Rate the Summer Transfer Window 2024

[Baird of the land]

19 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

3 - Add quality/strikers to the attack. Somewhat sorted with Archer, BBD - but I still feel we missed the trick with a proper number 9, but I do still feel we have goals in the side with what we've added so it's not as catastrophic as it could have been.

That's where i disagree. I think we've likely at best stood still. I struggle to see where the necessary goals are going to come from unless someone makes a huge leap.

[Saint_Ash]

I've given a 9, Ramsdale hit me with disbelief and for that alone it has to be a fairly high number. 

Even though they were playing for us in the Championship, signing Downes and THB keeps some strength in the spine and with the additions of Big Les and Fernandes in the middle we are stronger. I like Archer and think he can do a job down the middle and I think BBD and Cornet will bang in the goals and more that we lose from Che.

If we bought an out and out striker it'd been a 10.

Oh, and we kept KWP!

[bpsaint]

2 hours ago, egg said:

I think are overlooking Archer. The lad was first pick for England u21, and can clearly finish. Palace paid £30m for Nketiah. We paid half that for Archer and I think he's at least as good. 

So was Angus Gunn to be fair, so it’s by no means a measure of quality playing for the U21’s.

He may well come good but he has a record of 4 premier league goals in 41 appearances, so one goal every ten games so not the most inspiring. I still think we’re lacking that big Pelle-esque number 9 to really give us a chance of survival.

[Patches O Houlihan]

Those rightly concerned about a 9 can console themselves with two thoughts:

1) There is a chance Stewart will still come good for us

2) In Baylee Dieppa we have signed a huge 17yo target man with the potential to be that player for us at some point (go watch the videos on his thread)

Bearing in mind the player we would all want is £30m+, and the state of our finances, and the signing of Ramsdale I think that is realistically as good as we could have expected.

[revolution saint]

6 seems too low and 7 too high, so 6.5. 

Defence is much better with Ramsdale and Sugawara looks to be a good buy especially for the money paid.  Taylor is a solid signing with experience so that looks a good deal too.  Not sure about Edwards and Wood - definitely very cheap but not sure they'll play much and if they ain't playing then it's hard to argue they've improved the starting 11.  

Signing Downes was essential but doesn't feel like an upgrade cos we had him last year.  Fernandes looks like he could be decent although I've got a slight concern whether he's physical enough.  Big Les didn't impress me too much against Cardiff and for a player of his size I expected him to dominate much more - needs to show more workrate.  Dibling impresses me a lot but he should be an option from the bench.

Lots of questions out wide and up front.  BBD, Archer and Cornet could all be decent and at least one of them will need over perform if we're to survive.

Main doubts are whether we have enough creativity.  There's a few that could step up but none that are nailed on to do it and I can see us huffing and puffing a fair bit, controlling possession but not creating enough clear cut chances.

 

Probably an 8 out of 10 window for what we've done for Goztepe though.

[egg]

52 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

So was Angus Gunn to be fair, so it’s by no means a measure of quality playing for the U21’s.

He may well come good but he has a record of 4 premier league goals in 41 appearances, so one goal every ten games so not the most inspiring. I still think we’re lacking that big Pelle-esque number 9 to really give us a chance of survival.

He's not Angus Gunn. He's not a goalkeeper. Pointless comparison. 

Those 41 appearances are mostly sub appearances, and mostly for short periods. That's a terrible stat to use. 

The fact is that he's scored 4 prem goals in not many starts. He can do it at this level. 

He's been preferred (quite rightly imo) for England u21 to the Delap who people were upset we didn't get. We got the better player. He's better than the Nketiah who Palace paid double for. 

Sure he ain't a Pelle esque type player. Downes ain't a Wanyama type DM but he's effective in DM. HWB ain't a hurly burly CB but he's effective. 

Centre forwards don't have to be big and bulky - that Aguero lad did ok, Robbie Fowler also back in the day, Ian Wright, Jermaine Defo, countless others.

It's complete nonsense to suggest that without a Pelle-esque CF we can't stay up. 

There's too much flapping from some. Play to Archers strengths and he'll do well for us. 

[SNSUN]

8 currently, 10 if we stay up, 1 if we lose to Brentford.

[bpsaint]

35 minutes ago, egg said:

He's not Angus Gunn. He's not a goalkeeper. Pointless comparison. 

Those 41 appearances are mostly sub appearances, and mostly for short periods. That's a terrible stat to use. 

The fact is that he's scored 4 prem goals in not many starts. He can do it at this level. 

He's been preferred (quite rightly imo) for England u21 to the Delap who people were upset we didn't get. We got the better player. He's better than the Nketiah who Palace paid double for. 

Sure he ain't a Pelle esque type player. Downes ain't a Wanyama type DM but he's effective in DM. HWB ain't a hurly burly CB but he's effective. 

Centre forwards don't have to be big and bulky - that Aguero lad did ok, Robbie Fowler also back in the day, Ian Wright, Jermaine Defo, countless others.

It's complete nonsense to suggest that without a Pelle-esque CF we can't stay up. 

There's too much flapping from some. Play to Archers strengths and he'll do well for us. 

Not pointless at all, you were trying to use playing for England U21s as a benchmark in quality, but it’s not. David Prutton was once the most capped England Under 21 for example.

Archer has started more Prem games than he has started on the bench, so it’s a very fair stat. His goal per game ratio is twice as bad as Che Adams. Nketiah by example has a ratio of about a goal every 5 games, so your opinion that’s he’s not as good as Archer is also null and void.

I think you’re missing the point I’m trying to say here, yes CF’s don’t have to be big and bulky, and yes Aguero did very well, but that’s because he had a big number 9 in Edin Dzeko alongside him, and that’s the point I’m making, we don’t have that.

Edited August 31 by bpsaint

[pimpin4rizeal]

I’d give it about a 6 whilst ramsdale  is actually the first absolutely proven top class buy we have had for a long time, I think we are still very very light with the striker situation .. I like archer but not sure I trust that russ will use him as a consistent starter  .

so far bar the ones we had last season only BBD and suga are making the team fernandes could well break through though and looks the pick of the rest 

but to me just feels like we have padded the Squad more then bought players that can walk into the side and improve it and striker position looks scary 

[pimpin4rizeal]

4 hours ago, egg said:

I think are overlooking Archer. The lad was first pick for England u21, and can clearly finish. Palace paid £30m for Nketiah. We paid half that for Archer and I think he's at least as good. 

We've done all right, and yep, I'd have liked a CF who could throw his weight about and bring others in, but Archer and BBD are decent and personally I think we'll do ok. 

Archer looks a great finisher .. question Is will russ use him as a starter as the lack of physical presence with archer could be a issue for the manager (not me)  I’m hoping we go back to a three with him in the middle today 

[egg]

5 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

Not pointless at all, you were trying to use playing for England U21s as a benchmark in quality, but it’s not. David Prutton was once the most capped England Under 21 for example.

Archer has started more Prem games than he has started on the bench, so it’s a very fair stat. His goal per game ratio is twice as bad as Che Adams. Nketiah by example has a ratio of about a goal every 5 games, so your opinion that’s he’s not as good as Archer is also null and void.

I think you’re missing the point I’m trying to say here, yes CF’s don’t have to be big and bulky, and yes Aguero did very well, but that’s because he had a big number 9 in Edin Dzeko alongside him, and that’s the point I’m making, we don’t have that.

That's nonsense, unless you think that stats tell the story. I'd hazard a guess that Archer will have scored more in the Arsenal team than he did elsewhere, and that Nketiah will have scored less in a lesser team than the Arsenal team.

I understand your point, but I think it's wrong. I don't agree that we must have a Pelle esque striker to stay up. You've ignored most of the examples I've given of non Pelle esque strikers who've done well. I'd hazard a guess that's because you know I'm right. 

 

[bpsaint]

2 minutes ago, egg said:

That's nonsense, unless you think that stats tell the story. I'd hazard a guess that Archer will have scored more in the Arsenal team than he did elsewhere, and that Nketiah will have scored less in a lesser team than the Arsenal team.

I understand your point, but I think it's wrong. I don't agree that we must have a Pelle esque striker to stay up. You've ignored most of the examples I've given of non Pelle esque strikers who've done well. I'd hazard a guess that's because you know I'm right. 

.

You wish eggy.

You’ve listed a load of strikers that are shorter in stature, which we have in Diaz and Armstrong, the thing is with all of your examples they were more often than not playing alongside a proper experienced target man, which we do not have! 

[Hopper]

50 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

You wish eggy.

You’ve listed a load of strikers that are shorter in stature, which we have in Diaz and Armstrong, the thing is with all of your examples they were more often than not playing alongside a proper experienced target man, which we do not have! 

Diaz is 6’1” mate what are you yapping 😂 

[tdmickey3]

The window is decent but if RM sticks with hie favourites for to many games it will be all in vain.

[bpsaint]

24 minutes ago, Hopper said:

Diaz is 6’1” mate what are you yapping 😂 

😂 he’s not an experienced target man though is he!

[Baird of the land]

Tempted to lower my score downwards from 3, given how toothless our attack looked today. No clue how the people in charge could look and think we could do without a centre forward.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Window:

Investment Amount: 9/10

Needed to replace: McCarthy, Downes, Stu, Che, Fraser, Brooks/Tella and get in some DM cover.
We got in: Ramsdale & McCarthy, Downes, Archer & BBD, Fraser, Cornet, Ugochukwu & Fernandes

We also got in Sugawara, Taylor, Edwards, Wood and Lallana and the obligation for THB.

An overhaul of the squad with lots more depth added. In terms of funds and endeavour to improve, I don’t think much more could have been asked for under the financial position the club are in.
 

Transfers: 6.5 - 7/10 – Did really well in a lot of areas, possibly except the most important: the need to compensate for Adams' departure. Need to see how Martin expects to get this working.

We didn’t replace Adams. We have a better finisher in Archer, but we’ll need to see if someone centrally can pick up the dropping deep, support and physical parts of his game. It’s a key part of the team. I’d have been happier losing quite a bit of the new squad depth to support getting someone else in here.

We’ve replaced Stu with Ugochukwu and Fernandes, to give more versatility to the midfield. It looks as though they may be used quite a bit, as Downes is the only one of the current 3 starters who has been decent. Aribo has strengths, but Fernandes is already looking more effective in the unit.

When Martin’s system clicked, we had Baz as part of a defensive unit that could ping the ball around the back. If Martin is going to use that again, Ramsdale’s passing needs to be pretty decent.

Manning would invert, and KWP roam providing plenty of passing options, also helped a lot by Smallbone. That approach looks sorely lacking already this season, not helped by the lack of a central outlet in an Adams replacement.

Despite the overhaul, it’s going to be a struggle to stay up. It’s a squad with more depth and options to it, than the one that came down.

But it’s not one that has massively improved (caveat of there being unproven players at this level , who may be excellent) on what came down. There are lots of unproven players and management needing to hit the ground running.