Summer Transfer Thread 2015

[El Rojo]

Walcott's a good footballer but not worth half the £30m we'd probably bid.

 

If we only signed a top class midfielder and top class striker it would be our best summer in years. I doubt we'll learn from our mistakes, though.

[Harry Squatter]

Fuck Walcott, his injury record is woeful and some people still think he's a youngster. I'm sick of us signing players with awful fitness records. Aquilani, Cole, Carroll, Sturridge etc.

[INTORRESTING]

And his final product is crap

[ZonkoVille77]

There just isn't enough money available to fix the enormous holes in the squad. Football is shite these days and after days like today you start to wonder what's the point in investing so much time in it.

[Iceman]

I can handle defeats. They upset me but they are part of the experience. What I can't take is selling one of the top players in world football for a meagre sum, spunking that money on potentials, not playing those potentials in their proper positions, bottling it in the CL. That one again. Fucking bottling in in the CL, that we worked so fucking hard to get back into for years. And we just wimp out of it like it's no big deal and we can have another try next year. Ha ha. Bottling it in the EL against totally inferior competition who were roundly thrashed in the next round. And now a sorry capitulation against a shit team of knobbers with a tool as a manager. And still we pray for 4th. It's fucking over, as over can be. 

 

We should have strengthened in January to address our striking shortcomings and midfield weakness but no, we didn't. Despite having loads more money coming in. Fuck off. 

[Mad Erik]

There just isn't enough money available to fix the enormous holes in the squad.

 

I don't think the squad is that bad. There isn't gaping holes in it. We do lack quality in certain areas. Say we signed a world class centre mid, and a 20 goal a season striker we would improve rapidly.

[Jairzinho]

As much as we probably need about eight new players, I'd happily accept us signing half that many in the summer. Clear out 10/12 of the 35 or so players we have (or will have when everyone is back from their loan), and sign four 25-30 year old players that will immediately improve the first team. No children, no mid table one season wonders, no squad filler, and no fucking attacking midfielders. A striker, a central midfielder, a full back, and probably a goal keeper. 

 

Then the following summer, do the same thing again. Three or four top class players to improve the first team.

 

Yes, City and Chelsea have more money, as do United, but it doesn't excuse us wasting the money we do have.

[SammyAftershave]

I think we'll sign a zebra to impersonate Joe Cole.

[Iceman]

Now he's on the e-cigs he's like a new signing. 

[Jairzinho]

He can be next year's vape goat.

[Section_31]

What we need is to get rid of every player Rodgers has signed except Coutinho and Sturridge, all in a very tight timeframe, and then start again from scratch. 

 

 

[Kevin D]

As much as we probably need about eight new players, I'd happily accept us signing half that many in the summer. Clear out 10/12 of the 35 or so players we have (or will have when everyone is back from their loan), and sign four 25-30 year old players that will immediately improve the first team. No children, no mid table one season wonders, no squad filler, and no fucking attacking midfielders. A striker, a central midfielder, a full back, and probably a goal keeper. 

 

Then the following summer, do the same thing again. Three or four top class players to improve the first team.

 

Yes, City and Chelsea have more money, as do United, but it doesn't excuse us wasting the money we do have.

We desperately need a CB, moreso than a midfielder. Skrtel and Sakho are good, but the latter is injured frequently, and going into a season knowing Lovren will pay 30+ games is unacceptable.

[J-V]

What we need is to get rid of every player Rodgers has signed except Coutinho and Sturridge, all in a very tight timeframe, and then start again from scratch. 

 

Rodgers will just sign them again unless we get rid of the real problem which is Him.

[KevieG]

Imagine being short on players and spending 20 million on llori aspas and alberto. Or 20 million on markovic. Or 20 million on Lovren. We might as well be setting fire to it.

[Section_31]

We desperately need a CB, moreso than a midfielder. Skrtel and Sakho are good, but the latter is injured frequently, and going into a season knowing Lovren will pay 30+ games is unacceptable.

 

think we need a DM, a decent CB and striker 

 

Oh wait.

[Gym Beglin]

Sign Rafa and Higuain.

[Jairzinho]

We desperately need a CB, moreso than a midfielder. Skrtel and Sakho are good, but the latter is injured frequently, and going into a season knowing Lovren will pay 30+ games is unacceptable.

 

The problem is that you know we won't be selling Lovren. I'd be more than happy with Skrtel and Sakho as first choice, Ilori in the squad, sign another, and throw the rest in the bin. But Lovren will stay, and Toure probably will as well, and we won't be making a big money signing on a centreback unless our best one, Skrtel, leaves. 

 

Anyway, I disagree on the importance of a centre back over a central midfielder. Lucas is injured too often, and will probably be sold. Can we don't know if he's good enough. Henderson often isn't, and Allen certainly isn't. Ideally we'd have Henderson as a squad player, and Allen would be back off to someone like Swansea, instead it looks like one is going to be our captain next year, and the other will play lots of games. It's a fucking disgrace that we have gone from the likes of Mascherano and Alonso to a midfield humiliated by Fabian Fucking Delph.

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

I don't think the squad is that bad. There isn't gaping holes in it. We do lack quality in certain areas. Say we signed a world class centre mid, and a 20 goal a season striker we would improve rapidly.

You are right. And the main thing being the striker. I am sure the return of Benteke to full fitness and form is the main reason Villa are improving. As the fitness of Sturridge remains a major doubt we may well need two quality strikers. Should be room for that as well if we let Balotelli, Lambert and Borini go.

 

A powerful midfielder and a decent right back in addition and we're massively improved.

[Kevin D]

The problem is that you know we won't be selling Lovren. I'd be more than happy with Skrtel and Sakho as first choice, Ilori in the squad, sign another, and throw the rest in the bin. But Lovren will stay, and Toure probably will as well, and we won't be making a big money signing on a centreback unless our best one, Skrtel, leaves. 

 

Anyway, I disagree on the importance of a centre back over a central midfielder. Lucas is injured too often, and will probably be sold. Can we don't know if he's good enough. Henderson often isn't, and Allen certainly isn't. Ideally we'd have Henderson as a squad player, and Allen would be back off to someone like Swansea, instead it looks like one is going to be our captain next year, and the other will play lots of games. It's a fucking disgrace that we have gone from the likes of Mascherano and Alonso to a midfield humiliated by Fabian Fucking Delph.

I think you're underestimating the ability of Lovren to detonate an entire season. He is abysmal.

[Jairzinho]

I think you're underestimating the ability of Lovren to detonate an entire season. He is abysmal.

 

Do you think we'll get rid?

 

We won't, because it wouldn't be Moneyball to do so. He's worth about £8 at the moment and therefore the club spreadsheets say that we need to resaberamortise our inward negative curve on the player, rather than making a normal sporting decision and fire the spacker to the moon. 

 

This is the problem with having a "system" that, as well as overrating one season wonders, appears to ignore the collective result entirely. "So we bought eight left backs, all are probably worth 25% more than we paid. Good business, yes?" "Er, no, because we haven't got a fucking goalkeeper". Etc.

[Mark M]

I predict that we'll try and sell Balotelli and only a couple of clubs will be interested and will only take him on loan.

 

When everything's said and done we replaced Suarez with that useless lump he's played nearly 30 matches for us with about 4 goals to show for it.

 

If it was Rodgers or some gobshite on the committee someone should be getting a p45 over that particular piece of business.

[Cardie]

Do you think we'll get rid?

 

We won't, because it wouldn't be Moneyball to do so. He's worth about £8 at the moment and therefore the club spreadsheets say that we need to resaberamortise our inward negative curve on the player, rather than making a normal sporting decision and fire the spacker to the moon. 

 

This is the problem with having a "system" that, as well as overrating one season wonders, appears to ignore the collective result entirely. "So we bought eight left backs, all are probably worth 25% more than we paid. Good business, yes?" "Er, no, because we haven't got a fucking goalkeeper". Etc.

 

Maybe, just maybe, the less emotional, the less prone to grandstanding don't feel like judging a player on a single season. Maybe they've looked at, for example, Henderson and the seeming disaster that signing was judged to be and how it ultimately turned out and would like to give it time.

[magicrat]

I think you're underestimating the ability of Lovren to detonate an entire season. He is abysmal.

Pales into insignificance when compared to Balotelli. I'm ashamed to say I was reasonable OK with signing Lovren , I was horrified when we signed the other fucking clown

[Babb'sBurstNad]

As bad as Lovren is, I still think there's a vaguely passable player in there, were he to be coached well and given some degree of protection as he was at Southampton. He'll never instill confidence, but I'm not sure this team is the one to correctly judge him by given how many CBs have looked poor under the current coaching.

 

I'd rather we spend every penny on the best CM and a mobile striker who isn't made of Twiglets.

 

If we're sticking with Rodgers we'll need to outscore the opposition, and if we're changing manager then they'll probably want to evaluate Lovren and Ilori themselves.

[The Golden Eel]

As bad as Lovren is, I still think there's a vaguely passable player in there, were he to be coached well and given some degree of protection as he was at Southampton. He'll never instill confidence, but I'm not sure this team is the one to correctly judge him by given how many CBs have looked poor under the current coaching.

We were defending well a while back though. Was it just a fluke? Or personnel? Or a bit of both?