This Season's 25 Man Squad

[Benspur]

Just been taking a look at the Offical site and our current first team squad players.

We currently have 26 players shown and we name 25 of those for our PL squad

3 Keepers
Gomes
Friedel
Lloris

7 Defenders
Walker - RB
Naughton - RB
BAE - LB
Rose - LB
Dawson - CB
Super Jan - CB
Kaboul - CB

9 Midfielders
Parker - DCM
Huddlestone - DCM
Livermore - DCM
Sandro - DCM
Paulihno - CM
Dembele - CM
Siggy - CM
Carroll - CM
Holtby - CM

4 Wingers
Bale
Chadli
Lennon
Townsend

3 Strikers
Soldado
Defoe
Ade

Based on this current list we need one more CB and that means that we'd most likely lose a couple of centre mids as we seem pretty heavy in that area.

Going with around 2 players for each position I'd suggest that a couple of the Defensive Mids may be the ones to make way if decent bids are received.

That's lilkey to be 2 from Parker, Huddlestone & Livermore.

What are your suggestions and how many 'home grown' players have we got?

 

[delpiero]

Home Grown

Walker
Naughton
Rose
Dawson
Parker
Hudd
Livermore
Siggy
Carroll
Bale
Lennon
Townsend
Defoe

Plenty, even if we sell 2 of Hudd/Parker/Livermore with wiggle room for other changes.

Personally would sell Hudd and Parker, upgrade Left back and a new CB, possibly another striker depending on if we sell Ade or Defoe.

I think I read that this is Carroll's last year as a U21 player so doesn't need to be in the 25 submitted squad, can anyone confirm?

 

[RichieS]

I'd lose Huddlestone and Parker and get in another CB.

Rose, Livermore, Carroll and Townsend are all 'club trained'.

Walker, Naughton, Rose, Dawson, Parker, Huddlestone, Livermore, Sigurdsson, Carroll, Bale, Lennon, Townsend and Defoe are all 'association trained'.

 

[RichieS]

I think I read that this is Carroll's last year as a U21 player so doesn't need to be in the 25 submitted squad, can anyone confirm?

This could well be the case - this year's cut-off could be birthday on or after 1/1/92.

 

[Kendall]

Tom Carroll doesn't need to be named this season as he was 20 on 1st January.

We can use Kane, Fryers and a bunch of other reserve lads without naming them.

 

[zicomerc]

First time poster here. Apologies if this has been discussed but should we be concerned that we wont have 8 quality home grown players in our 25 man squad?

Caulker is gone, others are touted to go. No one is expected to come in. Who will the 8 players be?

The only guarantees I think are :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon

Naughton - has been linked away
Rose - wants first team football, if we get Contreao unlikely
Fryers - not good enough from what I've seen
Bale - desperate to keep him for all sorts of reasons
Sigurdsson - might go back to Germany
Carroll - too many midfielders, probably loaned
Livermore - like Carroll, but I think should be sold if we can
Huddlestone - again likely to be sold
Parker - his time is up
Defoe - probably will stay but could leave if good offer comes in
Townsend - hope we keep him but he wants reqular games and could leave
Dawkins - why is he still here?
Obika - hopefully for his sake will go to Charlton

Kane is 20 so doesn't count. Probably will be loaned anyway.

I think we'll end up with :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon
Naughton
Rose
Townsend
Defoe
Sigurdsson

In the near future I don't think some of the names mentioned above will stay and we might have very few players left. It could mean spending crazy money on average English players to keep 8 players in the squad or just submitting less than 25 players. This is why Caulker's sale made no sense to me. Should have loaned him at worst. Also wouldn't sell Huddlestone for 4-5m as players like Rodwell, Henderson are 15m, and he still has a little to offer.

The likes of Luongo, Smith, Pritchard, McEvoy, Coulthirst are a long way from being part of this squad.

Looking at other clubs - I think Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool have about 10 or more homegrown players not to worry about this. Chelsea and Man City will just buy the best available players to keep in line with the rule.

I just don't think we have a strategy for this going forward. All our targets are foreign and with the exception of Hallovic and Jedvaj who if they came would have eventually counted. Is this what we'll do buy foreign players young rather than get English players? It's a sad state of affairs. I can't remember if we ever had a foreign starting 11 but it's looking increasingly likely now.

 

[ravo]

I have a feeling that there will only be three English players in the starting 11 for the first game; Daws, Walker and Rose. Perhaps Lennon.

Can Holtby somehow qualify? Probably not.

 

[chrissivad]

I have a feeling that there will only be three English players in the starting 11 for the first game; Daws, Walker and Rose. Perhaps Lennon.

Can Holtby somehow qualify? Probably not.

Holtby doesnt count, and Carroll is still just young enough that he doesnt need to be named in the squad

Walker
Bale
Dawson
Lennon
Sigy
Defoe
Livermore
Townsend
Rose

Also if we only have 7 homegrown then our squad maximum is 24. Some of the teams last year had only 21-24 man squads

 

[tiger666]

First time poster here. Apologies if this has been discussed but should we be concerned that we wont have 8 quality home grown players in our 25 man squad?

Caulker is gone, others are touted to go. No one is expected to come in. Who will the 8 players be?

The only guarantees I think are :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon

Naughton - has been linked away
Rose - wants first team football, if we get Contreao unlikely
Fryers - not good enough from what I've seen
Bale - desperate to keep him for all sorts of reasons
Sigurdsson - might go back to Germany
Carroll - too many midfielders, probably loaned
Livermore - like Carroll, but I think should be sold if we can
Huddlestone - again likely to be sold
Parker - his time is up
Defoe - probably will stay but could leave if good offer comes in
Townsend - hope we keep him but he wants reqular games and could leave
Dawkins - why is he still here?
Obika - hopefully for his sake will go to Charlton

Kane is 20 so doesn't count. Probably will be loaned anyway.

I think we'll end up with :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon
Naughton
Rose
Townsend
Defoe
Sigurdsson

In the near future I don't think some of the names mentioned above will stay and we might have very few players left. It could mean spending crazy money on average English players to keep 8 players in the squad or just submitting less than 25 players. This is why Caulker's sale made no sense to me. Should have loaned him at worst. Also wouldn't sell Huddlestone for 4-5m as players like Rodwell, Henderson are 15m, and he still has a little to offer.

The likes of Luongo, Smith, Pritchard, McEvoy, Coulthirst are a long way from being part of this squad.

Looking at other clubs - I think Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool have about 10 or more homegrown players not to worry about this. Chelsea and Man City will just buy the best available players to keep in line with the rule.

I just don't think we have a strategy for this going forward. All our targets are foreign and with the exception of Hallovic and Jedvaj who if they came would have eventually counted. Is this what we'll do buy foreign players young rather than get English players? It's a sad state of affairs. I can't remember if we ever had a foreign starting 11 but it's looking increasingly likely now.

No.

 

[robp135]

Yeh I noticed this the other day.

I think Friedal counts as homegrown by the way. We should bring in a British 3rd keeper.

 

[robp135]

funny thing is I question whether Walker, Dawson & Lennon are good enough!

 

[chrissivad]

Yeh I noticed this the other day.

I think Friedal counts as homegrown by the way. We should bring in a British 3rd keeper.

he doesnt

 

[robp135]

he doesnt

Ok, care to explain why or you just gonna be a dick about it?

Isn't the rule more about only having 17 foreign players rather than having 8 British players?

So if we only have Walker, Lennon, Dawson, Naughton, Rose & Townsend (6) we would only be able to name a 23 man squad?

 

[chrissivad]

Ok, care to explain why or you just gonna be a dick about it?

Isn't the rule more about only having 17 foreign players rather than having 8 British players?

So if we only have Walker, Lennon, Dawson, Naughton, Rose & Townsend (6) we would only be able to name a 23 man squad?

great way to start isnt it...
He doesnt count as home grown as he isnt home grown....
He wasn't trained across here and only came to the English League (after a few attempts with no work permit given) at about 23

If you dont have 8 home grown players (being British doesnt matter) then your maximum squad number decreases

 

[Misfit]

There's only one dick in this thread and it isn't chrissi.

Maybe take less sugar with it next time, robp135. If that's even your real name.

 

[jonola]

No.

Apologies did not mean to spam you there, must have pressed whilst scrolling, sorry will rectify when I can

 

[jedimonkey]

First time poster here. Apologies if this has been discussed but should we be concerned that we wont have 8 quality home grown players in our 25 man squad?

Caulker is gone, others are touted to go. No one is expected to come in. Who will the 8 players be?

The only guarantees I think are :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon

Naughton - has been linked away
Rose - wants first team football, if we get Contreao unlikely
Fryers - not good enough from what I've seen
Bale - desperate to keep him for all sorts of reasons
Sigurdsson - might go back to Germany
Carroll - too many midfielders, probably loaned
Livermore - like Carroll, but I think should be sold if we can
Huddlestone - again likely to be sold
Parker - his time is up
Defoe - probably will stay but could leave if good offer comes in
Townsend - hope we keep him but he wants reqular games and could leave
Dawkins - why is he still here?
Obika - hopefully for his sake will go to Charlton

Kane is 20 so doesn't count. Probably will be loaned anyway.

I think we'll end up with :

Walker
Dawson
Lennon
Naughton
Rose
Townsend
Defoe
Sigurdsson

In the near future I don't think some of the names mentioned above will stay and we might have very few players left. It could mean spending crazy money on average English players to keep 8 players in the squad or just submitting less than 25 players. This is why Caulker's sale made no sense to me. Should have loaned him at worst. Also wouldn't sell Huddlestone for 4-5m as players like Rodwell, Henderson are 15m, and he still has a little to offer.

The likes of Luongo, Smith, Pritchard, McEvoy, Coulthirst are a long way from being part of this squad.

Looking at other clubs - I think Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool have about 10 or more homegrown players not to worry about this. Chelsea and Man City will just buy the best available players to keep in line with the rule.

I just don't think we have a strategy for this going forward. All our targets are foreign and with the exception of Hallovic and Jedvaj who if they came would have eventually counted. Is this what we'll do buy foreign players young rather than get English players? It's a sad state of affairs. I can't remember if we ever had a foreign starting 11 but it's looking increasingly likely now.

It really doesn't matter if we deem any of these players ready or ok for the first team, if we still have them come the end of the transfer window and we have the space for them in our 25 man squad then we have to name them in the squad (as long as we don't have more than 17 foreign players of course).

I.e. If we only have 23 players over the age of 21 then we have to name all 23 even if we don't want some of them. The only time we can choose who we want out of the players is of we have more than 25 or we have more than 17 foreign players as then we would have to choose which 17 we wanted out of them.

1. Bale
2. Dawkins
3. Dawson
4. Defoe
5. Huddlestone
6. Lennon
7. Livermore
8. Naughton
9. Obika
10. Parker
11. Rose
12. Sigurdsson
13. Townsend
14. Walker

This is the list off current home grown players still at the club. So if things stay as they are we are fine for our home grown quota.

Obviously this won't be the final list come the end of the transfer window but if it was and we only have 11 foreign players in the squad then we would have to name all 14 HG players regardless of if we think they are good enough or wanted.

It's why we had to name Ben Alnwick in our squad a couple of years ago even though we had Friedel, Gomes and Cudicini already in the squad. Alnwick was the 25 player and had to be named.

So what I'm basically trying to say is that at the moment we are fine for our squad in terms of HG players even if we as fans might not want some of those players included. If there is space for them then we have to name them. It's only when we have a full 25 man squad with 8 HG players in it that we get to pick which HG players are registered with the squad.

 

[Dan Yeats]

Home-grown players aside, I'm really wondering what our squad's going to look like.

We've not sold anyone of note other than Caulker and Deuce, and Gallas has gone as well of course. But we've signed Paulinho, Chabli , Soldado, and Capo as well by the looks of it. Three mids and a striker.

So what have we got?

I can't quite work out what the 25-man squad's going to look like, but my impression is certainly that we're still weak on 'proper strikers', comfortable with 'forwards', on very thin ice with defenders, and overflowing with defensive/holding/box2box midfielders. Also not hugely comfortable going in to the season with Brad as our best option if Lloris gets crocked - although I really want him to stay at the club as player/coach and third choice. I'm assuming Gomes'll be off somewhere before the end of the window.

Has anyone tried to map out exactly what it's looking like?

 

[FinnYid]

You don't actually need 8 homegrown players as you can throw any kid to those slots. It's practically limiting non-homegrown players to 17.

 

[RuskyM]

You don't actually need 8 homegrown players as you can throw any kid to those slots. It's practically limiting non-homegrown players to 17.

So our current crop of non-homegrown is:

1. Gomes
2. Kaboul
3. Vertonghen
4. Soldado
5. Adebayor
6. Paulinho
7. Dembele
8. Chadli
9. Holtby
10. Friedel
11. Sandro
12. Benny Ekotto
13. Capoue?

Less than I thought actually.