Our Signings - how do they make you feel ?

[moron]

Nervous at best is what I think right now. We have bought players that have had either one good season or have potential to be great. But is it addressing our priorities ? - I am a little worried with some of the other players we are linked with - I mean this Isco guy from Real Madrid - if the fee is around 35-40M - does it not worry you that we would be splashing out for someone who cannot get into their first team on a regular basis and that someone like their manager ( who is no mug) does not think he is a starter for their team ? for that kind of money I want someone who is key.

We seem to be buying players with potential to do well and fit into our system of play, but should we not be buying players with a high degree of certainty that can make that BIG difference to our team ? one of the things that strikes me about last season was the effortless way in which Man City won their games. This is primarily to do with their midfield being strong - we don't have the reliable box to box player that can change the momentum of a game, and also the key area of defense should have been the first priority. The loss of Suarez is not worrying me as much as all it means is that we have lost a major unpredictable factor up front which can be replaced by creating lots of goal scoring chances (we were good at that last season).

I think I will feel better if we get that defender we are after, and an established central midfield strong man who can drive the team. Would have felt better if we got Bony and we may still do - as I think he is quite clinical up front and has strength to hold up that ball - and yes I am not putting much faith in Lambert. It is all very good getting the types of creative players we have now, but there is also the potential to end up like Arsenal where the centre is not strong enough - as I don't think these players will fit the bill when the going gets tough.

Sorry for sounding negative - but I don't think I am the only one who feels this.

 

[Markeh]

The problem is that certainties are incredibly difficult to get. Isco is actually really good but Madrid are a revolving door freakshow of a club that are always wanting the latest toys.

Looks like we'll get Remy and Lovren over the next couple of days, I'll be happy with those. We need to add some decent full backs to that and a final big name would be a cherry on top.

 

[Halmeister]

Firstly, your point on Isco... he's great. I'd take him in a heartbeat. He's quality now, with the potential to get even better. Sometimes at Real your face doesn't fit, no matter how good you are. In any case, I don't think we'll sign him...

Secondly, I always seem negative or pessimistic (I prefer "realistic" with a reluctance of getting my hopes up), but I actually think the players we're being linked with and have signed already are good players. Markovic in particular excites me. However, I don't think these players are ready just yet. And then there's the case of replacing Suarez. Sure, our squad depth is significantly better, and will continue to improve, but we're missing that world class quality - which is understandable really. He's irreplaceable. I think the majority of these players (Markovic, Origi, Can, Lovren etc) will prove to be good signings, but I don't think they have enough just yet.

I think we're missing a top player who can come in and contribute consistently to a high level right away. We have potential at the moment, and a lot of it, I think we need a bit more consistency and class with that. A top attacking player to take the pressure off D Studger D, and a midfielder would be great but I just can't see it. Reus, for example, will never happen. Nor can I see anyone of that standing coming in at this point...

However, it's an odd one for me. I'm happy with the signings, but I don't think they're good enough to build on what happened last season yet. I think finishing top 4 would be a good season for us, given the improvements other teams around us seem to have made (on paper at least), while we've just lost our best player. Reasons to be optimistic, though.

 

[ctlovesred]

I think FSG and BR are building for another strong league showing with CL as a welcome but ultimately irrelevant experience. For the league we need depth, energy and experience. Our bench last year was woefully inadequate and it showed at the end of the season.

I'd be OK not to sign a galactico quite yet. Better to get this larger more complete squad up to snuff and then go get a superstar next year to push us over the line.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

I think our signings so far have been good. Okay, maybe they aren't those blockbuster signings that make you go wow. Neither do they really excite you.

But I'm still very much looking forward to this season. I'm excited. Know what i mean ?

I ain't complaining cos it's not my money and FSG seems pretty comfortable spending them so why should i worry money-wise ?

My biggest concern however is that the sudden influx of an entire new team of players (we should have brought in approx. 11 new players by the time we have finished our business) may disrupt team dynamics and unity.

Not all of them speak english and some will take time to adapt to the new culture, new teammates, and new tactics.

BR's greatest challenge is to get them gelling asap or risk wasting this season as being transitional.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Had we managed to keep Luis, it would have a been a really good summer, however still need a couple of more players...

 

[Hansern]

Lovren, Can, Markovic, Lallana, Lambert, Remy

Thats improving the first team and the squad.
Still need a left back and maybe a proper quality midfielder.
We havent really dipped in to the Suarez money yet either.

Luis has left a big hole up front, hopefully we'll pull off something great in the coming weeks.

 

[mark1975]

I think we've been sensible so far and have gone for good Premiership quality with two promising foreign players who could be big for our future. Markovic is low profile but could wind up being something of a marquee signing himself, while I think Lovren will be a big player for us if he signs. We need a good attacking player to add some gloss to things, but by and large, we've replaced the deadwood for fairly reasonable fees with a good mix of experience and Premiership proven players, assuming we get Remy aswell.

 

[Whirly]

Lovren, Can, Markovic, Lallana, Lambert, Remy

Thats improving the first team and the squad.
Still need a left back and maybe a proper quality midfielder.
We havent really dipped in to the Suarez money yet either.

Luis has left a big hole up front, hopefully we'll pull off something great in the coming weeks.

We've definitely improved, but at this point we really need a marquee player. We have the money to buy another version of each of Lovren, Can, Markovic, Lallana, Lambert, and Remy. But if we actually end up approaching it like that, we'll end up worse than Spurs did last season.

That's roughly 75-85M spend. Likely our transfer budget, plus Borini's fee I would think. Suppose we get another 20M in loan fees, Assaidi, Agger, and so on, that leaves us with roughly 60-80M more to play with. Unless we either pocket the extra cash for the winter/next summer, we are in a position where we more or less have to either buy a marquee player. Otherwise, we end up in a place where we have too many fringe first teamers and not enough quality.

 

[Mystic]

I'm Lovren our signings so far.

 

[doctor_mac]

Well I wanted us to sign Remy at the end of last season, though that was in the context of Suarez still being with us. Lallana is a very exciting capture and it will be like having another Coutinho who is more mature, and more consistent. Origi is a fantastic investment for the future, he looks like a year or two from super-stardom. Markovic seems a lot of money for me, and I worry about how he's going to adapt. We clearly still need investment at the back, and a few top signings at CM and up front. We have a better squad, but we will miss Suarez. I don't think we'll score anywhere near as many goals.

 

[TSD]

If this was asked on Friday I'd say just ok, but the weekend's rumours hint at movement and the final pieces falling into place. I'm encouraged at this point.

 

[keniget]

I feel like if this is quality over quantity, what does quantity look like?

We've signed some good players though some of the fees feel inflated but I suppose that's the way it is.

It doesn't feel like we've quite addressed the quality side of things yet though. Lot of potential and a lot in terms of depth but on the face of things it looks like whichever first team we put out now won't be as strong as the one that had Suarez in it.

If players like Isco do become available it makes you wonder whether we'd have been better off waiting a little and see what we can pick up off the big boys.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Not so horny, but will be happier once Pogba is signed up.

 

[Modo]

Suarez has carried the team for the last 4 years. Creating chances for himself and scoring. How many of the players we've signed are match winners?
That's the my biggest gripe with the signings we've made so far. Sanchez would have been a perfect replacement.
Sure, we finally have the numbers, we can replace Sterling with Markovic or Sturridge with Remy but we're still missing that element of fear. Suarez was a nightmare for other teams and his presence alone opened up space for other players on the pitch.
Sorry, but if we don't sign a top top top player, I doubt that we'll be able to compete for the league this season.

 

[peterhague]

Happy. I think it's been a good window so far. Markovic is a bargain at £20m, as is Remy at £8m. Can and Origi look to be shrewd and well priced investments. Lallana and Lovren I'm slightly less keen on but I think they'll do well if we put their fees aside.

I'm glad we didn't go for Ben Davies, and glad we didn't go for Bony. If we go ahead and sign Moreno and one big splash with the Suarez money I'll be delighted. Anything else would be a nice bonus.

 

[Mystic]

Suarez has carried the team for the last 4 years. Creating chances for himself and scoring. How many of the players we've signed are match winners?
That's the my biggest gripe with the signings we've made so far. Sanchez would have been a perfect replacement.
Sure, we finally have the numbers, we can replace Sterling with Markovic or Sturridge with Remy but we're still missing that element of fear. Suarez was a nightmare for other teams and his presence alone opened up space for other players on the pitch.
Sorry, but if we don't sign a top top top player, I doubt that we'll be able to compete for the league this season.

100% my view, I'm encouraged by the signings, but it's all moot unless we sign that match winner. I'm content at the moment, because for no logical reason, I think we will sign that match winner.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Suarez has carried the team for the last 4 years. Creating chances for himself and scoring. How many of the players we've signed are match winners?
That's the my biggest gripe with the signings we've made so far. Sanchez would have been a perfect replacement.
Sure, we finally have the numbers, we can replace Sterling with Markovic or Sturridge with Remy but we're still missing that element of fear. Suarez was a nightmare for other teams and his presence alone opened up space for other players on the pitch.
Sorry, but if we don't sign a top top top player, I doubt that we'll be able to compete for the league this season.

You're massively exaggerating when you say he's carried the team imo.

He's been a huge part of our relative success, but the team have improved massively since Mr Rodgers took charge.

As for competing for the league, that wouldn't have happened even with suarez cos we couldn't have afforded to buy enough players to have a squad capable of competing for the CL & the league.

 

[Fabio]

If our new players score 16 goals between them, and our defence cuts out 16 goals, we're fine.

Course I'd like a mega mother fucker to come in

 

[Whirly]

Happy. I think it's been a good window so far. Markovic is a bargain at £20m, as is Remy at £8m. Can and Origi look to be shrewd and well priced investments. Lallana and Lovren I'm slightly less keen on but I think they'll do well if we put their fees aside.

I'm glad we didn't go for Ben Davies, and glad we didn't go for Bony. If we go ahead and sign Moreno and one big splash with the Suarez money I'll be delighted. Anything else would be a nice bonus.

It sounded like we went in around 12M for Bony, and weren't going much higher than 15M, which are reasonable numbers for me. Remy is a much better deal at 8M though, and probably a better fit for our side.

I agree with the rest though.

 

[Modo]

If our new players score 16 goals between them, and our defence cuts out 16 goals, we're fine.

Course I'd like a mega mother fucker to come in

I'm not gonna be too confident as long as Glenjo is our first choice.

 

[Mystic]

I'm not gonna be too confident as long as Glenjo is our first choice.

Hopefully we'll be rotating Flannel and Johnson at right back. Some proper competition will do Glen the world of good, plus the fear of having no contract next season. Likewise I think Moreno (if we sign him) and Enrique will be good competition on the left.

 

[Frogfish]

You're massively exaggerating when you say he's carried the team imo.

He's been a huge part of our relative success, but the team have improved massively since Mr Rodgers took charge.

As for competing for the league, that wouldn't have happened even with suarez cos we couldn't have afforded to buy enough players to have a squad capable of competing for the CL & the league.

100%

 

[Modo]

You're massively exaggerating when you say he's carried the team imo.

He's been a huge part of our relative success, but the team have improved massively since Mr Rodgers took charge.

As for competing for the league, that wouldn't have happened even with suarez cos we couldn't have afforded to buy enough players to have a squad capable of competing for the CL & the league.

I don't think I am, think back to the seasons we had Downing, Adam etc. Suarez had to do all the work himself.
Remember how many important penalties he won us, how many assists he made, how many attacks he instigated, chances he created. He's a fucking beast and we benefitted immensely just by his presence on the pitch.

 

[Fabio]

He didn't carry the team, but it'd be stupid to ignore the gaping hole he'll leave

 

[Buddha]

Suarez has carried the team for the last 4 years. Creating chances for himself and scoring. How many of the players we've signed are match winners?
That's the my biggest gripe with the signings we've made so far. Sanchez would have been a perfect replacement.
Sure, we finally have the numbers, we can replace Sterling with Markovic or Sturridge with Remy but we're still missing that element of fear. Suarez was a nightmare for other teams and his presence alone opened up space for other players on the pitch.
Sorry, but if we don't sign a top top top player, I doubt that we'll be able to compete for the league this season.

I'm with this about 90% (I wouldn't say Suarez has completely carried the side). Sanchez would have been the best 'replacement' out there to slot straight into our 4-3-3 / diamond systems.

I'm pleased that we're filling out the squad with more quality alternatives (Remy/Can/Lallana/Markovic) but worry that, as others have said, we're still missing that player that'll strike terror into hearts of others.

Still, Sturridge is young enough to keep improving into a world class striker, whilst Sterling is obviously destined for great things. Markovic could prove a very classy attacker, though very different to what we've lost in Suarez.

I'm delighted with the Lovren deal as it's an area we really needed to improve and would be even happier with a top class full-back to oust Johnson out of the picture (Aurier would have been good).

Having had such a strong league showing last season it's really unfortunate that we've potentially lost momentum (at least psychologically) with the departure of Suarez. At a time when you'd be hoping we'd kick on from a breakthrough campaign it looks like we'll spend the next few months in a transition phase (system/integrating a raft of new players) of sorts.

 

[peterhague]

It sounded like we went in around 12M for Bony, and weren't going much higher than 15M, which are reasonable numbers for me. Remy is a much better deal at 8M though, and probably a better fit for our side.

I agree with the rest though.

My problem with Bony isn't the fee. I think £19m would be great value for him. I just don't think he's the right player for this team.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

I'm a bit whelmed.

 

[Oncy]

Origi - meh
Markovic - meh
Can - meh
Lambert - meh
Lovren - meh
Lallana - thumbs up
Remy - meh

We seem to be doing almost EXACTLY what Spurs did and I hoped we wouldnt.

 

[Buddha]

Origi - meh
Markovic - meh
Can - meh
Lambert - meh
Lovren - meh
Lallana - thumbs up
Remy - meh

We seem to be doing almost EXACTLY what Spurs did and I hoped we wouldnt.

Origi is one for the future and a good investment.

Of the other 6, four are coming from other premier league teams having settled and established themselves in this league to good effect. That's the big difference for me to where Spurs went wrong.