OK so here's a name - Felipe Anderson. Maybe someone who watches Serie A could provide more info on his performances?

21 year old Brazilian winger. Plays for Lazio. 5 goals, 4 assists so far this season. Going purely off his stats he seems to be very good on the ball, a dribbler. He recently cost about €8m.

http://www.worldsoccer.com/blogs/felipe-anderson-making-waves-lazio-358940

Costa is a good air threat.

Can't agree with that. It's the weakest part of his game.

What people on here think about Cuadrado? Don't know much about him except from the World Cup, but we were linked with him before.

Is cuadrado any better than what we have?

I think were pretty much set for our starting 11 now and we could easily keep it that way for a few seasons. Next summer will see a few leave and a few join but I don't see a massive clear out.

Out:

Mikel

Salah

Drogba

I don't think we'll but any really big names unless we decide to cash in on one of our big players (which we hopefully won't do!)

Baker, Loftus-Cheek, Ake, Blackman, Bamford, Chalobah and Boga should be given a chance. Also I think we should bring Bertrand back.

 

And about transfers, I think we have a perfect squad for 2-3 seasons, we just need to sell few.

 

Mikel

Salah

Luis

Schurrle

Edited January 11, 201511 yr by IliyaKrostin

Baker, Loftus-Cheek, Ake, Blackman, Bamford, Chalobah and Boga should be given a chance. Also I think we should bring Bertrand back.

I doubt Bertrand will want to come back after pretty much nailing down a spot with Southampton

What people on here think about Cuadrado? Don't know much about him except from the World Cup, but we were linked with him before.

Better than Willian, but not by enough to spend money on. 

 

Watching the Barca/Atletico game.. man there's no chance we get Messi or whatever, but Koke is a wonder.

Better than Willian, but not by enough to spend money on.

Watching the Barca/Atletico game.. man there's no chance we get Messi or whatever, but Koke is a wonder.

I do like koke. Would he play cesc's position or up on the right am role?

Seriously, watched today Koke's game, nothing special. To be honest I never found something special in his game, Pogba is much better. 

Seriously, watched today Koke's game, nothing special. To be honest I never found something special in his game, Pogba is much better. 

I wouldn't say much better, but definitely more dynamic with a higher ceiling. 

 

Koke is an excellent link up player who makes players around him better.

 

Yeah, it wasn't his best game.. but no one on Atletico was good today. 

Costa/Remy/Bamford - where's the aerial threat lads? City have been successful domestically in recent years because of the adaptability in their squad, while I agree Bamford deserves a chance, assuming Drogs retires/leaves we have no 'plan B' with that front 3. I'd hope we'd be in for Kane/Dzeko/Benteke/Muller/Mandzukic to give us an aerial threat, but if any of them are unavailable for whatever reason, at 6.4" i'd be happy to see Stipe Perica in the squad for next season (as the 3rd/4th choice striker alongside Bamford). Mario Gomez??

Gomez is one of my favorite players, but he is truly a shadow of what he once was. I think Costa is good enough in the air, but the problem seems more with our wingers/fullbacks not crossing than our strikers being unable to convert the chances. Fabregas is currently our highest crosser by far according to WhoScored.

Gomez is one of my favorite players, but he is truly a shadow of what he once was. I think Costa is good enough in the air, but the problem seems more with our wingers/fullbacks not crossing than our strikers being unable to convert the chances. Fabregas is currently our highest crosser by far according to WhoScored.

 

I agree on recent form he isn't the player he was at Stuttgart/Bayern - I believe he only has 1 goal in 12 in Serie A this season? But I digress, I'd sign him for his hold up play if nothing else.... I think he'd do well in the Prem, and at 30 may be happy to play second choice to Diego...

Edited January 13, 201511 yr by the special one

Ivanovic/New Signing------Cahill/Zouma------Terry/Kalas/Christensen------Azpil/Luis

 

------------------------------Fabergas/Ake---------Matic/Mikel

 

----New Signing/Willian-----------Oscar/Loftus-Cheek---------Hazard/Schurrle

 

-------------------------------------Costa/New Signing/Remy

 

I don't think we need a new signing in RB because Kalas and Christensen are able to play there if needed, and honestly I think starting Kalas in RB more for games would be hugely beneficial to both us and him. Terry needs reduced minutes next season and I think Zouma/Christensen would be perfect to take his role. Fabregas/Ake is perfect and I think Loftus cheek can play the Matic position instead of Mikel. Mikel needs to go.

 

Also if we can get rid of Schurrle for Reus and sell Salah and other trash loanees like Marin we can even promote Baker to play some games.

 

Bamford or Perica can fill in as the 3rd striker I think, we dont need to buy more players for no reason

 

My ideal squad for next season would be:

 

Courtois

Cech

Blackman

 

Bertrand

Terry

Cahill

Ivanovic

Zouma

Kalas

Azpilicueta

 

Matic

Fabregas

Ramires

Ake

Loftus-Cheek

 

Reus

Willian

Boga

 

Oscar

Baker

 

Hazard

Shurrle

 

Costa

Kane

Bamford

 

 

So that would be:

 

Out: Luis, Mikel, Salah, Drogba (retire), Remy

In: Reus, Kane

 

With the promotion of Bamford, Baker and Loftus-Cheek to playing more first team games.

 

Goalkeepers - Agree completely

Defence - Agree, except I want to see Christensen and Bertrand should be sold

Deeper Midfield - Sell Ramires is we can, also sell Mikel and as you said play Ake and RLC more and call back MVG

RW - Reus would be ideal along with Willian as back up

N0.10 Role - Oscar and Baker, maybe even Piazon or T.Hazard if we recall them from loan

LW - Hazard, Baker I think is enough, seeing as our AM trio can usually play in more than one position

Strikers - Costa, Remy and Bamford or Bertrand Traore (which people seem to have forgotten about) or another one of our current loanees

I think you are putting too much faith in our youngsters Praz. You can't just throw them all in at once. There is no way Kalas, Christensem, Ake, Loftus-Cheek, Baker, Van Ginkel and Bamford/Traore are all ready to come in and help us win titles. They are good prospects but they aren't going to improve our team if you throw them all in at once, if anything it would make us weaker. If we went with all of these youngsters next season then the gulf in class between our first team players and fringe players would be huge. Some of these players may not even be good enough for the Premier League yet so i think it would be a huge risk throwing them all in at once.

Does anyone follow Geoffrey Kondogbia?

 

I used to follow him about a year ago but I have no idea about him now he is at Monaco now I think. But he's a young lad, was looking good then, should be looking good now. I would like him next to Matic, to physically big players in the middle, Kondogbia also has a good amount of pace and he was good on the ball. His pass succession was 88% I believe at Sevilla.

 

I think that's the type of players we should  go in or anyway, either now or in the summer, many people will agree with that also should an injury hit Matic or Fabregas.

Does anyone follow Geoffrey Kondogbia?

I used to follow him about a year ago but I have no idea about him now he is at Monaco now I think. But he's a young lad, was looking good then, should be looking good now. I would like him next to Matic, to physically big players in the middle, Kondogbia also has a good amount of pace and he was good on the ball. His pass succession was 88% I believe at Sevilla.

I think that's the type of players we should go in or anyway, either now or in the summer, many people will agree with that also should an injury hit Matic or Fabregas.

Would take imbula over kondogbia all day.

Thorgan hazard seems the obvious choice to bring back for the squad. I hope to god we don't sell him.

Thorgan hazard seems the obvious choice to bring back for the squad. I hope to god we don't sell him.

 

Daily Express were reporting yesterday that Mourinho intends to introduce him into the first team squad from next season. 

 

Conflicts with other recent reports that we were going to sell him this month but seeing as he is only 21 and showing signs of promise I'm not too sure what we stand to gain from selling him at the moment. 

Courtois

Cech (if he will stay it would be amazing)

Blackman

 

Ivanovic

Zouma

Cahill

Terry

Azpi

Bertrand

 

Matic/Ake/Chalobah

Fabregas/Baker/Ramires

 

Willian/Boga

Oscar/Loftus-Cheek

Hazard/Traore

 

Costa/Remy/Bamford

 

This is the squad I'd like to see, but of course buying a new winger would be amazing. Someone like Reus to add more power and better football and to buy a good second striker. But I also woud like to see some players out.

 

Mikel - he was amazing all these years, never was against him but we can get better players and build some of our youngsters. He can be starting player in a lot of teams, so it would be good for him to leave.

Luis - well, whole fans likes him, but in my personal opinion he's not what we need. He's also 29 already, can't really see him improving something.

Schurrle - offers nothing unitll now, he's talented and a good player but sadly he can't really affect.

Salah - he made a mistake by signing to us I guess, I knew he is not going to play a lot. He has skills, he has great running and his football is pretty good but not enough for us.

 

Players which I would like to have:

 

Marco Reus - nothing to explain, i guess everyone here would like to have him here.

Andriy Yarmolenko - another excellent winger, can play as striker as well. 

Edited January 14, 201511 yr by IliyaKrostin

Daily Express were reporting yesterday that Mourinho intends to introduce him into the first team squad from next season. 

 

Conflicts with other recent reports that we were going to sell him this month but seeing as he is only 21 and showing signs of promise I'm not too sure what we stand to gain from selling him at the moment. 

Said the same about Chalobah as well, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Said the same about Chalobah as well, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

 

It doesn't particularly bother me whether we promote accademy/youth players but Thorgan Hazard has had 2.5 decent seasons now and considering Salah is proving less useful than a chocolate tea pot and Schurrle is keeps playing 45 minutes and then going AWOL for a month.

 

Surely a lad who's proving to be pretty useful could be a decent addition to the squad?

 

The thing with Chalobah was that, in my opinion, he was a long way away from the quality of players we already had in the squad and was always unlikely to get playing time because of that.

 

We've got a lack of depth in quality in the wide areas right now and so it might be that it's convenient for club to bring Thorgan in.... Who knows?  

I'd like to see clyne brought in, decent young and English, I really don't want to see our team with just one English player in it (cahill) when JT retires. We don't need another striker, as I feel Bamford is more than capable of being 3rd or second choice, then Solanke in a few years bursting onto the scene. if we do sign Pogba (which would be one heck of signing) it will throw away the careers of Baker and Loftus-Cheek in my opinion, which is something I don't want to happen.

I get what people mean when they say about wanting the youth to be given a chance, But i just don't know how people would prefer to try the youth instead of signing world class players like Varane or Pogba. I'd take these two all day long.

 

The youth need to be given a chance as being the back up players of the squad, Instead of dross like Salah, Mikel etc

T-hazard and bamford are two players I would like to see here. I heard mourinho is a big fan of bamfotd, so I don't see us selling him. It would be great to sign the next Ronaldo or Messi, but we may have to wait many years for that kind of player to arrive on the scene; most youth players seem to be in it for the financial gain alone, not improving themselves as footballers like Ronaldo has through sheer determination, self motivation and hard work. These days the youngsters get offered nice contracts and good money to be youth players for top teams, so they don't see the need in becoming the best.

I hope we have youth players with that mentality, but it's going to be hard to find as they all seem to think they're entitled to play in the first team without actually proving themselves when on loan or when given a chance in the first team.

Edited January 14, 201511 yr by enigma