Further signings dependent on sales?

[Alex99]

People seem to be getting a bit carried away with who we might ship out. Some of the names coming up are mad, and we're certainly not selling a host of senior players in one window.

Telles is an important squad player and our only proper back up at left back. He's not going anywhere, and certainly not going anywhere when it seems like one or both of Williams and Dalot could be heading out either on loan, or permanently.

We're not losing more than one, if that, of Lindelof, Bailly and Tuanzebe, and I'd be very surprised if Lindelof was even in the discussion to be sold at all given he was basically a starting centre back the past 2 or 3 seasons. Even Tuanzebe I'd say is more likely to go out on loan.

Similarly, I'd be amazed if more than one of Lingard, Martial and James went this window, if any.

I'm fully expecting Pogba to be sold, and I'm almost certain Pereira will either be sold (for a small fee) or loaned again this summer. I don't expect Jones to be part of any registered squad, but I'm not sure whether he'll just be sat with the reserves, released from his contract, or loaned out. After that, I can't see any obvious departures among the senior players.

Lingard seems a likely candidate to be sold if there's interest, but that's not guaranteed given his form on loan and the possibility that we'll be without Rashford for a good chunk of the season. There's some talk of Williams going on loan and Dalot perhaps leaving, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's just another loan, and I can't see us letting them both go until we've signed a new right back.

There are some degree of rumours surrounding James, Martial, Bailly, Tuanzebe and van de Beek, but I can't really see much coming of them aside from a possible loan for Tuanzebe.

After that there's the speculation surrounding our goalkeepers, but that seems to be just that.

Finally, there are the likes of Amad, Garner and Pellistri who aren't really senior squad members anyway, and are most likely going to find themselves loaned out once the lads are back off holiday.

This idea that we're going to sell 2+ full backs, 2+ centre backs and 2+ out of our attack in one window is absurd.

 

[dal]

Lingard, Pogba, tuanzebe, Dalot, martial.

if we could sell those and bring in a grealish type and neves I’d be happy.

I don’t know why we want to sign trippier, what’s he good at?

 

[Mickson]

As always, our squad is too big. Way bigger than all our opponents. This is going on season after season and yet people are afraid of losing the squad depth. The only position we are a little, little light in is the striker position but then again Greenwood and Rashford can both play there, and of course, we could play with a false nine. Other than that, we are overstocked in the majority of positions.

De Gea, Henderson, Heaton, Grant

AWB, Dalot, Laird

Varane, Maguire, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Jones, Mengi, Lindelof

Shaw, Williams, Telles

Matic, Fred, McTominay, Garner, Pogba, Pereira, Van de Beek, Hannibal, Shoretire

James, Sancho, Greenwood, Mata, Amad, Rashford, Elanga, Lingard, Bruno Fernandes, Pellistri

Cavani, Martial

We have 38 (!) first-team players (not counting those on loan). We can easily sell five, six out of them and it wouldn't matter at all for our squad balance.

Sell Pereira, Dalot, Jones, Dalot, James and Lingard. Bring in Trippier and a DM.

 

[Sultan]

Defence: Jones, Williams and Bailly should be moved on even if the club has to pay off Jones' contract. Williams does not have the quality required. Bailly will be limited to game time. I think Dalot is very decent.

Midfield: Pogba and Lingard need to be sold due to contract situations. Pereira is not the quality required to succeed at a club like United.

Forwards: Unless a good deal is offered, Martial should be kept. He's got the quality and you can never have enough goalscoring options.

The rest of the squad is fine IMO.

 

[Green Arrow]

Jones, Bailly need to go can release Jones on a free and Bailly can get some decent money for.

Lingard, Pereira, James they can go Lingard and James will bring in some decent money too, Pereira get whatever we can for him. Maybe Matic can go too.

 

[Adisa]

Likeliest seem to be:
Lingard
Pereira
Pogba

 

[Adisa]

im convinced its bullshit

I don't think it is. You only have to look at our annual/quarterly reports to see it. We might be able to sign another player but it won't be for significant money. We have to sell.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Pogba - 50m
James - 25m
Lingard - 20m
Loan Players - 5m

100m should be enough to land a top midfielder.

 

[VP89]

Pereira I think we'd get peanuts for, say 5m. Lingard I think we can let go for 20m but with Rashford's surgery I don't think we will do it. Pogba for 50m. That's about 70ishm before considering any other player which should be enough to fund say, Neves. Not Trippier as well though.

 

[Alex99]

As always, our squad is too big. Way bigger than all our opponents. This is going on season after season and yet people are afraid of losing the squad depth. The only position we are a little, little light in is the striker position but then again Greenwood and Rashford can both play there, and of course, we could play with a false nine. Other than that, we are overstocked in the majority of positions.

De Gea, Henderson, Heaton, Grant

AWB, Dalot, Laird

Varane, Maguire, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Jones, Mengi, Lindelof

Shaw, Williams, Telles

Matic, Fred, McTominay, Garner, Pogba, Pereira, Van de Beek, Hannibal, Shoretire

James, Sancho, Greenwood, Mata, Amad, Rashford, Elanga, Lingard, Bruno Fernandes, Pellistri

Cavani, Martial

We have 38 (!) first-team players (not counting those on loan). We can easily sell five, six out of them and it wouldn't matter at all for our squad balance.

Sell Pereira, Dalot, Jones, Dalot, James and Lingard. Bring in Trippier and a DM.

Eight of the players you've listed there are not even senior players, let alone first team (Laird, Mengi, Garner, Hannibal, Shoretire, Amad, Elanga, Pellistri).

So that's now already down to a squad of 30, not 38, first team players.

Two of them are almost certainly not going to be part of any registered squad and will either be released, loaned, sold or stuck in the reserves before the window is through (Jones, Pereira).

So that's now 28 first team players, not 38.

Two of them are emergency backup goalkeepers (Heaton, Grant), of which I expect one will not be registered in the squad (Grant).

So that's now 26/27 first team players, not 38.

Four are young, fringe players not expecting much game time, of which most, if not all, are candidates for being loaned out and maybe even sold (Dalot, Tuanzebe, Williams, James).

So that's now potentially 22/23 first team players, not the hysterical 38 you came up with.

Of the remaining, there are two obvious candidates for sale (Pogba, Lingard).

How people can complain about us having a lack of depth, then simultaneously go on about us having near 40 "first team" players and wish for any player not an obvious contender for a place in our best starting 11 to be sold is baffling.

City had 30 players feature for them last season, we had 31. You need a large squad if you want to compete in multiple competitions.

 

[::sonny::]

Don’t see lindelof and james being sold, and bailly as well

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Yet we are somehow targeting a defensive midfielder, Pogba replacement and Trippier and want a net spend of 70-100m

 

[Silas]

You don't like this below if Pogba leaves?

VDB DM Bruno

I don't see what VDB's done to get anyone excited.

 

[Jaxa]

With the list you mentioned:

Jones - will be let go for free if a club want him, free's up wages at least
Dalot - 15m for him sounds reasonable
Tuanzebe - Think it will be a loan to Newcastle but maybe could be sold for 10m
Bailly - 20m
Pogba - 50m
Lingard - 22m
Pereira - 8m
Lindelof - Wont be sold
Williams - Loan
Telles - Now injured plus wont be sold
Martial - Don't think he will be sold but 30m ?

So total = £115 million potentially rising to £145m if Martial is sold but again all speculative and just my opinions on there market value.

I think the more realistic scenario is:

Tuanzebe - Loan
Dalot - 15m
Lingard - 22m
Pereira - 8m
Williams - Loan

= £46m Total

If Pogba goes it could be around £95m Total , I think you can get a CDM and RB for £95m tbh but then you also need a Pogba replacement on top of that ...

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

I don't think it is. You only have to look at our annual/quarterly reports to see it. We might be able to sign another player but it won't be for significant money. We have to sell.

I respect that opinion, I just don't agree and here is why:

1. We spent the money we were supposed to spend on Sancho the last budget. This summer. I'm not remotely convinced we have touched this season's budget much at all.

2. We are simply going to sale because we DO have people we should be selling regardless of our spending. i.e those with no place like Perreira and Jones. Perhaps unsettled ones like Bailly, Martial. Perhaps a Pogba if he indeed doesn't desire to renew in order to not lose him again for nothing. Perhaps picking one from De gea and Henderson. Perhaps selling a Dalot, Matc, Tuanzebe, Lingard or James due to squad size. Nothing about it smacks as a need to raise money for me. That's why it smacks to me as bullshit, especially when I see the likes of Telles listed.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

We should sell Henderson to arsenal and lingard to hammers. That would get you most mids available on the market currently with change to spare

And be left with calamity dave? Nah Ill pass on that one thanks.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

I don't see what VDB's done to get anyone excited.

He wasn't that bad with Ajax.

 

[Mickson]

Eight of the players you've listed there are not even senior players, let alone first team (Laird, Mengi, Garner, Hannibal, Shoretire, Amad, Elanga, Pellistri).

So that's now already down to a squad of 30, not 38, first team players.

Two of them are almost certainly not going to be part of any registered squad and will either be released, loaned, sold or stuck in the reserves before the window is through (Jones, Pereira).

So that's now 28 first team players, not 38.

Two of them are emergency backup goalkeepers (Heaton, Grant), of which I expect one will not be registered in the squad (Grant).

So that's now 26/27 first team players, not 38.

Four are young, fringe players not expecting much game time, of which most, if not all, are candidates for being loaned out and maybe even sold (Dalot, Tuanzebe, Williams, James).

So that's now potentially 22/23 first team players, not the hysterical 38 you came up with.

Of the remaining, there are two obvious candidates for sale (Pogba, Lingard).

How people can complain about us having a lack of depth, then simultaneously go on about us having near 40 "first team" players and wish for any player not an obvious contender for a place in our best starting 11 to be sold is baffling.

City had 30 players feature for them last season, we had 31. You need a large squad if you want to compete in multiple competitions.

Wait what, so now we shouldn't count Grant? He is 38 years old and gets paid. He's part of the squad. Elanga, Garner, Hannibal etc is very much in contention of being part of the squad, and they are all listed as first teamers. If we have Elanga, we don't need James. It's that easy. We have too many players, regardless of how you are trying to twist it into your own thoughts. Even if we sell James and Lingard we still have Rashford, Greenwood, Mata, Bruno, Pereira, Amad, Sancho, Martial who are full first-team players. Eight players for 2 or 3 positions.

 

[wolvored]

Looking at that list lets hope Murtough and Fletcher realise the folly of renewing contracts for the sake of it. Jones is the prime example. Deadwood Woodward is gone in December, so lets hope they change this stupid policy.

 

[Borys]

I think our sales are going to be lowball offers like Smalling to Roma ( €15 + €5 add-ons), which means not a lot coming in. Pogba would be the lone exception to not getting any real chunk of change back.

(£ in millions)
Jones - set him free, free up a space in the treatment room if nothing else.
Dalot - £10 ?
Tuanzebe - keep him for cover.
Bailly - £15?
Pogba - £50, we have to get more than we paid for Varane to not look like chumps
Lingard - £25
Pereira - £5? Who's gonna buy him?
Lindelof - keep. Ahead of Tuanzebe.
Williams - keep him as cover for Shaw.
Telles - £20. Did we keep the receipt? If we got what we paid for him it would be daylight robbery.
Martial - keep.
James - £15. He's not going to displace Sancho.
Fred - £30. We got mugged when we bought him. Getting £30 would be a similar mugging of someone else. I'd bring in Garner to play any minutes Fred would otherwise have gotten.

Funds generated in magical fantasyland: £170.
Funds probably to be generated: £80. (Dalot £10, Pogba £50, Lingard £20).

That will buy us a Rice for about £70 and bring our net spend down to £100. I'm not that impressed with Rice but he's an upgrade on Fred.

I'd agree with all your points except from Telles (unless we can really get Trippier, I have no issue in keeping Alex), and Fred (who isn't even a competition for Rice - if we got the latter, they would both play instead of fighting for starting spot).
I do think you've overpriced Bailly and James, but the rest seems ok. I don't see us getting more for Pogba than we paid for Varane, this seems similar situation.

 

[Adisa]

I respect that opinion, I just don't agree and here is why:

1. We spent the money we were supposed to spend on Sancho the last budget. This summer. I'm not remotely convinced we have touched this season's budget much at all.

2. We are simply going to sale because we DO have people we should be selling regardless of our spending. i.e those with no place like Perreira and Jones. Perhaps unsettled ones like Bailly, Martial. Perhaps a Pogba if he indeed doesn't desire to renew in order to not lose him again for nothing. Perhaps picking one from De gea and Henderson. Perhaps selling a Dalot, Matc, Tuanzebe, Lingard or James due to squad size. Nothing about it smacks as a need to raise money for me. That's why it smacks to me as bullshit, especially when I see the likes of Telles listed.

It doesn't work like that. We never entered into negotiations with Dortmund and we would have known early on if we had a decent chance of signing him. Look at our annual report for last year, there is no cash pile, our margins are lower than previous years. The books don't show that we saved money meant for a transfer.
Every clubs balances both receivables and payables. Our short term payables dwarf our receivables by more than 100M, there's no considerable cash pile either (although those fluctuate over the year) . Signing Sancho and Varane only adds to that figure. As an analyst, I look at those figures and think 100m net spend is about the limit of what we can do as a club in a year.

 

[golden_blunder]

Eight of the players you've listed there are not even senior players, let alone first team (Laird, Mengi, Garner, Hannibal, Shoretire, Amad, Elanga, Pellistri).

So that's now already down to a squad of 30, not 38, first team players.

Two of them are almost certainly not going to be part of any registered squad and will either be released, loaned, sold or stuck in the reserves before the window is through (Jones, Pereira).

So that's now 28 first team players, not 38.

Two of them are emergency backup goalkeepers (Heaton, Grant), of which I expect one will not be registered in the squad (Grant).

So that's now 26/27 first team players, not 38.

Four are young, fringe players not expecting much game time, of which most, if not all, are candidates for being loaned out and maybe even sold (Dalot, Tuanzebe, Williams, James).

So that's now potentially 22/23 first team players, not the hysterical 38 you came up with.

Of the remaining, there are two obvious candidates for sale (Pogba, Lingard).

How people can complain about us having a lack of depth, then simultaneously go on about us having near 40 "first team" players and wish for any player not an obvious contender for a place in our best starting 11 to be sold is baffling.

City had 30 players feature for them last season, we had 31. You need a large squad if you want to compete in multiple competitions.

Good post

 

[Bondi77]

Lingard + James could easily fetch £40m, I'd be disappointed if either of them is here next season.

If you want to ease your disappointment then go and bet money that they will be here next season then at least you will be financially better off.

 

[KW2006]

In computer games, i would ship out Lingard, Martial, Pogba, Pereira, DDG, Jones, James, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Dalot, VDB, get about 150m to buy 3-4 good players.

 

[Bestietom]

Lingard, Pogba, tuanzebe, Dalot, martial.

if we could sell those and bring in a grealish type and neves I’d be happy.

I don’t know why we want to sign trippier, what’s he good at?

You could add Bailly, Williams, James, Periera, Matic, and Jones to this list also. We need to get rid of the deadwood if we are to bring in fresh faces.

 

[dal]

You could add Bailly, Williams, James, Periera, Matic, and Jones to this list also. We need to get rid of the deadwood if we are to bring in fresh faces.

Bailly is different, the lads love him.

 

[Bestietom]

Bailly is different, the lads love him.

He is a penalty and a sending off waiting to happen every game.

 

[crossy1686]

Sell
Bailly
Dalot - Only if we can sign Trippier
Pogba
Lingard - Only if we have a replacement lined up
Jones - Release
Pereria
De Gea

Loan
Williams
Tuanzebe

A few more like James, Matic, Mata can have one more season before letting go.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

It doesn't work like that. We never entered into negotiations with Dortmund and we would have known early on if we had a decent chance of signing him. Look at our annual report for last year, there is no cash pile, our margins are lower than previous years. The books don't show that we saved money meant for a transfer.
Every clubs balances both receivables and payables. Our short term payables dwarf our receivables by more than 100M, there's no considerable cash pile either (although those fluctuate over the year) . Signing Sancho and Varane only adds to that figure. As an analyst, I look at those figures and think 100m net spend is about the limit of what we can do as a club in a year.

That is all fair to look at it that way, I insist though. Even If we were to sign no body, We still do have players we need to sale, period. Financial pressures or not. So I do not buy this idea that the two are necessarily tied. The list of players too makes little sense. I mean putting a Telles up for sale? Come on. I just don't buy the narrative at all.


I'm close to certain at the end of the window. Even the numbers wont reflect it. In my opinion its standard practice to move out players who you no longer need, desire to improve on or are unsettled when you have a squad as big as ours, when you have started to secure identified priority signings. It has no bearing what so ever on what you need to bring in to add to that, that is why the list in the press smacks of pure invention. All they have done is list players whose futures they have already been speculating about and are trying to pass off as exclusive insight.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Unfortunately spending net £75-100m per year is not going to allow us to close the gap between us and City. Different if we were the ones already at the top and just trying to maintain that.

 

[Abraxas]

Some of the fees and wages will be a block. We'll have to shift some guys for paltry sums due to the market situation, and quite simply the poor stock of the players in question. I think this is the big problem with shifting our players at the best of times, but this is even more challenging currently. We will do well to shift three or four, the wholesale sales some are envisaging just won't happen.

Also some of the suggestions surrounding players that are within our best 15 or so players like Lindelof and Fred is absolutely ridiculous, they won't be going anywhere. Nor will Telles, surely, he is our only other LB. We need a nucleus of good players, the whole point of strengthening is to improve the first XI, inspire these guys to play better and improve our depth.

Pogba for a Varane like fee would seem possible as PSG do have the funds to do it.

Pereira for a very modest fee, 10 mill is probably far too optimistic for a player that's barely looked a top flight footballer.

I think only one CB would be a possible sale, Bailly and Tuanzebe being candidates. I think the latter would be easier to shift because of his age and basically there is less evidence that he's dodgy as he's hardly played.

Lingard - I think we may have to find a compromise due to the financial package he would expect on his last major contract. We're not in a position of strength for this one despite his successful loan.

That's about all I'm expecting, however I don't think all that will get done necessarily. I think there may be a few loan outgoings too to help with wages and development.

 

[Damien]

I think this is just a briefing to stop clubs from trying to clean us for the remainder of the window. Sorry but we are short on cash this is the best offer we can do and so on….

We’ve spent 150 the last few summers. I’m assuming there’s enough for one more at least. If we sell, and we should sell a few, there should definitely be more money there this summer than other years

We could spend without selling, but like others have said we need to trim the squad first or we'll end up with the situation from last season where we had players not registered but still taking wages (Romero).

Players born on or after 1 January 2000 don't need to be registered, so these are purely the players we need to register (* = HG).

Goalkeepers
1. De Gea Quintana, David
2. Grant, Lee Anderson*
3. Heaton, Thomas David*
4. Henderson, Dean Bradley*

Defenders

5. Dalot Teixeira, Jose Diogo
6. Wan-Bissaka, Aaron*

7. Bailly, Eric Bertrand
8. Jones, Philip Anthony*
9. Lindelof, Victor Jorgen Nilsson
10. Maguire, Jacob Harry*
11. Tuanzebe, Axel*
12. Varane, Raphael Xavier

13. Nicolao Telles, Alex
14. Shaw, Luke Paul Hoare*

Midfielders

15. Borges Fernandes, Bruno Miguel
16. Hoelgebaum Pereira, Andreas Hugo*
17. Lingard, Jesse Ellis*
18. Mata Garcia, Juan Manuel
19. Matic, Nemanja
20. McTominay, Scott*
21. Pogba, Paul Labile*
22. Santos, Frederico Rodrigues De Paula
23. Van De Beek, Donny

Forwards

24. Cavani, Edinson Roberto
25. James, Daniel Owen*
26. Martial, Anthony Jordan
27. Rashford, Marcus*

We have loads of forwards that don't need to be registered (Diallo, Greenwood, Pellistri, Sancho). I imagine Pellistri at the least will go on loan for regular football.

From the actual squad, one of the goalkeepers won't be registered in all likelihood, so we need to ideally get rid of two more players before being able to register another. Jones and Pereira would be top of the list but not looking like there's any takers at the moment. Lingard and Pogba are the two that'd most likely get us the most money/free up the most wages but they'd take a bit of time to sell.

 

[Bogga]

With all the players we have combined with really promising youngsters, selling Lingard, Pogba, Pereira and James shouldn't be a worry for us. Rashford, Bruno, Sancho, Martial, Greenwood, Pellistri, Amad, VDB, Fred, McT, Mata, Matic, Elanga, Shoretire, Hannibal... and of course strenghtening the central midfield with the incoming money

Finding teams that would want to buy them is the though part...

That's just the midfielders we can live without... then we have the central defender position as well

 

[Bestietom]

We could spend without selling, but like others have said we need to trim the squad first or we'll end up with the situation from last season where we had players not registered but still taking wages (Romero).

Players born on or after 1 January 2000 don't need to be registered, so these are purely the players we need to register (* = HG).

Goalkeepers
1. De Gea Quintana, David
2. Grant, Lee Anderson*
3. Heaton, Thomas David*
4. Henderson, Dean Bradley*

Defenders

5. Dalot Teixeira, Jose Diogo
6. Wan-Bissaka, Aaron*

7. Bailly, Eric Bertrand
8. Jones, Philip Anthony*
9. Lindelof, Victor Jorgen Nilsson
10. Maguire, Jacob Harry*
11. Tuanzebe, Axel*
12. Varane, Raphael Xavier

13. Nicolao Telles, Alex
14. Shaw, Luke Paul Hoare*

Midfielders

15. Borges Fernandes, Bruno Miguel
16. Hoelgebaum Pereira, Andreas Hugo*
17. Lingard, Jesse Ellis*
18. Mata Garcia, Juan Manuel
19. Matic, Nemanja
20. McTominay, Scott*
21. Pogba, Paul Labile*
22. Santos, Frederico Rodrigues De Paula
23. Van De Beek, Donny

Forwards

24. Cavani, Edinson Roberto
25. James, Daniel Owen*
26. Martial, Anthony Jordan
27. Rashford, Marcus*

We have loads of forwards that don't need to be registered (Diallo, Greenwood, Pellistri, Sancho). I imagine Pellistri at the least will go on loan for regular football.

From the actual squad, one of the goalkeepers won't be registered in all likelihood, so we need to ideally get rid of two more players before being able to register another. Jones and Pereira would be top of the list but not looking like there's any takers at the moment. Lingard and Pogba are the two that'd most likely get us the most money/free up the most wages but they'd take a bit of time to sell.

Who is this guy , Damien, (Santos, Frederico Rodrigues De Paula)

 

[Damien]

Who is this guy , Damien, Santos, Frederico Rodrigues De Paula

Fred.

 

[davidmichael]

De Gea, Dalot, Williams, Jones, Bailly, Lingard, Pereira, James and Chong could bring in around £80 million and save around £1 million a week in wages which is all a complete no brainer as none of them have a future at the club and should see their places go to Laird, Tuanzebe, Mengi, Devine, Garner, Mejbri, Shoretire and Diallo.

 

[Bestietom]

Fred.

Feck, Didn't know that.

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Unfortunately spending net £75-100m per year is not going to allow us to close the gap between us and City. Different if we were the ones already at the top and just trying to maintain that.

Tell that to Liverpool

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Tell that to Liverpool

They’ve got Klopp though to be fair!

 

[Alex99]

Wait what, so now we shouldn't count Grant? He is 38 years old and gets paid. He's part of the squad. Elanga, Garner, Hannibal etc is very much in contention of being part of the squad, and they are all listed as first teamers. If we have Elanga, we don't need James. It's that easy. We have too many players, regardless of how you are trying to twist it into your own thoughts. Even if we sell James and Lingard we still have Rashford, Greenwood, Mata, Bruno, Pereira, Amad, Sancho, Martial who are full first-team players. Eight players for 2 or 3 positions.

Of course the emergency backup goalkeepers don't count, especially when it's likely they won't even be registered in any squads. You may as well count Paul McShane if your criteria for "first team" includes "being over 30".

As for the likes of Elanga and Hannibal, they're just not first team. I'd be surprised if that whole group of eight youngsters I highlighted manage 15 appearances between them across all competitions for us this season. Most are likely to go out on loan.

I literally listed James as a candidate to be loaned or sold, but at least he's proven some degree of capability as a squad player. He's played 72 games for us over the last two seasons, having made 39 senior appearancesfor Swansea before that, and having made 24 senior appearances for Wales. You can't expect Elanga to suddenly come in and get remotely close to that level of contribution to the squad when his entire senior experience to date is six appearances in the EFL trophy for the under 23s against league one and two sides, and two with a B-team lineup in that mad run of congested fixtures at the end of the last season.