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CB, DM and Semenyo

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mark1975

mark1975

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How quickly do you think we can transform this team, given our massive outlay in the Summer?

We rarely spend big in January, availability is usually thin on the ground then anyway, but the stories around Semenyo won't go away, so I think it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he could join in January.

I think we need him, I think it's the one thing missing from our attack, someone with that kind of pace, strength and directness, we've lost that with Mane and then Diaz. Regardless of our glaring holes elsewhere, I don't think it's an opportunity we can pass up.

That said, I don't think we can wait until the Summer to add a centre half. Gomez and Leoni are both crocked and that leaves us an inevitable Konate injury away from disaster.

I think it's essential that we add a CB sooner rather than later, though I guess a lot will hinge on how quickly Gomez and Leoni return, and as much as we need a DM, I can see the club holding off until the Summer on that one.

Despite our huge summer spend, we really could do with a big window, which could really propel us in the league and help us get a leg up for next season. It's pie in the sky probably, but if we signed Semenyo, a commanding midfielder and a centre back in January, it really would elevate us. I know this should have happened in the Summer, but I think we'll be thankful for the big summer spend further down the line, even if it didn't make logical sense at the time.
 
Ornstein says we are not expecting any further sales or signings until the summer, but we will see what happens. Given their contracts/release clauses, I would not write off Guehi or Semenyo for a Winter move. I would expect both to settle quickly and to show their quality early. They each bring skill sets we simply do not have at the moment. The bigger issue is that Van Dijk and Salah are dropping off, or already have, from the level of being genuine superstars. If we want to compete at the very top, new superstars have to emerge somewhere, either from the current squad or through new signings. We cannot keep relying on players making Gakpo or Diaz level impacts. That is not going to be enough.

DM is definitely needed in the summer who has some technical ability.
 
I think Semenyo will leave in Jan. But probably not to us. A lot depends on whether Salah stays or not obviously.

Guehi wants more money than he agreed in August. Can't blame him, he's in demand and will be a free at the end of the year. Can't see that one working out either.
 
The January window is usually a wait and see. If there's business we intended to do in Summer but didn't get it over the line then that could be on the agenda (which means I'd think Guehi is a possibility).
But any other spending would depend on performance (football and financial, obviously often linked). So if we were in a strong position, we'd have some budget (over-performance v budget which would typically be prudent on footballing performance) and if the manager wanted a player and it was affordable then we'd do it. That was the plan with Konoplyanka when Brendan's team nearly won the league, but it fell through because the selling club's president wouldn't do the deal.
I doubt we have money burning a hole in our pockets right now. It's even possible that our under-performance so far this season would put Guehi out of reach, even though we saw that as affordable in summer.
However, if, for example, we offloaded our top earner and created some capacity in the wage budget then things might be different. Even more likely if we got a decent fee.
So my take is that Guehi in January is possible, Semenyo unlikely unless Mo goes (or unless we feel we have to move now to keep other clubs out of the equation, as we did with Lucho when Spurs were sniffing around him). In the latter case, Semenyo's arrival would just be an acceleration of a planned summer deal.
 
Beamrider said:
The January window is usually a wait and see. If there's business we intended to do in Summer but didn't get it over the line then that could be on the agenda (which means I'd think Guehi is a possibility).
But any other spending would depend on performance (football and financial, obviously often linked). So if we were in a strong position, we'd have some budget (over-performance v budget which would typically be prudent on footballing performance) and if the manager wanted a player and it was affordable then we'd do it. That was the plan with Konoplyanka when Brendan's team nearly won the league, but it fell through because the selling club's president wouldn't do the deal.
I doubt we have money burning a hole in our pockets right now. It's even possible that our under-performance so far this season would put Guehi out of reach, even though we saw that as affordable in summer.
However, if, for example, we offloaded our top earner and created some capacity in the wage budget then things might be different. Even more likely if we got a decent fee.
So my take is that Guehi in January is possible, Semenyo unlikely unless Mo goes (or unless we feel we have to move now to keep other clubs out of the equation, as we did with Lucho when Spurs were sniffing around him). In the latter case, Semenyo's arrival would just be an acceleration of a planned summer deal.
Click to expand...

Semenyo will go in the winter window. Us or not. Especially if his release clause is time bound.
 
I think we might do a loan deal for a CB. Can't see us making any signings, particularly of the magnitude of Semenyo and Guehi.
 
We have to do some sort of deal for a CB, we definitely wouldn't arbitrarily cripple an entire season over something that is a necessity long term as well.
 
we need cb for sure. and dm probably who can actually try to pass ball forward .
lw anyone who can create chaos in the box.
 
I like the idea of getting Semenyo, AND Guehi. I just think we have a colossal issue of integrating new players, and if we add even more, we have to be willing to be shite for a while. We do need a CDM as well, but with short summer ahead, and the world cup coming, this integration problem WILL continue.

And I'm not sure the manager really knows what he's doing with us stylistically right now.. we are also one defeat away from a renewed crisis. So, I'd say a CB is in our interest, but beyond that not sure.
 
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