2018/2019 Transfer Thread - I Have No Clever Title

I don't think we make top 4 this season unless Lucas and Lamela just absolutely explode. Our CMs worry me the most.

 

Not doing any deals in the transfer window is a bit daring in itself, isn't it? No other team is trying it.

 

I apologize for continuing to be in your thread but until all windows are closed I’m not convinced Grealish won’t leave Villa.

Might Tottenham be thinking they can get to January and then make changes? Or is that too risky?

 

You assume a lot that it was bad. IMO, every year nearly every team starts with many prime players on the bench as many national teams have camps and summer tournaments. Furthermore, most big squads tour all over the world building up their international following for $$$. This is tiring for the players, on all the top teams.

Mere action for action's sake is a bad move. If the team couldn't obtain players that would improve the team at prices that are reasonable in the market, then the team made the right decision. Do not mortgage the future.

Levy sent the signal that 'if you are not willing to do a reasonable deal, I am strong enough to walk away from the table. Now, you don't have the money you expected to get from me, nor the money you could have actually gotten from me. When we sit at the table next time, I expect you'll treat me with more respect.'

 

On a positive note, we kept Toby, Mousa and Rose, and now that the window is closed, we won't have the distraction of rumours and speculation to deal with for the first month of the season.

However, this window will not be without consequences. Every big club around will have taken note of our non-activity and will be convinced that we are in a weaker state because of the new stadium.

 

Lamela, Lucas, Alderweireld, Rose, Winks, even Carter-Vickers. All were virtually irrelevant last season, no reason why they shouldn't be more involved and influential this time round.

Wanyama and Llorente had poor seasons, no reason why they shouldn't step up; both are very decent players.

We had a strong team and a weak squad. By not selling Alderweireld and Rose, we've had a good transfer window on one condition - if there is a weakness identified (maybe Mousa's fitness?) over the first half of the season, it gets fixed in January.

 

I wonder after this game at Man U if Alderweireld is now thinking... "You know, staying at Spurs is a pretty good idea. Those jokers at Man U don't know what they are doing. "

 

Man U looks like they could use a good center back, that's for sure.

 

If they come in with an offer of 300,000 quid a week, he won't care if they are playing in the Isthmian League. Amazing that Alexis Sanchez is making 391,000 pound a week and Flu-Boy Ozil, 350,000.

 

not a new signing, but keeps Son around for the length of his contract, which otherwise was very much in doubt

 

#10 for Japan looks to be decent. Don't know his name but he showed well.

 

January approaching, we're in decent shape but not quite there at the top. Thoughts for a January window, or possibly for the summer?

A bit of a left field thought from me. Dembele, still love that guy but too many times this season we're having to pick someone else. Sissoko isn't a long term solution, Winks very much looks like it but we need more than just him and Dier.

So in terms of two-way midfielders; strong, elegant on the ball, defensively sound but linking things up further forward. Reuben Loftus-Cheek. Well, they don't seem to have a use for him.

 

There is no way Chelski will sell us any of their players - Abramovich and Levy absolutely despise each other since Levy refused to sell them Modric and Chelski swooped in and signed Willian from under our noses.

A guy we should be looking at is Doucoure of Watford, he seems to me a perfect Poch player. Big energy, can score the odd goal and the perfect replacement for a Dembele/Wanyama.

 

We do need reinforcements in midfield and central defence. I was watching a PL discussion show and the pundits were talking about Liverpool and who their best 3 were in central midfield and it was scary to see the wealth of options Klopp has (Henderson, Milner, Keita, Fabinho, Shakiri, Wijnaldum, Oxlade-Chamberlain).

We have Dier, Dembele and Wanyama, 2 of whom are constantly injured. Sissoko and Winks are stop-gaps in those positions.

I had a go at the manager for not making any changes until the game was out of reach Sunday, but when you look at our bench, who could he have brought on? Moura is a like for like for Son and our only option in midfield was Winks. Emery was able to bring on Lacazette and Ramsey at HT and Ozil was not even in the squad.

There is only so much Poch can do with this squad. Daniel Levy has to step up and deliver for the gaffer.

 

Chelski signed Christian Pulisic from Dortmund for 58 million pounds and will loan him back to the Bundesliga club for the rest of the season. That is the difference between us and the other clubs in the top 6 - they sign players like that, while we haggle with Aston Villa over Jack Grealish.

 

Spurs exercised their option to extend Toby Alderweireld's contract to 2020. However, there is a 25 mil pound release clause that can be activated this summer so we are most likely to lose him unless he signs an extension, which looks doubtful.

The reason why they activated the clause now was to buy time and prevent teams from negotiating with him starting this month, which would have been a major distraction to the team.

 

Not only does that fee separate us from the rest of the top 6 - it's also the fact that £58m is a bargain for a player of Pulisic's potential. Whereas, for us, it would be a club record and we'd have to sell someone to offset that money.

 

The Arsenal were the frontrunners to sign him (their director of football signed him when he was at Dortmund), but they had their typical cheap bid of 35 mil rejected which paved the way for Chelski.

 

I get all that but if you want to reach the next level, these are the prices you have to pay. That doesn't mean you have to spend that kind of money every window. It just means that every other window or so, you have to flex your muscles, relative to what your ambitions are, and give the squad a lift.