The Squad planning thread

[bell_mcfc]

he looks more like a CAM than a winger tbh

Think he’s similar to Cherki who can play wide but is a wide playmaker as opposed to a natural winger.

A good player nonetheless.

Maresca may change our build up as well and if using Nunes as more of a wing back not a bad option on the right at all.

 

[Jugger]

He meant attainable

None then

 

[Dialog]

 

[Jugger]

not gonna happen. no way Maresca gonna bench his fellow countrymen

 

[blueparrot]

not gonna happen. no way Maresca gonna bench his fellow countrymen

Maybe he will maybe he won't but his nationality won't come into whether he does or doesn't.

 

[Jugger]

Maybe he will maybe he won't but his nationality won't come into whether he does or doesn't.

Like it or not Donna is our number one until he left or retired, just move on from this

 

[blueparrot]

Like it or not Donna is our number one until he left or retired, just move on from this

Might be, might not up to Maresca.I'm happy whatever don't need to move anywhere.

 

[bell_mcfc]

Bit of a stupid thing to report as Traffords skillset would also mean he was a better fit for Pep...

 

[Jugger]

Trafford would have done worse than Donna if he start week in week out in the league fixture. There’s a massive difference playing in the league than the cup game

 

[Blue Bogey]

Olise , Doue, Yamal

When I click my fingers you will wake up and, you will forget that I told you that you had a billion in the bank.

 

[Matt.D]

Then which of those 90% are you recommending we bring in and at what price?

That wasn’t the point I was making. I don’t think Ndiaye is good enough for us for example but he would be a huge upgrade on Savinho. Bar one or two it’s hard to find a club in the league that doesn’t have a better winger than Savinho.

I want us to go after an established winger with end product FWIW or a younger player who already has end product.

As an attacker who isn’t an out and out winger but can play across the left / middle I’d absolutely break the bank for Junior Kroupi. He is no doubt going to the top. Would be frightening in our team in a year or so and could contribute G/A immediately on rotation.

 

[handsofstone]

not gonna happen. no way Maresca gonna bench his fellow countrymen

Bit of a stupid thing to report as Traffords skillset would also mean he was a better fit for Pep...

Based on Marescas press conferences I'd say it's mmorelikwly he drops Donna than Pep, he dropped his keepers before when they played long balls and claimed i this press conference that once they play a long ball they aren't doing what he wants

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

That wasn’t the point I was making. I don’t think Ndiaye is good enough for us for example but he would be a huge upgrade on Savinho. Bar one or two it’s hard to find a club in the league that doesn’t have a better winger than Savinho.

I want us to go after an established winger with end product FWIW or a younger player who already has end product.

As an attacker who isn’t an out and out winger but can play across the left / middle I’d absolutely break the bank for Junior Kroupi. He is no doubt going to the top. Would be frightening in our team in a year or so and could contribute G/A immediately on rotation.

Posters in here have broken more banks than Smith & Jones.

 

[bell_mcfc]

Based on Marescas press conferences I'd say it's mmorelikwly he drops Donna than Pep, he dropped his keepers before when they played long balls and claimed i this press conference that once they play a long ball they aren't doing what he wants

I think Donna will be just fine but let’s see.

 

[handsofstone]

I think Donna will be just fine but let’s see.

So do I, but think IF any manager would drop Donna for Trafford, Maresca would be pretty high on that list as hes quite rigid in what he wants ans expects from his keepers.... its quite fundamental to how he wa to his team to play

 

[Gabriel]

That wasn’t the point I was making. I don’t think Ndiaye is good enough for us for example but he would be a huge upgrade on Savinho. Bar one or two it’s hard to find a club in the league that doesn’t have a better winger than Savinho.

I want us to go after an established winger with end product FWIW or a younger player who already has end product.

As an attacker who isn’t an out and out winger but can play across the left / middle I’d absolutely break the bank for Junior Kroupi. He is no doubt going to the top. Would be frightening in our team in a year or so and could contribute G/A immediately on rotation.

I understand that you (and others) don't like Savinho, but I'm far less convinced that there's ready-made quality in abundance elsewhere. I've seen Alvarez, Cole, and now Savinho belittled by the 'get rid/not good enough' brigade on here, but once they depart, it then quickly becomes apparent that what's left either isn't good enough to cope with their absence, or the replacement needs time to settle.

If we all accept that Doku/Semenyo are going to play the lion's share of minutes, then we either need a young project to grow (Akliouche for me) or a more experienced player who won't pout (Wilson for me).

Ndiaye had 3 assists last season and 0 (zero) assists the season before. Would he genuinely fare better with even fewer minutes and the hot breath of disgruntlement greeting every mistake? We could have gone for him when at Marseille but chose Savinho instead, and there's no great body of evidence to suggest we made a mistake. He's not an upgrade, just another option.

As for Kroupi, he's a prodigious talent, but unless Maresca is prepared to have the difficult conversation with Haaland, it's just not happening. Kroupi is a goal machine, true, but he needs to play through the centre and close to goal. He has a combined total of 3 assists in the last two years and only 1 of those came from playing wide, so he would be a complete waste of money for us unless we were prepared to really have Haaland compete for his spot.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

not gonna happen. no way Maresca gonna bench his fellow countrymen

Like it or not Donna is our number one until he left or retired, just move on from this

Like Tuchel, Maresca is his own man and will make his own decisions.
He is coming in with a blank sheet and will play whatever squad members he wants. If you seriously think Maresca ( or Pep before him) will pick players based on their own nationality, you're not thinking straight.
I'm easy with either keeper and their place of birth isn't going to sway me either way.

 

[richards30]

Can’t shake the feeling and even more so after Sam Lee mentioned it that we are going to sign Porro

 

[Matt.D]

I understand that you (and others) don't like Savinho, but I'm far less convinced that there's ready-made quality in abundance elsewhere. I've seen Alvarez, Cole, and now Savinho belittled by the 'get rid/not good enough' brigade on here, but once they depart, it then quickly becomes apparent that what's left either isn't good enough to cope with their absence, or the replacement needs time to settle.

If we all accept that Doku/Semenyo are going to play the lion's share of minutes, then we either need a young project to grow (Akliouche for me) or a more experienced player who won't pout (Wilson for me).

Ndiaye had 3 assists last season and 0 (zero) assists the season before. Would he genuinely fare better with even fewer minutes and the hot breath of disgruntlement greeting every mistake? We could have gone for him when at Marseille but chose Savinho instead, and there's no great body of evidence to suggest we made a mistake. He's not an upgrade, just another option.

As for Kroupi, he's a prodigious talent, but unless Maresca is prepared to have the difficult conversation with Haaland, it's just not happening. Kroupi is a goal machine, true, but he needs to play through the centre and close to goal. He has a combined total of 3 assists in the last two years and only 1 of those came from playing wide, so he would be a complete waste of money for us unless we were prepared to really have Haaland compete for his spot.

Kroupi didn’t play as a central 9 much for Bournemouth mate he played a lot from left and number 10. I’d be prepared to have the conversation with Cherki and Foden and use them right wide at times rotating in and out of the 10. kroupi could cover for Haaland in the middle too as he will need a rest and usually misses 6 weeks a season with injury. I like Marmoush but would sell him and Savinho to get Kroupi in a heartbeat.

Controversial opinion - Doku and Semenyo aren’t good enough as the main first choice wide players to get us back for competing for the champions league in the next couple of years we need one more better than them both - not easy to come by I know and well aware most won’t like the view point.

 

[Gabriel]

Can’t shake the feeling and even more so after Sam Lee mentioned it that we are going to sign Porro

You've been nailing your colours to the masts of HMS Read and then to HMS Palestra, but I've always said Porro is the most likely signing of the three. Proven in the League, knows Viana, and Spurs get Savinho in exchange. Won't be a universally popular signing, even if he comes as a World Cup winner, because for some 'supporters' he's just not good enough.

He might not come, of course, but the logic behind trying to sign Porro makes more sense than players new to the League. Imagine Nunes were seriously injured in the season opener and was out all season, like Sane was in 2019, then we'd be be up the creek without a Porro. We got by at right back last season by the skin of our teeth and by overplaying Nunes, but we can't run that risk again. We need to win the League next season, and Nunes/Porro with Ait-Nouri/O'Reilly gives us the best chance.