What do we still need? Aka The never ending story

ManRed

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Sell Martial, Harry, Mctominay and Van De Beek

Buy
DM backup
CM (De Jong)
CB backup
Striker (Kane or Osimhen) and Vlahovic
 

TheNewEra

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CM: De Jong / Enzo
Striker: Kane/Osimhen

RB: ? (Depends on AWB form)
CB: Maguire/Lindelof out, get a top CB in. (maybe back in for Timber)
GK: Need a backup keeper, nothing major, keep DDG on lesser wages.

CM: I still think Tielemans on a free as I said in September, can play a host of roles offering rotation.

McT should be sold.
 

croadyman

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CM: De Jong / Enzo
Striker: Kane/Osimhen

RB: ? (Depends on AWB form)
CB: Maguire/Lindelof out, get a top CB in.
GK: Need a backup keeper, nothing major, keep DDG on lesser wages.

CM: I still think Tielemans on a free as I said in September, can play a host of roles offering rotation.

McT should be sold.
So if you had to pick say only 4 of those positions as even with new ownership be surprised to see us sign SIX
 

wolvored

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A proper understudy to Casemiro. Another who can play from in front of defence and can run and dribble. De Jong or similar. A WC CF and a young striker who can play from the wings as well as CF. Give Pellestri chances. Amad as well. Promote Mainoo. Do we need a goalie that badly? If we do the Brentford goalie looks good.
Sell Martial. Sell Mctom. Sell Maguire. All the deadwood who wont get a game anyway, and some that have come to the end of the contract, dont renew. Tuanzebe, Jones, Telles, Bailley etc. Unpopular opinion, but if Sancho doesnt come good this season, I would let him go. We have a load of wide men.
 

Red in STL

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CM: De Jong / Enzo
Striker: Kane/Osimhen

RB: ? (Depends on AWB form)
CB: Maguire/Lindelof out, get a top CB in. (maybe back in for Timber)
GK: Need a backup keeper, nothing major, keep DDG on lesser wages.

CM: I still think Tielemans on a free as I said in September, can play a host of roles offering rotation.

McT should be sold.
If you agree Varane and Martinez are the real deal and first choice, name a top CB who's going to go anywhere as a back up? Maguire is fine as a back up

GK - we just got Butland on loan, he'll cost buttons to buy

Tielemans is too lazy for ETH, he strolls around at Leicester
 

croadyman

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A proper understudy to Casemiro. Another who can play from in front of defence and can run and dribble. De Jong or similar. A WC CF and a young striker who can play from the wings as well as CF. Give Pellestri chances. Amad as well. Promote Mainoo. Do we need a goalie that badly? If we do the Brentford goalie looks good.
Sell Martial. Sell Mctom. Sell Maguire. All the deadwood who wont get a game anyway, and some that have come to the end of the contract, dont renew. Tuanzebe, Jones, Telles, Bailley etc. Unpopular opinion, but if Sancho doesnt come good this season, I would let him go. We have a load of wide men.
What young striker do you have in mind out of interest?
 

wolvored

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What young striker do you have in mind out of interest?
Thats the rub. If for example we signed Kane or another big name striker, I was hoping the scouts could find one for 20-30 mill, who would be happy to sit on the bench and cover Kane/a n other. Sesko is the right age, but if you sign him he would want to play and would you lay out 60 mill for a bench player? Someone like Rodrygo when RM signed from Brazil, but who isnt that well know and can develop.
 

croadyman

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Thats the rub. If for example we signed Kane or another big name striker, I was hoping the scouts could find one for 20-30 mill, who would be happy to sit on the bench and cover Kane/a n other. Sesko is the right age, but if you sign him he would want to play and would you lay out 60 mill for a bench player? Someone like Rodrygo when RM signed from Brazil, but who isnt that well know and can develop.
Could Thuram/Moukoko (what's his age) work?
 

wolvored

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Could Thuram/Moukoko (what's his age) work?
I was thinking how we bought Chicarito over and he was happy to be on the bench and have odd games and minutes here and there. Same as Ole. If they been playing regularly in a big league like Germany, would they come to sit on the bench? Would you get them for 20-30 mill as well?
 

Steve 007

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This has now become a tougher question.
Suddenly we have a very good defence, a great keeper and strong midfield. We have squad players who looked rubbish suddenly looking like strong back ups, Fred, AWB are the two who spring to mind.
We need more goals, can they come from the talent we already have? We need a striker.
If we got some money from a takeover I’d take Kane and Bellingham. I do wonder how much longer Kane has at the top though.
 

Josh 76

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If you agree Varane and Martinez are the real deal and first choice, name a top CB who's going to go anywhere as a back up? Maguire is fine as a back up

GK - we just got Butland on loan, he'll cost buttons to buy

Tielemans is too lazy for ETH, he strolls around at Leicester
Maguire is not fine as back up. The shape of the whole team changes when he plays. Don’t be fooled by his past. Ten Haag does not want him. He would rather play Luke Shaw over Maguire.
 

Luffy

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Maguire is not fine as back up. The shape of the whole team changes when he plays. Don’t be fooled by his past. Ten Haag does not want him. He would rather play Luke Shaw over Maguire.
Also, I don't see him being okay with being simply a backup.
 

kirk buttercup

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I think we need two strikers Martial and The lanky lad ( and he will be gone ) are our only real Strikers . A CM and another GK . Unlikely all to happen in summer
 

croadyman

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Kane
De Jong
Back up CAM

1 or 2 free options.

Should be a simple summer
Would swap last one for back up CDM,in terms of free options could look at

Tielemans & N'dicka (AM & CB)
N'dicka & Thuram (CB & CF)

What do you think to those?
 

croadyman

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This has now become a tougher question.
Suddenly we have a very good defence, a great keeper and strong midfield. We have squad players who looked rubbish suddenly looking like strong back ups, Fred, AWB are the two who spring to mind.
We need more goals, can they come from the talent we already have? We need a striker.
If we got some money from a takeover I’d take Kane and Bellingham. I do wonder how much longer Kane has at the top though.
I honestly think longer than most people expect
 

Mainoldo

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Would swap last one for back up CDM,in terms of free options could look at

Tielemans & N'dicka (AM & CB)
N'dicka & Thuram (CB & CF)

What do you think to those?
I had Rabiot and Pavard in mind. But realised Pavard is the summer after.

I like them but think we need a right side CB now we have Shaw as an option.
 

bosnian_red

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  • Kane up top and we are title challengers
  • Replace Maguire as backup CB to Varane with Bella Kotchap (Southampton might get relegated) of Ahmedhodzic from Sheffield Utd (net 0 cost, save on wages)
  • Replace McTominay with Lavia from Southampton (net 0 cost, save on wages)
If we do this in the summer, we'll challenge for the big trophies.
Then the following windows/or if we have more money to spend:
  • Sign a CM to partner Casemiro, Enzo Fernandez or Frenkie would be the peak level signings.
  • Replace De Gea with Diogo Costa
Would give us this as a squad:
Diogo Costa
Dalot Varane Martinez Shaw
Casemiro Enzo
Antony Bruno Rashford
Kane

Butland/whoever
Wan Bissaka New CB Lindelof Malacia
Lavia Eriksen
Sancho Fred Garnacho
Martial​
 

Lux Thunder

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Robert Sanchez

Dalot Varane Martinez Shaw

Casemiro Kovačić
Antony Bruno Rashford

Kane


Three signings within a budget of ~£200m with some players sold to raise our financial position. A team capable of challenging for both EPL and CL. And before judging on the average age of the team, this is what I think when it comes to "what do we still need", so what do we need to challenge for a title now, not in the future.
 

croadyman

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Robert Sanchez

Dalot Varane Martinez Shaw

Casemiro Kovačić
Antony Bruno Rashford

Kane


Three signings within a budget of ~£200m with some players sold to raise our financial position. A team capable of challenging for both EPL and CL. And before judging on the average age of the team, this is what I think when it comes to "what do we still need", so what do we need to challenge for a title now, not in the future.
I like the little caveat about this being what we need for a team to challenge now. We have to take advantage of Rapha & Casa
 

Motorman

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Kane
Rashford Bruno Antony
De Jong Casemiro
Shaw Martinez Varane Dalot
De Gea
Subs: Butland, AWB, Malacia, Maguire, Fred, Eriksen, Sancho, Garnacho, Martial
 

roseguy64

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Maguire is not fine as back up. The shape of the whole team changes when he plays. Don’t be fooled by his past. Ten Haag does not want him. He would rather play Luke Shaw over Maguire.
He's played Luke Shaw over Martinez. Does he not want him either?
 

Gurtej

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In ideally world, we need a prolific striker that guarantees 20-30 goals a season in EPL alone… but at the same time suits ETH system…

As much as I love DDG, it’s time for us to get a proper keeper who is good with his feet and distribution….DDG is a fantastic shot stopper but not the keeper we need in this system

We need another world class midfielder, I would have loved to get De Jong….

We also need a Casemiro under study…

And finally, another world class defender who is strong, tall, quick …. Another Rio

With new owners and top 4, all of the above are attainable in one single window and we will have a world class team and ready to seriously challenge for the title…

We need to sell those who ain’t suited for our system or just not good enough e.g.…Maquire, Jones, Elanga,
 

croadyman

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In ideally world, we need a prolific striker that guarantees 20-30 goals a season in EPL alone… but at the same time suits ETH system…

As much as I love DDG, it’s time for us to get a proper keeper who is good with his feet and distribution….DDG is a fantastic shot stopper but not the keeper we need in this system

We need another world class midfielder, I would have loved to get De Jong….

We also need a Casemiro under study…

And finally, another world class defender who is strong, tall, quick …. Another Rio

With new owners and top 4, all of the above are attainable in one single window and we will have a world class team and ready to seriously challenge for the title…

We need to sell those who ain’t suited for our system or just not good enough e.g.…Maquire, Jones, Elanga,
Which targets have you got in mind for GK, ST and backup CDM out of interest. What about N'dicka at CB as free agent in the summer
 

jesperjaap

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Striker, central midfielder and right back for me are what we urgently need this summer as a minimum if we are to be title challengers:

Striker - I know Martial has been unfortuante with injuries but how long do we give him and Wieghorst is the worst stop gap striker signing we have made. Vlahovic and Osimhen stand out, but both look very ecpensive.

CM - Eriksen has done ok, but again a short term answer and I prefer him further forward without making criticisms on him of why. Fred and McTominay are only good at performing certain disruptive roles, neither have the intelligence or ability to be more than squad options, VDB was always the wrong signing. Someone like FDJ, Caqueret, Enzo Fernandes improves our midfeild immensely as of course would Rice or Bellingham

RB - Never been a fan of Dalot though doen well this season, always bene a fan of Bissaka....but both have weaknesses in there game I am not sure will be solved. Npt the finished articles but the likes of Vanderson and Gusto offer huge potential at right back BOTH defensively AND offensively.....something I am not sure our current options do

On top of that, maybe a young ride sided centre back to replace Maguire/Baily/Tuanzabe in the squad, a quality young keeper to replae Henderson and maybe DeGea over the next couple of years and a young second striker would be good.

I think maybe Hannibal, Amad and Mainoo are ready for the squad next season so a massive overhaul isnt needed but fixin gour three problem areas could be near £200m anyway if we are going for top quality renforcements there
 

slored1

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What I would go for realistically:

Locatelli, Timber, Ramos (Kane would be preferred but probably unrealistic), Maddison, Diogo Costa

Sell/loan out:

McTominay, Williams, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Jones, Telles, Weghorst, Maguire, Pellistri, Elanga, Van de Beek, Dean Henderson, Butland, Hannibal

So the squad is (bolded the usual starting 11):

Costa/De Gea/Heaton
Dalot/AWB - Varane/Timber - Martinez/Lindelof - Shaw/Malacia
Casemiro/Locatelli
Locatelli/Eriksen/Fred - Bruno/Maddison
Antony/Diallo - Kane or Ramos/Martial - Rashford/Sancho/Garnacho
 

Gerald G

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I think as the season progresses it's become more clear what we need. The two certainties should be a top class midfielder to play alongside Casemiro and a top class striker.

In my head the ideal would summer would be:

Outgoings: Laird (buyback option), Maguire, Jones, Tuanzebe, Telles; McTominay, VdB, Elanga, Martial

Incomings: CM, ST, CB, DM, ST
 

BluesJr

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A capable GK transforms this teams ability under pressure.