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[Albion] Your end of transfer window predictions

Any further signings in this transfer window?

  • Yes at least one new addition to the squad will be made

    Votes: 84 35.0%
  • No, the window is slammed firmly shut for us. We will carry on with what we have

    Votes: 156 65.0%

  • Total voters
    240








chickens

Intending to survive this time of asset strippers
NSC Patron
Oct 12, 2022
1,901
I have some concerns of this ending with either a “Gus” or a “Bielsa” style scenario.

With managerial frustration causing an eventually fatal negative feedback loop, or player fatigue at trying to understand highly complex and rapidly changing requirements causing them to effectively give up trying to understand and results falling off a cliff.

I would like to see some more of the happier, enthused RDZ, rather than the slightly dour, tired and unhappy looking RDZ that we’ve seen more recently.

I do hope that RDZ is looking after himself, and has what he needs. It’s my fear that while he understands Brighton’s model, he believes he sees an opportunity to take a leap forward with two or three signings, and doesn’t understand why the club is hanging back.

I can understand why, as a manager, RDZ might feel some frustration if he believes he’s identified areas that need improvement, then not been backed.

I say all the above while retaining trust in the club’s methods of recruitment, but also understanding why RDZ might be unhappy. I hope he can reset and bring us back to winning ways in the second half of the season.
 
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peterward

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 11, 2009
11,388
You could well be right, and the signs are there. However, I guess TB’s calculation is - do we break our model to keep De Zerbi, or do we continue with the strategy that has been amazingly successful over the past several years? Were the right players even available? KDH was seemingly a target, but I’d be worried if we massively overpaid for him on the off-chance that it might persuade RDZ to stay. For all we know, Tony may already have promised significant spend in the summer, when the landscape will be very different.
Even if we end up around 12th - which is possible - I’ve already experienced some of my best ever Albion moments this season. And whilst I really, really hope Roberto stays with us for several more years, I’m very happy to trust in TB, PBOBE, and the others guiding us….i’m sure they have a decent shortlist for our next manager, whenever that may be needed.
I agree.

I hope RDZ stays and as a fan, I am disappointed not to have some new player to drool over that improves the first team, but it's Bloom and Barber that picked the personnel to get us to this point. Of course some, me included, will moan over team/individual performances as we all want the best or debate intricacies of which keeper is best, but this past couple of seasons, we are living and witnessing the high water mark of Brighton & Hove Albions 123 year history.

There's arguably never been a better time to be a supporter, nor relative success at such a high level.

We simply cannot compete financially with 7 clubs above us and Chelsea who will pay the money to get instant quality in weaker positions. If we did that spending bigger for older age profile with limited resale value, it still wouldn't get us much further imho or necessarily win us a cup.

Buy cheap experienced or youth with potential with good resale value is the model, and right now we're still doing as well as our income/model allows.

It may frustrate fans or RDZ but there's no other sustainable way.
 


dwayne

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
15,040
London
This was a bad window for sure.

But we still have a chance this season in the cups and league if we can get all players back. People have lost their head after an average run with injuries, we will be back firing.

And next season we will have the kids another year along. We just must make sure we don't sell more than one of the stars.

If RDZ can't hack it anymore, bloom will have another ace up the sleeve.
 




peterward

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 11, 2009
11,388
This was a bad window for sure.

But we still have a chance this season in the cups and league if we can get all players back. People have lost their head after an average run with injuries, we will be back firing.

And next season we will have the kids another year along. We just must make sure we don't sell more than one of the stars.

If RDZ can't hack it anymore, bloom will have another ace up the sleeve.
Who are the stars

Mitoma/Pedro/Estupinian?

We can't afford to lose any of them 3 and we will likely lose Fati.
 


Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
18,888
Born In Shoreham
I thought you were thinking beyond next week or even next season and had doubts about the longish term strategy.

I was there on Tuesday - don’t need reminding of the recent failings to get a result.
We don’t appear to have any wingers that are ready for this season or next coming through
This was a bad window for sure.

But we still have a chance this season in the cups and league if we can get all players back. People have lost their head after an average run with injuries, we will be back firing.

And next season we will have the kids another year along. We just must make sure we don't sell more than one of the stars.

If RDZ can't hack it anymore, bloom will have another ace up the sleeve.
He can hack it I’m sure although the man has been very successful with his preferred system two wingers receiving the ball after we’ve done a team on the press. He’s now trying to play three at the back with effectively two number 10’s because he has no wingers. Why the club didn’t give him a bit of help in the window is a strange decision. If Pedro is out tomorrow we will probably be lucky to get a draw.
The argument what happens when Mitoma and co return is irrelevant competition is healthy.
 


Reddleman

Well-known member
May 17, 2017
1,904
No we're not. We are well run.

Should we ever go down to the Championship again (realistically a possibility at some time - we're not Liverpool or Arsenal or Citeh) - we won't be going down with unsustainable wages and players on multi-million salaries which could kill us in the Championship.
There's plenty of teams that have done that and suffered!
At what point though does I become nonsensical though? We clearly wanted KDH. Let’s just assume we were £10m apart in valuation. Why not pay that extra £10m and give the squad and fan base a real lift.

For every place we finish higher in the league we get an extra £2m so we could recoup some or even all of that this season if he performed. And if he doesn’t and we want to recoup the money otherways then we sell an academy graduate (such as one of the multiple goalkeepers we have on the books).

It all just feels very illogical.
 






chaileyjem

#BarberIn
NSC Patron
Jun 27, 2012
13,964
At what point though does I become nonsensical though? We clearly wanted KDH. Let’s just assume we were £10m apart in valuation. Why not pay that extra £10m and give the fan base a real lift.
The fan base is so needy that nothing short of , overspending on a decent young Leicester player will do. - and thats how we should focus our efforts in transfer windows. That's pretty nonsensical too. ?
 


Jimmy Grimble

Well-known member
Ultimately we have a manager that is probably above our station and what we've given him at the end of this window is a weaker midfield than January 1st and a few young players who, aside from Barco, are unlikely to have much first team involvement.

This is the season to win a major trophy. We have De Zerbi. We have a cadre of talented players. We have the Europa leauge and we're still the FA cup. It feels like a unique set of circumstances in our history. All we really need is, at most, a couple more good players in key areas. I find it quite frustrating that we've not given ourselves the best chance at achieving something special.
This is the crux of it for me. I wondered why I felt so frustrated last night and realised it’s probably because this season felt like a year we could win a trophy or finish in the top 7 again to secure European football. Consecutive seasons in Europe completely alters the perception of the club in both the footballing landscape and the eyes of players.

The lack of reinforcements means this is now far more unlikely. We essentially have to pray that -
Baleba suddenly becomes the answer in defensive midfield
Mitoma/Adingra return ASAP and remain injury free
Hinshelwood maintains his form as a full back/Veltman returns ASAP

Just feels like such a shame to leave ourselves with glaring holes when we had a huge opportunity.

I get that it probably seems greedy and I guess I should just lower my expectations, but as a club we’ve never had a better platform to finally win a major trophy. Unfortunately we’ve not used it as well as we could have.
 




Reddleman

Well-known member
May 17, 2017
1,904
The fan base is so needy that nothing short of , overspending on a decent young Leicester player will do. - and thats how we should focus our efforts in transfer windows. That's pretty nonsensical too. ?
That was an example to emphasise my point. If you don’t think the majority of the fan base is slightly perplexed if not outright concerned by how stretched the squad is and how this is impacting onfield results then good for you.

Our decision making around transfer spending does appear illogical at times no matter what the odd condescending poster like you may claim.
 


JetsetJimbo

Well-known member
Jun 13, 2011
953
Is NSC Moder thing, Chinese whispers?

Everyone keeps saying we offered or were happy for Moder to go to Everton.

The Argus says it was Everton who enquired about taking Moder on loan and the club immediately dismissed it out of hand?

You could be right. I was just going off the fact that it was reported yesterday that Moder had rejected the move, which implies the club didn't mind either way. I imagine everyone else was going off the same thing.
 


chaileyjem

#BarberIn
NSC Patron
Jun 27, 2012
13,964
That was an example to emphasise my point. If you don’t think the majority of the fan base is slightly perplexed if not outright concerned by how stretched the squad is and how this is impacting onfield results then good for you.

Our decision making around transfer spending does appear illogical at times no matter what the odd condescending poster like you may claim.

Sorry - didn't mean to come across like that. . And i absolutely accept that its been frustrating with no wingers, and the run of injuries have put RDZ on the spot. You're right. I guess i think it makes sense for the club to be cautious when it comes to transfers but of course can understand its all margins and clearly you're not alone on NSC or elsewhere (including no doubt RDZ) in hoping that the club had managed to find a way to strengthen the squad this January. (aside from the teenagers etc) .
 




Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,845
Back in Sussex
You could well be right, and the signs are there. However, I guess TB’s calculation is - do we break our model to keep De Zerbi, or do we continue with the strategy that has been amazingly successful over the past several years? Were the right players even available? KDH was seemingly a target, but I’d be worried if we massively overpaid for him on the off-chance that it might persuade RDZ to stay. For all we know, Tony may already have promised significant spend in the summer, when the landscape will be very different.
Even if we end up around 12th - which is possible - I’ve already experienced some of my best ever Albion moments this season. And whilst I really, really hope Roberto stays with us for several more years, I’m very happy to trust in TB, PBOBE, and the others guiding us….i’m sure they have a decent shortlist for our next manager, whenever that may be needed.
Yep - I'm not sure you've said anything too different to me.

RDZ being unhappy (and I'm not saying he is - we have no idea) does not equate to me being unhappy. I've been, and remain, here for the long haul. Like you, I've traipsed all over the country at the arse end of the Football League watching journeymen lower league pros in the stripes. Where we are now is another world.

RDZ has been fantastic for our club, but he's not the club.
 


Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
18,888
Born In Shoreham
We can’t break that principle.

I’m very disappointed and I’m sure RDZ is too. I don’t think he has the personal (even with everyone fit) to play his preferred 4-2-3-1 system.

But we just can’t break our principles because you can never get them back.

The most painful one is Kudus. West Ham’s best player. A greedy agent foiled us there. I just hope that like Olise, his very low buy-out clause will be triggered in the summer and West Ham will only get a £5m-£10m profit and a bunch of angry fans claiming they should have kept him. I firmly believe that we’ll make more money on Dahoud than West Ham will make on Kudus. That’s how it should be.
It’s reported Kudus does not have a release clause and now would take over £100m to purchase him.
From what I can make out Wsham are paying him 90k a week which may of been the stumbling block.
 








Right Back

Marseille was magic
NSC Patron
Sep 21, 2017
302
Brighton
With Barco we have solved our full back issues. On the right I’m happy with Veltman, Lamptey and cover with Hinshwood and Milner if needed.
In midfield it is time for Baleba, Hinshelwood, Milner and Moder to step up. They are all capable. It is a balance with Baleba as you don’t want to block his development. I hope he starts tomorrow with Gross further forward.
 


rippleman

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2011
4,596
Bottom line is that it is Tony Bloom's club and Tony Bloom's money. If he has decided to trouser the money from the AliMac and Caicedo transfers, that is his perogative. He knows his stuff and if it means falling short in the cups or not qualifying for Europe again next season then its down to him. With the fortune he has already invested, I couldn't and wouldn't blame him if he wanted to take a "dividend" out.
 


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