In that sort of game you really hope that Udogie can lighten the creative load but he was anonymous. One game yes but I think descriptive of his limitations.
Really hope he is the answer long term but either way LB is a clear deficiency in the squad.
I think his ban has ended a while back, didn't it?
We have had him as a consultant, and I think that deal is or has now ended. So should announce he is back working for us soon.
We've done well on the whole, and strengthened the spine of the side without totally overshadowing the players already here - who, let's not forget, still need a chance to show what they can do under Frank.
The best business of the window was actually tying Romero down to a new deal. Next to that, to stumble from Gibbs-White to Eze, and then end up with Simons who has the potential to outshine both of them, was both lucky and also a well-executed move by the club. Kudus was a good add-on to bring some ball-retention to that attacking midfield third, and Palhinha and Kolo Muani are solid and experienced players who will bring a dose of depth and know-how to a young side that sometimes lacks it.
Is it perfect? No. But we were operating in a truly insane window where Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea essentially kept their spending going right to the end, and even supposedly cash-strapped clubs like United dropped 200m like it was nothing. Premier League spending in summer 2025 has hit (iirc) about 4 billion pounds, which is just insane and also a bit morally galling that so much money is being spent on bread and circuses over people. But, it is what it is.
In this sort of hyper-competitive environment, a club like ours will lose out on deals, it's just inevitable. But we did well to prevent being overwhelmed by it and ended up standing our ground relative to the rest of the big six.
If we're still in the CL by winter, I think a depth CB who can play LB, would not go amiss. Perhaps Goncalo Inacio from Sporting, or someone like that.
And come the summer, Frank will have a better idea of which players work and don't work for him, so our spending in summer 2026 will hopefully be more targeted, planned, and hopefully early in the window compared to this year. With Paratici returning in October (apparently), I think we'll have options to pursue.
Overall, a good window with optimism aplenty.![]()
I don't think we could have gotten Simons or Kolo Muani earlier in the window. Simons (who was our first choice) was coveted by Chelsea and Kolo Muani (who we've been tracking for years) probably intended to join Juventus if theyhad stumped up the cash. In the meantime we acted on other opportunities when they arose, even if it they didn't work out. Just look at Villa scrambling around on deadline day picking up leftovers.
Hold the door!! Hold the door!! Hold the windoor!This thread of about to slam shut as well. Winter is coming
It's not a judgement made off that one game, it's a feeling I've had for a while. Tbf I think a lot of the times he was poor last season he wasn't fit, which will have been the case on the weekend.He also got, what, less than a single half to change a game in which we were dominated start to finish?
Don't think that's very fair on him tbh. He did go down the outside a couple of times and, together with Odobert, helped stretch the play on that side.
What worries me isn't his quality - it's his already concerning injury record.
Absolutely.There is a lot of room between A and B with those descriptions.
What does concern mean is the lack of homegrown talent we have in the squad. To fulfill the quota for the premier league and European squads (need 8) I think we have 7, and a couple of those are injured. Notably Madders. Solanke could be out longer than stated, and Davies being past his best. Our best youngsters are out on loan. Surely this should have been on the radar of those making transfer decisions?. Harvey Elliott would have been perfect.Whatever happened to
Akanji
Aklioche
Damsgarrd
Dibling
Eze
El Khannouss
Elliott
Gallagher
Guehi
Gibbs White
Grealish
Hincapie
Luis
Lookman
Mboumo
McAtee
Paz
Rabiot
Wissa
Zabarnyi
Please excuse the spelling I started to lose the will to live with all the genuine transfer info.
I'm sure there at least another dozen who were signing for us.
You say that but have you seen Liverpool’s HG and CT numbers?What does concern mean is the lack of homegrown talent we have in the squad. To fulfill the quota for the premier league and European squads (need 8) I think we have 7, and a couple of those are injured. Notably Madders. Solanke could be out longer than stated, and Davies being past his best. Our best youngsters are out on loan. Surely this should have been on the radar of those making transfer decisions?. Harvey Elliott would have been perfect.
What does concern mean is the lack of homegrown talent we have in the squad. To fulfill the quota for the premier league and European squads (need 8) I think we have 7, and a couple of those are injured. Notably Madders. Solanke could be out longer than stated, and Davies being past his best. Our best youngsters are out on loan. Surely this should have been on the radar of those making transfer decisions?. Harvey Elliott would have been perfect.