Now we are done I have to say it’s extremely underwhelming.
We had probably 4 issues that needed resolving as an absolute bare minimum this summer,
1) a new RCB, that eventually was achieved but very clearly wasn’t our first choice. Maybe it turns out for the best but we have to be getting our first choice targets for priority areas and that was top priority. Box ticked but there’s some disappointment
2)we needed a mobile holding midfielder in the dinho mould preferably, that didn’t even get looked at, box left blank.
3) we needed pace in the wide areas, somebody who could run past players, run off the ball in behind and somebody who could go on the outside rather than checking in and slowing down play every single time. We signed Torres who doesn’t seem similar enough to what we lose from sane leaving box left unticked
4) we needed to replace zinchenko with an actual recognised leftback, not done so but there’s the option of Ake playing there, remains to be seen whether that will work. If you was being generous you could maybe tick that box, I’d say it’s half ticked until we see him play there and it’s also reliant on him not being needed centrally.
Those were the 4 minimum requirements for me this summer and we’ve possibly achieved half of them at best.
on top of that we had Silva leaving, I wasn’t necessarily expecting a direct replacement but we need a replacement numerically even if it was an additional winger instead we did nothing there.
I always thought a striker was on next summers to do list but it wasn’t totally unimaginable this window, especially if it were to be somebody who could play centrally or out wide, there was certainly a space for a player like that and even more so when we chose not to react to losing Silva.
If we were the reigning champions by some distance you could maybe say we’ve done the bare minimum but we’re not and needed a much bigger window, it’s hard to say we’re definitely better off than we were last season nevermind improved enough to make up the big gap, and that’s before factoring how our rivals have improved during the same time.
I’m not unhappy with any of the signings we’ve made but we’ve not done enough significant changes were needed and we’ve tweaked at best.
Edit. I forgot to even mention sales, For which underwhelming would be quite a generous description.
We were lowballed on Sane. Not a disgraceful figure but can’t say it was a good deal should have got significantly more. Otamendi for €15 million was an accounting procedure only, we essentially let him go for free. Not getting anything for Garcia was a beyond ridiculous decision, you haggle but you take what you can get when a player has zero benefit to the squad being around for another year before leaving for free. The Tosin deal and any other youngsters I’ve missed off are not significant enough to mention. Few deadwood we haven’t shifted but there’s time for that with other windows still being open.
