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Player Recruitment

asheshammer's picture
Submitted by asheshammer on Mon, 21/05/2018 - 01:34

Might as well get this discussion started. Not interested in the insane rumours here, but I am interested in who you think we should sign and why, especially if there's a rumour that has legs. Take one example: Hegazi from WBA for £2.5M (release clause). No brainer to me: 2.5 is nothing in football these days (it's only a quarter of what was paid for Hugill). Hegazi would bring comptetition and potentially hold a place in the first team. Can't be a bad thing to go for this. Moral of story: get it done quickly before the agents whip up a bidding war that makes it ridiculous to sign him. Here are some other ones for me:

Toure: no way. if it's true that Pellegrini likes a high line, we have got to have big, fast backs and defending midfielders who can do the business. We need a box-to-box midfielder with an engine that won't quit and deft passing. Carvalho anyone? (Or reasonable alternative?)

Butland: Go for it. Look, I like Adrian, but I think Butland is a better keeper. I guess this debate could go on a long time, since the question is whether Butland is worth what it would cost to get him (£25M-£30M). But I think it's worth a shot. We gave up the most goals of any team in the EPL last season.

Joao Mario: A must sign, for me.

Dendonker: Worth seeing if the deal can be done.

I think if we get those three, plus Hegazi, a few gambles (not old farts), then we are in a decent position. Keep Arnautovic, Chicha, Lanzini, Antonio, Noble, Masuaku, Cresswell, Rice, Noble, Adrian, Zabaleta (for one more season), Ogbonna. Bye-Bye to Carroll, Kouyate, Reid, Byram, Hugill.

mcbikeman's picture

Not sure if it is pellegrini who he would be after but I do hope its a big fat no about Ya Ya Toure he's 35 ffs and will make noble look Athletic!.....Lanzini is a must keep as he and Arnautovic link up well together but if he has a good world cup I think we could struggle to keep him....get him signed on a better contract before the tournament starts.....We all know the areas that need looking at but until the new man evaluates the squad god knows who will be signed and who will be let go...expect some Spanish players never heard of before though...of course what remains to be seen is how much money will be given to the new man in charge and until then we have to speculate and hope for something good to come out of the ashes of last seasons disaster

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164 users have voted.
moore2come's picture

Sounds like the new manager is getting most of the money available so hope he's knows his League 1 and League 2 players well!

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144 users have voted.

I've heard some of our fans wanting yaya and Buffon. Can you believe it! They are both the kind of player we just don't need anymore! It's the sort of player Sullivan buys. All name but nothing left. Players who have nothing left to offer but their name on our team sheet looks good to the know nothing's who think players don't decrease in quality as they get older.

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163 users have voted.
asheshammer's picture

I think he wants to make us into Man City 1.0. Imagine a Dad's Army with: Buffon, Hart, Zabaleta, Evra, Toure, Balotelli, ... next he'll be talking about bringing Tevez back. I see some writeups on websites that look like they were written by Sullivan himself saying, "West Ham fans would LOVE to see Buffon at the London Stadium next season" and "Toure deal edge's (sic) closer as West Ham fans foam at prospect of getting £200k/wk player". These reports really sour my stomach until I realise that it's all hype designed to make some poor suckers who don't know anything about football think that we are actually going to be any good. Meanwhile I notice that the ink isn't on the paper yet with the Pellegrini deal, and they are now saying "Tuesday" and all the while the Official Site says, "Hurry Up and Get You Season Tickets".

Now it may in fact all come good, and I'll be the first to be relieved by that. But what we are experiencing now is pure Barnum.

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169 users have voted.
moore2come's picture

Santi Carzorla. Won cups with Arsenal, great with both feet. The 8cm of missing achilles tendon should not deter Sullivan after all he signed AC who has longer hair than that and when it gets cut he still plays the same amount of football as usual!

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169 users have voted.

Shaquri? No where near consistent enough for me. Seems like 1 good game in 10 to me. Hang on at that rate he would still be an upgrade on last season!

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155 users have voted.

Anyone know what his transfer budget really is? Knowing Sullivan he will want to only go into the bargain basement again plus two loans which means £40-50m and if Pelligrini wants another player or two he will have to sell first. Perhaps buying two half decent players at £15-20m each, loaning two and one or two very late cheapies..................the same as every season under our board.

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152 users have voted.

A D Bonds

I remember when you could get 8 fruit salads for a penny ditto black jacks! And a packet of crisps for two and a half pence! But that was when a half pence meant something.

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167 users have voted.

A bit out there but for creativity I'd go for Anderson Talisca.
Jonathan Tah - CB at Leverkusen
Sam Johnstone- GK utd
Ryan Fredericks - RB free
Wilshere- Arsenal free
Evans - CB 3 mill

That would conclude all my business and let go of some fringe players like Byram and Fernández

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160 users have voted.

OK, I'll reserve judgement until the 10th game of the season and we'll see how he's doing. I really hope he shines and I know I'm in a minority, but don't think he's got it somehow...

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145 users have voted.

Yes mate he's class - not many adapt to the Prem as quickly as him. 2 cracking goals and a couple of assists, lovely hold up play and a real eye for a pass. In an attacking team he'd look even better ghosting into space.

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153 users have voted.
asheshammer's picture

That MAY include money got from selling players, so let's take £15M off that right away. Then there is Mario. Trouble with loan deals is they leave you thinking you have a player when you don't really. Take another £25M off. That leaves Pel with only about £30M to spend, realistically. That's maybe two players, maybe one really good one. Nothing like his four or five. So what looks like a big transfer budget is not really, unless you don't count sales or the Super Mario deal. Let's hope that he's been given £75M PLUS whatever he brings in from player sales: Carroll, Reid, Fernandes, Kouyate, Byram, possibly Oxford -- could bring in a fair bit with that.

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156 users have voted.

I hear gold has been gobbing off on talksport saying we are "probably" gona spend more this season than any other season! Put that together with other bits of sh1t he spouted, me thinks they just can't change.

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113 users have voted.

How about these in and outs:

IN

Sam Johnstone- GK £2.5m
Ryan Fredericks - RB Free
Loftus-Cheek - CM €30m
Evans - CB £3
Santos - CB £17.5m
Dendoncker - CM £17m
Brahimi - LM £30m
Fekir - RM £45m

OUT

Carroll - £15m
Kouyate - £9m
Reid - £8m
Hugill - £8m
Byram - £3m
Oxford - £12m
Fernandes - €10m

Paid Out - £145m
Recouped - £65m

Difference - £80m

I know the Fekir one is a long shot as he's not even interested in moving to the CL Runner-up but if not him how about Felipe Anderson for £35m for RM, this would bring us under the touted £75m. I think the rest could be realistic enough? And if we dint sign a new RM we still have Antonio or Holland

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148 users have voted.

Glenn Murphy

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