Rate our Transfer Window and the Transfer Windows of our Rivals

[0-Tibsy-0]

I tend to agree - I don't think Winks is going to have much of a role, this year at least. I think he will be a bench player in Cup games, maybe getting a start or two in early cup matches. He will struggle to make the bench for most/all league and CL matches.

Yeah - i was implying i'd like to see him given an opportunity, but i'm just not sure Poch is ready to make him an important component...

 

[stevensthfc]

Rubbish according to Danny Murphy.

 

[thinktank]

Rubbish according to Danny Murphy.

Said he was actually a spurs fan...didn't know that.

 

[Pellshek]

Winners: Man United
Jose & Woodward nailed it, and they nailed it early.

Runners-up: Leicester, Spurs
Leicester did exceptionally well. Under the radar, quietly efficient. Very good. For Spurs, Sissoko at the last minute brought a sudden balance to our squad that IMO lifts us into the category of a very strong window. Holding onto (most of) their best players also counts as a good window for both these clubs.

Good window: Man City
City I mark down because none of their signings has PL experience, and the prices paid were astronomical. But of course those players should all be very good, so it's a good window.

Fair window: Chelsea, Arsenal
I mark Chelsea down for Luiz and Alonso, until those players prove us wrong. Luiz sounded like little more than a panic buy in the end. Arsenal might have gotten the classiest midfielder of the window, and a really good CB, which is good for them, but I'm far from convinced by their striker. I don't think he's going to do what the fans want.

Poor window: Liverpool
Quite a bit of uneasiness on the Liverpool forums. Yes, their big new players should be good, but a lot of mumblings that the new players are a facade masking deeper problems and imbalances in the squad that Klopp seemed to ignore. (Contrast with Spurs basically plugging pretty much every hole)

Bit of a disaster: Southampton, Everton
Southampton lost several top players, and Everton, despite being really noisy, didn't actually produce a lot of end product. A bit like Bolasie, then.

 

[Lighty64]

just a question about Gabriel Jesus, are Man C waiting on permit issues? even though they signed him quite early

 

[Shadydan]

How would anyone know this until the end of the season at least?

 

[dontcallme]

I think Utd are the winners of the transfer window. 4 top quality signings and I maintain my beginning of the season prediction for them to win the league.

City and Chelsea's success this season was always going to be about getting their star players performing again after last season's poor showing.

We have done what I hoped we would. 3 solid first team squad signings and maybe a wildcard. Keep our main players and trim the squad with peripheral players.

Leicester have done well to keep Mahrez and Vardy though Kante will be loss. Don't know enough about their signings to make any judgment.

Liverpool have possibly improved but I dont think enough to challenge top four,

I feel Everton and Southampton are the big losers.

Southampton have gone too far with the selling high and buying low strategy andafter much talk Everton didn't really do much positive other than hold onto their players except Stones.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I think Wanyama could end up being a good signing but only if we balance his defensive dynamism with some footballing dynamism.

I don't think we could have found a better like for like type replacement for Kane than Janssen. No they are not identical, no two players ever are, but he brings very similar qualities, indomitable spirit, off the ball work rate, robustness, he'll show deep for the ball, hold it up and bring others in, but also get himself into the box and chuck himself at anything. I like that, unlike Kane, he seems more aware that he isn't a dribbler and more aware of others in better positions.

Nkoudou I've seen bits and bobs of (including seeing him score live), I watched much less of Marseille last year than the year before as Bielsa had gone and Michel was fucking hopeless, the result was a Marseille that were a bit like watching Newcastle the last couple of years. He's clearly got a bit of raw talent and pace, but it's really hard at this stage to say whether he's going to be the next Mahrez or another Njie. I didn't see much Mahrez so far but I guess nobody saw Mahrez being Mahrez at this stage of his development.

Sissoko I really don't get. Are we going to play 433 ? I doubt it. And if we were Alli would be ahead of Sissoko as the RCM in my team, as would Winks and Onomah. So 30m seems a lot to pay for someone who clearly isn't better than Eriksen or Lamela, won't up our IQ and who I don't really see being the answer to many questions, especially the bus park one we struggle with so often.

As for the others, I think some great business has been done by ManU. Bailly looks superb, Mikhitarian is a fantastic attacking player and Ibra might not play every game and how long his ego can live in the ManU dressing room with other egos, including Mourinho's is moot. ManC will improved considerably by the coaching of Guardiola, and have also done some decent business, I think Stones has found the perfect manager to get the best out of him, I like the kid a lot, and I think Sterling will benefit too, and once Gundogen gets going they'll have a great player at their heart too.

I actually think Arsenal, without much fanfare, have bought almost entirely what they needed, a quality CB, a tenacious but decent footballing CM in Xhaka (though why they didn't spend the same on MS the year before I have no idea), I just don't understand why they didn't go and get Lacazette, for me there's a serious chance of a title for them if they do, they may still yet surprise people and be right in the title shout IMO, as they have added defensive quality to an already varied creative bunch of attackers and Giroud is a better fulcrum for them than he gets credit for, but Lacazette is the fucking business and would have been a superb option to play alongside Giroud with Sanchez in a 433 etc.

Chelsea signings are a mixed bag. Kante is an excellent addition. Batshuayi is a very good box striker/finisher with an excellent shots to goals ratio (or he did in the good Marseille side). But 54m for Luiz and Alonso at least meant we weren't the biggest idiots on deadline day. But Conte will have them organised and disciplined which, like Mourinho before him, will probably create a platform for the talented AM's to create and he might end up reverting to his beloved 352 meaning Costa and Batshuayi would be a pretty potent front pair with

I'm not blown away by Liverpool's signings, the big question here will be whether Klopp's coaching can improve them, with no european football also giving them a big advantage.

I think we'll struggle to get close to what we achieved last year. ManU, ManC and Chelsea all look substantially stronger through management changes and personnel, and Arsenal have toughened up.

I think we failed to add the one thing we needed most, which is some IQ in midfield and attack. In fact we've shed some. I said before the season started that I dreaded the idea of Dier and Wanyama and my fears have been realised, and with either Alli or Kane as the ACM, there's an utter lack of fluidity. Last year, even with Dembele it was an axis of bumble, now it's like the bulldozer of bumble and we've just added another bulldozer, albeit with a tubo, in Sissoko. With Poch's tactical myopia I do fear we are very predictable and easy to stifle at times and we've added no one to combat this with some guile or wit.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

I think Wanyama could end up being a good signing but only if we balance his defensive dynamism with some footballing dynamism.

I don't think we could have found a better like for like type replacement for Kane than Janssen. No they are not identical, no two players ever are, but he brings very similar qualities, indomitable spirit, off the ball work rate, robustness, he'll show deep for the ball, hold it up and bring others in, but also get himself into the box and chuck himself at anything. I like that, unlike Kane, he seems more aware that he isn't a dribbler and more aware of others in better positions.

Nkoudou I've seen bits and bobs of (including seeing him score live), I watched much less of Marseille last year than the year before as Bielsa had gone and Michel was fucking hopeless, the result was a Marseille that were a bit like watching Newcastle the last couple of years. He's clearly got a bit of raw talent and pace, but it's really hard at this stage to say whether he's going to be the next Mahrez or another Njie. I didn't see much Mahrez so far but I guess nobody saw Mahrez being Mahrez at this stage of his development.

Sissoko I really don't get. Are we going to play 433 ? I doubt it. And if we were Alli would be ahead of Sissoko as the RCM in my team, as would Winks and Onomah. So 30m seems a lot to pay for someone who clearly isn't better than Eriksen or Lamela, won't up our IQ and who I don't really see being the answer to many questions, especially the bus park one we struggle with so often.

As for the others, I think some great business has been done by ManU. Bailly looks superb, Mikhitarian is a fantastic attacking player and Ibra might not play every game and how long his ego can live in the ManU dressing room with other egos, including Mourinho's is moot. ManC will improved considerably by the coaching of Guardiola, and have also done some decent business, I think Stones has found the perfect manager to get the best out of him, I like the kid a lot, and I think Sterling will benefit too, and once Gundogen gets going they'll have a great player at their heart too.

I actually think Arsenal, without much fanfare, have bought almost entirely what they needed, a quality CB, a tenacious but decent footballing CM in Xhaka (though why they didn't spend the same on MS the year before I have no idea), I just don't understand why they didn't go and get Lacazette, for me there's a serious chance of a title for them if they do, they may still yet surprise people and be right in the title shout IMO, as they have added defensive quality to an already varied creative bunch of attackers and Giroud is a better fulcrum for them than he gets credit for, but Lacazette is the fucking business and would have been a superb option to play alongside Giroud with Sanchez in a 433 etc.

Chelsea signings are a mixed bag. Kante is an excellent addition. Batshuayi is a very good box striker/finisher with an excellent shots to goals ratio (or he did in the good Marseille side). But 54m for Luiz and Alonso at least meant we weren't the biggest idiots on deadline day. But Conte will have them organised and disciplined which, like Mourinho before him, will probably create a platform for the talented AM's to create and he might end up reverting to his beloved 352 meaning Costa and Batshuayi would be a pretty potent front pair with

I'm not blown away by Liverpool's signings, the big question here will be whether Klopp's coaching can improve them, with no european football also giving them a big advantage.

I think we'll struggle to get close to what we achieved last year. ManU, ManC and Chelsea all look substantially stronger through management changes and personnel, and Arsenal have toughened up.

I think we failed to add the one thing we needed most, which is some IQ in midfield and attack. In fact we've shed some. I said before the season started that I dreaded the idea of Dier and Wanyama and my fears have been realised, and with either Alli or Kane as the ACM, there's an utter lack of fluidity. Last year, even with Dembele it was an axis of bumble, now it's like the bulldozer of bumble and we've just added another bulldozer, albeit with a tubo, in Sissoko. With Poch's tactical myopia I do fear we are very predictable and easy to stifle at times and we've added no one to combat this with some guile or wit.

Who would you have liked to see come in to improve our IQ (outside of Isco and Gotze)? I think Coric would've been a great signing, but it looks like he's really intelligent off the pitch as well, because it looks like he'd only go to a team where he'd play week in, week out, which couldn't be guaranteed at Spurs. I hope Winks gets a good chunk of game time because I think he was fantastic in pre-season.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

.

Great post for sure, but it seems to me that the transfer strategy has been deliberately avoiding intelligent players, it's not an accident.
What we have added is raw muscle and physical power, Wanyama, Sissoko, Janssen are like preparing for a physical combat, not for intelligent performance art. We are going to physically plow our way through this season. We don't have to like it, but I very much believe that is what Pochettino wanted. Where N'Koudou fits into that I don't know. He is probably one for the future.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Who would you have liked to see come in to improve our IQ (outside of Isco and Gotze)? I think Coric would've been a great signing, but it looks like he's really intelligent off the pitch as well, because it looks like he'd only go to a team where he'd play week in, week out, which couldn't be guaranteed at Spurs. I hope Winks gets a good chunk of game time because I think he was fantastic in pre-season.

Firstly, when you think what we've just laid down on Sissoko, I can't believe we didn't just go and make sure we offered Rennes and Dembele(and his agent) enough to beat Dortmund to him. He went for something like 15m-18m ? and his wages as an 18yo won't be silly at Dortmund - he's like the player we hope we're getting with Sissoko but about 3 times better already and nearly ten years younger. Then there was Gotze who also went for les than Sissoko, Fekir and Schurrle. Fekir's real quality (but the injury may have scared suitors - and maybe justifiably seeing as I think he's just done it again after a few games back) and Schurrle's not the crafty wit of Fekir/Gotze but is cleverer than Sissoko and very productive goals wise as an AM wide forward.

Coric looks a great prospect and the type I would have liked but I can't say I've watched enough of him to say more than that.

I just hope that we genuinely give Edwards some real chances this season, because as an attacker, he is special and even at 18 he has something that none of our other attackers has, that ability to just walz past defenders and he gets his head up too, he's also banging goals in now more frequently than ever. If he was playing somewhere around europe we'd all be going mental to sign him.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Great post for sure, but it seems to me that the transfer strategy has been deliberately avoiding intelligent players, it's not an accident.
What we have added is raw muscle and physical power, Wanyama, Sissoko, Janssen are like preparing for a physical combat, not for intelligent performance art. We are going to physically plow our way through this season. We don't have to like it, but I very much believe that is what Pochettino wanted. Where N'Koudou fits into that I don't know. He is probably one for the future.

But you have to have some balance. A blend of skills, or you're too predictable.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Firstly, when you think what we've just laid down on Sissoko, I can't believe we didn't just go and make sure we offered Rennes and Dembele(and his agent) enough to beat Dortmund to him. He went for something like 15m-18m ? and his wages as an 18yo won't be silly at Dortmund - he's like the player we hope we're getting with Sissoko but about 3 times better already and nearly ten years younger. Then there was Gotze who also went for les than Sissoko, Fekir and Schurrle. Fekir's real quality (but the injury may have scared suitors - and maybe justifiably seeing as I think he's just done it again after a few games back) and Schurrle's not the crafty wit of Fekir/Gotze but is cleverer than Sissoko and very productive goals wise as an AM wide forward.

Coric looks a great prospect and the type I would have liked but I can't say I've watched enough of him to say more than that.

I just hope that we genuinely give Edwards some real chances this season, because as an attacker, he is special and even at 18 he has something that none of our other attackers has, that ability to just walz past defenders and he gets his head up too, he's also banging goals in now more frequently than ever. If he was playing somewhere around europe we'd all be going mental to sign him.

Dembele said he wanted to go to Germany, and do you think him or Schurrle would chose us over Dortmund? Fekir looks a very good player (I remember watching this assist he got for an Njie goal vs. PSG which was phenomenal) but as you say, he seems very injury prone.

I've said in the past that what struck me most when watching Edwards was his intelligence/vision, it seems natural to him. Incredible to think he has that plus great dribbling ability and he's now scoring more With that being said, I do think you get too hasty with your desire to see him play. I really hope he at least gets on the bench vs Gillingham, and hopefully we'll see him make his debut. But I think it would be silly for him to be on the bench for a PL game.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

But you have to have some balance. A blend of skills, or you're too predictable.

I agree with you fundamentally. But if you don't have that balance, there is another way. Your approach (in this case loads and loads of muscles) must REALLY work out. You can bypass the need for various types of players by doing that one thing extremely well. Which can be the case, I guess that part is yet to come.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Dembele said he wanted to go to Germany, and do you think him or Schurrle would chose us over Dortmund? Fekir looks a very good player (I remember watching this assist he got for an Njie goal vs. PSG which was phenomenal) but as you say, he seems very injury prone.

I've said in the past that what struck me most when watching Edwards was his intelligence/vision, it seems natural to him. Incredible to think he has that plus great dribbling ability and he's now scoring more With that being said, I do think you get too hasty with your desire to see him play. I really hope he at least gets on the bench vs Gillingham, and hopefully we'll see him make his debut. But I think it would be silly for him to be on the bench for a PL game.

Disagree, but as you say, I'm less risk averse where these young kids are concerned than some. In France and Germany economics force them to play young players much more and look at the results, we/others end up buying them for 10-20m.

I'd happily see Edwards on the bench for any EPL game, he's going to get better protection there than any other level of football he's played and he'd scare the shit out of some of the donkeys defending in this league.

You never know what is going through a players mind and what how genuine their soundbites are. I cannot believe with what we've just done with Sissoko we couldn't have got Dembele in. With Gotze and Schurrle it's hard to say what their biggest motivation(s) were and if we could have appealed to them.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I agree with you fundamentally. But if you don't have that balance, there is another way. Your approach (in this case loads and loads of muscles) must REALLY work out. You can bypass the need for various types of players by doing that one thing extremely well. Which can be the case, I guess that part is yet to come.

Give me an example of a team who have bulldozed their way to success ?

 

[spurs9]

Give me an example of a team who have bulldozed their way to success ?

I agree with your sentiment but to answer your question Chelsea 2004/05 & 2005/06. The most used players they used those seasons were:

2004/05

Cech
Ferreira Gallas Terry Bridge
Makelele
Thiago Lampard
Cole Duff
Gudjohnsen
​

Plus Carvalho, Drogba & Robben, Johnson, Smertin, Kezman, Geremi & Huth.


2005/06

Cech
Gallas Carvalho Terry Del Horno
Makelele
Essien Lampard
Cole Robben
Drogba
​

Plus Crespo, Ferreira, Duff, Gudjohnsen, SWP, Geremi & Huth.

*only included players played over 500 mins.

 

[Always Offside]

True though. This is like judging a marriage based on the wedding day.

Better than being judged on the wedding night ...

I'm making no predictions. Let's see who adapts. A player may be a superstar in La Liga or Ligue 1 but fail to settle in the faster, more physical Premier League. Time will tell.

 

[Japhet]

Firstly, when you think what we've just laid down on Sissoko, I can't believe we didn't just go and make sure we offered Rennes and Dembele(and his agent) enough to beat Dortmund to him. He went for something like 15m-18m ? and his wages as an 18yo won't be silly at Dortmund - he's like the player we hope we're getting with Sissoko but about 3 times better already and nearly ten years younger. Then there was Gotze who also went for les than Sissoko, Fekir and Schurrle. Fekir's real quality (but the injury may have scared suitors - and maybe justifiably seeing as I think he's just done it again after a few games back) and Schurrle's not the crafty wit of Fekir/Gotze but is cleverer than Sissoko and very productive goals wise as an AM wide forward.

Coric looks a great prospect and the type I would have liked but I can't say I've watched enough of him to say more than that.

I just hope that we genuinely give Edwards some real chances this season, because as an attacker, he is special and even at 18 he has something that none of our other attackers has, that ability to just walz past defenders and he gets his head up too, he's also banging goals in now more frequently than ever. If he was playing somewhere around europe we'd all be going mental to sign him.

I was disappointed we didn't get Isco, not that I thought we ever would, but that disappointment was made worse by the fact we let Pritchard go. I thought he might be a viable alternative/competition for Eriksen. Do you think Edwards can step up because Eriksen hasn't been at the races for quite a while now, including the end of last season.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I agree with your sentiment but to answer your question Chelsea 2004/05 & 2005/06. The most used players they used those seasons were:

2004/05

Cech
Ferreira Gallas Terry Bridge
Makelele
Thiago Lampard
Cole Duff
Gudjohnsen
​

Plus Carvalho, Drogba & Robben, Johnson, Smertin, Kezman, Geremi & Huth.


2005/06

Cech
Gallas Carvalho Terry Del Horno
Makelele
Essien Lampard
Cole Robben
Drogba
​

Plus Crespo, Ferreira, Duff, Gudjohnsen, SWP, Geremi & Huth.

*only included players played over 500 mins.

Those teams are a little less bulldozer than the:

Wanyama ----- Dier/Dembele

Sissoko---------Kane---------------Alli

------------------Janssen​

that we might be seeing.