- May 15, 2018
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League cup fa cup or Europa league anyone of them will do and I’ll be happy ! Realistically 5/6 in the league looking at how this window seems to be going
What about Porto, was that a fluke?He’s a chequebook manager and needs money.
Do you think it is expectations that drive the transfer strategy or the transfer strategy driving expectations?
Not sure if I agree with the belief that top 2 is out of sight. Really need to see how teams start next year but start of the season anyone has a chance. Liverpool having won the league for first time in 30 years may lose their edge, add to that some players may move on if they get offers from the likes of Real.
City will strengthen on top of already world class first choice team and you'd expect Pep to integrate them seamlessly has he's done in the past, but by no means guaranteed to hit the ground running.
Chelsea will invest in young world class players but the pressure is then on fat Frankie to deliver silverware and do so immediately, not sure he's up to the task personally, while Ole will no doubt add quality players to his squad but does he have the ability to set them up?
Leicester, can't see them improving on this season, likewise Sheffield United.
Think Wolves and Everton could push, but again a slow start can have its toll on the entire season.
You're wasting your time. You'll get a magic reason as to why that doesn't countWhat about Porto, was that a fluke?
Based on the rumoured players coming in and going out I fear we will be worse than this season and be pottering around mid table
All managers need money. Depends who has access to the Mickey Mouse piggy bank.He’s a chequebook manager and needs money.
How do you work that out?
Players already left:
Vertonghen
Vorm
Players strongly rumoured to be leaving:
KWP
Aurier
Ndombele
Foyth
Rose
Of them all, only Serge played anything like regularly. And it hardly needs pointing out that, for all that he is a great character (and that he earned our love and admiration for the courage and dignity he showed after the tragic death of his brother), nigh on 100% of Spurs fans would say that he simply isn't good enough - either in defence or attack - for a team that aspires to challenge for trophies and top four.
Of the others, only Vertonghen and Ndombele played much of a role. Jan is clearly in decline and nothing like the great player he once was. Very sad to see him go but he is no longer up to the physicality of Premier League football. His positive contribution to last season was limited, at best. Ndombele showed glimpses of his immense talent and potential. But glimpses aren't anything like enough. Again, his positive contribution to last season was sporadic.
In other words, there isn't a single player rumoured to be leaving, or who has left, whose absence next season will make us worse than we were this season.
As to strongly rumoured incomings:
Hojbjerg
Kim Min Jae
Aarons
Celik
Castagne
Eze
Brooks
Wilson
Deeney
Not a list of names to set pulses racing or attract the envy of rival fans, to be sure. But this window isn't about star names. It's about filling gaping holes in the squad. It's about putting the right pieces in the right places. It's about making us a solid team again. We don't need spectacular signings. We need intelligent signings. Signing Hojbjerg, in particular, will instantly make us a much better, more solid team. As will a reliable right back. And a backup striker will give us options and the ability to rest a hitherto vastly overused Harry Kane - which might hopefully help him to avoid missing three months or more through injury, as has become the norm in recent seasons. What price on that?
Throw into the mix that we've already seen emerging signs of the players finally starting to understand what Jose wants from them (and that he and Sacramento will have a further, albeit abbreviated, pre-season in which to hone pattern of play) and I see not the remotest possibility that we will be worse in 2020-21 than we were in 2019-20. We will be better. No doubt about it.
The only question is whether that will be enough to make top four and win silverware. We shall see.
What about Porto, was that a fluke?
Difference being is that our rivals are in a position to attract the better players, Chelsea have started, utd will get Sancho, city have and will spend big to improve.I think people are overrating our rivals a touch.
Man Utd finished the season on 66 points, exactly the same as the previous season. For all the praise they've gotten for their attacking play, they only scored 66 league goals. That's only 5 more than us, and they needed a record breaking 14 penalties to help them do it.
Chelsea also finished on 66 points, 6 points less than the previous season. They conceded more than any time in the top half and also lost the joint most of any team in the top half. They've made big name signings but they've strengthened in positions they were already strong in. There's no guarantee that their big signings will hit the ground running, particularly Ziyech, and there's a risk of unsettling the young English players that served Lampard so well at the start of the season.
Both teams have inexperienced managers who are suddenly going to have a lot more pressure on them after spending big money. Lampard especially. He had a low bar to hit after joining during a transfer ban and losing Hazard, but they'll be expecting to improve on a 4th place position next season. I don't think he has the ability to organise a defence well enough to do that and I don't think he'll have much time to get it right after spending big on 2 attacking players.
United showed improvements after the restart, but the only tough matches they had were against us and Leicester, and they were utterly uninspriring in both games, needing penalties in both games just to get on the scoresheet. I don't see Solskjaer suddenly improving on their weaknesses. And again, he'll have more pressure on him in his 3rd season and after spending big on a few players.
Difference being is that our rivals are in a position to attract the better players, Chelsea have started, utd will get Sancho, city have and will spend big to improve.
Unfortunately we are in the position of filling gaps with what's left the average to good signings.
Let's face it can anyone see the club pulling off a real top class signing this summer, the answer is no they will all be marginally better than what we have.
Not sure we was ever a contender but I get your point as the other four clubs, whilst nothing is ever guaranteed all of them significantly increase their chances each time of competing.Like we did with N'Dombele and Lo Celso?
We became a contender by signing players like Alli, Son, Dier etc.
Liverpool didn't buy van Dijk, Mane, Firmino and Salah because they outbid City, Utd etc.
And how did Chelsea "overtake" us? By having a transfer ban?
For me what matters most is to get a group that offers the right kind of balance in player types. Obviously more money would make it easier, but it isn't just about buying the most expensive player. I do wonder if we got blinded by that last summer when we clearly had money to spend. Before we were "brave" because we had to.
Actually quite shocking in general how little value the most expensive players offer. Not only for Spurs. Sanchez anyone? Torres? Doesn't mean I don't want expensive players, but far to simplistic to say it is all about money when strengthening.
Difference being is that our rivals are in a position to attract the better players, Chelsea have started, utd will get Sancho, city have and will spend big to improve.
Unfortunately we are in the position of filling gaps with what's left the average to good signings.
Let's face it can anyone see the club pulling off a real top class signing this summer, the answer is no they will all be marginally better than what we have.