Transfers - Summer 2024 | Page 21 | Vital Football

Transfers - Summer 2024

I imagine some out on loan will return for a stab at the 1st team. Of that group obviously a handful will be sold on, i don't see us selling off too many more tbh.

Looking at our squad depth i don't see the need for wholesale changes. If anything we need a small number of key signings that will alter the dynamic of Ange's squad. I'm thinking Lol when they signed Alisson & VvD.
 
muttley said:
Here's where my head is at.

Sonny aside, this squad has taken 3 years to build to this point. We shouldn't say it has just started that process just because we changed 1st team coach within the last year. This summer should be finalising the process of squad refresh. Then it is one in, one out.

I would also suggest that you should never miss an opportunity. Klopp leaving might create a chink in Pool's armour but probably not. I wouldn't mind betting Chelsea, Utd and Newcastle will come back stronger next season. Then if we do finish behind Villa, they get a chance to strengthen again having already got used to 2 games a week over this season.

Regardless of where we are in our own project, opportunities like we have at the business end of this current season don't always present themselves. We surely need to think about 4th as the only target. After all, we have the 4th best squad and over an entire "light" season the only thing that should preclude us from finishing 4th is tactics and perhaps some bad luck with injuries.
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"Regardless of where we are in our own project, opportunities like we have at the business end of this current season don't always present themselves. We surely need to think about 4th as the only target. After all, we have the 4th best squad and over an entire "light" season the only thing that should preclude us from finishing 4th is tactics and perhaps some bad luck with injuries."

I think whether 4th is a 'target' or not is academic really. Ange will try and win every game. It's just a question, then, of where we finish.

Re. your point about the only thing stopping us finishing 4th is Ange's tactics and bad luck with injuries: surely the form of the players is a significant factor too?

Not every defeat and goal conceded is down to poor tactics. I tend to take a different perspective. Irrespective of the manager and their tactics, I look at the players first. Whatever tactics the manager is employing, if the players don't do the basics the tactics will fail.

I think we also need to allow players like Udogie and Sarr some latitude. It's their first season and they've both hit some great heights at times. But's it's incredibly difficult maintaining that level over the course of a season in a rookie year at a young age.

At the other end of the scale we have players like Sonny who has been a streaky player throughout his career. Right now he's offering very little in the number 9 position and it's blunting our attacking play.

Quite a few players are not performing at the level they were earlier in the season and it's not solely attributable to tactics. I believe it's the biggest factor in our inconsistent performances during the second half of the season. That's one for Ange to sort out which, in time, I'm confident he will.
 
Gary Onedaysoon said:
"Regardless of where we are in our own project, opportunities like we have at the business end of this current season don't always present themselves. We surely need to think about 4th as the only target. After all, we have the 4th best squad and over an entire "light" season the only thing that should preclude us from finishing 4th is tactics and perhaps some bad luck with injuries."

I think whether 4th is a 'target' or not is academic really. Ange will try and win every game. It's just a question, then, of where we finish.

Re. your point about the only thing stopping us finishing 4th is Ange's tactics and bad luck with injuries: surely the form of the players is a significant factor too?

Not every defeat and goal conceded is down to poor tactics. I tend to take a different perspective. Irrespective of the manager and their tactics, I look at the players first. Whatever tactics the manager is employing, if the players don't do the basics the tactics will fail.

I think we also need to allow players like Udogie and Sarr some latitude. It's their first season and they've both hit some great heights at times. But's it's incredibly difficult maintaining that level over the course of a season in a rookie year at a young age.

At the other end of the scale we have players like Sonny who has been a streaky player throughout his career. Right now he's offering very little in the number 9 position and it's blunting our attacking play.

Quite a few players are not performing at the level they were earlier in the season and it's not solely attributable to tactics. I believe it's the biggest factor in our inconsistent performances during the second half of the season. That's one for Ange to sort out which, in time, I'm confident he will.
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I actually think that tactics and form have a massive overlap in the Venn diagram. We are seeing multiple midfielders struggle with their form on returning into this tactical setup. We are seeing young Udogie's head scrambled because of the complexity of his role. We are seeing similar things with Sarr.

Gordon doesn't get the better of Udogie today if he is allowed to be in a full-backs natural position. Porro doesn't play the ball into that dangerous area if he was being an orthodox full-back. He would just hook it out and concede the throw-in. VDV never gets left one on one like that against the league form striker, in all other defensive tactical setups. He would have had a second player on the pivot. One attacks the header, one drops.

3 goals where the right defensive tactics don't ever allow the ball to hit the net. Not being able to defend a corner being the 4th reason we lost 4-0. We've been talking about that tactical setup for a while now. Ange's current corner setup just sucks.

In my opinion, all of this adds up to why player's form is dropping. Those players also have a head vs heart problem as well. Like us fans, their heart wants to believe in the tactical system but their heads are quite rightly telling them different. That has its own impact.
 
I wasn't an advocate of Gallaghers but he sorted out the penalty incident well as captain for the chavs the other night and he would bring something different mentality to our midfield. Could we get him and more importantly would he want to come to us? Him and his family are all Chelsea. Would he really want to come and captain one of their fierce rivals?
Getting him from Chelsea could be the easier part as they are in deep do do with FFP and need to start selling players where they will make the most profit i.e. homegrown and academy players. Gallagher also only has a year left on his contract so they need to weigh up do the offer a new one and try to balance the books elsewhere or do they get what can this summer. Balancing the books when you've spent $1B on players won't be easy. Who is going to pay £116M on Conceido now?? Plus they have all these players on long term deals (they've just extended Enzo and Mudryks further).

From a forward point of view I still think we should be all over Toney. He is proven and give us physicality up front. Plus we could get a decent wedge for Richi.

Back up goalkeeper is difficult as wko wants to be backup. Butland is doing well at Rangers and may fancy trying his arm at the Premiership again.
 
Walthamstow wanderer said:
We definitely need a proper captain .

Looking back at this season , it’s not Romero , or Maddison , and definitely not Son . I don’t see a captain in our squad . We need to import one, and that won’t be easy .
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I've been saying this for most of the season and was hoping against experience that one would emerge during the season, he/they haven't.

We need that leader if we are to progress, and unless we buy one, I can see more of the same frustrations (me with them) again next season.

Of course, at this level, they are not easy to find.
 
rackny said:
I wasn't an advocate of Gallaghers but he sorted out the penalty incident well as captain for the chavs the other night and he would bring something different mentality to our midfield. Could we get him and more importantly would he want to come to us? Him and his family are all Chelsea. Would he really want to come and captain one of their fierce rivals?
Getting him from Chelsea could be the easier part as they are in deep do do with FFP and need to start selling players where they will make the most profit i.e. homegrown and academy players. Gallagher also only has a year left on his contract so they need to weigh up do the offer a new one and try to balance the books elsewhere or do they get what can this summer. Balancing the books when you've spent $1B on players won't be easy. Who is going to pay £116M on Conceido now?? Plus they have all these players on long term deals (they've just extended Enzo and Mudryks further).

From a forward point of view I still think we should be all over Toney. He is proven and give us physicality up front. Plus we could get a decent wedge for Richi.

Back up goalkeeper is difficult as wko wants to be backup. Butland is doing well at Rangers and may fancy trying his arm at the Premiership again.
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Given the style of play we've adopted, I wouldn't be adverse to see both Sonny and Richi being moved on, Toney would certainly fill one of the roles - but who would we add that can compete with him?
 
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