Your REALISTIC First XI 2013/2014 season

[EnfieldYiddo]

Lloris​

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Walker - Kaboul - Vertonghen - Ekotto​

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Sandro​

Moutinho ---- Dembele​

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Lennon ---------------------------- Bale​

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Benteke​

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Bench: Friedel, Dawson, Rose, Parker, Sigurdsson, Dempsey, Defoe​

Where's the realism in us spending 50 million ish

 

[Chimbo!]

Where's the realism in us spending 50 million ish

Well apparently we agreed a fee with Porto only for the deal to collapse late on. I think spending a combined £30 - 35 million on Moutinho and Benteke is realistic.

 

[dondo]

Benteke and Cayabe for me, not sure how realalistic that is considering the price. Think them 2 with the return of rose and townsend we would have a real exiciting team.

Would sell BAE , parker and few squad players and give their places to a few in the youth team

 

[Flightrisker]

Sky Italy reporting that James Rodriguez and Moutinho are done to Monaco for 70mil.

 

[biscuit]

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Vertonghen Shaw

Romulo Sandro Dembele

Son Soldado Bale

 

[AJW]

Lloris

Walker Kaboul Vertonghen Shaw

Romulo Sandro Dembele

Son Soldado Bale

This was if we had champions league. Can't see any of them joining us now.

Don't think Shaw will leave regardless
Soldado seems pretty happy at Valencia - I know they are broke but think bigger teams would come in
Son possibly but can again see CL teams going for him

Romulo I don't know

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Alas I do think Soldado will be out of our reach now. Shame, he's the one I really wanted. I fear the same with Benteke. However, Michu is still very realistic, he's extremely talented but also powerful and good in the air, I imagine he'd improve us. He had an awful January but he did pick up against and score 6 goals in the second half of the season (more than Ade and Defoe combined), and he scored 12 goals in his good spell first half of the season (the same as Ade and Defoe combined), plus he holds the ball well and links with midfield too. Remembering that this was also with Swansea, who are inferior to us in every other position on the pitch, I think he'd be a hit with us, the fans would warm to his style and he'd score and create a lot of goals. He's not my first choice, but if my first choices are out of reach then I think he'd improve us, and though he's obviously a bit of a gamble at 27 and after just one great season here (and a previously great season in Spain, again with a lesser club) I think he'd improve us enough, and fit in well enough, to make us a real force going forward.

 

[Tottenham_God]

Alas I do think Soldado will be out of our reach now. Shame, he's the one I really wanted. I fear the same with Benteke. However, Michu is still very realistic, he's extremely talented but also powerful and good in the air, I imagine he'd improve us. He had an awful January but he did pick up against and score 6 goals in the second half of the season (more than Ade and Defoe combined), and he scored 12 goals in his good spell first half of the season (the same as Ade and Defoe combined), plus he holds the ball well and links with midfield too. Remembering that this was also with Swansea, who are inferior to us in every other position on the pitch, I think he'd be a hit with us, the fans would warm to his style and he'd score and create a lot of goals. He's not my first choice, but if my first choices are out of reach then I think he'd improve us, and though he's obviously a bit of a gamble at 27 and after just one great season here (and a previously great season in Spain, again with a lesser club) I think he'd improve us enough, and fit in well enough, to make us a real force going forward.

I would be over the moon if we pinched Michu from Swansea

 

[ClintEastwould]

Think them 2 with the return of rose and townsend we would have a real exiciting team

spursking?

 

[onthetwo]

I would be over the moon if we pinched Michu from Swansea

it could be a DL special! Swap Michu for Hudd and a few other squad players - i still remember that deal with Sunderland when i think he sold them Steed, Tainio and Younes in one go! I could see the Hudd doing well at Swansea and maybe loan them little Tom Thumb at the same time for some more prem experience?

 

[JayX2A]

Christian Benteke insists he will leave Aston Villa if one of the Premier League's top clubs wants to sign him.

Make an offer ASAP I say!

 

[Shea]

it could be a DL special! Swap Michu for Hudd and a few other squad players - i still remember that deal with Sunderland when i think he sold them Steed, Tainio and Younes in one go!

You mean Chimbonda not Kaboul surely?

I agree with your logic though - I'm sure DL will be looking to off load players as part of deals where he can and rope some middle or the road/lower end team into buying 2-3 players off us at once again (once he has them locked in his hypnotic trance)

 

[ItsBoris]

Where's the realism in us spending 50 million ish

To be honest that's what it's going to take, 2013/14 is our last chance. If we don't make the CL spots then Bale's gone and we realistically begin to slip back down away from the teams we want to be competing against. We need a team and squad good enough to challenge for the league title next season and I have some hope that AVB can convince Joe Lewis and Levy to make the funds available. I think we can raise 30-40 million in sales and the club should be able to invest another 20 million or so. But what we can't do is leave holes in the squad prior to the season starting, and especially not after the summer window closes. By August 17th we need to have the team that we intend to keep together for the next few years, and that we think is good enough to challenge for top honors against the best teams. That's my opinion anyway. Anyway here's what I think is a team that may not be realistic but should be around the quality required.

On top of that I think we should sign another striker (whatever we can afford) - but we need a powerful center forward who can score in all kinds of ways and I think Leandro, Michu, or Benteke could all fit the bill, and maybe Soldado as well. We need to sign one of them or someone like that. We should sign Belhanda for the attacking midfield position but also Sergi Roberto from Barca or someone similar (young creative midfielder). Definitely need a left back depending on what we intend to do with Rose, and we need a striker/wide forward like Aubameyang (fits with JJ's itk).

Anyway I think that's fairly ambitious but if we don't do that kind of business we can kiss goodbye to our ambitions IMO, we simply can't have the number of weaknesses we had in the squad last season. Being forced to start Huddlestone, Dempsey, Parker, Defoe, and Naughton all at the same time is criminal for a club at our level and we can't keep this squad so threadbare and unbalanced next season and hope to finish in the top 4. It was an amazing feat to come so close this time all things considered but the reason we missed out was because of this lack of quality.

 

[onthetwo]

You mean Chimbonda not Kaboul surely?

I agree with your logic though - I'm sure DL will be looking to off load players as part of deals where he can and rope some middle or the road/lower end team into buying 2-3 players off us at once again (once he has them locked in his hypnotic trance)

You're right, the Younes deal was to Pompey wasn't it?

 

[Tottenham_God]

it could be a DL special! Swap Michu for Hudd and a few other squad players - i still remember that deal with Sunderland when i think he sold them Steed, Tainio and Younes in one go! I could see the Hudd doing well at Swansea and maybe loan them little Tom Thumb at the same time for some more prem experience?

Kaboul to Sunderland... haha

Could be interesting.. I could still see swansea wanting hudd and ten mill for Michu..

Tom Carrol loan could be a good bit of business

 

[onthetwo]

Kaboul to Sunderland... haha

Could be interesting.. I could still see swansea wanting hudd and ten mill for Michu..

Tom Carrol loan could be a good bit of business

didnt DL try it (selling Younes to Sunderland as part of the mega-deal) leading to the infamous quote about being treated like a cow? Or am i making shit up?

 

[Tottenham_God]

didnt DL try it (selling Younes to Sunderland as part of the mega-deal) leading to the infamous quote about being treated like a cow? Or am i making shit up?

I think you may be correct my sweet prince

 

[michaelden]

LLoris​

Walker Kaboul Verts BAE​

Sandro Dembele​

Lennon Holtby Bale​

Diamao​

Subs: Falque, Siggy, Soldado, PEA, Caulker, Carroll, Freidel​

 

[mill]

LLoris​

Walker Kaboul Verts BAE​

Sandro Dembele​

Lennon Holtby Bale​

Diamao​

Subs: Falque, Siggy, Soldado, PEA, Caulker, Carroll, Freidel​

Soldado sub lol

 

[michaelden]

Soldado sub lol

fine swap him with Diamao, either can lead the line. I don't see both playing at once very often though