Summer Loving

[matty74]

Arthur Theate would be a good option , can play left back or left centre back . He could cover VDV and Destiny.

had a very good season for Frankfurt. Good age and played quite few times for Belgium

 

[Albertbarich]

Not sure who but I’d like experience and power added to defence , midfield and attack.

the premier league is a physical juggernaut so we have to compete in that regard and clearly everyone thinks we need to add experience.

 

[joey55]

We have to go big on at least one attacking option. I’m not sure we can considering the wage structure.
Eze is a good player but Nico Williams would be the perfect candidate.

Personally I think Eze is on a totally different level to Williams and there is more to come from Eze and Williams has peaked, despite Eze being 4 years older.

Personally I'd way prefer Garnacho to Williams. I could see Garnacho reaching Lavezzi or Alexis Sanchez levels, but I've never seen him as a realisitic target, but I doubt Williams is either so it's all moot.

 

[Ribble]

not sure he's good enough for those two clubs to be quite honest

Well there's a fair amount of indication both are interested. Worth bearing in mind that there's an extra factor of importance for them as he's a starter for the national team.

 

[arunspurs]

I would sell Richy & not take the option on Tel.

Go for Nice player Evann Guessand - absolute power house. Someone so big he is pacy , nimble and has eye for pass. Can play anywhere across front line.

Evann Guessand and another winger will do it for the summer from attacking side. Then it’s all about getting 2 CMs to upgrade on Bissouma Bentancur.

 

[ardiles&villa]

Personally I think Eze is on a totally different level to Williams and there is more to come from Eze and Williams has peaked, despite Eze being 4 years older.

Personally I'd way prefer Garnacho to Williams. I could see Garnacho reaching Lavezzi or Alexis Sanchez levels, but I've never seen him as a realisitic target, but I doubt Williams is either so it's all moot.

Really ? I’ve never watched Ganacho performance and seen a top player. He has phases during the game.

love hearing different perspectives though.

 

[HildoSpur]

Personally I think Eze is on a totally different level to Williams and there is more to come from Eze and Williams has peaked, despite Eze being 4 years older.

Personally I'd way prefer Garnacho to Williams. I could see Garnacho reaching Lavezzi or Alexis Sanchez levels, but I've never seen him as a realisitic target, but I doubt Williams is either so it's all moot.

Those are certainly some opinions right there

 

[joey55]

I would sell Richy & not take the option on Tel.

Go for Nice player Evann Guessand - absolute power house. Someone so big he is pacy , nimble and has eye for pass. Can play anywhere across front line.

Evann Guessand and another winger will do it for the summer from attacking side. Then it’s all about getting 2 CMs to upgrade on Bissouma Bentancur.

I'd never heard of him before, so just watched him on YT. He looks absolutely terrifying to play against.

 

[ardiles&villa]

I would sell Richy & not take the option on Tel.

Go for Nice player Evann Guessand - absolute power house. Someone so big he is pacy , nimble and has eye for pass. Can play anywhere across front line.

Evann Guessand and another winger will do it for the summer from attacking side. Then it’s all about getting 2 CMs to upgrade on Bissouma Bentancur.

Is he a goal scorer ?

 

[Saoirse]

Goalkeepers:

Vicario - Keep for now. I'm far from convinced by him but think there's other priorities to upgrade.
Kinsky - Keep, and try to give some league minutes on top of most domestic cup games. Potential to eventually replace Vicarion.
Austin - Keep as a HG third-choice emergency backup.
Forster - Release.
Whiteman - Release.

Defenders:

Romero - Keep, unless he's absolutely adamant he won't be signing a new contract over the next 12 months under any circumstances (e.g. even if we're successful next season).
Van der Ven - Keep
Danso - Keep
Dragusin - Keep only because injury makes him unsellable - backup only and look to move on in January or next summer.
Phillips - Loan out to a European league as a stepping stone to PL in 2026
Vuskovic - Loan out to somewhere that will allow him to work on his pace/athleticism
Porro - Keep
Udogie - Keep
Spence - Keep
Davies - Activate one-year extension and keep
Reguillon - Release
Dorrington - Probably loan
Buy - Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer as a club homegrown backup/bench player for both fall-back positions

Midfield:

Bentancur - Renew contract and keep
Bissouma - Sell - too inconsistent to justify renewal
Sarr - Keep
Bergvall - Keep
Kulusevski - Keep
Maddison - Keep
Gray - Loan out to a lower PL club
Devine - Loan out to European league
Buy - A top-quality 8 with ability in passing and ball progression e.g. Adam Wharton or Boubacar Kamara
If available, Rayan Cheriki - not a profile we desperately need but too good to pass up on

Attack:

Son - Keep as impact sub
Johnson - Keep as impact sub
Odobert - Keep
Tel - Buy
Moore - Keep, give consistent substitute and domestic cup minutes
Solanke - Keep
Richarlison - Very reluctantly sell due to injury issues
Scarlett - Sell
Lankshear - Loan
Yang - Loan
Solomon - Sell
Gill - Sell
Veliz - Sell
Werner - Do not renew loan

Buy - Combative, pressing and physically potent striker to challenge Solanke e.g. Liam Delap or Evan Guessand and
More traditional RW option e.g. Antoine Semenyo, Bryan Mbuemo or Takefusa Kubo

UCL Squad:

Vicario
Austin (Club HG)
Romero
Van der Ven
Danso
Davies (HG)
Spence (HG)
Porro
Udogie
Walker-Peters (Club HG)
Bentancur
Sarr
Kulusevski
Maddison (HG)
Bergvall
New 8
Son
Johnson
Odobert
Tel
Solanke (HG)
New 9
New RW

Moore could play without being registered as an U21 who's been here 2 years, Kinsky and Dragusin would be unregistered and ineligible. If we also signed Cheriki, then also leave Danso unregistered. (If we did this and wanted a 4th CB in Europe as backup to Romero/VDV/Davies, we could keep Dorrington instead of loaning him out)

 

[Stamford]

I think we need one big summer signing like Arsenal did with rice. This is such a big chance for us

 

[Ghost Hardware]

I think we have to get another playmaker without question. Maddison is injury prone and streaky and Kulu is a half and half profile. We can not go into next season without another creative in attack. If that’s Cherki, Yildiz, Simons, Baturina or another we need someone else who can unlock a deep block. Ideally they would be someone that is versatile enough to play multiple positions in attack

 

[coy-spurs1882]

I'd never heard of him before, so just watched him on YT. He looks absolutely terrifying to play against.

we were linked in winter window, here is the mighty GH's analysis on him:

Classic im online all morning and the moment I step away we get linked to a new player. Maybe i need to spend more time away from here. I am not at home at present so this will actually be a short one.

This is quite amusing, we really are going for a transition CF that can play wide.

OGC Nice are an interesting prospect at the moment, last summer they yet again swapped managers after Francesco Farioli (who was once De Zerbi's assistant and had a liking for... everyone's favourite... inverted fullbacks) got poached by Ajax. Their new manager, Frank Haise, prescribes a far more direct approach of football then the possession based system of his predecessor . OGC Nice of this season are a fast transition, very direct team. I can't remember the last time I have seen them have more possession then their opponent but their attack is deadly and they are excellent at getting the ball down the other end of the pitch and into dangerous areas at speed. Don't quote me on this but i seem to recall seeing a stat that they have one of the most clinical attacks in the league. They don't make a huge amount of chances but when they do they tend to take them. What is true that for a team that has been rather so so for a number of years now they currently have scored the third most goals (35) with only PSG (46) and Marseille (39) scoring more.

As for Guessand he is an interesting prospect. Having a great season and supposedly starting to get some interest. Nice are currently 4th in the league and I think it would be very hard to get him away from them at this moment in time. I seem to remember seeing a l'equipe article that said he wasn't for sale and i believe he only recently extended his contract. He is of Ivorion decent but has played for France at youth level although I believe he has now opted to represent Côte d’Ivoire . Even from an early age he has been very highly rated and was even invited to Clairefontaine at one point. After a few loans he has finally playing in a system that really suits his game style IMO

In regards to profile, he's been getting more minutes on the wing of late but he is a CF so whilst he may well be able to play other positions I wouldn't be viewing him as anything other then a CF. He played RW at Nantes and from what I remember even then I don't think he looked completely right for the role, but this was a few years back and my memory is hazy. I just don't remember thinking he looked very good.

In regards to his overall style, he's right footed and strong, very good with his back to goal, likes to come deep to pick up the ball (this is a big part of his game and rarely runs in behind) then play in the wingers. His link up play and his movement has been a key element of Nice's often devastatingly fast attack. I wouldn't really call him a particularly creative player but he moves the ball well. Whilst Guessand doesn't necessarily excel at any one thing the all round package has made him an invaluable member of the system.

The other point regarding Evann as a winger is that Nice, whenever I've watched them at least, have their wingers move central in the second phase of the attack. Whilst they often site quite far wide, once the ball is played into those central areas the wide player move inwards with haste. I'm really not sure how he would do in a wing role in our system.

As a finisher he is good but not spectacular (although has improved this season) and he has a solid technical floor. He isn't very fast tho, or rather its more his acceleration that isn't that great so he isn't really a player that can burst past his opponent. Once up to full speed he isn't slow. I think its due to this that as a CF he's adapted his game to come deep rather then run in behind. This is most noticeable when on the counter or in transition especially when starting wide in a 1v1 situation. Thing is he is very good transition forward but not in the same way Muani is although like Muani he drifts. What Guessend is good at doing when running with the ball at his feet is using his strength to push past players. This is something that would suit him well in a more physical league like the PL

As I said I am out at the moment and writing this on my phone so it's really not a very detailed write up at all. Sorry for that. I think he's a good player having a fantastic season and I can understand, given his age and skill set, why teams would be looking at him. He is for me a very specific type of transition CF (who is much better in central areas IMO) and whilst his physicality would suit the PL I think it would be an adjustment that might not be a guaranteed succes . An interesting option who is certainly worth tracking but not sure i'd commit to buying him at this juncture.

I caveat all that by saying I may well be forgetting something and may need to add/adjust this when I get home later. I can't say he was ever a player I watched and thought we should be after tho.

 

[Tezza1978]

Think we should be looking to buy Garnacho. Regardless of whether Ange stays or goes. Huge ceiling and fits the profile of young players we have been after.

Would love Eze also.

 

[Strikeb4ck]

I think we have to get another playmaker without question. Maddison is injury prone and streaky and Kulu is a half and half profile. We can not go into next season without another creative in attack. If that’s Cherki, Yildiz, Simons, Baturina or another we need someone else who can unlock a deep block. Ideally they would be someone that is versatile enough to play multiple positions in attack

I don't think many teams rely on playmakers to beat deep blocks. It's also hard to justify signing one of the few in the world that can do it when we have Maddison/Kulusevski, even if there are injury concerns and Kulu being a bit of a position-agnostic player.

I think what we are far more in need of against deep blocks is a pacy and skillful winger who can regularly beat their man 1v1. We probably need two players like that, to be completely honest. It's a massive weakness in this squad composition...

Beating a player 1v1 in the attacking third creates total chaos for a backline. I think nowadays that is the key for breaking a deep block.

Arsenal do it with Saka, not Odegard. Barca do it with Yamal and Raphinha, not Pedri. City do it with Doku and Savinho, not KDB or Bernardo. Etc etc. In fact, there are not really many true #10s playing at elite clubs that are regularly breaking down deep blocks, now that I think about it. The closest might be Wirtz or Musiala - but both of them do it with lots of dribbling and individual brilliance as opposed to passing.

I think we are much more in need of an elite passer in the pivot. Signing some combo like Wharton and then a Cherki type of player would transform this squad against the lesser lights in the league.

If we were to sign someone like what you're thinking, I would imagine it would be someone like Damsgaard... or maybe a Kang In Lee type (PSG)... but probably more of a hybrid winger/midfielder a la Kulusevski. There just aren't many true #10s out there that are attainable and better than Maddison. Feels like a luxury we can't afford.

 

[golfspurs]

I think we planned to Qualified the wonderkid like Gray Lucas and Vuskovic to become the Club Trained players that the reason may we don’t send them loan out in the next 2 and 3 (for Vuskovic) seasons

 

[joey55]

Those are certainly some opinions right there

I stay out of the politics threads for a reason!

 

[dontcallme]

This will be contentious, but I would honestly listen to offers for anyone this summer. Not to be unfair to any of these lads after their achievements.

But one of the main things that the club failed to do in the Poch years, was to continually upgrade, refresh or sufficiently bolster the playing squad. Which led to that 18/19 season squad starting to go stale, and why it was pretty much done by the time the final whistle blew in Madrid.

All that time we had opportunities to sell Dele and Dier to Man Utd for £50m each, or Eriksen abroad for even more... Poch wanted to reinvest that straight into upgrading the squad (his software upgrades metaphor).

That's the mistake we can't make again. So while I'm not advocating the cliché of selling and replacing half a squad, keeping that turnover of incrementally improving and refreshing the squad every summer is important.

I agree, though not quite anyone.

There are a handful of players that will be sold quite easily or released.

The rest we have to be open to offers. We don't get to choose who we get offers for.

For our attacking options Werner will be released and unless the club are high on Solomon I believe he goes too. We want to upgrade in this position so have to be open to offers for Richarlison, Johnson and Son.

 

[arunspurs]

Is he a goal scorer ?

Not in previous seasons where he didnt get much minutes.
In this current season (2024/25), has 12 goals 9 assists in league.

 

[bbunc]

I think we planned to Qualified the wonderkid like Gray Lucas and Vuskovic to become the Club Trained players that the reason may we don’t send them loan out in the next 2 and 3 (for Vuskovic) seasons

Sending them on loan has no impact on that.