Summer Transfer Plans/Targets

[saints_is_the_south]

Any well run and organised club will start planning for and identifying summer transfer targets months in advance, so I wonder when it is that Les Reed & co start looking at & making enquiries about players to sign based on us being a Champions League team next season.

 

Secondly, how many additional players do we need to manage PL & Europe (in CL or EL form). Surely the idea has to be get into Europe, but then continue to compete for the European places in the league as well.

[Batman]

we will need 4 or 5 more players to compete in any european competition and not fall halfway down the league

4 or 5 more players in addition to what we have today, let alone replace morgan etc

[InvictaSaint]

Reed mentioned in an interview a good few months ago that the club already knows which players it wants to sign next summer, such is the nature of our advance planning. Sure, that may be tweaked in light of how well or otherwise we do by the end of the season, but clearly the black box team are well ahead of the game.

[dubai_phil]

we will need 4 or 5 more players to compete in any european competition and not fall halfway down the league

4 or 5 more players in addition to what we have today, let alone replace morgan etc

 

McCarthy, Turnbull, Stephens, Hesketh, Gape, Seager for a start point. Then add Gallagher and probably JRod into the mix. Having seen the way that Harry Reed has suddenly grown into a quality DM, the way Mane went from being the scapegoat to the next Ronaldo, I can't see any reason why that group cannot be gradually introduced to give us the depth we need over the coming months. Rotating one or two of them on the Subs bench and giving them game time IF we are strolling in a game or in the Cup match(es), why can't they step up?

 

We all assume we need a new "worldy" keeper and who knows maybe Boruc will be happy to sit on the bench and play occassional UCL games?

 

Honestly believe that the one thing we can guarantee is that the majority of non FIFA playing fans won't have heard of our targets. They will be Black Boxed not only for the skills that they would bring to the team, but also for the Psych profile, IQ and EQ.

 

We won't be signing any "Squad" players that is for sure, so anyone who comes in will be better than what we have. Elia so far looks to be a better "all round" footballer than Mane which is quite an astonishing feat. (Although Mane brings a level of unpredictability that Elia is only starting to show).

 

Hearing BeIn Sports at half time yesterday saying that Pelle is now probably the best "Hold Up" CF in the EPL (and who would be a worldy if he could ONLY stop hitting the woodwork!) how do we find someone BETTER than him right now? So let us hope that Gallagher recovers as that "Cover Option" as would Pelle want to be a bench warmer next season? Would a BETTER player than him want to be that person?

 

Faith in the Youth a bit more reliable quality in the creative (ie Tadic) department and a young up and coming Pelle clone would be my plan.

 

(Plus replacements for anyone that leaves of course)

[beatlesaint]

Reed mentioned in an interview a good few months ago that the club already knows which players it wants to sign next summer, such is the nature of our advance planning. Sure, that may be tweaked in light of how well or otherwise we do by the end of the season, but clearly the black box team are well ahead of the game.

 

Yes and that's why people shouldn't be upset if we don't do much in this transfer window. I think he said something about identified players to take us to the next level !!

Any more signings we do make before this window shuts I would think would be loan signings probably just to act as cover, unless a bargain comes along, which they rarely do in January.

[Convict Colony]

I think if we do qualify for the champions league Liverpool have shown how you should not go about it.

 

I think its important to treat it as a nice bonus and not a divine right, use it as the opportunity to sign a couple of real real quality players who still fit within our economics but who would normally be out of our reach (personally I think Ron has Clasie penciled in for when/if Morgan goes).

 

Then obviously we aim to get as far as possible but have a stronger squad than this year for the league next to try and improve, I'm going all Kaizen as our approach to improvement.