I'm not buying into what some have been saying on here that we need to spend sh*t loads on another overhaul. We have a lot of very high quality players, but we are defintely lacking in a few key areas, most notably centre forward and centre midfield.

So, with that in mind, this is what I think our squad should look like next year (roughly). What do you think it should be?

---

Transfers Out:

Hilario - End of contract (Can't believe he's still here tbh)

Cole - End of contract

Essien - £3m?

Eto'o - End of contract

Torres - £5m?

Kakuta - £2m?

Marin - £3m?

Moses - £3m?

Ba - £6m?

Transfers In:

One of either: Falcao, Lewandowski, Rooney (Depending on who is available and who is for sale) - £40m?

One of either: Bonucci, Ramos, Hummels, etc... (Depending on who is available and who is for sale) - £30m?

Luke Shaw - £20m?

For the sake of the squad layout, i'll assume: Falcao and Bonucci

---

The format is:

Position:

First choice

Second choice

Promising youngster as 3rd choice

---

GK:

Courtois

Cech

Blackman

LB:

Shaw

Bertrand/PVA

(Unknown)

RB:

Azpilcueta

Luiz

Kane/Kalas

LCB:

Terry

Cahill/Luiz

Kalas

RCB:

Bonucci

Ivanovic/Luiz

Kalas

DCM:

Luiz/Romeu

Mikel/Van Ginkel

Chalobah

CM:

Ramires

Lampard

Van Ginkel

CM:

Oscar

De Bruyne

McEachran

LAM:

Hazard/Shurrle

De Bruyne

Piazon

CAM:

Mata

Oscar

Piazon

RAM:

Shurrle/Hazard

Willian

Piazon

ST:

Falcao

Lukaku

Bamfrod/Feruz

That to me should be more than enough quality to compete in all competitions.

What would your squad look like?

Edited December 8, 201312 yr by Zeta Orionis

Transfers Out:

Hilario - End of contract (Can't believe he's still here tbh)
Cole - End of contract
Essien - £3m
Eto'o - End of contract
Torres - £5m
Kakuta - £2m
Marin - £4m
Moses - £7m
Ba - £6m

Mikel - 10m

Willian - 20m. I like him but there's no point having the amount of AMs/Wingers that we have right now. 

Lampard - end of contract. 

Transfers In:

One of either: Falcao, Lewandowski, Rooney (Depending on who is available and who is for sale). Falcao - 60m; Lewandowski - free; Rooney - 25m
One of either: Mangala - very similar to mould to Terry, not sure if he's a leader but he's a very good young CB - 25m 

Luke Shaw - £20m + Bertrand

I'll assume: Rooney & Mangala. Falcao is the best one there but I'd be happy with any 

---

The format is:

Position:
First choice
Second choice
Promising youngster as 3rd choice

---

GK:
Courtois
Cech
Blackman

LB:
Shaw
Azpi

RB:
Azpilcueta
Luiz
Kane/Kalas

LCB:
Mangala
Cahill/Luiz
Kalas

RCB:

Ivanovic

Luiz

Omeruo 


CM #1 in 4-3-3:

New signing (depends)

Van Ginkel/Oscar

Swift

 

CM #2 in 4-3-3:

New signing (depends)

Ramires

???

 

CM in a 4-2-3-1:

...Pogba/Gundogan/new signing
De Bruyne
Swift

 

(Yes, I don't think Ramires is good enough to start for us) 

 

 

DM: 

Bender

Van Ginkel

Chalobah 

LAM:
Hazard
De Bruyne/Schurrle
Piazon

CAM:
Mata
Oscar/KDB
Piazon

RAM:

KDB

Schurrle

Piazon

ST:
Falcao/Rooney (whatever one we get) 
Lukaku
Bamford/Brown/Piazon 

Edited December 8, 201312 yr by MANoWAR

These threads always make me giggle

ST:

Zlatan.

Plz Santa?

You can tell we've lost. 

Is the season over?

Not giving up on this season just yet. Have the talent to make it work now.

 

But because I like a bit of fantasy football and I'm bored:

 

In: Lewandowski, Cabaye, Matuidi, Zouma, Shaw.

 

Return from loan: Lukaku, Piazon, Chalobah

 

Out: Eto'o, Ba, Torres, Mikel, Luiz, Cole, Lampard (both retired)

 

Leaving us with a team of:

 

(4-3-3) Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand/Shaw, Matuidi, Ramires, Cabaye, Mata, Hazard, Lewandowski

Rest: Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Chalobah, De Bruyne, Oscar, Lukaku, Schurrle, Willian, Bertrand/Shaw, Piazon

 

Or (4-2-3-1) Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand/Shaw, Ramires, Cabaye, Mata, Oscar, Hazard, Lewandowski

Rest: Rest: Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Zouma, Chalobah, De Bruyne, Oscar, Lukaku, Schurrle, Willian, Bertrand/Shaw, Piazon. 

 

Lewandowski and Matuidi both come on frees. Zouma and Shaw are young and cheapish. Cabaye is the only one cost 20m plus.

Cabaye? no thanks.

You can tell we've lost. 

 

 

Is the season over?

 

 

Is there a restriction on when we are allowed to speculate about next year's squad then?

 

I find it fun to talk about who we would sign/sell/etc... and what we think the squad could look like. I wasn't aware I wasn't allowed to do this without the say-so of certain people...

Untwist your knickers lad, it's just funny that these "who should we buy/sell" threads have a tendency to crop up after a loss. 

For god sake, not even half way through the season, some already wrote it off and started planning for the next one. 

 

From personal experience, Liverpool fans usually do this about this time of the year.

4231

Cech

Ivanovic (new cb signing) Terry Shaw

Pogba Matic

Hazard oscar/lampard Mata

Falcao / lukaku

Edited December 17, 201312 yr by cfcmhfc

4-3-3

Cech

Azpi Luiz Mangala Alex Sandro

Mikel

Van Ginkel

Oscar

Mata. Hazard

Falcao

Subs:

Courtois

Bertrand

Cahill

De Bruyne

Piazon

Essien

Lukaku

Can't get the formation to post the way I want it but it's pretty much a 433 with Mikel as holding mid and mata as a more central winger and hazard out wide.

Edited December 17, 201312 yr by Erik

So we're all convinced Torres will go then? Hmm...not sure about that one.

Cech

Courtois

Dave

Ivan

Cahill

Terry

Luiz (or another if he is sold to barca for 30m)

Bertrand

Shaw

Mikel

Ramires

Lampard

Lars bender/witsel/matic

Oscar

Hazard

Mata

Willian

Schurrle

Piazon or moses

Ba

Lukaku

Rooney (or anyone better than the current crop)

Sell/release: Cole essien torres (5m) eto'o kdb (15m) romeu (7m) moses/Piazon (5-10m)

Loan: mvg chalobah ake Bamford etc.

Just clear out the AM, CM and CF area, bring in matic, and Diego Costa in (maybe a LB too) and we're set.

 

With all those players being sold or off the wage bill, we could even and up making a profit in the summer.

Just clear out the AM, CM and CF area, bring in matic, and Diego Costa in (maybe a LB too) and we're set.

 

With all those players being sold or off the wage bill, we could even and up making a profit in the summer.

?

?

 

?

I never usually post in these threads but as it's Christmas:

 

GK:

Courtois/Cech/other random

 

RB:

Dave/Ivanovic

 

CB:

Terry/Cahill/Omeruo/Zouma (swap Zouma for Mangala if Monaco's 75% super-tax obligation holds true)

 

LB:

Cole/other (don't know who - not Shaw)

 

CM:

Ramires/Matic/Alonso/Guarin/Lampard (Imbula if Guarin doesn't come, Romeu if Alonso doesn't come)

 

AM:

Oscar/Willian/Hazard/Atsu/Piazon/Schurrle

 

Striker:

Lukaku/Costa/Torres

You would sell Mata?

You would sell Mata?

Yes and I think he's gone either way.

Atsu but no Mata.. jesus.Why not Shaw?.

I'm really happy we have Jose back, but if he gets rid of Mata I will never think the same of him.

Atsu but no Mata.. jesus.Why not Shaw?.

Oh sorry I read this thread as a predicted squad rather than the squad I am hoping for, although either way I think Mata gets beaten far too easily compared to pretty much every other player in our squad so we lose our defensive aggression compared to when the likes of Oscar play. Atsu with his directness, pace and powerful left foot offers us something our current squad lacks, and he's showing he has real quality in Holland at the moment.

 

I like Shaw but he won't come for 2013/2014 as he has said multiple times he wants to continue furthering his development by starting every game for Southampton and Pochettino, and Southampton have no financial obligation to push him out. He'll end up at Chelsea eventually but not this summer.

Yeah but without Mata we have no final ball.