Just looked up our 2019/20 transfers. "Disaster window" is right!
Ndombele £55m
Bergwijn £28m
Sessegnon £25m
Lo Celso £15m loan fee + £27m purchase
Jack Clarke £10m
Gedson Fernandes £4m loan fee
In hindsight...wow. Of those, only Lo Celso looked vaguely like a player after signing. Although Sess has shown the odd flash.
Thankfully we didn't exercise the option to buy Gedson for £40m!
The biggest takeaway from the transfer window and our start to the season, for me, is that after a few false dawns regarding the rebuild, we finally look to have turned a corner on that front.
Yep, and there is no Kane inevitability hanging over the team.
Vicario 26, Porro 23, Royal 24, Romero 25, VDV 22, Philips 18, Udogie 20, Bissouma 27, Sarr 20, Skipp 22, Bentancur 26, Maddison 26, Son 31, Solomon 24, Richi 26, Johnson 22, Kulu 23
17 players who are core to first team squad, 2 players over 26, 10 players under 24 and that doesn't include Veliz, Gil and the youth keeper backups
To the refresh point, 1 player in that 17 that played for Poch (3 in the full 25?)
To push it further, and to highlight the job done since Paratichi came in, it's only Son & Skipp on that list that were players during Mourinhos time as well.
Said it before but Steve Hitchen has a lot to answer for
So final tally (not including youth/development loan outs like Scarlett, Devine, Parrott)
In - Vicario, VDV, Philips, Maddison, Solomon, Johnson, Veliz, plus Udogie in from loan for first time (8 additions)
Out (permanent) - Winks, Kane, Sanchez (3)
Out (loan with intention to get rid of) - Rodon, Reguilon, Ndombele, Tanganga, Spence (5)
Released - Lucas, Danjuma, Lenglet (3), Lloris highly likely to follow suit
Summary - 20 changes to first team squad (Lloris included), 4-5 changes to first 11
Pros - So far first team changes have settled amazingly well, including huge previous problems of finally replacing Lloris, Rose, Jan & Eriksen
Cons - Kane loss, still a little light in CB/LB coverage, window would have been noticeably better with Dier out and new CB in, loan army still needs to be permanently gone.
Huge amount of change, if we get a decent season out of it and build from there, then it will be seen as a big success later.
And Levy as he ultimately employed him and let him run riot. Hitchen should have been cut loose earlier.To push it further, and to highlight the job done since Paratichi came in, it's only Son & Skipp on that list that were players during Mourinhos time as well.
Said it before but Steve Hitchen has a lot to answer for
Just looked up our 2019/20 transfers. "Disaster window" is right!
Ndombele £55m
Bergwijn £28m
Sessegnon £25m
Lo Celso £15m loan fee + £27m purchase
Jack Clarke £10m
Gedson Fernandes £4m loan fee
In hindsight...wow. Of those, only Lo Celso looked vaguely like a player after signing. Although Sess has shown the odd flash.
Thankfully we didn't exercise the option to buy Gedson for £40m!
The biggest takeaway from the transfer window and our start to the season, for me, is that after a few false dawns regarding the rebuild, we finally look to have turned a corner on that front.
Yea agreed, the rebuild started years ago, it just failed spectacularly until Paratici came in.That is it. The "rebuild" started with Poch. Failed badly. And has been in progress since. Finally we seem to have our ducks alligned under Postecoglou and Paratici. But is Paratici his partner or not? Maybe Paratici is less director of football and more advisor and facilitator now. As for Scot Munn...
I think it is useful to have another person to take some of the media spotlight. Someone Ange can send out to the lions when he wants to focus on other things. Hopefully we'll get back to the intended model - as I think its a good one.
Yea agreed, the rebuild started years ago, it just failed spectacularly until Paratici came in.
re the point I’ve highlighted, I’ve been thinking this for a long time. Would have loved to hear from Paratici in these pre match pressers rather than Conte always saying the same things. Managers do soo many interviews, way too many, think this burden needs to be shared a bit. I understand it’s probably an obligation that the manager speaks to media, but surely once or twice a month we can wheel out the clubs sporting director for these? It’s not like it’s giving the press the tea boy or anything.
Yea agreed, the rebuild started years ago, it just failed spectacularly until Paratici came in.
re the point I’ve highlighted, I’ve been thinking this for a long time. Would have loved to hear from Paratici in these pre match pressers rather than Conte always saying the same things. Managers do soo many interviews, way too many, think this burden needs to be shared a bit. I understand it’s probably an obligation that the manager speaks to media, but surely once or twice a month we can wheel out the clubs sporting director for these? It’s not like it’s giving the press the tea boy or anything.
Yea agreed, the rebuild started years ago, it just failed spectacularly until Paratici came in.
re the point I’ve highlighted, I’ve been thinking this for a long time. Would have loved to hear from Paratici in these pre match pressers rather than Conte always saying the same things. Managers do soo many interviews, way too many, think this burden needs to be shared a bit. I understand it’s probably an obligation that the manager speaks to media, but surely once or twice a month we can wheel out the clubs sporting director for these? It’s not like it’s giving the press the tea boy or anything.
Yea wasn’t really a dig at Conte, more a general point that these manager interviews are well OTT.I think the nationality difference hindered Conte slightly, he was not the most expressive in English, the same with Poch who although tried harder was actually plain weird in the end.
At least with Ange and this is not a slight at those, he is an open book and there are vast amounts even in this short time that he has opened up about with honesty where others wouldn't/couldn't. What I also like about Ange doing them and stating in plain terms about what the truth is, there is no room now for opinion and made up rumours about whose signings whose, what he means, is he being cryptic, he clearly means x even though saying y....I am currently really enjoying the fact he speaks so much
Not at all knocking your point BTW as I would love to hear Fabs take, just giving a perspective as I have seen it up to now
Yea wasn’t really a dig at Conte, more a general point that these manager interviews are well OTT.
I also much prefer Ange’s presser’s but you can see even he is a bit fed up of the process, I think at least.
I'm not convinced they cost him his job.... He barely got to play any of them due to injuries.Set us back years. Quite a lot of the blame is on Poch, those transfers certainly cost him his job. And left us rebuilding for 2-3 seasons. Still weighed down by a few of them now. Thankfully it looks like this caused a lot of pain internally at Spurs and we have learned from it.
I'm not convinced they cost him his job.... He barely got to play any of them due to injuries.
They barely played a game…, we then sacked Pochettino and lurched to an ultra defensive manager and wondered why 3 players purchased for a front foot, possession based system didn’t work in an anti football, eye gougingly bad set up relying on sitting deep, having no possession and hoping to nick one on the break. The true harm at Spurs was in the (complete lack of) succession planning.Our midfield was terrible, we spent oodles of money on these supposedly high-quality players. They didn't hit the ground running or improve us for whatever reason, and he paid with his job.
They barely played a game…, we then sacked Pochettino and lurched to an ultra defensive manager and wondered why 3 players purchased for a front foot, possession based system didn’t work in an anti football, eye gougingly bad set up relying on sitting deep, having none of the va and hoping to nick one on the break. The true harm at Spurs was in the (complete lack of) succession planning.