[Albion] REALISTIC signings for next season?

[Bry Nylon]

Our stated goal is top 10. To achieve that we have to acquire a top striker. The club need to start thinking bigger or continue to struggle

What metric do you use to define "a top striker." ?

Based on "goals scored", the top strikers in the PL last season were:

1. Harry Kane
2. Mo Salah
3. Bruno Fernandes
4. Patrick Bamford
5. Son
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7. Jamie Vardy
8. Ollie Watkins
9. Lacazette
10. Ilkay Gundogam

After that, you are looking at strikers who scored around 10 or 11 goals for the season. Nobody on this list would consider a move to Brighton, even if the club had the 70/80/90/100 million it would require - before salary is even considered. So unless you have an alternative metric /definition for "top striker" that doesn't include scoring lots of top flight goals, I'm not sure how the club is expected to land a top striker?

 

[Braggfan]

I think we have proved this works in all positions except one. That position is striker. IMHO we need a rethink


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Yes we have struggled to develop players beyond a certain point. Although as [MENTION=41448]The Fits[/MENTION] & [MENTION=13905]Seasidesage[/MENTION] pointed out yesterday, we do also have a policy of signing older players who are value for money. And I think Welbeck has proved that policy does work.

But if we want a striker who scores 20 goals a season, it will be hard to develop one, we'd probably just have to get really lucky and stumble across one. Buying one won't be done for any sort of value, it will as you say, be done by breaking from policy.

In all honesty when it comes to strikers I think it's an age old problem and solution.

 

[Perkino]

What metric do you use to define "a top striker." ?

Based on "goals scored", the top strikers in the PL last season were:

1. Harry Kane
2. Mo Salah
3. Bruno Fernandes
4. Patrick Bamford
5. Son
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7. Jamie Vardy
8. Ollie Watkins
9. Lacazette
10. Ilkay Gundogam

After that, you are looking at strikers who scored around 10 or 11 goals for the season. Nobody on this list would consider a move to Brighton, even if the club had the 70/80/90/100 million it would require - before salary is even considered. So unless you have an alternative metric /definition for "top striker" that doesn't include scoring lots of top flight goals, I'm not sure how the club is expected to land a top striker?

We must also consider that Bruno Fernandes & Ilkay Gundogan are midfielders who score goals in heavily attacking sides whilst rotating strikers regularly. However the list of forwards signed for £20m+ who haven't scored more than 10 goals is huge and we could easily add to that list if we just recruit anybody, the difficulty is signing one who can score plenty of goals for a small fee as a large sum and huge wages will not guarantee that outcome. TB, PB, DA, GP will all know that a lot of money and momentum can be lost by signing the wrong player. I am very comfortable to have another season with the attackers that we have as I'm confident from the way we ended the season that the results will continue. I believe that the club will be doing plenty behind the scenes to try and find a great player for £20-30m who will add something extra to our side and help to propel us towards the top 10

 

[de la zouch]

[but two of that list have at a point in time been available and within our range. We are never going to sign one of them now. However a that list proves that you can get the right striker if your timing and funds align.

QUOTE=Bry Nylon;9912406]What metric do you use to define "a top striker." ?

Based on "goals scored", the top strikers in the PL last season were:

1. Harry Kane
2. Mo Salah
3. Bruno Fernandes
4. Patrick Bamford
5. Son
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7. Jamie Vardy
8. Ollie Watkins
9. Lacazette
10. Ilkay Gundogam

After that, you are looking at strikers who scored around 10 or 11 goals for the season. Nobody on this list would consider a move to Brighton, even if the club had the 70/80/90/100 million it would require - before salary is even considered. So unless you have an alternative metric /definition for "top striker" that doesn't include scoring lots of top flight goals, I'm not sure how the club is expected to land a top striker?[/QUOTE]

 

[The Fits]

I suspect we will spend 25-40 million on some one we probably know a little about but have no real idea how good they'll be. That's the risk we have to take unless we are happy with our lot. Yaremchuk and Schick are two obvious examples from the Euros.

 

[b.w.2.]

Yes we have struggled to develop players beyond a certain point. Although as [MENTION=41448]The Fits[/MENTION] & [MENTION=13905]Seasidesage[/MENTION] pointed out yesterday, we do also have a policy of signing older players who are value for money. And I think Welbeck has proved that policy does work.

But if we want a striker who scores 20 goals a season, it will be hard to develop one, we'd probably just have to get really lucky and stumble across one. Buying one won't be done for any sort of value, it will as you say, be done by breaking from policy.

In all honesty when it comes to strikers I think it's an age old problem and solution.

Couldn’t agree more. No magic wand solution. Again I want to say our recruitment has been excellent since the change of recruitment regime, but the striker position remains the obvious issue. It is now an issue we must address as we start to turn over players at high profit in other positions, e.g. White.


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[b.w.2.]

What metric do you use to define "a top striker." ?

Based on "goals scored", the top strikers in the PL last season were:

1. Harry Kane
2. Mo Salah
3. Bruno Fernandes
4. Patrick Bamford
5. Son
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7. Jamie Vardy
8. Ollie Watkins
9. Lacazette
10. Ilkay Gundogam

After that, you are looking at strikers who scored around 10 or 11 goals for the season. Nobody on this list would consider a move to Brighton, even if the club had the 70/80/90/100 million it would require - before salary is even considered. So unless you have an alternative metric /definition for "top striker" that doesn't include scoring lots of top flight goals, I'm not sure how the club is expected to land a top striker?

This is a really good question. I agree we are not going to sign any on that list now. I would suggest it has to be someone akin to ‘the next Watkins’. Maybe Armstrong?


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[b.w.2.]

I disagree...again. We'll not break the bank to appease the fans, if we stop conceding when on top we'll achieve our goal

No this is a red herring. Sorry. All it does is distract from the real issue. If we score a second then we can afford to let in a late goal.


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[Neville's Breakfast]

What metric do you use to define "a top striker." ?

Based on "goals scored", the top strikers in the PL last season were:

1. Harry Kane
2. Mo Salah
3. Bruno Fernandes
4. Patrick Bamford
5. Son
6. Dominic Calvert-Lewin
7. Jamie Vardy
8. Ollie Watkins
9. Lacazette
10. Ilkay Gundogam

After that, you are looking at strikers who scored around 10 or 11 goals for the season. Nobody on this list would consider a move to Brighton, even if the club had the 70/80/90/100 million it would require - before salary is even considered. So unless you have an alternative metric /definition for "top striker" that doesn't include scoring lots of top flight goals, I'm not sure how the club is expected to land a top striker?

Although it is possible on PlayStation……

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

This is a really good question. I agree we are not going to sign any on that list now. I would suggest it has to be someone akin to ‘the next Watkins’. Maybe Armstrong?


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That’s exactly the approach you have been criticizing and it is the one the club are following eg Maupay, Connolly. You constantly say you want a top striker not someone who may or may not turn out to be a top striker.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Or set the publicly stated goals


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The strategy in place to achieve those goals is one you disagree with. That’s clear. Doesn’t make it wrong and to be fair the people who devised and are executing that strategy do have a lot more football knowledge than your good self.
I think what you are missing is that this is all about playing the odds. We may sign a striker for 20 to 25 million. A few people on NSC will have heard of him and his goal scoring record will be decent. However he will not be a ‘top striker’ at that price. If he fails to deliver you will say ‘I told you so, we should have signed a top striker.’ If he succeeds you will say ‘I told you so, that’s what happens if you sign a top striker.’ The reality is that the strategy is the same whatever the outcome. That’s what Tony does.

 

[Seasidesage]

It's clear from our goals scored column last season that we do not score enough to progress we need to score more as a team. I say team because while the forwards didn't cover themselves in glory nether did the midfield. We need another viable option upfront but we need the midfield to chip in more too. Any forward we get is going to be young with potential not the finished article, we cannot afford the finished article. We need as a team to find 10-15 more goals per season that is unlikely to come from just one man...

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Only 3-5 signings this window so it's a relatively relaxed one.

Much more about the outs and in particular the difficulty in getting high earners like Locadia, Jahanbakhsh and Duffy off the books.

 

[Frankworthington]

Only 3-5 signings this window so it's a relatively relaxed one.

Much more about the outs and in particular the difficulty in getting high earners like Locadia, Jahanbakhsh and Duffy off the books.

This

The real battle this window is going to be getting these players of the books.We have a very large squad which is going to impede the progress of the U23 squad.

Yes i would love us to sign a forward or two,but who is to say Khadra or Zeqiri cannot make an impact if given the chance?

 

[The Fits]

This

The real battle this window is going to be getting these players of the books.We have a very large squad which is going to impede the progress of the U23 squad.

Yes i would love us to sign a forward or two,but who is to say Khadra or Zeqiri cannot make an impact if given the chance?

Or Richards. A left footed, goal scoring midfielder. Exactly what we need.

 

[forumwayseagull]

Only 3-5 signings this window so it's a relatively relaxed one.

Much more about the outs and in particular the difficulty in getting high earners like Locadia, Jahanbakhsh and Duffy off the books.

Might only be 3 signings (agreed) however the pressure is on to get 3 quality signings to make the side better in the obvious key areas.

 

[chaileyjem]

Our stated goal is top 10. To achieve that we have to acquire a top striker. The club need to start thinking bigger or continue to struggle.

Fair enough criticism but Dan Ashworth is pretty clear about their recruitment policy, heavy investment in the academy, reliance on loanees for development and its risks and how targeting "top" players already PL ready is not their strategy. A lot of the time its paying off and last week they bid £25m+ for a striker according to reports (but these days thats still a risk for that market) but of course sometimes it won't.

"If we are going for a 25-26-year-old who is Premier League ready, I’d say two-thirds of the Premier League would be able to outbid us from a transfer fee and wages point of view.
“Our recruitment strategy has got to be a bit different. If we go fishing in the same pond as them, we may not get the player we want.
“Hence, we’ve tended to either go to a different market or buying potential rather than performance. The danger of that is you are buying potential, so you don’t quite know; they don’t always come to what you’d hope they’d be.”
https://theathletic.co.uk/2650407/2...ial-is-helping-keep-pace-with-richer-rivals/#

 

[southstandandy]

The re-signing of Welbeck will be key for me. I will predict he will score more goals this season than any £20 to £25m striker we may get from abroad, which is why I am so pleased to have retained his services.

Better to develop Zeqiri and Tau than to spunk money we can barely afford on another unknown from abroad. I'd rather do what Brentford did and take a risk on a top league 1 player for £5m (like they did with Toney) and develop him which is largely what Potter's remit was from the start, in developing what we have or new young faces coming in. A large transfer fee, relative to us, guarantees nothing.

 

[Frankworthington]

Fair enough criticism but Dan Ashworth is pretty clear about their recruitment policy, heavy investment in the academy, reliance on loanees for development and its risks and how targeting "top" players already PL ready is not their strategy. A lot of the time its paying off and last week they bid £25m+ for a striker according to reports (but these days thats still a risk for that market) but of course sometimes it won't.

"If we are going for a 25-26-year-old who is Premier League ready, I’d say two-thirds of the Premier League would be able to outbid us from a transfer fee and wages point of view.
“Our recruitment strategy has got to be a bit different. If we go fishing in the same pond as them, we may not get the player we want.
“Hence, we’ve tended to either go to a different market or buying potential rather than performance. The danger of that is you are buying potential, so you don’t quite know; they don’t always come to what you’d hope they’d be.”
https://theathletic.co.uk/2650407/2...ial-is-helping-keep-pace-with-richer-rivals/#

I agree with 90% of what you have said but where does this tie in with the ambition of being a top ten club?

I believe we we will stay up next season ,even if White and Biss leave,with the same squad.Its all about margins,how do we get to the next level?

 

[chaileyjem]

I agree with 90% of what you have said but where does this tie in with the ambition of being a top ten club?

I believe we we will stay up next season ,even if White and Biss leave,with the same squad.Its all about margins,how do we get to the next level?

I've not said it. Just sharing what Dan Ashworth has said.