I fundamentally disagree with you about the need for a striker and a goalkeeper - it's flown under the radar but Kepa has quietly been excellent this year, and his elite on-ball abilities are pretty fundamental to the way Potter has us set up. If we can go for Diogo Costa this summer then sure - but for me that isn't a position where immediate reinforcement was needed.
Kepa has done allright but I wouldn't say excellent because he's still shown to be prone to the occasional brain farts that have led to goals and his aerial commanding of the penalty box is still lacking.
Definitely much better than the Kepa of 2019-2020 either way and I too don't think GK is currently an area of desperate need. Like you said, if an opportunity to improve the position presents itself (not sure about Diogo Costa though) and more importantly if we can sell either Kepa or Mendy for a reasonable fee it's definitely something to consider in the summer but I would be content sticking with the current lot for next season and think about the GK position again in the summer of 2024.
As for the striker position something definitely needs to be done about it. Last summer there was a genuine lack of top strikers on the market which is why we went for a stop-gap in Aubameyang instead, to horrendous results. Now Nkunku is coming in the summer and there's a possibility Felix will be bought on a permanent deal but neither of them are actual strikers but rather players who would benefit most from playing with a proper number 9 leading the line so it's interesting to see which direction we're going to go. Of course it's possible we'll look to play without an out-and-out striker which is how some of the top teams play these days. If we get Felix then that kind of sorts the decision out and we'll probably look to play a duo of Nkunku/Felix but it's also possible we'll go after someone like Vlahovic instead and send Felix back to Atleti. Will of course also depend on how Felix does from now till the end of the season, and also how outrageous Atletico's price for him would be.
I'd pretty much agree with what you say but I was also told on here that Boehly was behind a lot of the summer signings. Obviously Tuchel must have some input. Now after the winter signings you have Boehly signings, Bath signings, Potter signings and Tuchel signings.
Sorry to say it, but I don't see Potter lasting very long. Will there be another change of direction with a new manager and a whole new set of players to fit a new manager's required profile.
Appointing Moyes after Fergie, who was nowhere near the level required to manage a top club, set United back years, let alone those who followed.
These so called Boehly/Potter/Bath signings represent a very similar profile though in that almost all of them are aged 18-23 and are highly technical players with good physical attributes. It's not too difficult to imagine these kind of players clicking together as a team but that all remains to be seen as so far the sampling size is still very small for all the players brought in over the last month.
And yes, there remains some serious question marks over Potter's suitability in managing a top team. So far it's not looked great at all but personally I will reserve my judgement till I've seen what he can really do with the group of players brought in January as well as having gotten some reinforcements from the injured lot. Going from the squad who were playing in October-January to having the likes of James, Chilwell, Fofana, Badiashile, Enzo, Kante, Madueke, Felix and Mudryk all fit and available for selection has the potential to make a huge difference in how Potter can set up the team. That's a keeper and a midfielder away from a whole starting XI of players who have only just arrived or are only just returning from long term injuries.
It will still take time for these players to gel but at the very least we should start seeing how Potter actually wants the team to play and our results and more importantly the performances will need to start improving or there's really no reason to justify Potter continuing his work. I still wouldn't expect any immediate fireworks and turning from mid-table to title contender form overnight with these new and returning players available but the minimum requirement is starting to show a bit of Potter's identity in the team and that there is some clear room for growth once the players start getting more familiar with each other on the pitch and for the new players settling into life at the PL. If it's still just as shit at the end of the season then a managerial change in the summer will clearly be needed but I wouldn't make any such declaration so hastily before actually seeing how he does with having close to the full squad at his disposal for a period of time.
If it turns out Potter isn't the right man to lead the team, the sporting leaders at the club just need to ensure they go for another coach who prefers the type of players we've brought in. Under the Abramovich regime this was one of my main quirks about how the club was run. In the span of just 4-5 years we went from one absolute to another when changing the manager from Conte to Sarri to Lampard to Tuchel and each manager had their own set of principles on how they want the team to play and what kind of players they need to achieve it. One plays three at the back with fast transitions, another wants a possession-based game with a back-4 and so on. As a result our squad has for years been a mix-and-match of players brought in under many different managers and that's definitely not the way to get the best performances out of individual players. Like you said it was very similar at United for many years as well and for example there were not many similarities between LVG/Mourinho/Ole in how they wanted to play and what type of players they preferred.
That's an area where an improvement over the last ownership regime is desperately needed and now it's just up to the directors (Vivell/Winstanley/Stewart) to make sure there is a clear continuation whenever a change in manager is needed and that the days of just picking the most high profile managerial name out of the ones available is over. Whether this idea will actually materialize or not remains to be seen when replacing Potter becomes a topic of discussion within the club but for now his job seems to be safe and the club want to see how he does now that the squad rebuild has properly started before making any decisions about his future.
