Transfer Window - Summer 2021

[Spursex]

It's like when Ozil moved to Madrid for something tiny like £7mill. Tonnes of clubs could have afforded him but he only wanted to go to the elite.

Exactly that. When it comes to some of this up and coming talent we don't even get a look in; we're not in mainland Europe (The PL is seen as a player 'shredder' in terms of physicality for young players), we can't offer the culture and sunshine and when these kids move you often have to satisfy the needs/wants of their parents, their brothers and sisters, so they need to speak the language etc etc

And most of all now, you have to satisfy the needs of the new work permit rules - just telling the Home office he's going to 'be a great' player doesn't cut it anymore - especially when you tell then that it's him + 10.....

 

[Barnsleyspur]

If we're going to rate the window, we need to do it properly.

Appointment of DoF 7/10 - targeted some very ambitious transfers but had his knees chopped by the kane funds not getting sorted.

Appointment of manager 7/10 - not our number 1 target but not a fool. Had a perfect start to the season but the style of play isn't so great.

Release of deadwood 8/10- nearly all the crap has gone. Could not have done much more.

Acquisitions cannot be rated with any certainty but I would probably score it a 7/10. Romero was the best defender in Italy. Basically the best defender in the best defensive country. Gil looks a prospect and the rest are unknown.

Retention of stars 9/10 - we weren't bullied into selling kane and son committed himself.

Overall, I give the window a 7.5. I still think we're light of a CM and striker (maybe a winger too) but we get to give Skipp, Berg and Scarlett some time. Something that we've bemoaned some of our managers for not doing previously before.

 

[Walthamstow wanderer]

If we're going to rate the window, we need to do it properly.

Appointment of DoF 7/10 - targeted some very ambitious transfers but had his knees chopped by the kane funds not getting sorted.

Appointment of manager 7/10 - not our number 1 target but not a fool. Had a perfect start to the season but the style of play isn't so great.

Release of deadwood 8/10- nearly all the crap has gone. Could not have done much more.

Acquisitions cannot be rated with any certainty but I would probably score it a 7/10. Romero was the best defender in Italy. Basically the best defender in the best defensive country. Gil looks a prospect and the rest are unknown.

Retention of stars 9/10 - we weren't bullied into selling kane and son committed himself.

Overall, I give the window a 7.5. I still think we're light of a CM and striker (maybe a winger too) but we get to give Skipp, Berg and Scarlett some time. Something that we've bemoaned some of our managers for not doing previously before.

I give your post an 8/10 Barnsley …. Pretty accurate ……. We definitely need a strong , fit , committed Ndombele now ,

it’s what we bought him for , if he wants to get away , he needs to put himself in the frame . He isn’t going to do that in the Stratus Bar .

 

[Walthamstow wanderer]

Considering where we were in June, I think we've had a very good window. My 2 wishes were 1). get rid of those squad players who just aren't up to it, 2). get in some young players to boost and regenerate the squad

On the first point, the likely 10 candidates on most people's lips were Winks, Toby, Dier, Aurier, Sanchez, Sissoko, Lamela, Doherty, Hart, CCV. 6 of those are gone, 2 look so far like different players, 1 is home grown in an area we don't have much depth, and the other was only signed last year.
That is good going.

The second point was made more difficult by not having the cash from selling Kane. But we have a younger, more reliable goalkeeper in Gollini as a potential successor to Lloris (the only player over 30 in our squad). Gazzaniga (29) permanently moved on too.
Emerson (22) taking Aurier's (28) spot.
A reportedly top CB in Romero (23) added
Skipp (20) returning to take Sissoko's spot (32).
A potential future star in midfield to join next year in Sarr (18)
Lamela replaced by Bryan (20) who so far looks ever so promising.
Sessegnon(21) returning from loan to be integrated and likely played in cup competitions.
That is also good going.

If Tanganga keeps his form up and Emerson hits the ground running then I wouldn't be surprised if Doherty is looking a for a new club in January for the sake of his career.
Winks maybe the same if he isn't getting game time. But that remains dependent upon the question marks over Lo Celso and NDombele. If those 2 once more have indifferent seasons then I will be adding them to the list of players to move on.
Add Bergwijn to that list too if things don't start to click for him.

Areas of weakness in the squad;
a) depth in centre of midfield - big season for NDombele and Lo Celso for us to know if we can rely on them. Would have liked to see another traditional CM brought in.
b) depth of goal scorers - Big season for Bergwijn. Would have liked to see another forward brought in.

Other positive news from the summer;
Levy partially stepping away and a top Director of Football being employed in Paratici.
The manager situation was sorted. So far Nuno has been a breath of fresh air.
Kane stayed.
Son signed a new deal.
Sent a bunch of young players out on loan. We are finally going back down that route again of allowing our youth players to get senior experience.

Also, be patient. I recall the general consensus last summer was that we had had a fantastic window. Look how that turned out.

 

[Barnsleyspur]

I give your post an 8/10 Barnsley …. Pretty accurate ……. We definitely need a strong , fit , committed Ndombele now ,

it’s what we bought him for , if he wants to get away , he needs to put himself in the frame . He isn’t going to do that in the Stratus Bar .

I sincerely hope he can be even half the player we thought he was.

I'll say no more on the matter.

 

[Spursex]

I sincerely hope he can be even half the player we thought he was.

I'll say no more on the matter.

If we only get that 'half' he'll still be better than everyone apart from Kane.

My bet is Nuno and his advisors will have told him to put as much as he can into it now, if he does, then he'll get his move next summer.

Supposedly we had 3 bids from 3 differing clubs, but as I suspected they were all trying to low-ball us.

Now the decks have cleared and the shite has subsided, it is now truly down to him to get in the team and make a statement.

 

[vinniecopenhagen]

Mixed feelings about the TW, glad we got rid of Serge & Sissoko,disappointed we didn't offload Dier & Sanchez and possibly Doc. Gill & Sarr good signings but for the future.We haven't really improved our starting 11 apart from Romero and Emerson. Time to get behind the manager and team now and hopefully look forward to a successful season,well we are top of the league and not only for a day.C.O.Y.S.

 

[steveperryman]

If we only get that 'half' he'll still; be better than everyone apart from Kane.

My bet is Nuno and his advisors will have told him to put as much as he can into it now, if he does, then he'll get his move next summer.

Supposedly we had 3 bids from 3 differing clubs, but as I suspected they were all trying to low-ball us.

Now the decks have cleared and the shite has subsided, it is now truly down to him to get in the team and make a statement.

Only time will tell if it's been a good window or not. We've taken a bit of a punt on a couple of signings but life is all about taking (calculated) risks.

Securing Sonny on a long term contract & holding on to our most experienced players (Hugo & Harry) has been the best business we've done. It's created a stable platform for these youngsters to flourish in their new environment. Fingers crossed they all find their feet here with us.

 

[muttley]

Firstly, with Camavinga, I get it. We have done ourselves a big favour by shifting the deadwood. The next stage is to prove that we don't just buy young players, we actually play them. Papa Sarr's signing is a statement of intent that we can be proactive and get the youngsters on board even if they stay out on loan before they join our first team. When these young guns see we are "youngster friendly", we might have a great opportunity in landing the next ones in the future. That's all we can do, as some of us have been saying for years.

Secondly, it feels like a slow window to some, but you have to compare Jose's squad with Nuno's squad. That tells you that it is more like 8 in and 8 out across the registered squads. It's not just about the 4 new signings, but also about guys like Skipp, Sess, Scarlett, Clarke and Austin.

Thirdly, we only excel if Kane is managed correctly. Even at full tilt, if he gets there, he needs games off and rotation. So does Sonny. We also need to get our best players on the pitch most of the time. It will be interesting to see which players rise to the surface.

I'm looking forward to this season. The monkey is off our back.

 

[Spursex]

Firstly, with Camavinga, I get it. We have done ourselves a big favour by shifting the deadwood. The next stage is to prove that we don't just buy young players, we actually play them. Papa Sarr's signing is a statement of intent that we can be proactive and get the youngsters on board even if they stay out on loan before they join our first team. When these young guns see we are "youngster friendly", we might have a great opportunity in landing the next ones in the future. That's all we can do, as some of us have been saying for years.

Secondly, it feels like a slow window to some, but you have to compare Jose's squad with Nuno's squad. That tells you that it is more like 8 in and 8 out across the registered squads. It's not just about the 4 new signings, but also about guys like Skipp, Sess, Scarlett, Clarke and Austin.

Thirdly, we only excel if Kane is managed correctly. Even at full tilt, if he gets there, he needs games off and rotation. So does Sonny. We also need to get our best players on the pitch most of the time. It will be interesting to see which players rise to the surface.

I'm looking forward to this season. The monkey is off our back.

We should also understand that the message to our own youngster coming through, is that as of now, places may well be up for grabs.

I'd like to have seen a few go out on loan, so, like Skipp they can show what they can do - that may still happen.

We've quite possibly set up some deals for next summer, especially in the striker dept and we may well have a keeper ready to take over the no.1 position.

 

[Nick Real Deal]

I wouldn't give Paratici too much credit for ins or outs.
It's easy giving money away, making money is more difficult. Rose went free, Gazza expired, Sterling expired, Lamela part of a swap but we paid plenty for Gil, Aurier terminated, Sissoko 3 mil. Hart and Foyth undisclosed.
The ins, it's true he was possibly shackled by no money to spend and the jury is out on how they will do. What is Pararici's role now ? What will his contribution be ?
If he was brought in to spend 150 mil, maybe he has been and will be redundant ?

My ratings for his work....outs 3, ins 4.

 

[Pompey Yid]

Firstly, with Camavinga, I get it. We have done ourselves a big favour by shifting the deadwood. The next stage is to prove that we don't just buy young players, we actually play them. Papa Sarr's signing is a statement of intent that we can be proactive and get the youngsters on board even if they stay out on loan before they join our first team. When these young guns see we are "youngster friendly", we might have a great opportunity in landing the next ones in the future. That's all we can do, as some of us have been saying for years.

Secondly, it feels like a slow window to some, but you have to compare Jose's squad with Nuno's squad. That tells you that it is more like 8 in and 8 out across the registered squads. It's not just about the 4 new signings, but also about guys like Skipp, Sess, Scarlett, Clarke and Austin.

Thirdly, we only excel if Kane is managed correctly. Even at full tilt, if he gets there, he needs games off and rotation. So does Sonny. We also need to get our best players on the pitch most of the time. It will be interesting to see which players rise to the surface.

I'm looking forward to this season. The monkey is off our back.

muttley very eloquently put am 100% with you there, so as you say I am also looking forward to this season.
Also having a great start will go down well with everyone concerned.

 

[stupops]

Sturridge is a free agent. So is Llorente.

 

[Gary Onedaysoon]

Sturridge is a free agent. So is Llorente.

For a good reason.

 

[SmithAndJones]

I wouldn't give Paratici too much credit for ins or outs.
It's easy giving money away, making money is more difficult. Rose went free, Gazza expired, Sterling expired, Lamela part of a swap but we paid plenty for Gil, Aurier terminated, Sissoko 3 mil. Hart and Foyth undisclosed.
The ins, it's true he was possibly shackled by no money to spend and the jury is out on how they will do. What is Pararici's role now ? What will his contribution be ?
If he was brought in to spend 150 mil, maybe he has been and will be redundant ?

My ratings for his work....outs 3, ins 4.

My impression is that he is at this stage pretty clueless about the PL and the players in it, hence his focus on European players and defenders in particular, because that's what they do in Europe, Italy in particular, they play defensive football. Hopefully he will adapt pretty quickly, otherwise he won't be quite the catch many have built him up to be so far.

 

[Gary Onedaysoon]

My impression is that he is at this stage pretty clueless about the PL and the players in it, hence his focus on European players and defenders in particular, because that's what they do in Europe, Italy in particular, they play defensive football. Hopefully he will adapt pretty quickly, otherwise he won't be quite the catch many have built him up to be so far.

I think it's too early assess his impact. Whilst the focus seems to have been on defence you could argue that it's far easier for teams to play a more progressive, front-foot style of football knowing that you have good defenders behind you.

Like you, I think we've been crying out for a creative AM in the Eriksen mould but I suspect the problem is that as long as Ndombele is here the club are not going to splash another £50m on a similar type of player. I would imagine they're also hoping that now the window has shut Nuno will be able change his mindset and introduce him back into the team. Sissoko and Aurier leaving may also help.

My biggest concern, as I've said many times before, is our reliance on Son and Kane. But this is where we are now. Maybe Nuno will start tweaking the system to make us less reliant on those two.

 

[Nick Real Deal]

The Aurier story intrigues me. He must have had some value, even if 10 mil.

 

[pjones40]

And the top 4 clubs in europe have been speaking to his advisors for the last few years, last year promise was made, he was never ever a target we could get.

I know that at the end of 19/20 there were noises being made about him. The was a chance to sign him then. I got the season wrong. By the time the January window of the 20/21 season we were to late. Yes at the beginning of the 20/21 season his representative's were speaking to many of the elite clubs. I thought he was going to psg but I think real pounced to upset psg as well as getting one the best young players in the world.

 

[Pompey Yid]

I think it's too early assess his impact. Whilst the focus seems to have been on defence you could argue that it's far easier for teams to play a more progressive, front-foot style of football knowing that you have good defenders behind you.

Like you, I think we've been crying out for a creative AM in the Eriksen mould but I suspect the problem is that as long as Ndombele is here the club are not going to splash another £50m on a similar type of player. I would imagine they're also hoping that now the window has shut Nuno will be able change his mindset and introduce him back into the team. Sissoko and Aurier leaving may also help.

My biggest concern, as I've said many times before, is our reliance on Son and Kane. But this is where we are now. Maybe Nuno will start tweaking the system to make us less reliant on those two.

Gary I honestly believe that N'Dombele will change his mindset, even if its only to show what he is capable of for next summers Window, but also having the French coven gone and not whispering sweet nothings in his lug hole will help. Lol!

 

[Littlest Hobo]

Something doesnt add up on the Aurier deal. Willian just did the same with Arsenal. He is about 45 though. Aurier cost us £25m, was pretty rubbish all things considered and would walk in 12mths time. Surely we could have found a club willing to do a swap for 12mths with a nice AM we could try and work with. To just call it quits stinks a little to me.