• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Upgrading the Team

agree that Dembele is kinda unique and thats why i was having trouble thinking about who could replace him

i would therefore keep him and utilize him Ledley style

However if he does leave, one player that came to mind who has greatly impressed as a defensive mid is Doucoure at Watford. Not a Dembele, but in his own way very effective
 
Onomah and Loftus-Cheek are both very Dembele-like in style

Not really. Both physical, and can dribble a bit but thats where it stops. I like Loftus-Cheek a lot, shame he's Chelsea as I think he would thrive under Poch. Even if Im not entirely sure what his best position is.


I suggested Grealish to no avail on here, and he is far better than Onomah so I dont see how he is the answer...

Totally different player. Grealish would be in competition more with Eriksen, which is no competition at all (even if he is a decent player)


However if he does leave, one player that came to mind who has greatly impressed as a defensive mid is Doucoure at Watford. Not a Dembele, but in his own way very effective

This is the key for me. Im a great believer in "Roles" and "Styles" being very different.

I dont think we will find another player in the style of Dembele at all.

However, if you break down his role, what is it? Help defend when on the back foot, and transition the ball forward.

Dembele does the former very effectively (and I dont think its hard to find in a player), and the latter by dribbling through players.

Someone else might achieve it by being a passing master. Others by playing 1-2s and effectively getting the ball forward...

We can replace the role, IMO, but it wont look anything like it does now.

Or, as I said, we might just change the way the CM operates altogether.
 
That's not huge......not for him, his talent, his age

We can definitely afford that
Due to the fact he is such a huge star in the US and is actually a very good player I suspect he will be round ~€100M - I don't think he is worth it but he is the only American who could play in a top club on merit and everybody wants an American - I understand he is actually well known over there already.
 
will keep banging this drum - I think N'zonzi would be a good replacement Dembele - had an up and down season this year but was a beast last year and he has PL experience.
 
He never really impressed at Stoke/Blackburn, seemed to just drift along. Was clearly capable as well so I imagine somewhat frustrating for them.

Sounds like he has done well since leaving though.

Isnt he a bit old now?
 
He never really impressed at Stoke/Blackburn, seemed to just drift along. Was clearly capable as well so I imagine somewhat frustrating for them.

Sounds like he has done well since leaving though.

Isnt he a bit old now?
29 (think we could do with a bit of experience) I liked him at Stoke and thought he would make the step up. I don't watch much Spanish football but listen to and respect Sid Lowe (https://soundcloud.com/thespanishfootballpodcast) and last year he was up there with the best player in the league (bar the big two). He had issues with the manager this season and we could have picked him up cheap in January.
 
Due to the fact he is such a huge star in the US and is actually a very good player I suspect he will be round ~€100M - I don't think he is worth it but he is the only American who could play in a top club on merit and everybody wants an American - I understand he is actually well known over there already.

Nowhere near 100 mill. He only has two years left on his contract so his transfer value is already starting to reduce.

Dortmund sold Aubamayang, a proven world class striker for 55 mill.

The American angle? Not sure if that will make him any more expensive
 
Nowhere near 100 mill. He only has two years left on his contract so his transfer value is already starting to reduce.

Dortmund sold Aubamayang, a proven world class striker for 55 mill.

The American angle? Not sure if that will make him any more expensive

They sold an aging trouble making Aubamayang that they wanted rid of (see mooted transfer to China) for 55 mill they sold a young Dembele for €135m.

You are right about the two years left but I do think the American angle does put up his price up (supply and demand etc). I cant see him leaving this summer for less than €75m - Marital was near enough €70m (achievable addons included) and I would imagine there is more demand for Pulisic.

We will see.
 
Wall of text incoming

I'm going to take my post in a different direction as I think we may need to consider whether or not Poch favours a back 3 or back 4. A lot of what we are considering is based around the assumption that we are going to stick with a 4231, but there have been whispers over this year (I can't remember the sources) that a back 3 is still in Poch's plans.

Although rumours, the fact that we went back to using a back 3 against West Brom might prove that there is no smoke without fire. This game actually got me thinking as we saw Eriksen playing as one of the two CM's in this game, something that in the latter system we had not seen, with Dembele, Dier and Wanyama occupying the midfield two.

The question I'm throwing down here is whether or not the idea has legs. We were poor in the system against West Brom, but weren't much better in the 4231 against Saudi Sportswashing Machine either. There have been highlights too, the Madrid games and Liverpool at home were great examples of the system working out, but we have also seen great results in both a 4231 and 433 (thinking of the second half against Chelsea (A)).

Keeping with the idea that a 343 is the primary plan, what do we need to consider before jumping into the transfer market?

The makeup of the midfield
Winks was impressive early in the season as the central point of the midfield. Having a creative player in one of those spots in front of the defence makes a difference, Poch using Eriksen there against West Brom could indicate a similar line of thought. Do we need a creative player sitting deeper alongside a holder? How about two box to box midfielders working in a pivot or maybe even two dictators like Winks and Eriksen?

The combinations are multiple and to be honest would likely be the result of who we are playing against. What is certain is that for a lot of games, we will likely see Eriksen and Winks share a role. This is not a slight on Winks, in fact there
could be games where the pair could play together, but for the most part I get the feeling that a more solid CM would be preferred alongside the creator.

Dele in the front 3 or the midfield
Dele has shown that his anticipation and movement are his biggest strengths. One of his best performances was the away game at Chelsea, where in the second half he occupied the LWF position. He would play more like the Dele of last season (2016/2017), making late runs into the box and making the most of the space that Kane will create.

On the other hand, moving him back into CM would allow for Poch to field an even more aggressive lineup with Son and Moura working alongside Kane. In some games, having the pure pace of those players pinning back the opposition back 4 would be prefferable.

The front 3
Kane, Son and Moura are three players that we will likely see next year. There are questions over whether or not Lamela will be here next year. With interest from Italy and only two years left on his contract, we may cash in and re-invest elsewhere.

Llorente and Janssen are both likely to leave, although keeping the big Spaniard could still be beneficial for when we need a plan B or C, he's now third choice behind Kane and Son.

Conservatively speaking, I expect Dele to be player number 4 in this lineup so who are 5 and 6?
Martial, would be ideal as he does have the ability to both play in the place of Kane or Son. Son can in turn play across the front 3 whilst Dele and Moura can cover LWF and RWF respectively. Other names have been listed as potential targets; Zaha, Pulisic, Baily, Malcom and Bale are all names that have been linked with us since January. With just one one of these players purchased we could leave the 6th spot open for youth development.

The Defence

If we do lose Alderweireld this summer as expected, do we bring in a replacement or work with what we have? Foyth has been great as a backup and possesses the calmness and footballing ability required to play in the system. Davies and Dier are both capable of dropping in and CCV may be kept around next season. Theoretically that leaves us with 4 CB's and 2 others that can rotate in if required.

The strong rumours linking us with Sessegnon coupled with Danny Rose seemingly deciding to stay with Spurs, could lead to Davies rotating through LB as well as LCB.

If we do purchase an Alderweireld replacement, what calibre of player do we get? An experienced CB, who can rotate in but won't object to spending time benched whilst Foyth and/or CCV get game time or a guaranteed starter? Personally I prefer the latter, but only Poch will know how close Foyth and CCV are to being first team ready.

Sales
Alderweireld - Not out of choice, but the situation we are now in pretty much necessitates a sale.
Sissoko - He has been useful at times this year, but I would not be suprised to see him sold.
Dembele - The stories floating around sound like he wants a longer contract than we are willing to offer. I'd prefer to see him kept in, but would not be suprised to see him let go.
Wanyama - In the system I am considering, there may not be enough games for both defensive midfielders to get all the minutes they would want. A lot might hinge on the CB situation and whether or not Dier becomes a certainty in midfield or spends more time rotating into defence.
Jannsen
Llorente
Lamela

Purchases
Sessegnon
A new attacker for the front 3
A new box to box CM
? A replacement CB of some description.
 
They sold an aging trouble making Aubamayang that they wanted rid of (see mooted transfer to China) for 55 mill they sold a young Dembele for €135m.

You are right about the two years left but I do think the American angle does put up his price up (supply and demand etc). I cant see him leaving this summer for less than €75m - Marital was near enough €70m (achievable addons included) and I would imagine there is more demand for Pulisic.

We will see.

Really don't see it, Martial was a rip off, United were in their desperate phase and they well and truly bent them over on that one.

Aubamayang was a proven goalscorer with a track record.

I could see him going for the 50-60 range, the US angle would only really make him more valuable to us (we spend a lot of PR on US market), other clubs will probably see that as negative (how many US players truly made it to top).
 
Wall of text incoming

I'm going to take my post in a different direction as I think we may need to consider whether or not Poch favours a back 3 or back 4. A lot of what we are considering is based around the assumption that we are going to stick with a 4231, but there have been whispers over this year (I can't remember the sources) that a back 3 is still in Poch's plans.

Although rumours, the fact that we went back to using a back 3 against West Brom might prove that there is no smoke without fire. This game actually got me thinking as we saw Eriksen playing as one of the two CM's in this game, something that in the latter system we had not seen, with Dembele, Dier and Wanyama occupying the midfield two.

The question I'm throwing down here is whether or not the idea has legs. We were poor in the system against West Brom, but weren't much better in the 4231 against Saudi Sportswashing Machine either. There have been highlights too, the Madrid games and Liverpool at home were great examples of the system working out, but we have also seen great results in both a 4231 and 433 (thinking of the second half against Chelsea (A)).

Keeping with the idea that a 343 is the primary plan, what do we need to consider before jumping into the transfer market?

The makeup of the midfield
Winks was impressive early in the season as the central point of the midfield. Having a creative player in one of those spots in front of the defence makes a difference, Poch using Eriksen there against West Brom could indicate a similar line of thought. Do we need a creative player sitting deeper alongside a holder? How about two box to box midfielders working in a pivot or maybe even two dictators like Winks and Eriksen?

The combinations are multiple and to be honest would likely be the result of who we are playing against. What is certain is that for a lot of games, we will likely see Eriksen and Winks share a role. This is not a slight on Winks, in fact there
could be games where the pair could play together, but for the most part I get the feeling that a more solid CM would be preferred alongside the creator.

Dele in the front 3 or the midfield
Dele has shown that his anticipation and movement are his biggest strengths. One of his best performances was the away game at Chelsea, where in the second half he occupied the LWF position. He would play more like the Dele of last season (2016/2017), making late runs into the box and making the most of the space that Kane will create.

On the other hand, moving him back into CM would allow for Poch to field an even more aggressive lineup with Son and Moura working alongside Kane. In some games, having the pure pace of those players pinning back the opposition back 4 would be prefferable.

The front 3
Kane, Son and Moura are three players that we will likely see next year. There are questions over whether or not Lamela will be here next year. With interest from Italy and only two years left on his contract, we may cash in and re-invest elsewhere.

Llorente and Janssen are both likely to leave, although keeping the big Spaniard could still be beneficial for when we need a plan B or C, he's now third choice behind Kane and Son.

Conservatively speaking, I expect Dele to be player number 4 in this lineup so who are 5 and 6?
Martial, would be ideal as he does have the ability to both play in the place of Kane or Son. Son can in turn play across the front 3 whilst Dele and Moura can cover LWF and RWF respectively. Other names have been listed as potential targets; Zaha, Pulisic, Baily, Malcom and Bale are all names that have been linked with us since January. With just one one of these players purchased we could leave the 6th spot open for youth development.

The Defence

If we do lose Alderweireld this summer as expected, do we bring in a replacement or work with what we have? Foyth has been great as a backup and possesses the calmness and footballing ability required to play in the system. Davies and Dier are both capable of dropping in and CCV may be kept around next season. Theoretically that leaves us with 4 CB's and 2 others that can rotate in if required.

The strong rumours linking us with Sessegnon coupled with Danny Rose seemingly deciding to stay with Spurs, could lead to Davies rotating through LB as well as LCB.

If we do purchase an Alderweireld replacement, what calibre of player do we get? An experienced CB, who can rotate in but won't object to spending time benched whilst Foyth and/or CCV get game time or a guaranteed starter? Personally I prefer the latter, but only Poch will know how close Foyth and CCV are to being first team ready.

Sales
Alderweireld - Not out of choice, but the situation we are now in pretty much necessitates a sale.
Sissoko - He has been useful at times this year, but I would not be suprised to see him sold.
Dembele - The stories floating around sound like he wants a longer contract than we are willing to offer. I'd prefer to see him kept in, but would not be suprised to see him let go.
Wanyama - In the system I am considering, there may not be enough games for both defensive midfielders to get all the minutes they would want. A lot might hinge on the CB situation and whether or not Dier becomes a certainty in midfield or spends more time rotating into defence.
Jannsen
Llorente
Lamela

Purchases
Sessegnon
A new attacker for the front 3
A new box to box CM
? A replacement CB of some description.

Quick comment - no way I see Wanyama leaving unless the club feels he won't recover to his previous levels post injury. Poch likes a DM and with Dier as a utility player the risk of depending on Dier as sole DM is too high.
Don't see us selling Lamela either, he's one of those energy players that Poch values.
 
We have been linked with Alfie Mawson at Swansea for about a year now. With Swansea's relegation and our previous good relationship with them, I wonder if Mawson will be a cheaper alternative to DeLigt as a Toby replacement.
 
We have been linked with Alfie Mawson at Swansea for about a year now. With Swansea's relegation and our previous good relationship with them, I wonder if Mawson will be a cheaper alternative to DeLigt as a Toby replacement.

He would be cheaper but this season I have gone really marmite on him

Some days I can see a real player there and some days he looks dog brick
 
We have been linked with Alfie Mawson at Swansea for about a year now. With Swansea's relegation and our previous good relationship with them, I wonder if Mawson will be a cheaper alternative to DeLigt as a Toby replacement.

He's not very good though is he. Maguire, Lascalles and both the Burnley CBs would all be better options
 
Lamina at Southampton has shown flashes of serious ability.

We were linked heavily in January, I had a look at him then (not knowing much).

He is raw, but has something about him for sure. Played under Biesla, which is always a plus, and has all the attributes someone like Poch would love.

That said, hasnt exactly set the league alight at SCBC. Could be its a settling in phase and next season he'll step up, could be he just isnt that good!

Interesting prospect though, one Ive been trying to keep an eye on since.
 
Back