Summer Transfer Window 2018

[bowltorious]

£40 million on Butland and Allen? Their price should be going down not up when relegated.

[bubbles1966]

I'd like to resign Tomkins, he is quality.

So would I.

And Stanislas. Bloke scores every 5 games in the PL. Goal or assist every 3 games.

[Wilko1304]

Tomkins was always on the "to replace" list. Kouyate is a far better centre back and the day he's made to go back there and play there will be a relief to all.

[bubbles1966]

Tomkins is much better in the air than any of our centre backs. He's as comfortable on the ball as all of them. The one thing he always lacked was pace.

Out of 282 PL players on whoscored, he's currently rated #16.

He is the perfect centre half in the middle of a back 3. A dominant header of the ball who passes it well.

Let the likes of Reid, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Rice etc sweep up around him.

Stanislas would be ideal now as well. He doesn't need to be the secondary full back that Allardyce wanted him to be but a flair player with freedom to play. Much more suited to us than Fernandes or Mario. Scored 12 times in the last 2 PL seasons. One year left on his contract.

[smuts]

It still grates that we sold Tomkins, bought a 34 year old to replace him and now don't have either.

Appalling business. We have to thank the thick as pig **** owner for that one still living off a Christoph Dugarry purple patch.

[EastEndIRON]

It still grates that we sold Tomkins, bought a 34 year old to replace him and now don't have either.

Appalling business. We have to thank the thick as pig **** owner for that one still living off a Christoph Dugarry purple patch.

Don’t forget he actually owns an awful purple blazer too!

[Clucking Bell]

And Stanislas. Bloke scores every 5 games in the PL. Goal or assist every 3 games.

He tore us a new one last time we played them. As soon as he came on, they were back in the game.

[Ironing Board]

Ideally you don’t want to be playing a back three - at the moment we are as the team needs the extra security. A back four is the way to go.

[Clucking Bell]

Our Belgian correspondent recently posted that Dendonker was playing really poorly. Is that still the case? I've never even seen the fella, but he seems to be many people's dream date

That's what happens as soon as it's rumoured that we're interested in a player. I believe that Lacazette had a **** spell at the beginning of last term after we put in a bid.

Mind you, that's nothing compared to what happens if they actually sign for us.

Our best hope for a result next week is to put in early bids for Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, Aguero and Jesus. They might rupture something laughing!

[Colours never run]

It still grates that we sold Tomkins, bought a 34 year old to replace him and now don't have either.

Appalling business. We have to thank the thick as pig **** owner for that one still living off a Christoph Dugarry purple patch.

100%

Brainless economics.

[Colours never run]

Ideally you don’t want to be playing a back three - at the moment we are as the team needs the extra security. A back four is the way to go.

Only if we get the players to accommodate it. That's the issue.

[Cellar-door]

Only if we get the players to accommodate it. That's the issue.

I'd guess that his point was... why go out and buy players for a 3 man back line, when we could play 4 at the back with the right signings which "should" help the players we already have up-field.

[Colours never run]

I'd guess that his point was... why go out and buy players for a 3 man back line, when we could play 4 at the back with the right signings which "should" help the players we already have up-field.

Aye, which comes back to what I said. We can't afford to do it just now because we lack the players to support it. I have no problem reverting back to a flat back 4 as long as the quality is there in the backline and in the midfield to make it work properly.

[Puff Daddy]

Unless we are bought in the summer and new, mega bucks owners appoint a new top name manager and he is given a thick wedge to buy top players, we will be everybody's favourites for relegation next year.Therefore, won't ths seriously effect who we can buy this summer ?

[westham,eggyandchips]

£40 million on Butland and Allen? Their price should be going down not up when relegated.

£40m is about right. Both players are upgrades on Hart and Noble.

[goa127]

Going slightly off topic, going back to our underwhelming January window, would any of our 'outs' have played against Arsenal? I don't think they would but maybe some disagree?

[ads78]

One of the key things that we lack is leadership on the pitch. It has been clear on numerous occassions that we simply capitulate once we go behind.

A few years back we tried a transfer policy of bringing in leaders all over the pitch (Neill, Parker, Upson, Ljundberg, Bellamy) and while not all of those listed worked out as we had hoped, you could see what we were trying to achieve. As well as addressing the lack of pace and the positional issues in the squad, I think that we need to bring in one or two real leaders who are prepared to roll their sleeves up and lead from the front when things aren't going well.

[prophet:marginal]

Going slightly off topic, going back to our underwhelming January window, would any of our 'outs' have played against Arsenal? I don't think they would but maybe some disagree?

Fonte in the back three.

Cresswell LWB.

[hammer1975]

Sakho or Ayew both scored more and ran channels better than Mario and Fernandes, and contributed more in open play than Chicharito.

The biggest challenge is not investing in the January window but let’s not lose sight of the fact that we were actually weakened. Especially for options in last 20 to inject energy and score a winner.

[mrbluesky]

I am assuming that everyone suggesting Shaqiri is an upgrade on our present squad didn't watch our recent match against Stoke.

Think it was a real coup for Stoke to sign him a few seasons back, and certainly showed what he was capable then, but he seems to have grown ever more complacent and lazy, plus his fitness looks like it’s suffered.

Won’t struggle to make it into the national team still, but then where is his competition?

Whatever you could have levelled at Arnie, before we signed him, his fitness wasn’t in question, just his application.

Every transfer needs to count this next window, as a result - Shaqiri, avoid.