g88ner wrote: ↑Thu May 27, 2021 10:18 am
augie wrote: ↑Thu May 20, 2021 9:05 pm
I like chambers I really do, but I still believe that we need a better right full - no way could I justify spending £40m of an extremely small budget on a back up number 10 when we need a first choice right back AND a first choice number 8 to play alongside partey in midfield
Augie, totally agree we need a new right back but we’ve already got 3 of the fuckers (4 if you include AMN). Signing another isn’t an option surely?
People seem sure we’ll sell Bellerin for decent money. But to who exactly? He’s bang average and on £100k/wk. bang average clubs can’t afford that and talk of PSG & Juve wanting him is laughable.
Same with Cedric. The bloke has 3 years on his £100k/wk contract. Who will buy him?
We can’t keep accumulating right backs so my preference is to make do with Chambers and 1 other (Cedric/Bellerin) and concentrate this summer on signing an 8, 9 and 10.
I agree that we have stockpiled a number of right backs, but if I'm honest I dont think any of them are the required level - amn will go cos he doesnt see him as a right back and el beige doesnt see him as a midfielder. Bellend will go I think, but the transfer fee being banded about, and the clubs being linked with him, are both ridiculous and we will end up getting maybe £10m-£12m for him. Cedric will be the hardest to move on I think - not english so wont hold the same attraction for english clubs (as chambers would for example), and not done enough in his career to prise any type of decent (£8m-£10m) fee from any of europes clubs, so I suspect that we will almost have to give him away to get shot of him.
In my ideal world we sign a proper number 8 (attacking/link centre midfielder) as a priority (Aouar would be my preference but I would be ok with ward prowse). After that my preference would be totally influenced by what we do with existing players - sell laca and I would want a proper number 9, but likewise if leno wants out I would be quite ok selling him and buying a quality keeper. Signing bertrand as back up to tierney would make sense, but if we are not gonna give saliba a proper chance I would want to buy a top quality centre back - holding has never convinced me that he is anything but a decent back up, and I certainly wouldnt be happy with gabriel and mari as our first choice pairing.
Again I will say that I wouldnt buy bissouma unless we are selling at least one of xhaka and partey, and I wouldnt want the guy from norwich - if we had to sign a player in that position, then I would rather sign the young welsh kid (brooks) from bournemouth who is younger and cheaper, and has always impressed me when I seen him play