Ideally, no, I did say we shouldn't look to cut our losses on most players I mean IMO CB & LB are the only positions in dire need of improvement, for GK, just hand Brad another 1 year extension and encourage Jordan Archer's development, I mean Lloris keeps himself fit and wants to play every game he can.
Valid point, Carroll would only be a Plan B IMO because I realise he defeats the point of the possession based 4-3-3, the whole reason Liverpool sold him really. I just like the fact he's a big English lad who causes a hassle in the box, he can only help our set pieces which have been dire for a long time now.
I don't mind long posts aha I do a few myselfExcellent effort @LukeBB , although the midfield you describe still has issues IMO. We have lacked that controlling midfielder all season, that 'metronome' type who always wants the ball, always available, dictating the passing and the tempo. Modric was superb at doing this for us, but the likes of Capoue, Sandro, Dembele & Paulinho are all incapable of performing this role.
Anyway, had a go at something a little similar myself....
If you look through the squad by position, we have many that aren't good enough, and some who'll want to leave. Of course I don't expect the turnover of players as suggested below, and I'm not sure it's that healthy. But there is a question mark next to nearly every player in the squad, so it's entirely feasible that quite a few will move on.
(And being very presumption, this is based on the 4-3-3 I expect Van Gaal to implement)
Goalkeepers
I know he's been making noises about leaving if we don't achieve CL qualification, and I don't blame him, but I think we'll convince Hugo to stay. If he does go, Begovic would be my first choice replacement. Friedel is about 78, but is still a very decent GK. and Gomes will finally leave. Suspect Archer will stay as 3rd choice.
Defenders
At right back, Walker will do. Naughton isn't good enough and wants to go. On the other flank, Rose is backup quality at best, and one of the ballboys could probably do a better job at fullback than Fryers. You'd think Ekotto will be sold too. Shaw is out of our range, so Rodriguez at Wolfsburg is the best LB option I can think of. Haven't a clue about the RB spot, is Fredericks good enough? Maybe Trippier at Burnley, but will he want to come and play second fiddle to Walker? Wish we had kept Corluka to be honest, class act and got the best out of Lennon.
At CB, Vertonghen is another who's been making noises about leaving, but if we do appoint Van Gaal, I can see him staying. Think we'll give Kaboul a 'pay-as-you-play' deal, similar to what we handed King a few years back. Chiriches has shown signs of top quality, and he'll hopefully stay. Dawson isn't up to it though, and we'll need another CB. Musacchio of Villarreal would be my first move, a 23 y/o who's had an excellent season and will be available on a bosman. Ogilvie is one to keep an eye on from the youth set-up too by all accounts.
Midfielders
Capoue will go I suspect. As will Paulinho, who hasn't impressed too much, and is rumoured to be looking to leave anyway. Dembele is arguably the most talented player in the squad, but often frustrates. Lacks that mental edge IMO, and doesn't really have a specific midfield role. Also, Mousa and Paulinho don't really have a role in the midfield three that I envisage (with three specific roles, 'holder', 'controller' and 'creator', ala Dortmund's set-up). Sandro will hopefully stick around, Bentelab has shown great potential, and Eriksen is one of the few new players who's impressed.
We'll need someone to play backup to Sandro if Capoue goes as expected. Veljkovic has been tipped for this role in the future (as well as at CB), so do we promote him now, or bring in an older player to make the transition more gradual, or bring in someone for genuine competition and loan out the youngster? Gareth Barry would be my choice as that older player, as he's had a fantastic season and is out of contract in a few months. But I think I'd go for Badelj at Hamburg, a player I've always rated, and someone capable of playing both the holding and controlling roles in midfield. Suspect Livermore's loan deal at Hull will be made permanent.
One thing we have lacked all season is that 'metronome' type midfielder, who demands for the ball from his centre backs and controls our passing game (Modric was this). Bentelab has come closest to replicating this, but he's only 19. Banega would be my first choice, class act if you can get his head right. Kovacic could be a wildcard option. Not quite sure whether Holtby (lacks composure and passing range) or Carroll (lacks physicality) could step in and do this role, although I think we'll keep hold of the latter. This is the vital position to be filled in the Summer IMO.
In the no.10 role, Eriksen is obviously first choice, but I hope we keep Sigurdsson as an option here, as I think he's a player who's be shoehorned all over the midfield, rarely playing in his favoured position. He also counts as a 'home-grown' player. But if he is sold, I'd consider bringing in Zielinski from Udinese, a very highly rated youngster, and another out of contract in the summer. I do think it will be between Gylfi and Lewis, and maybe we'll favour Holtby's intensity and potential and keep him instead?
On the wings, I think Lamela will finally get going next season. Townsend has received a lot of stick this season, but with good coaching, he has most of the qualities needed to be a good winger IMO. As some may know, I'm not Lennon's biggest fan, and believe he is very much in decline, and now offers little going forward. And finally, I'd consider holding onto Chadli, as I believe he will develop into an effective player one he settles. We still need to bring in another LW option though, and Lacazette from Lyon would be my choice. He's an excellent and versatile attacking player, full of pace and skill, and carries a genuine goal threat too. I expect McEvoy to be loaned out, but he may stay to provide further cover.
Strikers
Will we cut our losses with Soldado? At 28/29, and not really looking suitable for a PL lone striker role, I suspect we will. Can see Levy (half wish he was leaving too) cashing in on Adebayor, because he's 30, only has one year left on his contract and we'll have to pay his full wages next season too. Plus his stock hasn't this high in years. I like Kane, although a loan next season may be good for him.
Remy would be my first choice, an entirely viable target considering QPR's financial plight. Benteke is also an option. Mitrovic and Batshuayi from the Belgian league are both highly rated prospects as well. Diego Milito will be a free agent soon, and despite his age, if you can keep him fit he could be a good player to bring off the bench. Saying all of this, I do have a feeling we'll keep one of Soldado or Adebayor, but we still need to bring in at least on striker anyway IMO.
Apologies for the length of the post and all the colours, found it very cathartic
I don't mind long posts aha I do a few myself
I agree that a lot of players, whether it's their attitude or ability have a lot of question marks over them. But we can't have another summer of transfers like we did this season so our hands are tied for the most part. Rose is back-up quality (if that IMO) and our midfield does lack a lot of technical quality, except for Dembele but he seems almost scared of scoring, he clearly has a great finish on him but he seems to prefer to pass rather than shoot which has proved detrimental at times. I agree that Holtby isnt the metronome player as he does lack composure and that raw talent, this is why I would prefer to see him in a number 6 role, where the game is in front of him and he's not as crowded out. Bentaleb excites me and I believe under coaching that Eriksen could be the closest thing we've had to Modric, dropping deep, dribbling and controlling all aspects of play, his sheer pace makes up for any lack of physicality he has. I would also like to see us have a go on Kovacic or keep Sig around as he's proven himself, when he starts he can play well and chip in with goals etc.
I would like to see Soldado given another season as I believe he can turn his fortunes around and Mitrovic and Batshuayi are definitely bright prospects who would sit in perfectly at Spurs IMO.
A lot of people seem to like Remy so maybe I'm wrong about him but I dont know, he doesn't sit well with me.
I agree with getting LVG in and agree on the 4-3-3, but too many player changes there.Here's a rough idea of the team I'd like to see next season...
Starting with the GK, I've gone for a first choice of Lloris. Undeniably one of the best GKs in the Prem, and his sheer speed, reading of the game and rushing out has saved our back line on numerous occasions (even if it has caused the odd cock-up). His cat-like reflexes and leadership qualities are crucial to any success we would have in keeping clean sheets. My only issue with Lloris is his distribution, we can all see he struggles with kicking and even his throws can be a bit scruffy, however I'm sure this can be improved on the training pitch and if he struggles we should focus on getting very competent Ball-Playing Centre backs.
For Back-up I've recommended Matthew Ryan (Australian GK currently at Club Brugge) the club has seen him before, we had him on trial during 2012 however we decided against signing him. I don't know why we rejected him, he's a confident young lad who has excellent distributing abilities and who will no doubt become Australia's No1 in the future. Granted, he's not the tallest keeper around but I'm sure the lad could compensate with improving his positioning, I'm sure Parksy could make something of him. I can only assume he either has a poor attitude or that Central Coast Mariners were demanding too much for him (Club Brugge still paid CCM a transfer fee even though when they signed him, he only had a day left on his contract). Alternatively, I reckon we should aim for Diego Lopez of Real Madrid, I'm sure they'd be willing to sell if they got Courtouis or another GK and if he grasped English quickly, he could be an important influence on the training pitch. (Or Valdes... worth a punt surely)
For the CB's I believe we should aim for 2 new CB's, most likely to replace Dawson and Kaboul. Dawson is our captain and while I would hate to see him leave, the high line and his lack of pace exposes him dreadfully. The poor lad is forced to pick up yellow cards by rugby tackling strikers who simply knock it past him. He also contributes very little to the attack, his ball play isn't very intelligent and his biggest asset are his blocks and his diagonal long balls. It's a harsh criticism but we need to upgrade, there's no room for sympathy anymore. I've suggested Virgil Van Dijk (Dutch CB of Celtic) this lad is very exciting, loves to burst forward in a Vertonghen/Kaboul-esque fashion, comfortable with both feet, young, strong, pacey. Comfortable with both feet, got a wicked free kick on him and considering Celtic paid 2 mil for him, I reckon a bid of around 10 mil would convince them to take the profit.
Kaboul I don't see as having a future at Spurs, which kills me. 2 years ago he was a monster in attack and defense just about to enter his prime and could've been world class, but injuries have devastated his body and he no longer appears to be able to play on a consistent basis. To replace him there's a tempting number of young CB's who can both contribute to our defense and attack, Caulker and Fabian Schar to name two. However, I believe he still has a year on his contract, so hopefully he can turn it around in time. C'mon Younes!
As you can see I have no faith in the left side of our team. Rose just seems to raw, and he hasn't fully adapted to the defensive duties of his LB role. His constant whinging whenever he's out of the team or we're linked with a new LB also is something I don't want to see at the club. His attacking play also lacks intelligence and he covers this up using his pace and exploiting the fact that he's only competing with Fryers. Fryers... I don't know what to do with. He's got pace... he's big... but he cant cross, he lacks confidence, he never dominates opposing wingers using his size, but these on paper are easy faults to fix. In the meantime there are various LB's who would be available to us to offer an immediate impact. I'm thinking of Coentrao, Rodriguez (of Wolfsburg), Shaw's too clever to leave Southampton, Evra (out of contract in the summer... why not? good for a season or two and a big influence in training and on youngsters) etc.
RB, like it or not Walker will be our RB for at least the next 5 seasons and deservedly so, his passion and loyalty to the club is superb and he has all the assets to become World Class. Naughton needs to go and forge a career for himself elsewhere. He'll never oust Walker and he has no faith in his own attacking ability, he's not the marauding full back we love to see. For a replacement though I'm not sure who to target. I'm interested in seeing how Ryan Fredericks would do given a chance (but I don't hold too much hope, he doesnt seem to be setting the world alight at Millwall, but we'll see)
For the midfield 3 I believe we already have all we need at the club. Sandro and Capoue are both competent number 6's, both are strong players who are excellent tacklers, Sandro is more disciplined, Capoue has a larger passing range and if one falls ill of injuries or Levy then Bentaleb can easily play in the 1st team, he can dribble, composed passer, drive the ball forward, he brings everything to the pitch Dembele can at the moment (bar raw strength). However saying this, I have a sneaky suspicion Holtby's long term future at the club lies in this role or Bentaleb should be played here more and Sandro pushed further up in the place of the number 8. I say this because Holtby has a better passing range than the both of them, he is enthusiatic in the tackle and he cant compete with Eriksen for the number 10 role, and as the number 6 would see a lot of the ball I think Holtby could excel in this role. Sandro could also pressure teams higher up the pitch and use his power closer to the opposing goal.
Dembele/ Paulinho/ Eriksen's inclusions dont need to be justified further. Eriksen is someone who we must build around. This is someone who can become our next Modric, his dribbbling and passing abilities can only get better, his free-kicks are deadly and he flourished in this CM role in a 4-3-3 at Ajax. One player I would target would be Ravel Morrison (very Clough-like transfer) West Ham seem to be losing their interest in him and I wonder if they'd take 6-8 million and run, obviously has bags of potential and would be a great statement if our coaches could turn his attitude around.
For the LW... Chadli just doesn't seem good enough. His passing and finishing leave a lot to be desired and considering his height and power he hasn't utilised this enough at corners or running against opposing full backs. Townsend doesn't work nearly as well on the left as he does on the right. It's the reason we loaned out to a billion different clubs before Redknapp settled him on the right at QPR. I believe its because Townsend doesn't really know what to do on the left, his goal threat is lacking cutting in on his right foot and FB's find it easier to shepherd him to the byline rather than defend his cut ins.
As for possible targets, I can suggest Lallana, who has excelled this year and his creativity and technical ability is something we desperately lack on our wings. Unfortunately, it'll be a struggle to get him for a decent price with him on top form and being English. Outside that I wouldn't be opposed to wither Eriksen or Sigurdsson being played here until someone better becomes available, as their link up play from the flanks could help our chance creation. Alternativley it'd be interesting to see if we could bring in either Isco or Jese on loan from Real Madrid (doubt it).
Right Wing, we are blessed with two promising wingers who have bags of pace and potential and who could both be first team starters for many years to come. We all know about Townsend. Lamela is very exciting, I know his first season has been a bit anti-climatic but we have to remember, even though we paid 26 mil for him it doesn't change the fact his a young Argentine lad moving to new country. There's a reason he commanded such a fee and a reason why everyone at the club, even Sherwood, say he has a bright future at the club. Lennon would have it tough fighting with these two if both were fit but none-the-less Lennon is a proven starter for our club who has been a wonderful servant who we cant afford to flog off to another premier league team.
Soldado will come good, even in bad form with no luck he's managed over 10 goals with 12 odd games to go in his first season, a good holiday and effective pre-season and I'm sure bobby soldier can justify the price tag Valencia negotiated so aggressively over. I have faith in Kane and I think he'll soon prove himself to be at least a 10 goal a season striker.
Adebayor... I just think he's poison... a real mercenary. Every manager he's had has had problems with him and what kind of player, after agreeing a move to us, stays at Man city in spite in order to get a bigger pay off. Does anyone really think, after all he went through at Chelsea, that AVB didn't have a good reason to freeze him out. I suggest at the end of the season we take any money coming in for him and run, his goals are easily replaceable. Strikers I quite like include Siem de Jong (Ajax de Jong, not Newcastle de Jong) and unfortunately I like Andy Carroll. Maybe its the Englishman in me but I just believe in him, his size is incredible as is his heading ability and I think he'd be a fantastic asset to the team as a plan B who under the right management could get bags of goals. (However I realise many of you will disagree with me on this point)
No matter who I suggest, it is crucial we sort out and start improving our scouting network and transfer philosophy. Baldini's eye for a player seems a bit hit & miss and bringing Broomfield back is a step in the right direction, though to compete with other clubs I believe we need a much larger scouting network composing of at least another 5 scouts and each transfer should be discussed and agreed at a transfer committee within the club consisting of at least Levy, Baldini, the manager, Broomfield, Sherwood and at least two other coaches or scouts. Multiple heads are always better than 1 and helps improve communication within the club.
We have such an important season ahead of us, one that could define the next 10 years of the club (and I do not exaggerate that point) so lets sit back and enjoy the ride and most of all support the club. Our wonderful club. Our beautiful, glorious club.
"Ideas are very funny things. They never work unless you do." - Danny Blanchflower
