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Taking stock for 5pm...

Ade's folks are ok really

Ade's folks are ok really

Ramon Vega
Thought i'd try and make sense of all these rumours / links / actual targets and take stock of where we are in terms of playing positions...


GK - sorted. no problems.

LB - Davies, Rose. If Rose leaves, KW-P moves up a notch. OUTCOME: Sorted
RB - Tripps, Aurier. OUTCOME: Sorted

CBs - Verts, Sanchez. Toby I can't see playing regularly again regardless if he stays. It's clear he wants out and we've publicly offered him around.
So we need a replacement. At present Dier, CCV and Foyth can fill-in, but it's not good enough for where we need to be.
OUTCOME: Centre Back needed surely!!? Worryingly I don't think we've been linked with any centre backs of note??

DM - Dier, Wanyama, Dembele, Winks. Tricky one as rumours suggest that Wanyama and Moussa are on the way out? If just one of them goes we're short of real quality in this position. If both stay I think we just have to manage playing time carefully.
OUTCOME: Sorted, IF no one leaves. Otherwise, signing needed. Linked with Lobotka. N'Dombele rumours are just that surely.

AM - Son, Eriksen, Alli, Moura, Lamela, Sissoko, GKN, Onomah. This area confuses me. Son is away for a while granted, but we can cover that with Lamela or Moura. So I still can't see why our attentions have been on Martial and Zaha as, whilst they certainly strengthen, it's really not the priority. Of this group, only Sissoko looks set to go, maybe GKN. Both of these we can survive without. Bid made for Grealish who will be a good alternative to Eriksen or in a CM role. Not a guaranteed starter but for £30m approx and English, it makes sense.
OUTCOME: Comfortable if Grealish signs. If he doesn't we should def look to strengthen the Sissoko squad place.

ST - Kane, Llorente, Janssen, Son. Could be stronger if Janssen goes, but never going to be addressed in this window. Just heard Llorente can go on loan or for £7m, that would then leave us short again surely?? OUTCOME: Needs strengthening if anyone leaves.


Overall: A CB signing seems a priority to me as I can't see Toby turning things around now sadly. I can't abide by going 4 at the back or having Dier as our third choice. We should be strengthening here.
Worryingly if any 3 of Rose, Toby, Dembele, Sissoko, Llorente and Janssen were to go, then we really are a weaker outfit compared to last season. Just a couple of injuries away from looking depleted even.
Is just Grealish enough? I'm not convinced. But at present he really should be a bare minimum!!

Have i missed anyone? Skipp and Amos are around but I'm not sure Poch see's them as an alternative to signings, more a fall back option!!

Biggest issue for me, as has been said by others, is the message this is sending out to the rest of the squad that we just aren't pushing on and putting pressure on players for their position. We're not showing the ambition needed. Hell only knows what Poch is really thinking inside, but i'd wager it's not in line with his thoughts as he put pen to paper the other month!!!

Worst case scenario, we could go into the new season lining up as follows...

------------- Lloris -------------

Tripps --- Sanch -- Verts -- Davies

-------- Dier --- Winks --------

--- Moura --- Eriksen --- Alli

------------- Kane -------------

Subs: Vorm, Foyth, Wanyama, Lamela, KWP.
Doesn't look top 4 to me compared to the rest and the subs bench is definitely a concern.
 
Agree with you about forwards. And with your conclusion. Personally, and in the short term, I'd be more concerned about C/DM than CB if we get a Rees-Mogg-esque no deal scenario.

A peevish Toby still makes a perfectly good back-up for Sanchez and Verts. We don't seem to play three at the back that much any more, and when we do it's more likely to be Dier as the third.

With Wanyama and Mousa, though, it's about fitness as much as availability. Both are shadows of what they were, and with Winks also out (but with good prospects for recovery) we have an acute crisis in midfield, which even a tactical rejig that drops Eriksen or Dele back is unlikely to fix.
 
We need a left back i have not seen anything to suggest KwP can slot in and not be an issue. His positioning is not ideal and gets taken on far too easily. He has potential and can get better but coming in for a long period if Davies gets injured would not be the solution imo.
 
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On the basis of no sales, we are basically fine.

I think we need to look into succession in midfield, but its not essential for right now.

I do think we could use another AM, but with Moura up to speed we are stronger than last season.

If we sell any? Well Alderweireld or Rose would certainly need replacing, otherwise I think we could lose a handful of players and not notice them gone (Janssen, Llorente, NKoudou, Sissoko...)
 
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Yiddo said:
We need a left back i have not seen anythinf to suggest KwP can slot in and not be an issue. His positioning is not ideal and gets taken on far too easy. He has potential and can get better but coming in for a long period if Davies gets injured would not be the solution imo.
Click to expand...
I honestly thought the Rose to Schalke link was nonsense, I dont get it unless we are signing another LB. Davies is fine, but we really need another LB if Rose is going....
 
CM is higher priority than CB for me:

Wanyama seems crocked and we've been trying to sell him

Dembele is also on/off injured and might not be 100% committed to the cause give we've also tried to sell him, and he has 1 year left on his deal

and Winks has also been injured for pretty much all of 2018 I think....

and given we're not overstocked with CBs, then Dier needs to fill in there
 
I would rather have a CM or a Son type that a CB.

The media seems to have skipped over the "why is nobody interested in toby" line. It is weird but id have thought every club in europe would be after him, unless they are waiting after our transfer window closes, but then we are likely to just say no as we have no cover.

IF nobody has massively pushed or nobody will, then Toby is going to be super motivated to perform, he isnt going to be a better prospect as a 30yr old with no playing time in 2yrs, and in some ways is a bit of a kick in the teeth for him and unless him and poch hate each other, easy for levy to ring up and say nobody offered what could we do.

Everyone has gone after Levy but Poch defo has a if you cross me you are out mentality.
Rose - Teachers pet, gone
Townsend - Squabble with coach, gone
Walker, comments he wants to leave, gone
Toby, wont commit, gone
Anyone associated with the Ade, Kaboul lot, gone

Its poch who booted them all out of the team, way before levy tried to sell them

*not a criticism of poch
 
AdamB said:
CM is higher priority than CB for me
Click to expand...

If we continue to set up as we have, then yes it needs help. Certainly over the next year.

But, if we had a change up - maybe its not as bad as you think?

..........................Lloris
Trippier......Sanchez.......Vertonghen...Davies
...........................Dier
...............Eriksen...........Alli
...Moura.................................Son
..........................Kane

Winks, Wanyama, Dembele, Sissoko (maybe Skipp/Amos) all being around the squad to supplement.
 
imcallingbullsh*t said:
Everyone has gone after Levy but Poch defo has a if you cross me you are out meteorology.
Rose - Teachers pet, gone
Townsend - Squabble with coach, gone
Walker, comments he wants to leave, gone
Toby, wont commit, gone
Anyone associated with the Ade, Kaboul lot, gone

Its poch who booted them all out of the team, way before levy tried to sell them

*not a criticism of poch
Click to expand...

Even if it's not intended as a criticism of Poch, it's a reasonable one. He needs to mature as a manager and get over his obsession with respect.
 
ShipOfGoldblum said:
Even if it's not intended as a criticism of Poch, it's a reasonable one. He needs to mature as a manager and get over his obsession with respect.
Click to expand...

Does he? Seems to me his demand of high standards all around is what has us where we are. What happens if he starts to let it slip?

And specifically on respect - I dont think its just personal, I think he see's disrespect to the team/club as well.
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
Does he? Seems to me his demand of high standards all around is what has us where we are. What happens if he starts to let it slip?

And specifically on respect - I dont think its just personal, I think he see's disrespect to the team/club as well.
Click to expand...

There's a point in the Balague book where he fulminates because a Saints player asks the chairman in a friendly way whether he enjoyed his holiday. Outrageous, thinks Poch. A player should only communicate with the club via the manager. Directly addressing the chairman is insufficiently respectful.

That's just mad. Expecting high standards and professionalism is one thing. But it's a football club, with some very expensive personnel assets, not North Korea or Spurs Community. A level of realism about human interactions would come in handy.
 
Maybe? Cant say it bothers me much.

He has a heirachy in place, he has a way of working and standards he expects - I dont really have a problem with that.
 
KWP is not going to be covering LB. He's not a LB and is nothing but emergency cover for that area.
I'd expect Toby to carry on for the next 6 months, so CB is sorted until he leaves.

We look to be playing a 3 man midfield right now, but the question is where Dele fits in that. He could be used as a #10 behind a front two or as one of the #8's. For arguments sake, I'll say he's a #8 alongside Eriksen with Winks, Sissoko and Dembele able to rotate in. DM could be trickier, as Wanyama might be broken long term. Amos might be ok there, but it's a lot to expect of him so early on so we may need strengthening in the next window.

Up top, we need someone to rotate with Kane. In a 4312, I can see us using two from Kane, Son, Moura. Martial or someone like him, would be ideal as it would give us an extra body for both roles. In a 433, we only have Son to play LWF and need another there, with Lamela and Moura covering the RWF slot.

Conclusion
============
New LB
Scout a new senior CB
Scout a possible DM candidate
Buy a new LWF/Pacy forward
 
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