[Albion] How many players away from a top 4/ title challenge?

[BrianSwan]

What you think?

It can happen quite quick, it's never as much as most people think. Newcastle went from 11th to 4th after 2 transfer windows (and a lot of money), Villa have shot up the table too with good additions.

In Spain, Girona went from 10th to currently 2nd in one transfer window, spending fk all. Leverkusen in Germany went from 6th to currently first in one window, making money than they spent.

If De Zerbi stays, and you experience a relatively injury free year, with all these young players now blooded in, maybe 3 new additions?

 

[veuve]

Last seasons team would have been top four.

 

[beorhthelm]

last year's squad made a challenge at it. getting that midfield, or at least half back, consistent RB and a few others for backup would make it competitive again.
but i think it comes down to other results and a bit of luck (especially with injury) more than simply x number of players.

 

[Seagull58]

With so many injuries it's hard to tell. Maybe Declan Rice/Caicedo and a right back (Trippier before he got found out running a whorehouse in a hotel). Oh, and Saka.

 

[jcdenton08]

I think top four remains very unlikely full stop. The financial gulf between clubs is massive. When a big club falters, there’s always another buyer (sportswashing foreign state, multi-billionaire wanting a new plaything) to fund them back into the top places.

On a season like this, with so many teams faltering, we might’ve had a shout without the constant injuries. Everyone is beating everyone; Villa might nick it.

Or Newcastle/Manchester United might go out and spend another £200m apiece and buy their way in. Who knows.

To be in the top ten, win our (very tough) European group at the first attempt having sold £200m of players in the summer - our entire central midfield - AND have a full first XI out injured is the stuff of miracles.


I said at the start of the season, top ten and progressing to the knockout stages of Europe and a good FA Cup run would represent a good, consolidating season.

We’re surpassing my expectations so far given the injuries, winning the group and the emergence of Hinshelwood, Buonanotte and JPVH.

 

[Silverhatch]

With Mac & Moises we could win the bloody league

 

[Weststander]

4, a quality:

DM
LB
RB
Finisher

Covering injuries and/or improving our starting 11’s. I’m not so bothered about wingers, RDZ adapts with ease.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

We're not loads away in my view.

Had we kept caicedo, not had continual injuries and not had Europe, then I reckon we're only a top keeper and a bit of full back cover away from a tilt at the top 4 and who knows.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

If we'd kept Ally Mac and Caicedo as well as still bought Pedro and Igor I'm convinced we'd be top 4 now.

 

[zefarelly]

Last seasons team would have been top four.

If we still had White, Caicedo, Macallister and Cucurella as back up for Perv We'd be up there.

 

[tigertim68]

Last seasons team would have been top four.

Yep would of gone as top 2

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

If we still had White, Caicedo, Macallister and Cucurella as back up for Perv We'd be up there.

I'm not sure I'm having any of this. Those players were great for us but have done very little at their new clubs. I think the the OP is misguided. What we have is a very good coach.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Last seasons team would have been top four.

But....they weren't top four last season so why would they be this season?

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

I don't think we are that far away a challenge for the top 4. Had we had March and Estupinan fit for the season then I'm fairly certain we'd be at least 5 or 6 points better off than we are now. March has been simply brilliant under RDZ and since Pervis got injured Mitoma has been a lot easier to deal with as teams don't have to worry about the overlap. The big gap would still be the central midfield, but there is no easy way to replace players of the caliber of Caicedo and Mac Allister. With the squad we have now with the likes of Igor, Hinsh, JPVH and Pedro all showing their PL capabilities stick Moises and Alexis in there and it really is a case of if only we could have kept them for one more year.

 

[WATFORD zero]

I did think at the end of last season that if we kept AliMac and Caicedo for another 12 months we could be top 4 contenders, but I think that even if we had kept them, the injuries we've had this season would have kyboshed that.

At the beginning of this season, I wanted to get out of the Europa group and finish top 10. Incredibly, that still looks achievable. Let's see if we can keep the gang together this summer with another year's experience and who knows

 

[WATFORD zero]

But....they weren't top four last season so why would they be this season?

Because the team got better during the season and were still very young and learning when we lost two of the mainstays

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

If we'd kept Ally Mac and Caicedo as well as still bought Pedro and Igor I'm convinced we'd be top 4 now.

Actually if we'd been able to keep the players we've sold the last few years I think we'd be good enough to win the league.

Check out the following squad:

Steele, Ver Bruggen, Sanchez

Estupinan, Cucurella, White, Veltman, Lamptey, Dunk, Van Hecke, Colwill, Burn

Mac Allister, Caicedo, Bissouma, Gross, Gilmour

Mitoma, March, Trossard, Adingra, Enciso, Fati

Welbeck, Ferguson, Pedro

Ignoring the way that one or two of those players' attitude and how they left us, on ability alone, managed by RDZ, that is a squad that is capable of winning the league(in a non man city 95+ point year).

I know we were never going to keep all those players and a number of teams could say the same about having a league winning side if they pick the best of their players from the last few years but still, what a team/squad that is!

 

[portslade seagull]

Too many at the moment. Would say we are 6 to 8 short of a challenging squad

 

[portslade seagull]

I did think at the end of last season that if we kept AliMac and Caicedo for another 12 months we could be top 4 contenders, but I think that even if we had kept them, the injuries we've had this season would have kyboshed that.

At the beginning of this season, I wanted to get out of the Europa group and finish top 10. Incredibly, that still looks achievable. Let's see if we can keep the gang together this summer with another year's experience and who knows

Think most in reality would agree with you. Any higher depends on whether suitable reinforcements come in January

 

[Cheshire Cat]

If we had bought Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Pele, Jarzinho, Gordon Banks, Martin Peters etc etc in the early 1970s we could have won the league.

But we didn't.

What's gone is gone.

PS - we would need several better players for a top four finish, mostly in defence, midfield and attack.