Any Irish player please
Any?
Any Irish international
Ah thanks, that narrows it down a bit
Brian O'Driscoll?
Any Irish player please
Any?
Any Irish international
Ah thanks, that narrows it down a bit
Congratulations on going up. Hell of a lot harder than the last time we went up. Helps a if you can score like.
Friend - Season before last we turned down 8m plus add ons from WBA when in the championship. Before the tv money became more daft and he has just signed a 4 year deal last summer. Think it would take 10m + for the fans favourite even at 29 now.
If you could get him Callum chambers on loan, he has been amazing at cb, almost on par with Ben Gibson who has really kicked on.. Really surprised me how good both have been. Ayala was quality in the championship, one of the top 2 or 3 centre halfs, isn't premier league standard. That's the huge gulf playing premier league football week in week out. Same goes for the likes of Clayton etc. One of the best players as defensive midfielder in championship, just ain't premier league quality. Gulf is bigger than it has ever been. Good luck, it can be done, look at Burnley. But have still just scraped it even with a dream home record that they won't be able to re create next year.
Brian O'Driscoll?
My very quick Google search has lead me to Sandro Ramírez from Malaga, £6m buyout clause so won't break the bank, Southampton and Spurs apparently interested though.
Absolutely loving your work, but with one obvious exception - No Youtube highlights reel set to a dubious europop soundtrack.
But please don't let this minor detail get in the way of uncovering more similar players.
Newcastle have been linked with 21-year-old Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez, who has a £5.1m release clause in his contract. (Chronicle)
Michel Vorm - GK - Spurs - £5m
Charlie Taylor - LB - Leeds - Free
Fikayo Tomori - CB - Chelsea - Loan
Paul Verhaegh - RB - Augsburg - £2m
Jack Cork - CM - Swansea - £6m
Oscar Trejo - CM - Toulouse - Free
Eric Choupo-Moting - LM - Schalke - Free
Tammy Abraham - ST - Chelsea - Loan
Shane Long - ST - Southampton - 6m
I'd then sell or release Maenpaa, Norwood, LuaLua, Skalak, Manu, O'Grady & Forren.
I'd loan Towell, Goldson & Walton out and offer Ankergren a coaching role.
That would leave us with the following 25 man squad:
GK: Vorm, Stockdale, Sanchez*
Def: Verhaegh, Bruno, Taylor, Bong, Dunk, Duffy, Tomori*, Hunemeier, Rosenior
CM: Stephens, Kayal, Sidwell, Cork, Trejo
WM: Knockaert, March, Murphy, Moting
ST: Murray, Long, Abraham*, Baldock, Hemed
* indicates a player under the age of 21 who would not need to be registered to play.
Giving us a match day 18 of:
Home
Vorm
Verhaegh - Duffy - Dunk - Taylor
Knockaert- Stephens - Cork - March
Murray - Long
Subs: Stockdale, Bruno, Tomori, Kayal, Moting, Abraham, Baldock
Away
Vorm
Verhaegh - Duffy - Dunk - Taylor
Stephens - Cork - Kayal
Knockaert- Abraham - Long
Subs: Stockdale, Bruno, Tomori, Trejo, March, Moting, Murray
Added Prem experience through the spine of the team (Vorm, Cork, Long), as well as youth (Abraham, Tomori, Taylor) and some players who have performed well abroad (Verhaegh, Trejo, Moting)
The three foreigners for those who haven't heard of them:
Verhaegh is a Dutch international RB. He's spent the last 7 years at Augsburg where he is currently captain. Averages a goal every 10 games, is solid at the back. Whilst not a long term fix, he only has a year left on his contract and could do the job here for a year or two whilst we find somebody younger.
Oscar Trajo is an Argentinian/Italian midfielder who is currently at Toulouse, but is out of contract in the summer. Comfortable behind the striker or in the centre of midfield, he's also been used as a holding midfielder this season. He's been one of the best players in the French league this year and at 29 he's currently in his prime. He nearly moved to West Ham a few years ago, so obviously interested in a move to England.
ECM is a German born Cameroon international. He can either play as a left sided winger or as a target man (he's 6'3). He has a 1 in 4 record for Schalke, which is pretty good seeming he's normally played out wide.Good with both feet, strong in the air and good at beating a man. Would be an excellent signing on a free.
Charlie Taylor - LB - Leeds - Free
Though his contract is up, there would still be a fee involved as he is under 24 years old.
True, I have no idea how we'd have to pay in comp though so it was just easier to put down free. Really, all free transfers will cost something anyway, due to signing on fees anyway.
Michel Vorm - GK - Spurs - £5m
Charlie Taylor - LB - Leeds - Free
Fikayo Tomori - CB - Chelsea - Loan
Paul Verhaegh - RB - Augsburg - £2m
Jack Cork - CM - Swansea - £6m
Oscar Trejo - CM - Toulouse - Free
Eric Choupo-Moting - LM - Schalke - Free
Tammy Abraham - ST - Chelsea - Loan
Shane Long - ST - Southampton - 6m
I'd then sell or release Maenpaa, Norwood, LuaLua, Skalak, Manu, O'Grady & Forren.
I'd loan Towell, Goldson & Walton out and offer Ankergren a coaching role.
That would leave us with the following 25 man squad:
GK: Vorm, Stockdale, Sanchez*
Def: Verhaegh, Bruno, Taylor, Bong, Dunk, Duffy, Tomori*, Hunemeier, Rosenior
CM: Stephens, Kayal, Sidwell, Cork, Trejo
WM: Knockaert, March, Murphy, Moting
ST: Murray, Long, Abraham*, Baldock, Hemed
* indicates a player under the age of 21 who would not need to be registered to play.
Giving us a match day 18 of:
Home
Vorm
Verhaegh - Duffy - Dunk - Taylor
Knockaert- Stephens - Cork - March
Murray - Long
Subs: Stockdale, Bruno, Tomori, Kayal, Moting, Abraham, Baldock
Away
Vorm
Verhaegh - Duffy - Dunk - Taylor
Stephens - Cork - Kayal
Knockaert- Abraham - Long
Subs: Stockdale, Bruno, Tomori, Trejo, March, Moting, Murray
Added Prem experience through the spine of the team (Vorm, Cork, Long), as well as youth (Abraham, Tomori, Taylor) and some players who have performed well abroad (Verhaegh, Trejo, Moting)
The three foreigners for those who haven't heard of them:
Verhaegh is a Dutch international RB. He's spent the last 7 years at Augsburg where he is currently captain. Averages a goal every 10 games, is solid at the back. Whilst not a long term fix, he only has a year left on his contract and could do the job here for a year or two whilst we find somebody younger.
Oscar Trajo is an Argentinian/Italian midfielder who is currently at Toulouse, but is out of contract in the summer. Comfortable behind the striker or in the centre of midfield, he's also been used as a holding midfielder this season. He's been one of the best players in the French league this year and at 29 he's currently in his prime. He nearly moved to West Ham a few years ago, so obviously interested in a move to England.
ECM is a German born Cameroon international. He can either play as a left sided winger or as a target man (he's 6'3). He has a 1 in 4 record for Schalke, which is pretty good seeming he's normally played out wide.Good with both feet, strong in the air and good at beating a man. Would be an excellent signing on a free.
Assuming Stockdale signs a new contract why would we go after Vorm who IMHO is no better? Similarly Long who is no improvement on Murray.
If you had the brain power to read my post properly, you'd see I didn't say Long was a replacement for Murray as I suggested them as a potential strike partnership. If you can't see the point of having Shane Long, a player who is very similar to Baldock but with nearly 250 Premier League appearances to his name then more fool you.
Vorm, IMO is a much better keeper than Stockdale but I understand that's up for debate.
If you had a brain stop you would post in such a manner that people would discuss an issue with you. FWIW according to soccerbase Long has started 218 games in total during his 12 years in England of which 142 have been for Reading in the Championship so that does not take him that much above any of our existing strikers , well not to warrant a £10m fee I dont think. Also I do not think that his play is anything like that of Sam Baldock he is more direct than SB and less mobile so for me it is a definite NO?