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Preparing for the Premier League


Altamullan

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Watching Spurs v Everton, it is amazing the difference it would make to our team having someone like Wanyama sitting in midfield instead of Colback.

 

I wonder if we'll be back in for McCarthy? His stock seems to have fallen at Everton under Koeman but he'd be a massive upgrade on Colback.

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Guest Howaythetoon

We need at least 4 top players down the spine to be honest. A new 'keeper, a commanding CB, all-round CM and a top CF. I'd try for Hart and maybe look at Benteke if Palace are considering getting rid.

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A lot of these posts totally disregard who our manager is, like. He'll pick intelligent, malleable players with professional attitudes first and foremost.

 

Agreed.

 

Lucas Leiva is out of contract this summer, wouldn't surprise me to see Rafa in for him.

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A lot of these posts totally disregard who our manager is, like. He'll pick intelligent, malleable players with professional attitudes first and foremost.

 

Agreed.

 

Lucas Leiva is out of contract this summer, wouldn't surprise me to see Rafa in for him.

Premier league experience and depth in an area of a pitch we are lacking.

 

This could be a good shout :thup:

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Wonder what we'll do with Gayle and the striker position. It would be incredibly harsh on him to spend big money on a striker and relegate him to the bench after this season, but he's not quite a proven Premier league striker which we'll need.

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Wonder what we'll do with Gayle and the striker position. It would be incredibly harsh on him to spend big money on a striker and relegate him to the bench after this season, but he's not quite a proven Premier league striker which we'll need.

We'll need a striker still imo. 2 if Mitrovic goes.
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Wonder what we'll do with Gayle and the striker position. It would be incredibly harsh on him to spend big money on a striker and relegate him to the bench after this season, but he's not quite a proven Premier league striker which we'll need.

We'll need a striker still imo. 2 if Mitrovic goes.

Think Mitrovic will leave in the summer and Murphy will stay and be our third choice. The interesting thing will be if we replace Gayle or get a better back up for him.

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I'm pretty confident that Gayle will score goals in the Premiership, I'd be happy to go into next season with him still first choice striker. Mitrovic will likely leave, Murphy will stay and play out his contract as 3rd choice/target man option off the bench. I'd like us to buy a promising youngster to back up Gayle, someone in a similiar mould as a player who'll be content enough to sit on the bench initially but who Rafa thinks can develop and ultimately take the spot from Gayle.

 

Positions that I think we absolutely must buy players for this summer are left-back, central midfield, attacking midfielder and winger (two wingers if we don't sign Atsu permanently, I reckon we will though).

 

Anything else would be gravy but if we could go into next season with...

 

                              Krul

 

Yedlin          Lacelles      Clark        New LB

 

 

                  Shelvey      New CM

 

Ritchie              New #10            New Winger

 

                        Gayle

 

... as our first choice eleven then I think that would be decent enough. Five big signings (those four and the aforementioned young striker) and maybe another option at CB if Mbemba leaves isn't an outrageous expectation IMO, especially when we'll be getting the likes of Gouffran, Mitrovic, Mbemba and maybe Anita off the wage bill.

 

We'd have the likes of Hayden, Diame, Atsu and Perez as depth.

 

If there's anything left over then buy a top quality CB. Defense does look weak on paper but I feel like Rafa will set us up well and we'll be tough to break down even if the players at the back aren't exactly world beaters.

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We all have ideas on which positions need attention for the PL...ideally, we need 4 players to be comfortable, CB, CM, CF/No 10 and LB are priorities for me and we badly need an injection of pace throughout the side.

Leaving Ashley and Co out of the equation for now(wouldn't we like to always..)I am sure Rafa knows just who he needs and who he wants - the same applies to outgoing players.

Then we come back to Ashley and Co.....

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my two penneth

 

Strikers/Forwards

i don't have as much faith as some in gayle at PL level, i'd like to see an upgrade on him brought in as a priority because that role is so essential to rafa's system...that said if we upgraded the #10 spot sufficiently well then i could go for gayle and a young, promising backup player to get us through our first season back up....sell or loan mitro and keep murphy...another winger also high priority

 

Midfield

2 x CM's is absolutely imperative, both with enough physicality and skill on the ball to support shelvey so we'd have shelvey/hayden/new/new as options...colback chucked off the tyne bridge

 

Defence

in defence i want to see a top class CB brought in and hanley shipped leaving us new/clark/lascelles/mbemba/dummett...at fullback i'd look to extend anita by a year and buy a new LB but suspect that dummett is going to be our traore and he'll be a fixture

 

Keeper

bring krul back or sell and buy a new keeper more in line with rafa's preferences

 

summary of that means we'd need to bring in the following 7 upgrades to what we currently have:

 

ST/#10

winger

2 x CM

1 x CB

1 x LB

1 x GK if krul doesn't return

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