[Football] This squad and next season.

[Albion Dan]

I thinking along the lines of if Lallana had spells out next season.

The player’s a class act, creatively he makes us tick and drives us forward with his instinctive attacking game.

We miss him sorely when he doesn’t play.

At the end of the day we still dominated almost all games without Lallana all season and if we’d have had that striker would be comfortably top 10 regardless. Ali Mac is more than good enough with a proper year under his belt will get even better. Think we are fine in the middle.

 

[Swansman]

Club has a lot of work to do in the summer to get rid of fringe players, unfortunately its very hard and there's a chance the squad will be quite large next season as well.

Bissouma will leave, almost certain, and maybe one of White/Webster, other than that I think no important players will leave.

Will probably just be one or two players coming in as well.

 

[Albion Dan]

Totally agree.

Is Locadia still on the payroll?

Another year. Dreadful signing. I’d stick him behind the bar in Dicks on match days so at least we get some return on his wages.

 

[The Fits]

Club has a lot of work to do in the summer to get rid of fringe players, unfortunately its very hard and there's a chance the squad will be quite large next season as well.

Bissouma will leave, almost certain, and maybe one of White/Webster, other than that I think no important players will leave.

Will probably just be one or two players coming in as well.

Absolutely.
It's now harder to get players out than in.
And we have a lot to get out.

Year long loans for a lot of them might be the best option.

 

[Swansman]

Don’t get me wrong, Ben White has done well this season but well enough for a big 4 club to come calling with an offer we can’t refuse in a post COVID depressed transfer market? I really can’t see it.

They would buy him because he is already a homegrown fully capable PL player with a very high likelihood of turning into a great one. If they pay £45-50m they probably get him now, wait a year and it could be Maguire numbers.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I think there will be quite a revolution in the summer.

Outs :

Ryan
Walton
Burn
White
Bissouma
Pröpper
Izquierdo
Jahanbakhsh
Tau
Andone
Locadia


Ins :

Returning loanees

Goalkeeper
Winger
Striker

More youth for the future season conveyor belt.

 

[Weststander]

At the end of the day we still dominated almost all games without Lallana all season and if we’d have had that striker would be comfortably top 10 regardless. Ali Mac is more than good enough with a proper year under his belt will get even better. Think we are fine in the middle.

Imho Lallana turns possession into must faster and ‘cute’ attacks.

 

[Beach Hut]

I can see Webster being sold as well as Bis and White if the right money comes up.

However we have Clarke and Roberts looking good, I expect Clarke to be starting next season

 

[blue-shifted]

They would buy him because he is already a homegrown fully capable PL player with a very high likelihood of turning into a great one. If they pay £45-50m they probably get him now, wait a year and it could be Maguire numbers.

So why wouldn't we then hang onto him and we can get the "Maguire numbers"?

TB knows what he is doing

Personally I think the January transfer window was a pretty good portent of what is to come in the transfer market.

Usually, 8 or 10 clubs are spending big. This summer I think 2 or 3 will. Arsenal and Liverpool won't be among them.

 

[Weststander]

Another year. Dreadful signing. I’d stick him behind the bar in Dicks on match days so at least we get some return on his wages.

I didn’t know that.

The length of contracts given to Locadia and Jahanbakhsh are jaw dropping.

No doubt another EPL lesson taken on board by TB and PB.

 

[The Fits]

White looks REALLY happy at the moment.

 

[blue-shifted]

Absolutely.
It's now harder to get players out than in.
And we have a lot to get out.

Year long loans for a lot of them might be the best option.

And these players, Duffy, Ryan, Locadia, Ali J are on very big wages.

We'll likely have to cover the lions share of wages whilst they are out on loan

 

[The Fits]

And these players, Duffy, Ryan, Locadia, Ali J are on very big wages.

We'll likely have to cover the lions share of wages whilst they are out on loan

I suspect of all the players not out of contract Ryan will be off. If he is happy at Arsenal it's a no brainer.
But yeah, we know Duffy is on 40-50k. After this year who'd touch him?

 

[Weststander]

So why wouldn't we then hang onto him and we can get the "Maguire numbers"?

TB knows what he is doing

Personally I think the January transfer window was a pretty good portent of what is to come in the transfer market.

Usually, 8 or 10 clubs are spending big. This summer I think 2 or 3 will. Arsenal and Liverpool won't be among them.

Predictably the following clubs will spend colossal sums, out of all proportion to pandemic hit income:

Chelsea and ManC both reckoned to have £250m transfer fee budgets, with a bidding war on Haaland for example.

Whilst Villa and Everton continue every single summer to give two fingers to EPL Financial Sustainability rules.

 

[vagabond]

The reason I ask, is that I don't think Arsenal have anything like the amount of money to spend on a player that we would ask for Biss

I've a sneaky suspicion that PSG might be the team to worry about

Good point. Or maybe Liverpool?

We’ll find out come end of the season. Thanks to the evolution of the squad under GP and Ashworth, I’m not as concerned about losing Biss as I would have been a year ago.

 

[The Fits]

Who's out of contract?

 

[blue-shifted]

Predictably the following clubs will spend colossal sums, out of all proportion to pandemic hit income:

Chelsea and ManC both reckoned to have £250m transfer fee budgets, with a bidding war on Haaland for example.

Whilst Villa and Everton continue every single summer to give two fingers to EPL Financial Sustainability rules.

Villa will still spend big. But we won't sell to them

Everton I doubt it, they'll be ploughing serious cash into the new stadium

City and Chelsea will spend big, yes. Their owners are well insulated from the real world. But if one does get Haaland, it will be hard to spend more even for them. He would be over £100m

But generally I think the transfer economy will be badly hit. Which is good. Both from the point of view that the chances of us keeping our best players are much higher than they would ordinarily be and from the point of view that inflation in football can't keep spiralling out of control

 

[blue-shifted]

Good point. Or maybe Liverpool?

We’ll find out come end of the season. Thanks to the evolution of the squad under GP and Ashworth, I’m not as concerned about losing Biss as I would have been a year ago.

So Liverpool were utterly desperate for a defender in Jan and could only find £1m for a Preston player and a loan deal

I think they are struggling financially

Now they will be getting defenders back, Fabinho and Henderson will be back in midfield. Curtis Jones coming along nicely and Thiago getting up to speed. They will sell Wijnaldum, but won't get much for him

They will be worrying more about trying to find a succession plan up front.

Doubt they will be in for any of our players

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Who's out of contract?

Welbeck, Izquierdo.

Walton as well although we have an option on a further year.

 

[sully]

I wonder if Propper’s new hairstyle tonight was a sign that he wants to go to Leeds.