Summer 2015 Transfer Market

[IthacaMatt]

At the suggestion of Imperial Orange, this is a new thread to discuss summer transfers - who your team hopes to get when the window opens up.

I'll start with Chelsea. Despite the title-winning season, Chelsea has some clear shortcomings in the squad. Mourinho didn't have adequate back up for Diego Costa, who proved to be every bit the striker that they were hoping when he was signed last summer.

When people talk about "boring, boring Chelsea" and how Mourinho "locked it down" in the 2nd half of the season, they should remember that Costa, their top goal scorer, played only sparingly after the New Year. Drogba was good for the locker room, to teach these young players how to be champions. But he just doesn't have it anymore, and really should be cut loose, if he doesn't want to accept a position on the coaching staff for next year.

For whatever reasons, Jose never warmed to Loic Remy, who is a fine, proven striker in the Premier League. It looks like Chelsea may get Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon, the striker who led Ligue Un in scoring (3rd most goals in all of Europe this season) in exchange for Remy and around 15M pounds. That would be a great deal, and very good for FFP.

In addition to Lacazette, the Blues are also in the hunt for a more traditional Mourinho type of striker, Mauro Icardi, who is a more muscular, combative striker who plays for Inter. Personally, I'd like to sign both of them, and then let each guy start around 15-20 games or so, with about 15-20 appearances off the bench, and that would be fine. You'd protect Costa's hamstring. Lacazette wouldn't be the only cover (since his style is close to that of Remy, built on speed, could play on the wing in a 4-3-3). And then you have Icardi as "Diego Junior". That's a hell of a lineup, but Jose couldn't just run one guy into the ground. He would truly have to rotate players to keep them happy. The alternative would be to only get 1 of those 2 guys and leave Dominck Solanke in the third striker role. He did bag 40 goals this year, which is a crazy total for any level of competition.

The next biggest need, IMO, is another creative player in midfield, who can create chances for others. once Fabregas started running out of gas (and once his favorite target, Diego, was out), he tailed off until the end of the season. Hazard does not create chances for others so much. Oscar has faded badly 2 years in a row. He was expected to be the number 10 once they shipped out Mata, but he has disappointed both of the last 2 seasons once the weather got cold. You don't get rid of someone of Oscar's talent when he's only 23, but you need one more guy who can create, and that guy is probably Koke of Atletico Madrid. Koke created some crazy number of chances (close to 50) for his club this year, among the very best in Europe.

I understand that they are pretty serious about getting Antoine Griezmann from Atletico, too. He is a fine player and would give another goal scorer on the opposite flank from Hazard (to replace Andre Schurlle, who I believe they gave up on too soon). Forget paying crazy money for Gareth Bale - if they can get Koke and Griezmann, their midfield is as good as anyone in the world.

They need to get one more young guy for central defense, if they can get Rafael Varane; otherwise I don't see why they don't bring Kenneth Omeruo, the Nigerian international who did so well at the World Cup and played in the Championship last year, and give him a chance. He and Kurt Zouma could be an imposing pair in the future. Varane is smooth and elegant on the ball, and he has really great pace. But he is a bit slender and will be very expensive.

We could use a fast right back, too. Ivanovic is a monster, but he can be beaten by quick pacy wingers. We've seen it more frequently this season. An England player would be ideal, and they were talking about making a move for Nathaniel Clyne, but others will be looking for him, too. This is why Chelsea are suddenly interested in John Stones for central defense - the England quota rules are going to be tightened up.

They will likely let Cech leave this summer for first team football, but I doubt it will be in Turkey for Besiktas, who his agent says he is in talks with. It won't be Arsenal (and actually, Wenger rates Ospina very highly - statistically Ospina has been great in the second half of the season). It could be Real Madrid, in which case maybe it would help us get Varane. So we will need a backup goal keeper. I do not like the thought of Robert Green, who has been awful toward the end of the season and played very poorly against Chelsea. Get anyone else who has played in the Premier League. Alan McGregor of Hull City hasn't been bad this year, and they are getting relegated. I take him over Green, who gives me no confidence whatsoever.

I think that's it for us. Who's next?

 

[creatorsgam]

At the suggestion of Imperial Orange, this is a new thread to discuss summer transfers - who your team hopes to get when the window opens up.

I'll start with Chelsea. Despite the title-winning season, Chelsea has some clear shortcomings in the squad. Mourinho didn't have adequate back up for Diego Costa, who proved to be every bit the striker that they were hoping when he was signed last summer.

When people talk about "boring, boring Chelsea" and how Mourinho "locked it down" in the 2nd half of the season, they should remember that Costa, their top goal scorer, played only sparingly after the New Year. Drogba was good for the locker room, to teach these young players how to be champions. But he just doesn't have it anymore, and really should be cut loose, if he doesn't want to accept a position on the coaching staff for next year.

For whatever reasons, Jose never warmed to Loic Remy, who is a fine, proven striker in the Premier League. It looks like Chelsea may get Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon, the striker who led Ligue Un in scoring (3rd most goals in all of Europe this season) in exchange for Remy and around 15M pounds. That would be a great deal, and very good for FFP.

In addition to Lacazette, the Blues are also in the hunt for a more traditional Mourinho type of striker, Mauro Icardi, who is a more muscular, combative striker who plays for Inter. Personally, I'd like to sign both of them, and then let each guy start around 15-20 games or so, with about 15-20 appearances off the bench, and that would be fine. You'd protect Costa's hamstring. Lacazette wouldn't be the only cover (since his style is close to that of Remy, built on speed, could play on the wing in a 4-3-3). And then you have Icardi as "Diego Junior". That's a hell of a lineup, but Jose couldn't just run one guy into the ground. He would truly have to rotate players to keep them happy. The alternative would be to only get 1 of those 2 guys and leave Dominck Solanke in the third striker role. He did bag 40 goals this year, which is a crazy total for any level of competition.

The next biggest need, IMO, is another creative player in midfield, who can create chances for others. once Fabregas started running out of gas (and once his favorite target, Diego, was out), he tailed off until the end of the season. Hazard does not create chances for others so much. Oscar has faded badly 2 years in a row. He was expected to be the number 10 once they shipped out Mata, but he has disappointed both of the last 2 seasons once the weather got cold. You don't get rid of someone of Oscar's talent when he's only 23, but you need one more guy who can create, and that guy is probably Koke of Atletico Madrid. Koke created some crazy number of chances (close to 50) for his club this year, among the very best in Europe.

I understand that they are pretty serious about getting Antoine Griezmann from Atletico, too. He is a fine player and would give another goal scorer on the opposite flank from Hazard (to replace Andre Schurlle, who I believe they gave up on too soon). Forget paying crazy money for Gareth Bale - if they can get Koke and Griezmann, their midfield is as good as anyone in the world.

They need to get one more young guy for central defense, if they can get Rafael Varane; otherwise I don't see why they don't bring Kenneth Omeruo, the Nigerian international who did so well at the World Cup and played in the Championship last year, and give him a chance. He and Kurt Zouma could be an imposing pair in the future. Varane is smooth and elegant on the ball, and he has really great pace. But he is a bit slender and will be very expensive.

We could use a fast right back, too. Ivanovic is a monster, but he can be beaten by quick pacy wingers. We've seen it more frequently this season. An England player would be ideal, and they were talking about making a move for Nathaniel Clyne, but others will be looking for him, too. This is why Chelsea are suddenly interested in John Stones for central defense - the England quota rules are going to be tightened up.

They will likely let Cech leave this summer for first team football, but I doubt it will be in Turkey for Besiktas, who his agent says he is in talks with. It won't be Arsenal (and actually, Wenger rates Ospina very highly - statistically Ospina has been great in the second half of the season). It could be Real Madrid, in which case maybe it would help us get Varane. So we will need a backup goal keeper. I do not like the thought of Robert Green, who has been awful toward the end of the season and played very poorly against Chelsea. Get anyone else who has played in the Premier League. Alan McGregor of Hull City hasn't been bad this year, and they are getting relegated. I take him over Green, who gives me no confidence whatsoever.

I think that's it for us. Who's next?

If this is the expected standard of the thread, I'll be lurking from here out.

Excellent post.

 

[CanadianSU]

Konoplyanka to likely sign with Tottenham

He's slick.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I'll be doing this a bit differently since we're not in the same stratosphere financially as Chelsea or some others at the moment.

Who's leaving for sure: Steven Gerrard (MF) to the LA Galaxy, Glen Johnson (RB) contract up and won't be extended, and Kolo Toure (CB) contract up and in search of playing time (though we've offered another year).

Who's probably leaving: Brad Jones (GK) for an upgrade, Jose Enrique (LB) for playing time, Fabio Borini (ST) for playing time, and Mario Balotelli (ST) for somewhere that doesn't require strikers to work for 90 mins.

Who's maybe leaving: Rickie Lambert (ST) for playing time, Lucas Leiva (DMF), and Raheem Sterling (AMF) for a bigger paycheck and glory.

Who will be coming into the first team from loan: Divock Origi (F, ST)

Who will possibly coming back into the first team from loan: Tiago Llori (CB), Andre Wisdom (RB, CB)

What we can spend: A bit of guess work with FFP and such but thinking ~60m including sales, ~100m if Sterling goes.

What we need: 2 forwards/strikers (1 established), 1 back up keeper to push Mignolet, 1 MF/DMF (2 if Lucas leaves), 1 RB/LB, and 1 established AMF if Sterling leaves.

Where it get's tricky: IF the players I mention all leave and loan players that is 5 or our 9 home grown players from this season. Wisdom coming back would be one and probably the injured flanno or another u21 that ages in which leaves us needing 2.

Ings seems all but delivered. His contract is up but will cost us 4.5m based on English academy rules.Talented guy and will be interested to see what he can do if surrounded by higher level attacking talent. He's not the finished product yet but love having a player that won't need to bed in.

Milner, avail on a free transfer, would give us much needed size, strength, and industry in the midfield. He would be the anti joe allen in that regard and do some of the running hendo does now. Would slot Can in as cdm with them and never get outmuscled in the midfield again.

Neither are sexy signings but both british and absolutely need to happen for us imho.

Now about that established forward we need where im hoping we are willing to spend 30m or more if needed. I have been following lacazette for a couple seasons but fear we may be priced out and he's a bit smallish. Suffice to say I'd like a full size striker to combat the massive epl cb's and preferably one with a bit to offer in the air. Benteke is the obvious plug and play for us though not sure he's got the pace we like but he knows the english league and has goals in him. The other I'd be in for is Aubumeyang. A bit slighter but has pace to burn which we missed up front this season and will continue as much with sturro's health what it is. I'd be keen to add either to lead the line for the immediate future and beyond.

IF Sterling goes I would immediately go for Firmino from Hoffenheim to partner with Coutinho in attack. If funds weren't an issue I'd hve us go for him anyway.

Right back we have some promising young talent and will improve because Johnson won't be here being useless. If we can get an experienced rb or lb for a decent price I'd be for it. If we're thinking youth to buy, well what's the point of buying at all? Praying we don't go dumping more money to Soton for Clyne. We don't need to spend stupid money.

The keeper name I keep seeing is Neto which I suppose would be fine if the money is right. Another I like is timo horn from fc koln. He's young, good, and has a badass name... what more do you need?

Dmf I'm not really too far into. I'm not sure if or why Lucas would leave but if he does I'd prefer a monster like Nainggolan cleaning up. Would also allow us some versatility with moving Can around or running 2 deeper mids against certain attacks.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I think the most interesting team to watch this summer will be Manchester United. Van Gaal needs players in the back, and he needs to off-load a couple up front. I would start by shipping out Falcao and Van Persie. They played their best with Rooney as the striker, not as a central midfielder. DePay is a good signing. I hope he doesn't push Mata further to the fringes, because United's best run of form was when Mata and Ander Herrera and Fallaini were in the lineup. Daley Blind is their unsung hero. He's a fine, fine player and really fits what Van Gaal wants to do.

You look at United and you see a bunch of young central defenders who can't stay healthy. You add Mats Hummels to that group as an organizer and they could greatly improve, if you're not relying on Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling to stay healthy, which they can't ever seem to do. Michael Carrick showed himself to be an essential player, much like Fabregas at Chelsea. He's another fragile one, though, who has been hurt many times over the years. Blind provides some cover for what Carrick does, but his distribution is not quite as good as Carrick.

DiMaria is being talked of in a swap deal with a lot of people - Bayern for Goetze, Real Madrid for Bale, or to Juventis for Pogba. Pogba wont' happen. He wants to go to Real Madrid, so forget anybody in England getting him. Real Madrid just seem to hate Bale - the players, the media and the fans. It's a shame. He's a terrific player, but not the "best in the world" - not even in the second tier discussion, IMO. Goetze to United would do very interesting things for their midfield, and would help keep Rooney up front.

Holding on to DeGea has to be their biggest priority this summer. DeGea's girlfriend is a Spanish model who hates life in what she perceives to be "the sticks". She famously said that living in the city of Manchester is about as attractive as looking at what's behind your refrigerator. Ewww!

 

[IthacaMatt]

So what about Arsenal? They are the supposed challengers for next year, based on their outstanding run-in this spring. Have they finally found the right blend of offense and defense? Wenger has turned "practical" in a few big games this year, and was rewarded for it. They have never had a problem putting away the "lesser" sides with their champagne football, but against the big clubs, Wenger has always been a bit stubborn about still trying to play free-flowing offensive football and has been beaten quite regularly by counter-attacking teams who defend well. (Cough, cough - Mourinho, whose sides Wenger has still never beaten.)

I look at Arsenal and now that Ozil has come back from the dead, you see a tremendous attacking outfit - Sanchez, Ozil, Welbeck, Giroud, Cazorla (who I was not fond of at first, but who has proven himself to be quite good). There's a lot of goals in that bunch, although they need one more striker to take the pressure off of Giroud. Welbeck is not that guy; he's not Sturridge, he's more of a winger. But that's Wenger's transfer strategy - always buy a "poor man's" version of some player who would REALLY fit in. Wenger acts like the transfer funds come out of his own pocket, although I give them props for spending the cash on 1 big player each of the past 2 summers.

I remain unconvinced that Coquelin is robust enough to be one of your shielding midfielders. Flamini and Debuchy are both better suite to that role, when they are healthy. Then you look at the back line and Monreal and Coquelin are young and a bit fragile. Are Mertesacker and Koscielny a good enough central pairing? Is Gabriel good enough to be your third central defender? They just don't look as good as their record suggests.

I will admit that they are loaded in midfield, with perhaps too many players (again, if they didn't get injured all the time ...) - you look at Wilshire, Ramsey, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and you see a bunch of the quality players who should be maturing into top flight contributors. They are deep, but they are always hurt. I think Arsenal are getting better, but is there anywhere on the pitch where their personnel is the best in the league? I don't think so.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Ings seems all but delivered. His contract is up but will cost us 4.5m based on English academy rules.Talented guy and will be interested to see what he can do if surrounded by higher level attacking talent. He's not the finished product yet but love having a player that won't need to bed in.

Milner, avail on a free transfer, would give us much needed size, strength, and industry in the midfield. He would be the anti joe allen in that regard and do some of the running hendo does now. Would slot Can in as cdm with them and never get outmuscled in the midfield again.

Neither are s e xy signings but both british and absolutely need to happen for us imho.

Milner and Ings would both be great additions to your squad. I agree that you need a pacey guy to lead the attack, especially if you can't hold on to Sterling. I agree that Lacazette would be a nice fit for your squad. So would Loic Remy. A player who is more physical like Benteke might not fit, for the same reason that Ricky Lambert or Balotelli never fit - they're just not mobile enough and don't make the types of runs that Sterling and Coutinho can feed. Remy would fit. Benteke is very skilled, under-rated in that regard. He has made some beautiful through passes to Agbonlahor this season, especially in the run-in when he got back on form. Benteke is much better than a Demba Ba type of player, but still does not fit the Liverpool mold.

At the back, do you think Lovren can make the jump this year and improve to what Rogers thought he would be? If that happens, you could have a much better squad with the addition of Milner (who would be a great fit for you), Ings and another striker. You're probably still another fullback short of where you want to be, but you have a lot of young talent that should continue to improve, if they continue to play in the same system that they have been using under Rogers. Bring in a new coach with a new system, and a lot of those young players might not fit the template of the new manager.

 

[IthacaMatt]

And finally, among the challengers, there's Manchester City. I have a hard time believing that Pellegrini is going to keep his job. They were just so limp coming down the stretch, other than the magic that Aguero regularly delivers. Their biggest issues, to me, are that Yaya Toure is not a player who wants to work at all on defense anymore, and the 2 guys they bought in the last few years to be the "new Yaya" - Fernando and Fernandino - are simply not in the same class, either with the ball at their feet, in terms of distribution, or in terms of being a goal scoring threat. Their back line has been shaky this season and Joe Hart is probably going to have a heart attack soon with whatever it is he huffs in the tunnel before games that get him amped up like a toothless crack head, shouting and screaming at his mates to get them fired up.

Dzecko has been terrific in the past but became a forgotten man. Jovetic started the season so well but got injured and never forced his way back into the squad. They need a partner for Aguero up front, and they need a dynamic box-t0-box midfielder to replace Toure - ideally it would be Paul Pogba, who is the next Yaya Toure, if anyone is. But FFP is going to tie City's hands a bit this summer unless they can sell a lot of players. The biggest would be Toure, but his wages and age and likely desire to get his contract extended (he has 2 years left at age 32 right now) - all of those factors are going to make it nearly impossible to move him. He is going to be an albatross in the City squad for the next couple years, much like Fernando Torres was at Chelsea.

City's big money signing of Mangala for central defense has not worked out well, although maybe the form of him and DeMichellis could be improved under a different coaching staff. This group of players has won titles in 2 of the past 4 seasons, but some of them are showing their age.

I think that Pep going out of the Champions League again, by a big margin again, with their terrible run of form down the stretch where they didn't even score for several games, that sounds like a locker room that has turned a deaf ear on the coach. And then there was the terrible blow up on the sidelines where Pep went nuts on the physio staff for another player injury and the team doctor and his whole staff (who have been there for 30 years) all up and quit. So, I would now be betting big money that Pep leaves Bayern for City in the offseason. When he gets there, though, he will not find as many players who have the skills to play his kind of football. It will be a very interesting transition. How would Guardiola stand up to finishing 3rd or 4th in a league in his debut season? That's a team that needs a lot of turnover, but FFP is going to make it difficult on them.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Mourinho didn't have adequate back up for Diego Costa, who proved to be every bit the striker that they were hoping when he was signed last summer.

When people talk about "boring, boring Chelsea" and how Mourinho "locked it down" in the 2nd half of the season, they should remember that Costa, their top goal scorer, played only sparingly after the New Year.

Sorry for replying to myself, but one quick point to make about Costa - he scored 19 goals in 24 games in the Premier League this year. That's a great return, but he missed 14 of 38 games completely, and was used as a sub in another 3 or 4 when trying to return from hamstring injuries. He missed around 40% of the Premier League season. And he still finished the #3 goal scorer in his first campaign.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Milner and Ings would both be great additions to your squad. I agree that you need a pacey guy to lead the attack, especially if you can't hold on to Sterling. I agree that Lacazette would be a nice fit for your squad. So would Loic Remy. A player who is more physical like Benteke might not fit, for the same reason that Ricky Lambert or Balotelli never fit - they're just not mobile enough and don't make the types of runs that Sterling and Coutinho can feed. Remy would fit. Benteke is very skilled, under-rated in that regard. He has made some beautiful through passes to Agbonlahor this season, especially in the run-in when he got back on form. Benteke is much better than a Demba Ba type of player, but still does not fit the Liverpool mold.

At the back, do you think Lovren can make the jump this year and improve to what Rogers thought he would be? If that happens, you could have a much better squad with the addition of Milner (who would be a great fit for you), Ings and another striker. You're probably still another fullback short of where you want to be, but you have a lot of young talent that should continue to improve, if they continue to play in the same system that they have been using under Rogers. Bring in a new coach with a new system, and a lot of those young players might not fit the template of the new manager.

Don't forget we had Remy all but signed last year before our medical staff said no. Still not sure the full story there but the fact that we almost had him instead of Balotelli crossed my mind a few times this season but even Remy isn't the dependable quality that we need.

For direct fit I feel Aubumeyang would be the guy but Benteke has "it" and would be interesting to have a Belgian pairing of he and Origi which isn't lost on me. Also, while not out and out fast, Benteke is fast enough. There were quite a few times where Lambert would've been in on goal if he was just average speed at this point. Benteke's hold up play is also a huge plus for me and what Lambert does well meaning he can play a decent pass to one of our AMF's running through. That concept was lost completly on Balotelli and then when he finally tried passes it was so woeful that I understadn why. So while not being in the exact mold of what our system requires, I feel teke could do a job for us and perhaps change what BR feels that mold should be. Think Giroud at Arsenal... he doesn't fit but he does work. Sometimes you just have to trust players to make plays regardless of system and I feel Benteke can do that and help bring Origi along.

Lovren takes a lot of stick (some deserved) due to what we paid for him. It took him a bit to get situated but I feel he's played quite well the past few games and now has his confidence back so will continue to do so. Look at last weeks game against your blues. He was all over the place covering for an always out of position Glen Johnson yet he hardly put a foot wrong and also made a few terrifically timed tackles when you otherwise had players through on net.

We need fullbacks that won't expose our CBs all game long. Flanno was just about back and now is out again for 9 months. I think Wisdom can slot in there and I don't feel that Moreno or Manquillo were bad this season. One of my biggest questions is why the hell we decided to play Glen Johnson vs blood in some of our younger fullbacks. Manquillo looked decent enough then has been forgotten since January. That's a 2 year loan so we've got him for another season. Can can play fullback as well but would love to see him transitioned into the midfield sooner than later. If Flanno wasn't injured again, I'd be fine with what we've already got on roster for next season. I might be fine with it anyway tbh since we've got much bigger needs.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I think the most interesting team to watch this summer will be Manchester United. Van Gaal needs players in the back, and he needs to off-load a couple up front. I would start by shipping out Falcao and Van Persie. They played their best with Rooney as the striker, not as a central midfielder. DePay is a good signing. I hope he doesn't push Mata further to the fringes, because United's best run of form was when Mata and Ander Herrera and Fallaini were in the lineup. Daley Blind is their unsung hero. He's a fine, fine player and really fits what Van Gaal wants to do.

You look at United and you see a bunch of young central defenders who can't stay healthy. You add Mats Hummels to that group as an organizer and they could greatly improve, if you're not relying on Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling to stay healthy, which they can't ever seem to do. Michael Carrick showed himself to be an essential player, much like Fabregas at Chelsea. He's another fragile one, though, who has been hurt many times over the years. Blind provides some cover for what Carrick does, but his distribution is not quite as good as Carrick.

DiMaria is being talked of in a swap deal with a lot of people - Bayern for Goetze, Real Madrid for Bale, or to Juventis for Pogba. Pogba wont' happen. He wants to go to Real Madrid, so forget anybody in England getting him. Real Madrid just seem to hate Bale - the players, the media and the fans. It's a shame. He's a terrific player, but not the "best in the world" - not even in the second tier discussion, IMO. Goetze to United would do very interesting things for their midfield, and would help keep Rooney up front.

Holding on to DeGea has to be their biggest priority this summer. DeGea's girlfriend is a Spanish model who hates life in what she perceives to be "the sticks". She famously said that living in the city of Manchester is about as attractive as looking at what's behind your refrigerator. Ewww!

I'm truly curious how much United can spend. FFP is in effect and they spend a ton on recent transfers. They've already spent 25m on Depay, who I didn't want despite the rumors, and already have other players on huge wages.

If they lose De Gea, they are right back out of CL quality. He carried them this season.

 

[ImperialOrange]

And finally, among the challengers, there's Manchester City. I have a hard time believing that Pellegrini is going to keep his job. They were just so limp coming down the stretch, other than the magic that Aguero regularly delivers. Their biggest issues, to me, are that Yaya Toure is not a player who wants to work at all on defense anymore, and the 2 guys they bought in the last few years to be the "new Yaya" - Fernando and Fernandino - are simply not in the same class, either with the ball at their feet, in terms of distribution, or in terms of being a goal scoring threat. Their back line has been shaky this season and Joe Hart is probably going to have a heart attack soon with whatever it is he huffs in the tunnel before games that get him amped up like a toothless crack head, shouting and screaming at his mates to get them fired up.

Dzecko has been terrific in the past but became a forgotten man. Jovetic started the season so well but got injured and never forced his way back into the squad. They need a partner for Aguero up front, and they need a dynamic box-t0-box midfielder to replace Toure - ideally it would be Paul Pogba, who is the next Yaya Toure, if anyone is. But FFP is going to tie City's hands a bit this summer unless they can sell a lot of players. The biggest would be Toure, but his wages and age and likely desire to get his contract extended (he has 2 years left at age 32 right now) - all of those factors are going to make it nearly impossible to move him. He is going to be an albatross in the City squad for the next couple years, much like Fernando Torres was at Chelsea.

City's big money signing of Mangala for central defense has not worked out well, although maybe the form of him and DeMichellis could be improved under a different coaching staff. This group of players has won titles in 2 of the past 4 seasons, but some of them are showing their age.

I think that Pep going out of the Champions League again, by a big margin again, with their terrible run of form down the stretch where they didn't even score for several games, that sounds like a locker room that has turned a deaf ear on the coach. And then there was the terrible blow up on the sidelines where Pep went nuts on the physio staff for another player injury and the team doctor and his whole staff (who have been there for 30 years) all up and quit. So, I would now be betting big money that Pep leaves Bayern for City in the offseason. When he gets there, though, he will not find as many players who have the skills to play his kind of football. It will be a very interesting transition. How would Guardiola stand up to finishing 3rd or 4th in a league in his debut season? That's a team that needs a lot of turnover, but FFP is going to make it difficult on them.

City are in trouble now that they've missed on some big money signings and they're up against it with FFP. Their stars have aged and they can't simply throw money at it anymore. I'm not sure why Pep would even be interested because I'm not sure even he could right that ship. They've got hundreds of millions wrapped up in top quality attack but they are soft in the middle and fragile at the back. I'm watching them with extreme curiousity moving forward.

 

[Orangezoo]

Good stuff fellas! On Arsenal i mostly agree. Coquelin came out of nowhere to have a great run of form. That said, his role is very specific which helps him and frees up the talented midfield to stay on the attack. Beyond that the the development of Bellerin was huge and he looks to be the foundation for that defense going forward. Beyond bellerin i have major questions about the defense however. Mertesecker gets slower every year and they need to add another CB and some backs that arent so injury prone.

Aside from that we need another striker. Giroud is your usual hot/cold striker but as you noted Welbeck is not the answer. Ox and theo add depth on the wings but still need another piece up top. I am also not sold on either of our keepers. They had their moments but to be contenders we need to upgrade.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Sorry for replying to myself, but one quick point to make about Costa - he scored 19 goals in 24 games in the Premier League this year. That's a great return, but he missed 14 of 38 games completely, and was used as a sub in another 3 or 4 when trying to return from hamstring injuries. He missed around 40% of the Premier League season. And he still finished the #3 goal scorer in his first campaign.

Remarkably similar to Sturridge for us last season.

2013 Sturro - 26 games 3 sub 21 goals 7 assists
2014 Costa - 23 games 1 sub 19 goals 3 assists

 

[ImperialOrange]

Good stuff fellas! On Arsenal i mostly agree. Coquelin came out of nowhere to have a great run of form. That said, his role is very specific which helps him and frees up the talented midfield to stay on the attack. Beyond that the the development of Bellerin was huge and he looks to be the foundation for that defense going forward. Beyond bellerin i have major questions about the defense however. Mertesecker gets slower every year and they need to add another CB and some backs that arent so injury prone.

Aside from that we need another striker. Giroud is your usual hot/cold striker but as you noted Welbeck is not the answer. Ox and theo add depth on the wings but still need another piece up top. I am also not sold on either of our keepers. They had their moments but to be contenders we need to upgrade.

So who would you like to bring in that you feel fairly sure Wenger is interested in?

 

[ImperialOrange]

Meanwhile Raheem Sterling putting his Merseyside home for sale... and shopping in London.

 

[CanadianSU]

I hope Yarmolenko avoids Chelsea, idk why I just don't see him fitting in there. He would be great at Liverpool but for some reason he doesn't want to go there...

Both options better than PSG or Valencia...

 

[CanadianSU]

BTW| great thread guys.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I hope Yarmolenko avoids Chelsea, idk why I just don't see him fitting in there. He would be great at Liverpool but for some reason he doesn't want to go there...

Both options better than PSG or Valencia...

For your sake I hope he goes to Valencia. I don't see him getting regular starts at the other mentioned IF others are healthy which could stunt his progress.

 

[Orangezoo]

So who would you like to bring in that you feel fairly sure Wenger is interested in?

I dont have a good feel on who he is eyeing up top. Random swirls about cavani were floating around. Also links to khedira and clyne (who seems to be linked with nearly everyone in the top half of the table). I would love to see them bring in a nat. Clyne or seamus coleman. In a perfect world you snag khedira and play coleman/clyne chambers paulista/koscielny gibbs across the back. With that maybe i can live with ospina in goal. Those cards falling into place alongside the money wenger would have to spend is the wildcard. I need to get a better feel out there regarding keepers tbh. Obviously the joke is on us regarding the cech comments that were out and about. No way would that ever happen lol.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I dont have a good feel on who he is eyeing up top. Random swirls about cavani were floating around. Also links to khedira and clyne (who seems to be linked with nearly everyone in the top half of the table). I would love to see them bring in a nat. Clyne or seamus coleman. In a perfect world you snag khedira and play coleman/clyne chambers paulista/koscielny gibbs across the back. With that maybe i can live with ospina in goal. Those cards falling into place alongside the money wenger would have to spend is the wildcard. I need to get a better feel out there regarding keepers tbh. Obviously the joke is on us regarding the cech comments that were out and about. No way would that ever happen lol.

You would be relatively small across the back with that grouping. Probably a non issue in most open play but would we very interesting on set pieces.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I dont have a good feel on who he is eyeing up top. Random swirls about cavani were floating around. Also links to khedira and clyne (who seems to be linked with nearly everyone in the top half of the table). I would love to see them bring in a nat. Clyne or seamus coleman. In a perfect world you snag khedira and play coleman/clyne chambers paulista/koscielny gibbs across the back. With that maybe i can live with ospina in goal. Those cards falling into place alongside the money wenger would have to spend is the wildcard. I need to get a better feel out there regarding keepers tbh. Obviously the joke is on us regarding the cech comments that were out and about. No way would that ever happen lol.

I think Cavani would be an ideal fit for either Arsenal or Liverpool. He could be outstanding in either offense.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I think Cavani would be an ideal fit for either Arsenal or Liverpool. He could be outstanding in either offense.

I don't rate him anywhere near what his price point and wages would require. Never have. He's good, not great.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I don't rate him anywhere near what his price point and wages would require. Never have. He's good, not great.

Yes, 50M or any figure like that is crazy. But for 30-35M, he's better than anything either Liverpool or Arsenal have up front right now. He's good for around 20 goals.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I'm truly curious how much United can spend. FFP is in effect and they spend a ton on recent transfers. They've already spent 25m on Depay, who I didn't want despite the rumors, and already have other players on huge wages.

If they lose De Gea, they are right back out of CL quality. He carried them this season.

They make a lot of money from shirt sales and match day revenues. Isn't their stadium the biggest of the Prem. clubs?