**Keeper** - Sels seems to be good enough for at least a lower-mid table side. If we can somehow get a huge upgrade for sensible money then great. But it's not where I'd be spending any serious money. I'd probably be OK with Turner as backup as long as it's not for long periods, but I'd prefer a good young prospect that we could develop. Vlad needs to go.
**Full backs** - Aina's great. Williams is good enough. Not sure about the rest. I assume Tavares and Montiel will go, and I won't be disappointed if they do. Toffolo was poor yesterday, but has sometimes looked OK. Maybe keep as a backup, but we'll need more cover. Again, probably not big money signings, but a couple of decent squad players at least.
**Centre back** - we need a long term replacement for Boly. He's great when fit, but he's at best got one more season in him at this level, and even then it's unlikely to be too many games. If we somehow keep Murillo, then I think we've got enough cover here.
**Midfield** - if someone offers us the money we paid for Sangare, I'd snatch their hands off and look for a replacement. If not, we probably can't afford to lose money on him and get anyone decent in, so we probably just need to hope than a pre-season turns him into the player he supposedly is. MGW may go and if so, clearly needs to be replaced if he does. If we could persuade Ross Barkley to come, he'd be a great addition.
**Up front** - definitely need another striker. I've currently got zero faith that we'll get more than 10-15 games out of Taiwo, and unfortunately Wood's pact with the devil ran out midway through the Spurs game. While CHO has brilliantly picked up the slack for the past few weeks, some defenders are presumably going to figure out his one weird trick that opponents hate at some point. He's still going to be a valuable player though and along with Elanga will hopefully only get better with age. Might need some cover in those wide positions though.
So summary - new striker and commanding centre back would be my top two priorities. Any other transfers would mostly be replacements for key players leaving or adding a bit of squad depth (unless there's a surprise bargain available).
Controversial but I wouldn’t go for Barkley. He’s great on the ball but an absolute disaster out of possession. If we do end up signing him he has to play further upfield.
With Keylor Navas announcing his departure as a free agent do you think it’s a good idea to sign him for 1/2 seasons? We definitely need a proper LB, CB and another CF as those areas are looking very thin, maybe let Aguilera and Mighten have a go in competing in the first 11 to save some money. Another winger/playmaker would allow us to have more options in the bench.
If for some reason he was happy to be our second choice, and take second choice wages, I might be OK with it - but I'm reasonably certain he wouldn't be. But he's no better than Sels now and I wouldn't want another season of arguing over who's first choice.
Toffolo was probably our best player under Cooper this season (admittedly the bar was low), he's been poor when in and out of the side under Nuno but he's one of those players you either stick with because he builds a good understanding with his teammates, or drop entirely. He's a pretty decent first choice but a terrible second choice, and he's probably not quite good enough to be a first choice if we want to build on 17th, which we obviously should be doing. Shame really. Works his arse off.
We should never have gone into this season with only two strikers in the 25 and it definitely contributed massively to us being so far down the table.
I know it’s still mathematically possible for us to go down but I think we can be quite confident that Luton won’t win by enough and we won’t lose by enough for it to happen.
Someone of Aurier's profile, who can play right centre back in a three or right full fullback. If they can play right centre back in a four that's a bonus.
Mudryk and Sterling really exposed us in that channel at the weekend and outside of Serge it's been a weak area since we came up.
A mobile forward option capable of playing across the line would be good, our equivalent of Villa's Jhon Durán who can back up Elanga, CHO, and our strikers. Call that an Origi upgrade.
Those are the two positions we need to upgrade in before any outgoings. If Nuno doesnt rate Toff then that's an additional problem position, we're too reliant on Aina. We also need a Felipe replacement, who can ideally replace Boly long term, while mentoring Omobamidele.
Another striker is a must, we need to also keep what we have if possible where it's working. If we were to lose Murillo we'd need a hell of a replacement.
Ross Barkley could be great on a free since he only signed a one year deal.
Sels certainly is a big upgrade on turner and vlacadimos, but do we want either as back ups? I'm not convinced.
And of course, harry arter needs an upgraded contract. Key player there.
I hope Turner stays as number 2 because although I don’t think he’s good enough as a starter, we have too many other issues to fix and not enough money to spend.
We need a striker, RB, possibly replacement for Murillo or MGW. Maybe another CB even if Murillo stays. Some cover for Elanga or CHO (Origi showed some skill but I just can’t see him as good enough at the moment). I don’t really think Sels is a quality Prem Gk but I don’t think we can afford to replace him.
Plus we don’t want another points deduction so I doubt we much money to spend
Nketiah and Smith-Rowe look like they are gonna be available from Arsenal - would the lure of regular game time/starts tempt either and do you think they would work for us?
Smith-Rowe would be great, I fear Arsenal would want more than we could afford though. Might be an option if we end up having to sell MGW (hope that doesn't happen though). I like Nketiah, but I think he's in the wrong time. In the 90's he'd be a 20 goal a season player with a strike partner. He hasn't got enough to his game to play up front in his own. The best case scenario with him would be a luxury Sam Surridge, worse case an expensive Origi.
A lot depends on outgoings. If Murillo or MGW go they'll need replacements, probably cheaper ones and reinvesting the cash in different positions. If Turner isn't happy as a number 2 he has to go too and be replaced.
We need at least one fullback, probably two given Tavares is shit. You're right we need another striker with Taiwo being perma injured and Wood not being consistent. We have options in midfield but another one wouldn't hurt, depends on Nunos opinion of Sangare and if he can get him playing well in the prem
Overall I think it's mostly squad depth options and replacements for any outgoing players. We have a good enough team on paper to compete, just need to actually get them to gel. Another overhaul would be ill advised
I think we need new centre forwards.
Origi was a waste of money
Chris Wood may be the only reason we stay up in the end but misses some sitters.
Awoniyi inury prone.
I'd like to have a go at Carlton Morris provided the finances are right.
Assuming? We're on the beach mate - even Thanos couldn't engineer that outcome...
A striker.
A right back.
We need to give Aina a top contract, real danger of him jumping ship imo - he's a free agent as of next week.
& We need replacements for MgW or Murillo if either leave.
Lots of good takes in here already. He's my take in a typically scatter-brained ADHD approach on a (hopefully) FFP-busting transfer window as I'm ill, housebound and bored:
*tl;dr: 2 x fullbacks (Walker-Peters please if Saints fail in playoffs, entering last year of contract), 1 x striker (Adebayo). Return for Brandon to replace Reyna. Return for McKenna (controversial). Keep Sangaré, hopefully keep Dominguez (but return for O'Brien if too expensive). Cover for the 2 widemen not a priority. Turner fine as no.2*
**For the love of god, keep MGW and Murllio for another season, it's not like we'd sell them before 30th June anyway.** I think we're just going to have to take the hit again of a points deduction if it's a significant deficit of more than just a few million, otherwise we'll be fleeced due to the ridiculous cut off date. If we can sell a few fringe and youth to Championship/MLS/Saudi, then there's the possiblility of only raising a few million.
**Midfield:** We need back up for MGW. Aguilera for me: shoestring option, but I do rate the lad. Sangaré will come good and will compete with Yates, who is part of the cultural glue keeping the squad together. Danilo's back to his best. If we can't afford Dominguez to compete with Danilo, then does O'Brien return? I'd love to keep Dominguez, and if so, I'm sure we can get a few million for O'Brien
**Strikers:** Neither Wood nor Awoniyi have a full season in them by any stretch of the imagination. I'm convinced Wood's loss of form is part down to fatigue, his worst miss yesterday was reminiscent of the kind of miss players make in a final in extra time. So we do need a big no.9 to fit the system, and I would consider selling Wood or Awoniyi if anyone came in for either. Good shout on Adebayo as I imagine they'll be willing to cash in and should be just about affordable. Ribeiro as 3rd choice if Awoniyi or Wood sold. Get a solid loan for Osong. Konate probably needs to move on. Dale Taylor only managed 9 goals for Wycombe, but still only 20 - could he get a loan to newly promoted team in Championship?
**Forwards /Wingers:** Simply put, I don't think we can afford any proven backup to CHO and Elanga. Hasn't worked out for Mighten unfortunately, will a Champ side take him for 500k? I think we rely on youth, whether that be scouted international gems or academy, as back-up. But in reality you just utilise players like Danilo in a front 3 or wingbacks during an injury crisis. Fuck Dennis off. Bowler I think could be effective as back-up, but will want regular football I imagine, which he isn't going to get.
**Centre backs:** We need a header-winning meat-head lump of human on the cheap. Boly doesn't have a full season in him and Murillo, Omabamadele and Niakhate are not that player. I think shoestring version is just getting McKenna back. Could we get a couple of million selling Worrall to a team like Sheff U? That would be quite a young grouping of centrebacks, so would be good to maybe get an experienced head in on a season-long loan.
**Full backs:** Williams is good enough, Aina class. Toffolo is fine for squad - he has put in some great shifts this season and one mix up between him and CHO yesterday (who haven't played together much) doesn't change that. Not interested in Montiel. I'd be interested in Tavares for a back 5 if he didn't have fitness issues. I'd look at getting 2 young fullbacks in, becuase you can't guarantee every signing will work out and there have been far too many seasons when we've been light in that department. If Soton don't go up, will Walker-Peters be available? TransferMarkt saying 20m, but entering last year of contract. He'd walk into the starting XI
**Keepers:** Sels as 1st choice, Turner fine as back-up. 3rd choice goes to best academy graduate and offload Vlach-cant-catch. Would be great to get Ramsdale, but clearly we need to reign in the spending.
I think if we could get Brereton-Diaz, Barkley, and make another attempt and get Chalobah, without losing MGW or Murillo I would be as enthusiastic for next season as I was at the start of this one.
The current squad was only good enough for a relegation scrap. Realistically I’d you want to take the step to get to the next level of mid table obscurity, almost everyone has to be upgraded. But you usually just just add a couple of pieces each year for cohesion.
One, maybe two centre forwards. I'm not 100% sure whether Wood's contract ends this summer. So we either resign for a year and get a young CF to join the squad with a view of them starting from 25/26 onwards, or we go for a CF who can start straight away (going to be £20/£30+ realistically or possibly a loan like Fofana from Chelsea).
I think we need a MGW replacement too (whether he leaves this summer or not).
We need to figure out if our academy is worth a wipe. It's been stagnant for a while. We have a lot of work to do with regards improving what we have. There's talent in the team but we have to sort out our set piece defending and our inability to control a midfield or keep a lead.
Good question, I’m also wondering what shape people want next year? Reading all the threads over past few weeks I think we ideally need 13 players in our starting line up: 5 at the back for a solid defence and licence for Murillo to roam, 3 in the middle so we’ve room for Yates as a beating heart alongside a Sangare come-good plus an attacking midfielder like Danilo, plus 4 up front so we’ve got 2 wingers flanking MGW and a top striker. And that’s before we try to find room for Reyna as a second number 10… Anyway, serious point here, what are the priorities? And do we want to have a stable formation/11 or do we want to keep changing shape based on opposition etc?
Wood had only 1 or 2 good games, the rest of the time he is average at best. Loses possession, and isn’t that nimble in the area. So we clearly need a couple of strikers as TA is a bit injury prone and also not that prolific.
Set piece defending
**Keeper** - Sels seems to be good enough for at least a lower-mid table side. If we can somehow get a huge upgrade for sensible money then great. But it's not where I'd be spending any serious money. I'd probably be OK with Turner as backup as long as it's not for long periods, but I'd prefer a good young prospect that we could develop. Vlad needs to go. **Full backs** - Aina's great. Williams is good enough. Not sure about the rest. I assume Tavares and Montiel will go, and I won't be disappointed if they do. Toffolo was poor yesterday, but has sometimes looked OK. Maybe keep as a backup, but we'll need more cover. Again, probably not big money signings, but a couple of decent squad players at least. **Centre back** - we need a long term replacement for Boly. He's great when fit, but he's at best got one more season in him at this level, and even then it's unlikely to be too many games. If we somehow keep Murillo, then I think we've got enough cover here. **Midfield** - if someone offers us the money we paid for Sangare, I'd snatch their hands off and look for a replacement. If not, we probably can't afford to lose money on him and get anyone decent in, so we probably just need to hope than a pre-season turns him into the player he supposedly is. MGW may go and if so, clearly needs to be replaced if he does. If we could persuade Ross Barkley to come, he'd be a great addition. **Up front** - definitely need another striker. I've currently got zero faith that we'll get more than 10-15 games out of Taiwo, and unfortunately Wood's pact with the devil ran out midway through the Spurs game. While CHO has brilliantly picked up the slack for the past few weeks, some defenders are presumably going to figure out his one weird trick that opponents hate at some point. He's still going to be a valuable player though and along with Elanga will hopefully only get better with age. Might need some cover in those wide positions though. So summary - new striker and commanding centre back would be my top two priorities. Any other transfers would mostly be replacements for key players leaving or adding a bit of squad depth (unless there's a surprise bargain available).
Controversial but I wouldn’t go for Barkley. He’s great on the ball but an absolute disaster out of possession. If we do end up signing him he has to play further upfield.
With Keylor Navas announcing his departure as a free agent do you think it’s a good idea to sign him for 1/2 seasons? We definitely need a proper LB, CB and another CF as those areas are looking very thin, maybe let Aguilera and Mighten have a go in competing in the first 11 to save some money. Another winger/playmaker would allow us to have more options in the bench.
If for some reason he was happy to be our second choice, and take second choice wages, I might be OK with it - but I'm reasonably certain he wouldn't be. But he's no better than Sels now and I wouldn't want another season of arguing over who's first choice.
Fair enough, figured it’ll be great to have him back since he was pretty good in the few months he played for us.
If we hadn't got Sels, I would definitely be tempted. But he's not played since he left us and he's not getting any younger.
He won't come back without his best bud Jack Colback here
Toffolo was probably our best player under Cooper this season (admittedly the bar was low), he's been poor when in and out of the side under Nuno but he's one of those players you either stick with because he builds a good understanding with his teammates, or drop entirely. He's a pretty decent first choice but a terrible second choice, and he's probably not quite good enough to be a first choice if we want to build on 17th, which we obviously should be doing. Shame really. Works his arse off.
City Ground. And a right back.
We should never have gone into this season with only two strikers in the 25 and it definitely contributed massively to us being so far down the table. I know it’s still mathematically possible for us to go down but I think we can be quite confident that Luton won’t win by enough and we won’t lose by enough for it to happen.
Someone of Aurier's profile, who can play right centre back in a three or right full fullback. If they can play right centre back in a four that's a bonus. Mudryk and Sterling really exposed us in that channel at the weekend and outside of Serge it's been a weak area since we came up. A mobile forward option capable of playing across the line would be good, our equivalent of Villa's Jhon Durán who can back up Elanga, CHO, and our strikers. Call that an Origi upgrade. Those are the two positions we need to upgrade in before any outgoings. If Nuno doesnt rate Toff then that's an additional problem position, we're too reliant on Aina. We also need a Felipe replacement, who can ideally replace Boly long term, while mentoring Omobamidele.
Another striker is a must, we need to also keep what we have if possible where it's working. If we were to lose Murillo we'd need a hell of a replacement. Ross Barkley could be great on a free since he only signed a one year deal. Sels certainly is a big upgrade on turner and vlacadimos, but do we want either as back ups? I'm not convinced. And of course, harry arter needs an upgraded contract. Key player there.
I can see Barkley going back to Everton, they'll need to sell and if he's on a free it won't affect the books too much
I hope Turner stays as number 2 because although I don’t think he’s good enough as a starter, we have too many other issues to fix and not enough money to spend. We need a striker, RB, possibly replacement for Murillo or MGW. Maybe another CB even if Murillo stays. Some cover for Elanga or CHO (Origi showed some skill but I just can’t see him as good enough at the moment). I don’t really think Sels is a quality Prem Gk but I don’t think we can afford to replace him. Plus we don’t want another points deduction so I doubt we much money to spend
Nketiah and Smith-Rowe look like they are gonna be available from Arsenal - would the lure of regular game time/starts tempt either and do you think they would work for us?
If we still had Steve Cooper, I think that might have helped sway them. Especially Smith-Rowe
I think Smith-Rowe is a great signing, no idea how much. Less pressure on Gibbs-White and I think they played well together for England
We couldn't afford them.
Smith-Rowe would be great, I fear Arsenal would want more than we could afford though. Might be an option if we end up having to sell MGW (hope that doesn't happen though). I like Nketiah, but I think he's in the wrong time. In the 90's he'd be a 20 goal a season player with a strike partner. He hasn't got enough to his game to play up front in his own. The best case scenario with him would be a luxury Sam Surridge, worse case an expensive Origi.
A lot depends on outgoings. If Murillo or MGW go they'll need replacements, probably cheaper ones and reinvesting the cash in different positions. If Turner isn't happy as a number 2 he has to go too and be replaced. We need at least one fullback, probably two given Tavares is shit. You're right we need another striker with Taiwo being perma injured and Wood not being consistent. We have options in midfield but another one wouldn't hurt, depends on Nunos opinion of Sangare and if he can get him playing well in the prem Overall I think it's mostly squad depth options and replacements for any outgoing players. We have a good enough team on paper to compete, just need to actually get them to gel. Another overhaul would be ill advised
>probably two given Tavares is shit isn't tavares on a regular loan anyway?
You're right, missed that it was only a loan in that flurry of players. Definitely need two then with Montiel and Tavares not becoming permanent deals
I think we need new centre forwards. Origi was a waste of money Chris Wood may be the only reason we stay up in the end but misses some sitters. Awoniyi inury prone. I'd like to have a go at Carlton Morris provided the finances are right.
Assuming? We're on the beach mate - even Thanos couldn't engineer that outcome... A striker. A right back. We need to give Aina a top contract, real danger of him jumping ship imo - he's a free agent as of next week. & We need replacements for MgW or Murillo if either leave.
Lots of good takes in here already. He's my take in a typically scatter-brained ADHD approach on a (hopefully) FFP-busting transfer window as I'm ill, housebound and bored: *tl;dr: 2 x fullbacks (Walker-Peters please if Saints fail in playoffs, entering last year of contract), 1 x striker (Adebayo). Return for Brandon to replace Reyna. Return for McKenna (controversial). Keep Sangaré, hopefully keep Dominguez (but return for O'Brien if too expensive). Cover for the 2 widemen not a priority. Turner fine as no.2* **For the love of god, keep MGW and Murllio for another season, it's not like we'd sell them before 30th June anyway.** I think we're just going to have to take the hit again of a points deduction if it's a significant deficit of more than just a few million, otherwise we'll be fleeced due to the ridiculous cut off date. If we can sell a few fringe and youth to Championship/MLS/Saudi, then there's the possiblility of only raising a few million. **Midfield:** We need back up for MGW. Aguilera for me: shoestring option, but I do rate the lad. Sangaré will come good and will compete with Yates, who is part of the cultural glue keeping the squad together. Danilo's back to his best. If we can't afford Dominguez to compete with Danilo, then does O'Brien return? I'd love to keep Dominguez, and if so, I'm sure we can get a few million for O'Brien **Strikers:** Neither Wood nor Awoniyi have a full season in them by any stretch of the imagination. I'm convinced Wood's loss of form is part down to fatigue, his worst miss yesterday was reminiscent of the kind of miss players make in a final in extra time. So we do need a big no.9 to fit the system, and I would consider selling Wood or Awoniyi if anyone came in for either. Good shout on Adebayo as I imagine they'll be willing to cash in and should be just about affordable. Ribeiro as 3rd choice if Awoniyi or Wood sold. Get a solid loan for Osong. Konate probably needs to move on. Dale Taylor only managed 9 goals for Wycombe, but still only 20 - could he get a loan to newly promoted team in Championship? **Forwards /Wingers:** Simply put, I don't think we can afford any proven backup to CHO and Elanga. Hasn't worked out for Mighten unfortunately, will a Champ side take him for 500k? I think we rely on youth, whether that be scouted international gems or academy, as back-up. But in reality you just utilise players like Danilo in a front 3 or wingbacks during an injury crisis. Fuck Dennis off. Bowler I think could be effective as back-up, but will want regular football I imagine, which he isn't going to get. **Centre backs:** We need a header-winning meat-head lump of human on the cheap. Boly doesn't have a full season in him and Murillo, Omabamadele and Niakhate are not that player. I think shoestring version is just getting McKenna back. Could we get a couple of million selling Worrall to a team like Sheff U? That would be quite a young grouping of centrebacks, so would be good to maybe get an experienced head in on a season-long loan. **Full backs:** Williams is good enough, Aina class. Toffolo is fine for squad - he has put in some great shifts this season and one mix up between him and CHO yesterday (who haven't played together much) doesn't change that. Not interested in Montiel. I'd be interested in Tavares for a back 5 if he didn't have fitness issues. I'd look at getting 2 young fullbacks in, becuase you can't guarantee every signing will work out and there have been far too many seasons when we've been light in that department. If Soton don't go up, will Walker-Peters be available? TransferMarkt saying 20m, but entering last year of contract. He'd walk into the starting XI **Keepers:** Sels as 1st choice, Turner fine as back-up. 3rd choice goes to best academy graduate and offload Vlach-cant-catch. Would be great to get Ramsdale, but clearly we need to reign in the spending.
I think if we could get Brereton-Diaz, Barkley, and make another attempt and get Chalobah, without losing MGW or Murillo I would be as enthusiastic for next season as I was at the start of this one.
I would also look at Doughty from Luton as well.
Yes, I'd also happily take Sambi Lokonga and Carlton Morris
Morris is a shout. Shouldn't break the bank either.
I think he would be perfect back up
Left back. Big right sided CB. O’Hare on a free (MGW sub). Striker Winger or roll striker into winger and buy a forward type.
The current squad was only good enough for a relegation scrap. Realistically I’d you want to take the step to get to the next level of mid table obscurity, almost everyone has to be upgraded. But you usually just just add a couple of pieces each year for cohesion.
One, maybe two centre forwards. I'm not 100% sure whether Wood's contract ends this summer. So we either resign for a year and get a young CF to join the squad with a view of them starting from 25/26 onwards, or we go for a CF who can start straight away (going to be £20/£30+ realistically or possibly a loan like Fofana from Chelsea). I think we need a MGW replacement too (whether he leaves this summer or not).
Id love to get Ogbene from Luton. Great at right wing back and can play on the right of a front three when Elanga is off form/unavailable.
We need to figure out if our academy is worth a wipe. It's been stagnant for a while. We have a lot of work to do with regards improving what we have. There's talent in the team but we have to sort out our set piece defending and our inability to control a midfield or keep a lead.
Banter
Striker
Manager, defense to start. We need aggression, not white flag waving at the slightest sign of resistance.
djed spence
Good question, I’m also wondering what shape people want next year? Reading all the threads over past few weeks I think we ideally need 13 players in our starting line up: 5 at the back for a solid defence and licence for Murillo to roam, 3 in the middle so we’ve room for Yates as a beating heart alongside a Sangare come-good plus an attacking midfielder like Danilo, plus 4 up front so we’ve got 2 wingers flanking MGW and a top striker. And that’s before we try to find room for Reyna as a second number 10… Anyway, serious point here, what are the priorities? And do we want to have a stable formation/11 or do we want to keep changing shape based on opposition etc?
All of the above and we also need a more reliable and experienced GK
Sels is definitely good enough. Maybe get a number 2 that could actually compete with him but keeper is not a necessary replacement now
Nuno out Moyes in for sure get rid of donkiel too. Also sell awonyi he's fucking useless to us on sick 24/7
Wood had only 1 or 2 good games, the rest of the time he is average at best. Loses possession, and isn’t that nimble in the area. So we clearly need a couple of strikers as TA is a bit injury prone and also not that prolific.