The counterpart to What do we still need? Aka The never ending story
I think most on CAF will be pretty happy with this year's transfer window - for the first time in a long while we finally got our act together on the transfer market and behaved like a club that is one of the most successful in the world.
A huge part of a good transfer window though, is also about moving on players that the club clearly no longer needs as to keep the team fresh, hungry as well as free up money that might have been used for salary payments.
Ole has done a fantastic job clearing out the deadwood accumulated during LvG and Mou's tenure, having seen the likes of Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Mike Smalling, Matt Darmian, Ashley Young, Rojo & TFM leave the club. Still, I'm sure most will agree that there are more players that we need to move on.
GK: We are a little overstocked in this dept right now with 4 GKs on the first team list.
It's extremely harsh, but De Gea gets my nod as the person the club need to move on. I'm feeling mixed about this because he is one of the longest serving player at the club (thanks to a faulty fax machine) and one of the few remaining to have won an EPL title under SAF. He has saved our asses on so many occasion in the past and Mou probably won't have last as long as he did if not for De Gea's heroics. Having said that, he's currently on £350K per week, and it's way too much for someone who is not a clear first choice right now.
Centre Backs:
With Varane incoming, we will most probably have to shift people out. Jones is easily the top candidate on everyone's list. Again, one of the few remaining to have won an EPL title under SAF, but unfortunately his career has been ruined by injuries with a injury history list that rivals Darren Anderton, famously known as "sick note". One wonders what might have been for the person who was called "the next Duncan Edwards" by SAF, as "similar to Fernando Hierro" or "Franco Baresi" by Fabio Capello.
Then there's Lindelöf, Bailly, and Tuanzebe. Bailly for me tops the list. Fantastic defender on his day, but again like Jones there's too many start-stops with a long list of injuries that prevents him from establishing himself in the team. Has so many "flair" moments in defence (that there is a dedicated Reddit sub for it) that while no doubt entertaining to watch, I just prefer stability and dependability in defence. Tuanzebe is another one whose potential still remains largely as potential, and really needs to move on for the sake of his career since it is clear that Ole doesn't trust him if there are other options available.
WingBacks:
If reports that we are trying to sign Trippier are accurate, then Dalot is definitely tops the list. Touted by Mou as "the back full back in his age group" when signed from Porto for £19 million, things unfortunately haven't progressed for him and despite making 33 appearances for AC Milan he hasn't really shown the fanbase that he might come good anytime soon. Williams is another, whom for some reason, just didn't manage to progress since his breakthrough season. For the sake of his career, we should definitely loan him out or sell him.
Midfield:
Links to Caminvinga are exciting, Rice less so, but I think the general feel is that McFred combination has limitations and we need either a MF destroyer in the mould of Kante to so we can play 2 more attacking minded player along Bruno, or a DLP so we can play a more expansive game. Regardless of the situation around Pogba, we definitely need to move on eternal youth player Jesse Lingard and Andres Pereira who clearly has no first team future in our team. There's also a general feel that Matic is approaching the end of his illustrious career and should be moved on so we can free up space and salary for new players.
Attackers:
I'm sure the club hierarchy if not Ole himself is paying close attention to Haaland saga and it remains to be seen if Chelsea can tempt Dortmund to sell this window or lose him next window for a lot less than what they would have gotten him if they sell now. With the addition of Sancho, we are now able to move Mason Greenwood into his more natural in the middle, and I feel the time has come for us to move Martial on. On his day he is world class - but his days are few and far between and he lacks the aggressiveness and hunger for goals that defines great central forwards while he isn't necessarily motivated enough to play out on the left. Dan James is one that a lot on CAF would want to see being moved on, though I believe he has an important role to play against certain high press oppositions where his presence meant that the opposition defence has to stay more back than they would have liked for the fear of being caught out by his pace. Otherwise, Chong is another one who clearly lacks the intelligence required to be a top player and we need to move him on for the sake of his career.
I think most on CAF will be pretty happy with this year's transfer window - for the first time in a long while we finally got our act together on the transfer market and behaved like a club that is one of the most successful in the world.
A huge part of a good transfer window though, is also about moving on players that the club clearly no longer needs as to keep the team fresh, hungry as well as free up money that might have been used for salary payments.
Ole has done a fantastic job clearing out the deadwood accumulated during LvG and Mou's tenure, having seen the likes of Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Mike Smalling, Matt Darmian, Ashley Young, Rojo & TFM leave the club. Still, I'm sure most will agree that there are more players that we need to move on.
GK: We are a little overstocked in this dept right now with 4 GKs on the first team list.
It's extremely harsh, but De Gea gets my nod as the person the club need to move on. I'm feeling mixed about this because he is one of the longest serving player at the club (thanks to a faulty fax machine) and one of the few remaining to have won an EPL title under SAF. He has saved our asses on so many occasion in the past and Mou probably won't have last as long as he did if not for De Gea's heroics. Having said that, he's currently on £350K per week, and it's way too much for someone who is not a clear first choice right now.
Centre Backs:
With Varane incoming, we will most probably have to shift people out. Jones is easily the top candidate on everyone's list. Again, one of the few remaining to have won an EPL title under SAF, but unfortunately his career has been ruined by injuries with a injury history list that rivals Darren Anderton, famously known as "sick note". One wonders what might have been for the person who was called "the next Duncan Edwards" by SAF, as "similar to Fernando Hierro" or "Franco Baresi" by Fabio Capello.
Then there's Lindelöf, Bailly, and Tuanzebe. Bailly for me tops the list. Fantastic defender on his day, but again like Jones there's too many start-stops with a long list of injuries that prevents him from establishing himself in the team. Has so many "flair" moments in defence (that there is a dedicated Reddit sub for it) that while no doubt entertaining to watch, I just prefer stability and dependability in defence. Tuanzebe is another one whose potential still remains largely as potential, and really needs to move on for the sake of his career since it is clear that Ole doesn't trust him if there are other options available.
WingBacks:
If reports that we are trying to sign Trippier are accurate, then Dalot is definitely tops the list. Touted by Mou as "the back full back in his age group" when signed from Porto for £19 million, things unfortunately haven't progressed for him and despite making 33 appearances for AC Milan he hasn't really shown the fanbase that he might come good anytime soon. Williams is another, whom for some reason, just didn't manage to progress since his breakthrough season. For the sake of his career, we should definitely loan him out or sell him.
Midfield:
Links to Caminvinga are exciting, Rice less so, but I think the general feel is that McFred combination has limitations and we need either a MF destroyer in the mould of Kante to so we can play 2 more attacking minded player along Bruno, or a DLP so we can play a more expansive game. Regardless of the situation around Pogba, we definitely need to move on eternal youth player Jesse Lingard and Andres Pereira who clearly has no first team future in our team. There's also a general feel that Matic is approaching the end of his illustrious career and should be moved on so we can free up space and salary for new players.
Attackers:
I'm sure the club hierarchy if not Ole himself is paying close attention to Haaland saga and it remains to be seen if Chelsea can tempt Dortmund to sell this window or lose him next window for a lot less than what they would have gotten him if they sell now. With the addition of Sancho, we are now able to move Mason Greenwood into his more natural in the middle, and I feel the time has come for us to move Martial on. On his day he is world class - but his days are few and far between and he lacks the aggressiveness and hunger for goals that defines great central forwards while he isn't necessarily motivated enough to play out on the left. Dan James is one that a lot on CAF would want to see being moved on, though I believe he has an important role to play against certain high press oppositions where his presence meant that the opposition defence has to stay more back than they would have liked for the fear of being caught out by his pace. Otherwise, Chong is another one who clearly lacks the intelligence required to be a top player and we need to move him on for the sake of his career.