Now Sarri is in place, I've been having a think about what the squad should like this season.

Here is a depth chart of our squad currently (borrowed the format from Twitter), split between nailed on first teamers who might play every week, squad players and youth who are likely to play a role.  Red are players who I would move on, blue are signings.  This assumes we aren't selling Courtois or Hazard.

Now that Jorginho is signed, I think the key things we need to look at are central defence and attacking midfield. For me, we don't have an absolute rock to build our central defence around. Rudiger is the closest thing to a nailed on starter and he still has his weak spots. We also lack goals from midfield and the energy to implement a high press. Fabregas, RLC and Barkley all have different question marks over them. 

My preferred squad is something like this:

Manolas gives us an experienced defender who is strong and quick but can also pass. His release clause is also cheaper than what we're being quoted for Rugani who is an inferior player. Fekir and Bailey add goals (27 league goals between them last season) as well as a very strong pressing from the front. This takes the pressure off Morata (who I'm giving another season to prove himself). Luiz covers Jorginho as well as the central defenders.

22 senior players, plus five U21 players, with 5 homegrown players. Depending on what we raise from Willian and Michy, this ends up being a reasonably cheap summer that make significant improvement to the squad. It then puts us in a position to make the top four and consider some top line replacements for Luiz, Fabregas and Pedro when they come off contract next season. First team formation becomes something like:

--------------------Courtois--------------------

Dave------Manolas----Rudiger-------Alonso

----------Kante-----------Jorginho----------------

---------------------Fekir----------------------

-Bailey---------------------------------Hazard-----

--------------------Morata---------------------------

I like what you've done there Spiller.

 

Firstly, I would say Caballero is only good enough to be our number 3. There is no doubt about this in my mind. Reserve keeper is a crucial position within the squad and he is by far the weakest reserve keeper among any of the top clubs. Indeed there are much weaker sides with better reserve keepers than ours, such as Burnley for example and plenty of others. I would keep Courtois or bring in an adequate replacement, and then try to bring in Cech or Hart or someone of that ilk to be number two. They know Courtois is leaving sooner or later so they might fancy their chances of competing for the number 1 jersey.

 

We cannot have a youth player as our number 3. What purpose does it serve? Young players need to play, either for the reserves or out on loan. Besides, if they ever get thrown in, it can do more harm than good, if they are way out of their depth.

 

Next, full-backs. Alonso is too slow for me to operate in a back four. He is painfully slow and that's just a simple fact. It won't work, especially in the Prem. Dasilva is coming through. He was Charlton's POTY last term and we have to be careful with him because he's only signed until 2021. At the end of this year he only has two years left. He is an outstanding prospect. He needs another year on loan with regular football but we have to tie him down and next year he should really be in our squad. Liverpool aren't afraid to play the young ones and nor should we. I reckon Emerson will be our regular LB this term and Alonso will go next summer, making way for Dasilva, if we can tie him down. Even if we were to sell Alonso while his stock is high (as I would do), Zappacosta and Dave can cover on the left. I think Zappacosta may stay. One, because he's pacy, two, because he's good going forward, three because he can play either flank. I think he'll make a good squad player. Klopp at Liverpool has shown the benefit of good coaching and how it can improve players. We've seen it with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah and others. I hope Sarri can do the same.

 

If Zapacosta goes then we always have Moses, and of course there's Aina coming through, who only has two years left. We have to be very careful what we do with him. He thought long and hard before signing his last contract. He is nearly 22. We have to make a decision on him. If we loan him out again he's very unlikely to sign and then he's in his last year. Bring him back and get rid of Alonso, and one of Moses and Zappacosta. Moses is homegrown so that probably swings in his favour.

 

Centre-backs. I agree we don't have the perfect CB but I find the pursuit of Rugani very strange. We have Christensen. I don't think he was great last season but it was his first year in the Prem and he's pretty young. If Rugani comes where does he stand and what does this say to our other young players? Luckily he's tied for the next four years. The other one is Ampadu. Outstanding prospect and future captain material. He needs to be retained so I would get rid of both Zouma and Cahill. That means we have five CBS. Rugani (if he comes), Christensen, Luiz, Rudiger and Ampadu. It's a lot. More than we need. I'm expecting Luiz to have a massive season, because he'll be itching to play and prove a point. I don't think we need any CBs. Sarri should work with those four and improve them, IMO, giving Christensen and Ampadu ample game-time.

 

I really don't want to see Ampadu go on loan. We can bring him through. He is good enough.

 

Centre-mid. Bakayoko can go. Simple as that. What is he? Nobody knows. He's neither a DM, a creative player or a box-to-box. He's not good enough basically. Drinkwater can go as well. Don't forget we have Ampadu who can operate as a DM, and I want to see the kid get games so let's make some space for him in the squad. Keep Loftus-Cheek and Barkley. I've actually got really high hopes for Barkley, I rate him a lot higher than most people. I want to see him get an opportunity. If we keep Fabregas we've probably got enough midfielders for the season. Five plus Ampadu. I don't see a massive need to sign Golovin.

 

Wingers. I would get rid of Pedro. Don't rate him. I would keep Hudson-Odoi as I think this could be his breakthrough season, despite his age. He'll be 18 in November. It would be great to see him get games. We need a replacement for Pedro, and one for Willian if we sell him. I have no problem with this so long as they don't impede Hudson-Odoi's progress. He's another one I'd hate to see go on loan.

 

Lastly, strikers. Not bothered if Morata stays but if he goes obviously we want a top replacement. Giroud should stay and so should Abraham. I think it's time to bring Abraham into the squad. You can't keep loaning these players out. It's demoralising and eventually you lose them as they lose all connection with the club.  Having said that, he's tied to the club for the next four years so I wouldn't be surprised to see another loan. Personally, I would sell Batshuayi as I don't think he has the all-round game or the intelligence but you never know, maybe Sarri can work some magic. I'd keep Abraham and let him compete with Giroud for back-up striker. 

 

Courtois (or his replacement), Hart, Caballero, Dave, Moses, Emerson, Aina, Rudiger, Luiz, Christensen, Ampadu, Jorginho, Kante, RLC, Barkley, Fabregas, Hazard, Willian, CHO, a replacement for Pedro, Morata, Giroud, Abraham.

 

23 man squad with 4 youngsters, or 6 if we include Christensen and Ruben. That's what we want. Not sure how this complies with the homegrown quota, perhaps somebody can tell me. As you say, our squad doesn't need a whole lot of work. Bring in the kids, bring in a keeper and swap Pedro for a better player. All we need to do is get rid of a few and keep Hazard. I think Sarri would be more than happy with that squad, unlike our previous manager who couldn't stop complaining and boy did it grow tiresome.

Abraham is nowhere near good enough to be in our squad yet.

36 minutes ago, Davey Baby said:

I like what you've done there Spiller.

 

Firstly, I would say Caballero is only good enough to be our number 3. There is no doubt about this in my mind. Reserve keeper is a crucial position within the squad and he is by far the weakest reserve keeper among any of the top clubs. Indeed there are much weaker sides with better reserve keepers than ours, such as Burnley for example and plenty of others. I would keep Courtois or bring in an adequate replacement, and then try to bring in Cech or Hart or someone of that ilk to be number two. They know Courtois is leaving sooner or later so they might fancy their chances of competing for the number 1 jersey.

 

We cannot have a youth player as our number 3. What purpose does it serve? Young players need to play, either for the reserves or out on loan. Besides, if they ever get thrown in, it can do more harm than good, if they are way out of their depth.

 

Next, full-backs. Alonso is too slow for me to operate in a back four. He is painfully slow and that's just a simple fact. It won't work, especially in the Prem. Dasilva is coming through. He was Charlton's POTY last term and we have to be careful with him because he's only signed until 2021. At the end of this year he only has two years left. He is an outstanding prospect. He needs another year on loan with regular football but we have to tie him down and next year he should really be in our squad. Liverpool aren't afraid to play the young ones and nor should we. I reckon Emerson will be our regular LB this term and Alonso will go next summer, making way for Dasilva, if we can tie him down. Even if we were to sell Alonso while his stock is high (as I would do), Zappacosta and Dave can cover on the left. I think Zappacosta may stay. One, because he's pacy, two, because he's good going forward, three because he can play either flank. I think he'll make a good squad player. Klopp at Liverpool has shown the benefit of good coaching and how it can improve players. We've seen it with Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah and others. I hope Sarri can do the same.?

 

If Zapacosta goes then we always have Moses, and of course there's Aina coming through, who only has two years left. We have to be very careful what we do with him. He thought long and hard before signing his last contract. He is nearly 22. We have to make a decision on him. If we loan him out again he's very unlikely to sign and then he's in his last year. Bring him back and get rid of Alonso, and one of Moses and Zappacosta. Moses is homegrown so that probably swings in his favour.

 

Centre-backs. I agree we don't have the perfect CB but I find the pursuit of Rugani very strange. We have Christensen. I don't think he was great last season but it was his first year in the Prem and he's pretty young. If Rugani comes where does he stand and what does this say to our other young players? Luckily he's tied for the next four years. The other one is Ampadu. Outstanding prospect and future captain material. He needs to be retained so I would get rid of both Zouma and Cahill. That means we have five CBS. Rugani (if he comes), Christensen, Luiz, Rudiger and Ampadu. It's a lot. More than we need. I'm expecting Luiz to have a massive season, because he'll be itching to play and prove a point. I don't think we need any CBs. Sarri should work with those four and improve them, IMO, giving Christensen and Ampadu ample game-time.

 

I really don't want to see Ampadu go on loan. We can bring him through. He is good enough.

 

Centre-mid. Bakayoko can go. Simple as that. What is he? Nobody knows. He's neither a DM, a creative player or a box-to-box. He's not good enough basically. Drinkwater can go as well. Don't forget we have Ampadu who can operate as a DM, and I want to see the kid get games so let's make some space for him in the squad. Keep Loftus-Cheek and Barkley. I've actually got really high hopes for Barkley, I rate him a lot higher than most people. I want to see him get an opportunity. If we keep Fabregas we've probably got enough midfielders for the season. Five plus Ampadu. I don't see a massive need to sign Golovin.

 ?

Wingers. I would get rid of Pedro. Don't rate him. I would keep Hudson-Odoi as I think this could be his breakthrough season, despite his age. He'll be 18 in November. It would be great to see him get games. We need a replacement for Pedro, and one for Willian if we sell him. I have no problem with this so long as they don't impede Hudson-Odoi's progress. He's another one I'd hate to see go on loan.

 ??

Lastly, strikers. Not bothered if Morata stays but if he goes obviously we want a top replacement. Giroud should stay and so should Abraham. I think it's time to bring Abraham into the squad. You can't keep loaning these players out. It's demoralising and eventually you lose them as they lose all connection with the club.  Having said that, he's tied to the club for the next four years so I wouldn't be surprised to see another loan. Personally, I would sell Batshuayi as I don't think he has the all-round game or the intelligence but you never know, maybe Sarri can work some magic. I'd keep Abraham and let him compete with Giroud for back-up striker. ?

 ?

Courtois (or his replacement), Hart, Caballero, Dave, Moses, Emerson, Aina, Rudiger, Luiz, Christensen, Ampadu, Jorginho, Kante, RLC, Barkley, Fabregas, Hazard, Willian, CHO, a replacement for Pedro, Morata, Giroud, Abraham.?

 

23 man squad with 4 youngsters, or 6 if we include Christensen and Ruben. That's what we want. Not sure how this complies with the homegrown quota, perhaps somebody can tell me. As you say, our squad doesn't need a whole lot of work. Bring in the kids, bring in a keeper and swap Pedro for a better player. All we need to do is get rid of a few and keep Hazard. I think Sarri would be more than happy with that squad, unlike our previous manager who couldn't stop complaining and boy did it grow tiresome.

I agree with most of this, especially Alonso. In a back four he worries me, the best time to cash in on him would be now as his stock is high. I rate Ola Aina pretty highly, id keep him as backup for Azpi and look to sell Zappacosta, keep Moses as he can play on the wing and is home-grown.

@Davey Baby interesting thoughts. I think you would have 2 Club Home Grown (Christensen and RLC) 4 England Home Grown (Hart, Moses, Fab, Barkley) plus a few homegrown U21 youngsters. So your squad easily qualifies for EL and PL rules.

I agree largely particularly on Ampadu who I hope can get plenty of gametime in the EL. I'll spell out why I would keep Alonso, Bakayoko and Pedro though. The first two it's largely down to height and physical presence. My concern is that we have the potential to get too small. Jose always banked on 5 tall players in his team for set pieces. Without Alonso we would potentially only have three which leaves us vulnerable. His goals are also handy. In my view that makes up for his speed. Although once we return to the CL, I would look at an upgrade.

Bakayoko I agree with you on. He doesn't have the technical quality for Sarri's system yet. But we need his size in the squad because otherwise we start to look a bit too Arsenal tippy tappy soft. He's not perfect, but he might grow into it. Another who we can take a chance on and upgrade next year if required.

Pedro is simply a case of pragmatism. He isn't worth as much in the market as Willian and has only a year left on his contract. For me he will suit Sarri's system well. If our buildup happens on the left he is then given the space to do what he does best and that is finish. More than that I fancy us buying a young winger like Bailey. By keeping Pedro, we take the pressure off and let him have time to adapt without the need to play every game and be relied on from the start. Even then CHO still gets time in the EL when Hazard is rested.

4 hours ago, Zeta said:

Abraham is nowhere near good enough to be in our squad yet.

 

Firstly, I'd ask how many times you've watched him. It's possible you've watched him a few times and he hasn't performed well in those games but he's plenty good enough to be in our squad. He's just not good enough to be our front-line striker. He'll be 21 in a couple of months, and after two seasons out on loan, the last one a Premiership loan, now is the time to incorporate him into the squad, if we're ever serious of doing so.

 

At Bristol City he was incredible, in a team that nearly got relegated. Last season, Swansea struggled and changed their manager halfway through and eventually got relegated. That's not an easy induction for him. 8 goals in under 40 games last season. 1 in every 5, and presumably many of those were substitute appearances. He's got that season under his belt and it will have helped his development. There's every reason to believe he will be a very good Premiership striker, but you have to make allowances for his age. Next year he will be a whole lot better.

 

At Swansea, they're seeing very little of the ball, they're not creating many chances, he's just a kid leading the line. It's a hell of a learning curve. He will be a whole lot better.

 

It's easy to say he's not good enough yet but I'm sure there were Spurs fans saying that when they recalled Harry Kane. You should have a close look at Kane's stints on loan before he went back, not half as good as Tammy's. You have to make a decision with kids. Either you believe in them or you don't. Either you're going to give them a chance or you're not. Keep loaning them out and you lose them. He's had two years away, he's almost 21. He can be incorporated into the squad. Kane got minutes in 10 Premiership games in his first season back at Tottenham. 10 Premiership games and 3 goals. 4 goals in 19 games in all competitions. He was 20 at the time. I'm not saying Tammy can be as good as Kane but we'll never know unless he gets his chance. He can certainly match those stats.

 

Before he went back to Tottenham, Kane had only 4 Premiership games under his belt, and 0 goals. You either believe in your kids or you don't. If we don't, sell him.

 

If we're going to play with one striker, and we're going to have three strikers in the squad, I'd want Tammy to fight for that back-up role against someone more experienced like Giroud, whom he can learn from. Too many loans can be self-defeating in my view.

 

Edit: Tammy is a really really good young player.

Edited July 22, 20187 yr by Davey Baby

3 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

@Davey Baby interesting thoughts. I think you would have 2 Club Home Grown (Christensen and RLC) 4 England Home Grown (Hart, Moses, Fab, Barkley) plus a few homegrown U21 youngsters. So your squad easily qualifies for EL and PL rules.

I agree largely particularly on Ampadu who I hope can get plenty of gametime in the EL. I'll spell out why I would keep Alonso, Bakayoko and Pedro though. The first two it's largely down to height and physical presence. My concern is that we have the potential to get too small. Jose always banked on 5 tall players in his team for set pieces. Without Alonso we would potentially only have three which leaves us vulnerable. His goals are also handy. In my view that makes up for his speed. Although once we return to the CL, I would look at an upgrade.

Bakayoko I agree with you on. He doesn't have the technical quality for Sarri's system yet. But we need his size in the squad because otherwise we start to look a bit too Arsenal tippy tappy soft. He's not perfect, but he might grow into it. Another who we can take a chance on and upgrade next year if required.

Pedro is simply a case of pragmatism. He isn't worth as much in the market as Willian and has only a year left on his contract. For me he will suit Sarri's system well. If our buildup happens on the left he is then given the space to do what he does best and that is finish. More than that I fancy us buying a young winger like Bailey. By keeping Pedro, we take the pressure off and let him have time to adapt without the need to play every game and be relied on from the start. Even then CHO still gets time in the EL when Hazard is rested.

 

Interestingly, in the WC, Martinez always played Hazard up front towards the end of matches, and he'd take Lukaku off, and Hazard performed really well in that role. If we did that, CHO would get the chance to come on late in games and play on the left, his natural position. That's why I'm not too concerned about Hazard leaving us in the next year or two, great player that he is. That left flank will belong to CHO so we've already got his replacement in place. Different player of course but bags of quality. CHO can be a real superstar. Having said that, of course I'd like Hazard to stay, but that may have to be in a number 10 role at some point, because of CHO's potential.

 

I don't buy your theory on Pedro, Alonso and Baka Spiller. Alonso's height and goals make up for his speed when he plays WB, but not as a FB. I'm not saying he has to have bags of pace but he's just too slow, and you can't have that. We'd be very exposed on his flank. As for the height argument, well, they won't be playing, so their height is of no use on the bench. Furthermore, we're not a Jose Mourinho side any more, so we don't need to rely on height. I agree, it's a disadvantage if you have a small side but Sarri works a lot on organisation at set-pieces apparently so that should compensate for that. Besides, when it comes to Bakayoko, he neither uses his height or physique to his advantage. Physically he appears to be perfect for the Prem but I'm afraid the reality is a whole lot different. The guy just doesn't have the quality.

29 minutes ago, Davey Baby said:

 

Firstly, I'd ask how many times you've watched him. It's possible you've watched him a few times and he hasn't performed well in those games but he's plenty good enough to be in our squad. He's just not good enough to be our front-line striker. He'll be 21 in a couple of months, and after two seasons out on loan, the last one a Premiership loan, now is the time to incorporate him into the squad, if we're ever serious of doing so.

 

At Bristol City he was incredible, in a team that nearly got relegated. Last season, Swansea struggled and changed their manager halfway through and eventually got relegated. That's not an easy induction for him. 8 goals in under 40 games last season. 1 in every 5, and presumably many of those were substitute appearances. He's got that season under his belt and it will have helped his development. There's every reason to believe he will be a very good Premiership striker, but you have to make allowances for his age. Next year he will be a whole lot better.

 

At Swansea, they're seeing very little of the ball, they're not creating many chances, he's just a kid leading the line. It's a hell of a learning curve. He will be a whole lot better.

 

It's easy to say he's not good enough yet but I'm sure there were Spurs fans saying that when they recalled Harry Kane. You should have a close look at Kane's stints on loan before he went back, not half as good as Tammy's. You have to make a decision with kids. Either you believe in them or you don't. Either you're going to give them a chance or you're not. Keep loaning them out and you lose them. He's had two years away, he's almost 21. He can be incorporated into the squad. Kane got minutes in 10 Premiership games in his first season back at Tottenham. 10 Premiership games and 3 goals. 4 goals in 19 games in all competitions. He was 20 at the time. I'm not saying Tammy can be as good as Kane but we'll never know unless he gets his chance. He can certainly match those stats.

 

Before he went back to Tottenham, Kane had only 4 Premiership games under his belt, and 0 goals.

 

If we're going to play with one striker, and we're going to have three strikers in the squad, I'd want Tammy to fight for that back-up role against someone more experienced like Giroud, whom he can learn from. Too many loans can be self-defeating in my view.

 

Edit: Tammy is a really really good young player.

I watched enough of him at Swansea.

2 minutes ago, Zeta said:

I watched enough of him at Swansea.

 

How many Swansea games?

I'm not convinced Tammy Abraham will ever make it. He had a good loan at Bristol City, but at Swansea i thought he was really poor. He doesn't do anything for himself, he needs everything handed to him on a plate. He doesn't create for his teammates, he doesn't worry defences, he doesn't even create anything for himself. He needs a perfect delivery from his teammates or he makes no impact. I know that every striker needs help from their teammates, but the amount that he needed at Swansea was worrying. He doesn't seem capable of doing what all top strikers do, and that is make something out of nothing. He may gain that as his career progresses but i'm not seeing any sign of it happening just yet.

25 minutes ago, Scott Harris said:

He doesn't do anything for himself, he needs everything handed to him on a plate. He doesn't create for his teammates, he doesn't worry defences, he doesn't even create anything for himself. He needs a perfect delivery from his teammates or he makes no impact.

 

The opposite was true at Bristol City. Sure, you can say that was the Championship but he was in a struggling side and it was his first taste of professional football, and he was still a teenager. Last season he struggled in a struggling side, but it was his first taste of Premiership football, and as I've said, that's what learning is all about. He will be better for the experience. His team were in a dogfight, he was struggling for goals and his confidence took a knock. It will stand him in good stead. Now I'm not saying he will definitely make it at Chelsea, far from it. I'm saying the club have to make a decision. Do we really want him to go out on another loan? Really? Do we believe in him as a prospect? If we do, bring him back. If we don't, sell him. I would rather bring him back, because there aren't many strikers his age with more potential. How many 19 or 20 year olds do you see leading the line in the Premiership? A tough season is a good season in his development. Too many loans spoil the broth, in my opinion. It's getting ridiculous, and it must be disheartening for our kids. No wonder Solanke left us. It will be interesting to see how he does at Liverpool. Same age as Abraham. I wonder if we'll see them send him out on as many loans, or if they actually intend on giving their kid a chance. Look at Alexander-Arnold. Therein lies a lesson for all of us.

1 hour ago, Davey Baby said:

 

Firstly, I'd ask how many times you've watched him. It's possible you've watched him a few times and he hasn't performed well in those games but he's plenty good enough to be in our squad. He's just not good enough to be our front-line striker. He'll be 21 in a couple of months, and after two seasons out on loan, the last one a Premiership loan, now is the time to incorporate him into the squad, if we're ever serious of doing so.

 

At Bristol City he was incredible, in a team that nearly got relegated. Last season, Swansea struggled and changed their manager halfway through and eventually got relegated. That's not an easy induction for him. 8 goals in under 40 games last season. 1 in every 5, and presumably many of those were substitute appearances. He's got that season under his belt and it will have helped his development. There's every reason to believe he will be a very good Premiership striker, but you have to make allowances for his age. Next year he will be a whole lot better.

 

At Swansea, they're seeing very little of the ball, they're not creating many chances, he's just a kid leading the line. It's a hell of a learning curve. He will be a whole lot better.

 

It's easy to say he's not good enough yet but I'm sure there were Spurs fans saying that when they recalled Harry Kane. You should have a close look at Kane's stints on loan before he went back, not half as good as Tammy's. You have to make a decision with kids. Either you believe in them or you don't. Either you're going to give them a chance or you're not. Keep loaning them out and you lose them. He's had two years away, he's almost 21. He can be incorporated into the squad. Kane got minutes in 10 Premiership games in his first season back at Tottenham. 10 Premiership games and 3 goals. 4 goals in 19 games in all competitions. He was 20 at the time. I'm not saying Tammy can be as good as Kane but we'll never know unless he gets his chance. He can certainly match those stats.

 

Before he went back to Tottenham, Kane had only 4 Premiership games under his belt, and 0 goals. You either believe in your kids or you don't. If we don't, sell him.

 

If we're going to play with one striker, and we're going to have three strikers in the squad, I'd want Tammy to fight for that back-up role against someone more experienced like Giroud, whom he can learn from. Too many loans can be self-defeating in my view.

 

Edit: Tammy is a really really good young player.

This is the approach I wish we would take with the real gems of the academy. 

Some players play better when they are surrounded by quality, especially when you consider that our academy boys are used to playing for the best sides in Europe, dominating possession, and seeing slot of the ball. 

A relegation battle is a different world. Swansea were awful and created the least chances of any premier league team last season. 

The work ethic is there with Tammy, and I feel he will score goals for us.

The loans have served their purpose, he's cut his teeth, now it would be best for him to stay and train with top players, and try to make an impression in the limited appearances he will get. 

At some point we have to give the highly rated players the chance to sink or swim.

 

55 minutes ago, big blue said:

This is the approach I wish we would take with the real gems of the academy. 

Some players play better when they are surrounded by quality, especially when you consider that our academy boys are used to playing for the best sides in Europe, dominating possession, and seeing slot of the ball. 

A relegation battle is a different world. Swansea were awful and created the least chances of any premier league team last season. 

The work ethic is there with Tammy, and I feel he will score goals for us.

The loans have served their purpose, he's cut his teeth, now it would be best for him to stay and train with top players, and try to make an impression in the limited appearances he will get. 

At some point we have to give the highly rated players the chance to sink or swim.

 

 

I'm glad somebody agrees with me. 

 

Alexander-Arnold. Still a teenager. Never gone out on loan.

 

I actually think it's been two very positive loans for Abraham but I think a third loan is taking the piss, and I think it's totally misguided.

 

CHO and Ampadu are both 17 and will both be 18 by November. I think they're both good enough to have good seasons, at Chelsea. I would also bring back Aina, because of his contract situation. Loan him out again and that's it. If we think he might have a chance it's a no-brainer. Otherwise sell him.

23 minutes ago, Davey Baby said:

 

I'm glad somebody agrees with me. 

 

Alexander-Arnold. Still a teenager. Never gone out on loan.

 

I actually think it's been two very positive loans for Abraham but I think a third loan is taking the piss, and I think it's totally misguided.

 

CHO and Ampadu are both 17 and will both be 18 by November. I think they're both good enough to have good seasons, at Chelsea. I would also bring back Aina, because of his contract situation. Loan him out again and that's it. If we think he might have a chance it's a no-brainer. Otherwise sell him.

I know there is this argument that the cream always rises to the top, but I don't think that is the case.

I think opportunity and momentum, coupled with ability and work ethic, is what is required to reach the top. 

If John Terry was sold to Huddersfield Town, as a 19 year old, would he still have reached the top of world football? 

Alexander-arnold would have probably gone on loan if he was at chelsea, he would never have had the opportunity to step in for an injured 1st team player here. 12 months ago, would anyone have said Trent was better than Reece James, or Dujon Sterling? Probably not. 

We havent managed to get those key years between youth player, and 1st team player, right yet. 

Hopefully we manage to buck the trend with this current group, which are by far the best we've produced.

3 hours ago, Davey Baby said:

 

How many Swansea games?

I didn't count them. Quite a few.

18 minutes ago, big blue said:

I know there is this argument that the cream always rises to the top, but I don't think that is the case.

I think opportunity and momentum, coupled with ability and work ethic, is what is required to reach the top. 

If John Terry was sold to Huddersfield Town, as a 19 year old, would he still have reached the top of world football? 

Alexander-arnold would have probably gone on loan if he was at chelsea, he would never have had the opportunity to step in for an injured 1st team player here. 12 months ago, would anyone have said Trent was better than Reece James, or Dujon Sterling? Probably not. 

We havent managed to get those key years between youth player, and 1st team player, right yet. 

Hopefully we manage to buck the trend with this current group, which are by far the best we've produced.

 

Agree with every word, except the one in bold. Replace with "definitely".

I want us to trust CHO and give him a real go. Sell Willian.

He's been great every time- I've seen him.

If we buy Rob Green as 3rd choice keeper, we have a squad of 31 players, if you include Tammy, Musonda, CHO, Ampadu and Aina. It's way too big.

 

Two weeks until the window shuts and there will be a lot of movement. Unless we can tie Aina down this summer to a new contract, he absolutely has to stay with us, because another loan and he's gone for good. Remember how hard it was to convince him to sign last time? He won't sign again if we haven't offered him an opportunity to stake a claim. After this season he only has one season left so we'll be selling him next summer. For me, Aina has to stay. 44 appearances in the Championship last season. That suggests he did well. He may not be ready to play for us but we don't have time to f**k about. He needs to come in and he needs minutes. This means we need to let go of at least one FB, preferably two. Right now we have Emerson, Alonso, Aina, Dave, Zappacosta and Moses. Jesus it's a lot. It's ridiculous.

 

Sarri is going to find if he has too many players in his squad that spells trouble. Too many unhappy players not getting enough games. It bodes ill. 6 FBs is 2 too many. 

 

We also have 6 CBs, which again is ridiculous. Zouma, Ampadu, Luiz, Christensen, Rudiger and Cahill, and that's before we possibly sign Rugani, whom we don't need. We need to keep Ampadu and we need to get rid of 2, in order to make a path for him in the squad.

 

CMs. We have Drinkwater, Kante, Jorginho, Fab, Barkley, RLC and Bakayoko. We need to get rid of at least 1 and possibly 2. I would get rid of 2 and allow Ampadu to get some minutes in midfield as well as defence. We might even buy Golovin, another one we don't need.

 

AMs. We have Pedro, Willian, Hazard and CHO, whom we need to keep. We don't need any more unless we sell. 4 is enough. I would be happy for either Pedro or Willian to go if we replace them well. Musonda can go on loan, or sell him.

 

Strikers. We have 4, including Tammy. It's too many. One has to go. I'd rather that wasn't Tammy. It will be either him or Michy.

 

That's 8 players that need to go, possibly, and that's before we even buy anyone. I suspect it won't be quite that many that leave but it will have to be somewhere near that figure so expect to see a lot of movement in a very short space of time.

I think Danny Drinkwater is as good as gone after not getting minutes in Perth and rumours that Baka will be heading to Italy. 

11 hours ago, Davey Baby said:

 

Sarri is going to find if he has too many players in his squad that spells trouble. Too many unhappy players not getting enough games. It bodes ill. 6 FBs is 2 too many. 

 

 

 

Very difficult situation for Sarri as he has come in and immediately had to fly thousands of miles with a squad of players, MANY who probably aren't in his plans for the coming season. All the big-hitters are on their holidays and he will want to see them up close before he makes some pretty major decisions. Of course he knows how good a player like Hazard is, but there are others he will want to see, not just to know their footballing abilities but get to know them / get a feel for them and their mental strength etc. I feel for a player like Batshuayi. With Sarri coming in he would have wanted to try and impress him early and didn't play a great amount in the WC but has had to take a break anyway.

I do hope he keeps at least a couple of the yongsters involved for next season and there isn't another mass loan exodus. This season I will be happy with top 4, see a few youngsters get more game (NOT 5-10 minutes at the end of a game) and seeing us playing better football. Anything more than that will be a bonus.

 

 

 

Edited July 25, 20187 yr by Nibs

My predictions for squad departures. 

Rudiger: I think with the Rugani deal looking like it's going to happen we're overstocked on CBs and Tony ain't going to want to play second fiddle. Luiz might find himself in favour given his ability on the ball and Christensen too will do well in a playing style of ball retention given his high pass success rate. 

Cahill: At 32 he's not got many seasons left and might look to leave in search of regular football. 

Drinkwater: Not getting any minutes in the Perth friendly is as big a confirmation as any that he's not in the manager's plans and I expect he'll be sold (at a loss) after only a hand full of appearances. 

Bakayoko: I reckon he'll be loaned out for the season, I don't think the club are going to want to give up on him given how much they invested in him but I can't see him fitting into Sarri's system when we've got much better options in Fabregas, RLC and Barkley who are all so much better and more composed in possession. 

Willian: He's off to United. Too much rumour surrounding his future (or maybe just wishful thinking on my part), we'll cash in whilst we can knowing any decent offer is too good to turn down for a player about to turn 30. 

Morata: We're clearly pursuing Higuain and for good reason, Sarri wants someone he can trust to lead the line this season and Morata isn't good enough. I think the rumoured move to AC Milan will materialise (possible reunion with Conte), loan with a forced purchase. 

Batshuayi: I think he's going to want regular first team football, especially after his goal scoring exploits on loan at Dortmund last season. We can likely get good money for what is essentially a back up player for us and we'll use it to reinvest in Higuain (or whoever ends up coming in as a new centre forward). 

 

It's a lot of big names but we seem to be pushing for a lot of first team signings, I'm getting the impression that the club wants to give Sarri the best chance possible of implementing the playing style they've bought him in for and are going to try to avoid making him square peg, round holing it.  

Well if you're right, it's going to be a very busy 2 weeks.

11 minutes ago, Zeta said:

Well if you're right, it's going to be a very busy 2 weeks.

Honestly, I think it will be. 

Given the short transfer window, the short amount of time Sarri's got to actually work with the squad and that the squad itself already seems bloated in some areas I think there's some major housekeeping to be done. 

Or, I'm completely wrong and it'll only be Hazard sold and Sarri will be asked to delivered beautiful football with Moses on the wings. 

I would be gutted if we sold Rudiger. The lad is sheer class, I loved watching him last season. As much as I love Luiz, he's 31 now, and keeping him while selling a brilliant 25 year old would seem crazy.

43 minutes ago, ForeverCarefree said:

My predictions for squad departures. 

Rudiger: I think with the Rugani deal looking like it's going to happen we're overstocked on CBs and Tony ain't going to want to play second fiddle. Luiz might find himself in favour given his ability on the ball and Christensen too will do well in a playing style of ball retention given his high pass success rate. 

Cahill: At 32 he's not got many seasons left and might look to leave in search of regular football. 

Drinkwater: Not getting any minutes in the Perth friendly is as big a confirmation as any that he's not in the manager's plans and I expect he'll be sold (at a loss) after only a hand full of appearances. 

Bakayoko: I reckon he'll be loaned out for the season, I don't think the club are going to want to give up on him given how much they invested in him but I can't see him fitting into Sarri's system when we've got much better options in Fabregas, RLC and Barkley who are all so much better and more composed in possession. 

Willian: He's off to United. Too much rumour surrounding his future (or maybe just wishful thinking on my part), we'll cash in whilst we can knowing any decent offer is too good to turn down for a player about to turn 30. 

Morata: We're clearly pursuing Higuain and for good reason, Sarri wants someone he can trust to lead the line this season and Morata isn't good enough. I think the rumoured move to AC Milan will materialise (possible reunion with Conte), loan with a forced purchase. 

Batshuayi: I think he's going to want regular first team football, especially after his goal scoring exploits on loan at Dortmund last season. We can likely get good money for what is essentially a back up player for us and we'll use it to reinvest in Higuain (or whoever ends up coming in as a new centre forward). 

 

It's a lot of big names but we seem to be pushing for a lot of first team signings, I'm getting the impression that the club wants to give Sarri the best chance possible of implementing the playing style they've bought him in for and are going to try to avoid making him square peg, round holing it.  

From this list, I'd only genuinely regret losing Rüdiger. He has proved to be quality for us.