the summer, so a bit of experience up front would be a good thing as well.
Lucas Moura:
A good player, but he's mainly a winger, so I don't think he would fit. I suspect that the finances are currently beyond us as well.
Chris Wood:
Another experienced goal-scorer who would add something to our attack and would be in our budget. Decent shout.
Troy Deeney:
He's pretty much Mr Watford, so I expect that he would want to stay there even if they are relegated. If they do want to move him on, then I wouldn't be against it.
Aaron Ramsdale:
If we can't get Deano back then yes. He's had an excellent season in a struggling Bournemouth team and is only going to improve from here given his age. I'd imagine he would jump at the chance to come back as well.
David Brooks:
I'm in two minds. He is a good player, but I'm unsure of his long-term fitness. I'd probably pass at this point.
OUTS:
Callum Robinson:
By all accounts he had a very good debut for West Brom as a wide attacker. I know that CW said he is still in our plans, but unless we are looking at changing to a 3-4-3 like Wolves then I don't think he will ever fit with us. If he continues to play well on loan then we can likely at least get our money back on him, so I'd let him go.
Oliver McBurnie:
Absolutely not. He's been our best attacker (and one of our best players in general) in the second third of the season. I'm surprised that there are still people who want to get rid of him.
Leon Clarke:
I can't believe he is still with us now, let alone next season. I hope he can find a decent club to move to.
A couple of other players that I would consider as well:
Todd Cantwell:
Like with Aarons, he's another one who is attracting the attention of big clubs, but he'd be a really good signing for us if we could get him.
Sebastien Haller:
This one is a little bit out there and would probably require us to be in Europe, but if West Ham go down then I would imagine he would be available for transfer, and maybe even on loan if we couldn't afford to buy him. He was very successful in Germany playing in a front two, but has struggled at West Ham as a lone striker. He's still managed six goals though and I think he could fit into our system well. The fact that he is seen as having flopped would potentially limit the competition for him and according to reports, his wages are lower than might be expected (between 60 and 70k a week.) Compare that to Mitrovic at Fulham, who is on more than 100k a week, and even Jarrod Bowen who's now on a reported 80k a week.