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Daniel Levy - Chairman

DeanoAustin said:
I do think that another problem with our transfer inactivity last year is that most people are agreed we now potentially need 3-5 players:

Right back
Toby replacement (if he goes)
Midfielder
Eriksen replacement (if he goes)
Cover for Kane (like for like)

That’s 4-5 players. Integrating that many players together almost makes you a club in transition and is more difficult than doing 2 last summer and 2-3 this summer. All we’ve done potentially is kick the can down the road which will make it harder for the manager.

Fingers crossed Toby and Eriksen do stay to minimise this.
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Ill ignore the "if he goes" at the moment, because its a big if, could be nothing.

Which means you are concerned about integrating a right back and midfielder. Because obviously cover for Kane isnt going to play much anyway and will come through slower/later.

Is that really transitional?

Ok, so Alderweireld leaves. Will a CB be immediately integrated? Or (more likely IMO) Poch uses Sanchez with Vertonghen and whoever we sign gets time to acclimate...

Eiriksen is the real change maker, but the result of that will be a change in system IMO, and providing the players are suited I dont see it being too dramatic....
 
Another example is Norwich, who let Murphy and Maddison go but added Pukki, Leitner, Buendia and Krul to the first team, Jordan Rhodes also came in and probably expected to play more, a couple of other German loans and Aarons, Cantwell and Lewis prompted from the academy. Farke has a season to bed in his ideas and establish his authority and this season they flew.

We do have to be careful. But I would say we need it to feel like a refresh, a new era. Not entirely different from the one that came before, but we need to feel like we’re going up a gear. One midfielder, wide forward cover and a new right back wouldn’t really get us there. But then maybe it does take a season for the new guys to bed in, and maybe the one after next is when we really push for the title.
 
DeanoAustin said:
I do think that another problem with our transfer inactivity last year is that most people are agreed we now potentially need 3-5 players:

Right back
Toby replacement (if he goes)
Midfielder
Eriksen replacement (if he goes)
Cover for Kane (like for like)

That’s 4-5 players. Integrating that many players together almost makes you a club in transition and is more difficult than doing 2 last summer and 2-3 this summer. All we’ve done potentially is kick the can down the road which will make it harder for the manager.

Fingers crossed Toby and Eriksen do stay to minimise this.
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I'm usually quite negative about transfers. I think buying in mercenaries doesn't work (statistically transfers have a very high failure rate), and organic growth is much more effective.

I've been absolutely delighted that we've essentially had the same side for basically the past 5 seasons, in contrast to the no identity churn of randomers like Arsenal have.

However it does really feel know like an end of an era. Poch's punishing workrate is starting to show damage - in terms of exhaustion, injury and older players starting to struggle. Now is the time to start building Poch's second team (retaining the best/still fresh bits - Kane, Alli, Eriksen, Winks, Sanchez - of the first one).

For that reason, I'd actually exceptionally be pleased to see something on the scale of maybe 2/3 new starters plus 2/3 youth punts this summer.
 
I am starting to feel that what poch wants is a younger heart to this team again. There is no denying he is not afraid to promote the young players. Its also an easier way of getting high energy into the side. Its not a coincidence that City for example like to buy young or fast players. It allows for this high energy, high press game we have.

Some of our players seem to be settling so to speak, and we seem to lave the drive we had. We have countered that in other ways with good passing and tactical switches to our formation. I get the feeling now that Poch
want to inject some youth back into the team. Get that zest around the side again.

I agree with Deano on our needs. A new RB and a new Midfielder. Quality over quantity. If we sell Eriksen and toby leaves then we have to invest that money in their replacements. Younger players with that energy once more.
 
We've not got that many players in the early-20s age group at the moment - the sort of Kane/Mason/Alli/Dier core that Poch first built things around.

That group is now mid-20s, while the remnants of our strong 2012 intake (Lloris, Verts, Dembele) are in their early 30s now.

There's obviously Skipp, Oakley-Booth, Parrott etc. in the even younger group, but there's kind of a missing generation (assuming Onomah, 2CV and KWP won't be joining Winks/Sanchez/Foyth in the squad going forward).

That why I think some c.20 YO fullbacks like Sessegnon, Wan-Bissaka/Aarons and a young CF (alongside an established CM) would be very welcome.
 
Sandman said:
I am starting to feel that what poch wants is a younger heart to this team again. There is no denying he is not afraid to promote the young players. Its also an easier way of getting high energy into the side. Its not a coincidence that City for example like to buy young or fast players. It allows for this high energy, high press game we have.

Some of our players seem to be settling so to speak, and we seem to lave the drive we had. We have countered that in other ways with good passing and tactical switches to our formation. I get the feeling now that Poch
want to inject some youth back into the team. Get that zest around the side again.

I agree with Deano on our needs. A new RB and a new Midfielder. Quality over quantity. If we sell Eriksen and toby leaves then we have to invest that money in their replacements. Younger players with that energy once more.
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And the good thing is, hopefully the younger players we do sign will be coming into a club and a team that believes it is a big club that deserves trophies. With the kind of good arrogance that Dele has. We need that through the squad.

Poch did a great job of making the most out of the younger players he inherited, but we never want a Danny Rose / Lamela style dinner again where Lamela is trying to convince Danny that we are capable of winning the League right in the middle of a title race. The next crop that come through should already believe it, because of where the club is now but also because in their own lives they have been bred for success.
 
In terms of a backup for Harry, I wonder how far along Troy Parrott is? I wouldn't be in favour of just throwing him in but would he be up to some pre-season games/sub appearances/cup appearances to get him up to speed with a view to being a back up for Harry by early 2020?
 
DeanoAustin said:
In terms of a backup for Harry, I wonder how far along Troy Parrott is? I wouldn't be in favour of just throwing him in but would he be up to some pre-season games/sub appearances/cup appearances to get him up to speed with a view to being a back up for Harry by early 2020?
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I get way more Joy out of seeing our Academy players make it into the team than just splurging cash for the sake of it. I never thought we should bought Aurier, and I wish KWP would have get more games. For me, Parrott seems to know where the net is. Like Owen or Fowler, if you are good enough then you are old enough. Lets hope he gets some games in the pre-season.

I also still have hope that CCV can come back and be in the rotation. He has done well at Swansea. So I dont see why not. Lets cut some of the chaff.
 
Sandman said:
I am starting to feel that what poch wants is a younger heart to this team again. There is no denying he is not afraid to promote the young players. Its also an easier way of getting high energy into the side. Its not a coincidence that City for example like to buy young or fast players. It allows for this high energy, high press game we have.

Some of our players seem to be settling so to speak, and we seem to lave the drive we had. We have countered that in other ways with good passing and tactical switches to our formation. I get the feeling now that Poch
want to inject some youth back into the team. Get that zest around the side again.

I agree with Deano on our needs. A new RB and a new Midfielder. Quality over quantity. If we sell Eriksen and toby leaves then we have to invest that money in their replacements. Younger players with that energy once more.
Click to expand...

I don't know if the players have settled, so to speak - at least, you can't judge that based on our lack of pressing this season.

Truth be told, we're pressing less because we have an atrocious midfield. This article from Statsbomb illustrates the problem -

https://statsbomb.com/2019/04/the-champions-league-underdog-bracket-preview-spurs-v-ajax/

...essentially detailing our 'middle block', where we don't press as high or as intensely, but also don't sit deep (aka the low block). And it points out that the reason we're doing that is because our midfield is pretty crap, so we're bypassing it with longer balls straight into the forwards, of Son, Alli, Eriksen and Kane, who then try to get the ball moving towards goal as quickly as possible - low quality chances, but lots of them, created quickly. So we try to force turnovers up high, and then in defense, but not so much in midfield ,where the weakness originates from.

To change that, we don't need young players, per se - we need *good* players. And they cost money.

Which means we won't get good players, because we won't spend money. But that's the root of the problem - not necessarily a lack of drive. At least when it comes to why we don't press as much.
 
A word for the man, Stadium & CL Final in same season, no wonder he's happy

1l0gk1ir82x21.jpg
 
Rorschach said:
He's not selling this club ever.
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Occasionally the words people use really give you insight.

A few years ago he did an interview (think it was about the plan for Stadium) and he referred to himself as simply a custodian of the club, someone having a duty, certainly not the mentality that he has often been accused of re quick buck or in it for the money only.
 
I looked at this picture really quickly and wondered what Aguero was doing in the bottom left of the pic lol, clearly far too drunk from last night still.

Raziel said:
A word for the man, Stadium & CL Final in same season, no wonder he's happy

1l0gk1ir82x21.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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