JayB
Well-Known Member
- Aug 24, 2011
- 6,663
- 26,085
Taking into account recent ITK it seems likely that we have a lot of business yet to be conducted before the closing of the transfer window. We've heard that there are 6-8 players yet to be sold, that Andre wants a trim squad full of utility players who cover multiple positions (sorry I couldn't quite find this one while skimming through the RO, anyone remember where this came from?), and that JJ is confident that we will be very strong next season despite the expected departure of Bale. All of this points toward a massive overhaul to be completed over the next month, and poses a a huge number of questions to be hashed out.
Who can we possibly get to replace Bale?
For me there are really only two satisfactory options - Erik Lamela and Julian Draxler. Both would cost upwards of 35m+ but each have the potential to become world's next most sought-after player, possibly commanding a fee someday in the region of what is now being touted for Bale and making them a worthwhile risk. Between the two Draxler is more likely IMO due to the fact that he has a release clause valued at 39m, but there are major questions over whether either would be willing to join us even if Levy were willing to spend that much on a replacement. Others that have been suggested include Yarmolenko, Dzagoev, Hulk, and (shudder) Suarez.
Who will be leaving?
In addition to Caulker, Dempsey, and Bale the obvious candidates include Parker, Adebayor, BAE, Huddlestone, Naughton, and Livermore. Some have suggested that AVB does not rate Townsend but thus far in the preseason he has been by far the more threatening of our backup RW's - is it possible that we might look to sell Lennon before he loses a yard of pace and his value plummets? Will we be willing to let go of Huddlestone and Livermore given our current injury crisis at CB? If we get Coentrao as a part of the Bale deal, will we look to sell on Rose who would command a bigger fee than BAE? Will Defoe want a guarantee of consistent playing time in a WC year? Questions abound.
Who will we bring in?
There are many questions here so let's take them each one by one.
Who will we bring in at CB?
Given that two weeks from the beginning of the season we currently have exactly zero fit senior CBs surely this has to be at the very top of our list of priorities. The hangup with the Chiriches deal seems to have been the payment structure that we offered - will the cash from the Bale deal allow us to overcome that hurdle? If not, then who? And considering that Kaboul seems dangerously close to Ledley territory, do we need two?
Who can we get from Madrid in part exchange for Bale?
It seems that Madrid is going to have to send one or two players our way in order to meet Levy's valuation of Bale, but the question remains of who that might be. Coentrao would immediately solve one of the only remaining weaknesses from last season and has been included in seemingly every media report of what an eventual Bale deal might look like. Might we also be able to bring in one of Di Maria, Morata, or Jese?
Will we ever fill the Modric-shaped hole in our midfield?
Last season we struggled mightily to break down the teams that parked the bus at WHL and dropped a ton of points as a result. In my opinion this was largely down to the fact that we lacked a player who could keep play ticking over and provide incisive passing from deep that led to genuine chances on goal. Paulinho may be class but he's more of a box to box player than a playmaker. We've been strongly linked with the likes of McCarthy and Pjanic so it seems like the club has identified this as an area to be shored up.
Who else will we bring in?
Even if we manage to complete all of the aforementioned deals we might still be in need of further reinforcements at wing forward. We've been linked with Ljajic, who seems intent on a deal to Milan, and Bernard who seemingly is not keen on a deal to Shakhtar, who are reportedly the only club to meet Miniero's valuation, or else that deal would have surely been completed by now. Recent ITK suggests that we are still in for him in a big way.
So, with all that being said, here's what I think our major overhaul might look like over the next month:
Outgoings:
Caulker - 9
Dempsey - 6
Bale - 80
Lennon - 15
Parker - 2
Huddlestone - 5
BAE - 5
Naughton - 4
Adebayor - 8
Livermore - Loan
Total: 134
Incomings:
Paulinho - 17
Chadli - 7
Soldado - 26
Chiriches - 7
Draxler - 39
Bernard - 20
Pjanic - 17
Coentrao - Exchange
Morata - Exchange
Total: 133
Needless to say this is a best-case-scenario of how our business might play out, I'm interested to hear how others think the team might look come September 2nd.
Who can we possibly get to replace Bale?
For me there are really only two satisfactory options - Erik Lamela and Julian Draxler. Both would cost upwards of 35m+ but each have the potential to become world's next most sought-after player, possibly commanding a fee someday in the region of what is now being touted for Bale and making them a worthwhile risk. Between the two Draxler is more likely IMO due to the fact that he has a release clause valued at 39m, but there are major questions over whether either would be willing to join us even if Levy were willing to spend that much on a replacement. Others that have been suggested include Yarmolenko, Dzagoev, Hulk, and (shudder) Suarez.
Who will be leaving?
In addition to Caulker, Dempsey, and Bale the obvious candidates include Parker, Adebayor, BAE, Huddlestone, Naughton, and Livermore. Some have suggested that AVB does not rate Townsend but thus far in the preseason he has been by far the more threatening of our backup RW's - is it possible that we might look to sell Lennon before he loses a yard of pace and his value plummets? Will we be willing to let go of Huddlestone and Livermore given our current injury crisis at CB? If we get Coentrao as a part of the Bale deal, will we look to sell on Rose who would command a bigger fee than BAE? Will Defoe want a guarantee of consistent playing time in a WC year? Questions abound.
Who will we bring in?
There are many questions here so let's take them each one by one.
Who will we bring in at CB?
Given that two weeks from the beginning of the season we currently have exactly zero fit senior CBs surely this has to be at the very top of our list of priorities. The hangup with the Chiriches deal seems to have been the payment structure that we offered - will the cash from the Bale deal allow us to overcome that hurdle? If not, then who? And considering that Kaboul seems dangerously close to Ledley territory, do we need two?
Who can we get from Madrid in part exchange for Bale?
It seems that Madrid is going to have to send one or two players our way in order to meet Levy's valuation of Bale, but the question remains of who that might be. Coentrao would immediately solve one of the only remaining weaknesses from last season and has been included in seemingly every media report of what an eventual Bale deal might look like. Might we also be able to bring in one of Di Maria, Morata, or Jese?
Will we ever fill the Modric-shaped hole in our midfield?
Last season we struggled mightily to break down the teams that parked the bus at WHL and dropped a ton of points as a result. In my opinion this was largely down to the fact that we lacked a player who could keep play ticking over and provide incisive passing from deep that led to genuine chances on goal. Paulinho may be class but he's more of a box to box player than a playmaker. We've been strongly linked with the likes of McCarthy and Pjanic so it seems like the club has identified this as an area to be shored up.
Who else will we bring in?
Even if we manage to complete all of the aforementioned deals we might still be in need of further reinforcements at wing forward. We've been linked with Ljajic, who seems intent on a deal to Milan, and Bernard who seemingly is not keen on a deal to Shakhtar, who are reportedly the only club to meet Miniero's valuation, or else that deal would have surely been completed by now. Recent ITK suggests that we are still in for him in a big way.
So, with all that being said, here's what I think our major overhaul might look like over the next month:
Outgoings:
Caulker - 9
Dempsey - 6
Bale - 80
Lennon - 15
Parker - 2
Huddlestone - 5
BAE - 5
Naughton - 4
Adebayor - 8
Livermore - Loan
Total: 134
Incomings:
Paulinho - 17
Chadli - 7
Soldado - 26
Chiriches - 7
Draxler - 39
Bernard - 20
Pjanic - 17
Coentrao - Exchange
Morata - Exchange
Total: 133
Needless to say this is a best-case-scenario of how our business might play out, I'm interested to hear how others think the team might look come September 2nd.
