European Club Off-Season Needs | The Boneyard

European Club Off-Season Needs

UCFBfan

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Ok so now that the major leagues are done or winding down, I thought it'd be a good time to look at needs for your club. Questions to answer.

1. Club name (obviously)
2. What is your club's number one priority this off-season?
3. What is your club's needs in the transfer market? Any specific players you'd like to see them realistically get?
4. Who would you like to see off loaded from your club?
5. Who would you like your club to give more playing time to?
6. Anything else you'd wanna see done this summer off-season?

There are lots of us who cheer for different clubs so this thread should be a fun one. I'll do my Swansea answers later tonight.
 

UCFBfan

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Swansea City

2. What is your club's number one priority this off-season?

They need to keep Gylfi Sigurdsson. I know he's going to be in high demand and it will be tempting with some of the money that will be thrown around, but this man has been the club player of the year for the past two seasons. He's been amazing and his set piece specialties alone make him irreplaceable. He also has been durable. He has said he wants to stay and his spell at a big club did not go so great when he was with Spurs. I'd love for them to keep him and build around him. I just worry that the price tag offers are going to be hard to resist. My hope is they learned from last years sell offs that sometimes it isn't worth the money and better to keep the solid, known player.

3. What is your club's needs in the transfer market? Any specific players you'd like to see them realistically get?

They need a striker. They also need to decide on what formation they plan on using going forward. When they turned things around down the stretch Clement went to a 4-4-2 with Llorente and Ayew and that really worked. When they struggled in March, Clement tried a 4-3-3 with wingers and it didn't work. It'll be interesting to see what he does as Swansea has Jefferson Montero, Wayne Routledge, Mo Barrow, and recently signed Luciano Narsingh as options.

I would love to keep Llorente but if it's between him and Siggy, I'm keeping Gylfi. They also have Borja who was their record signing yet never saw the pitch. They also have a solid U-23 player in Ollie McBurnie so they have options. However, it's rumored they are looking at bringing Bony back which I'd highly support if they sell off Llorente.

4. Who would you like to see off loaded from your club?

Seung-Yung Ki. PLEASE sell this man. I loathe him and hate his play. They have Fer and Cork, no need for Ki anymore. I don't get Clement's desire to play him. I'd be fine with them selling Routledge as well if possible. Same with Amat. I have a feeling Mo Barrow will be gone as well even though I like his play. He was on loan at Leeds for the second half of the season.

5. Who would you like your club to give more playing time to?

I'd like to see Borja given a shot. They invested £15 million in this Guy. He deserves a better shot then what he was given. I'd also like to see what McBurnie can do at the senior level. He was great for their youth team.

6. Anything else you'd wanna see done this summer off-season?

Overall, I think the team was better then what they ended with. They just needed the right manager and I think Clement will be that guy. They need to keep Siggy and it would be great to keep Llorente too but I'm good with selling him if need be. They'll be able to bring in a striker to replace him. The American investors will hopefully have learned from their mistakes this season. They spent this week getting quoted in the media as saying that they've learned a lot this season and to expect better next season. Well, it's time to do that by keeping your studs and bringing in a few needed pieces.

Here's to a great offseason and all the crazy transfer rumors that will begin!
 

UConnDan97

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I like the concept of this thread and I definitely want to participate, but I won't fill in all the blanks because there are not as many unknowns for my team:

Juventus

1) historically, Juventus is famous for selling players at high value and buying cheaper players at high performance (Morata, Vidal, etc.).

2) they currently have a glut of talent on the right side, and I'm predicting that they will try to sell either Alves or Lichtsteiner, with my money being on Lichtsteiner. Cuadrado is on a three year loan from Chelsea that almost guarantees him staying at Juve (weird terms of the deal).

3) I'm also predicting they'll sell of midfielders, although I'm not sure which. Lemina is interesting since he doesn't see as much of the field as I thought he might. Sturaro too. Expect a few sales here. Or at the very least, a few loans.
 
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Mainz 05
2. We need to keep our best players for two years straight. Every year we lose players at critical positions and it takes a while for the team to gel.
3. We need a killer goal scorer. We seem to have a lot of setup men but our finishers (Muto and Cordoba) don't get it done consistently; we're kind of scoring by committee. And of as an hour ago a new trainer. :eek:
4. I was happy to see Yunnus Malli go at the Winter Transfer period for a small fortune but there's no one else I really want to see go. Everyone is OK, but no one really jumps out as a world beater. But I hate Malli.
5. Not really, one problem I had was that every match we seemed to have a completely different lineup and we never had consistency. Hopefully with the new trainer that will change.
6. I'm interested to see who the new trainer will be and what style he will want to play. The "Mainz Way" is high pressure and counter attack that's a high risk / high reward style but this season the risk outweighed the reward.
 
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1) Spurs
2) keep their core players and Pochettino at home. Lot's of chatter about United, City, Real, Bayern, Inter, etc... making big offer s for Alli, Dier, Alderweireld Wlaker, and Pochettino. Levy needs to stop being a seller, and start being a buyer. With the new stadium, and the youth of this team, they are very close to being the best team in England and one of the better teams in Europe... if they will spend.
3) their biggest need is depth (if they can retain their top players). Playing mid-week UCL and Cup matches will take its toll during the league matches. They need a solid #2 striker, depth for Alderweireld and Vertonghen, and another wing back for next season. Spurs are not big spenders on the transfer market, and their biggest signings have tended to not meet expectations (Alli being the exception, but they got him for cheap from MK Dons... think Soldado, Jannsen, Paulinho, Lamela, etc...).
4) Jannsen, and I'd hate to lose Kyle Walker, but that is going to happen, and they believe Trippier is an adequate replacement (not sure I agree just yet). City, Chelsea, and Bayern, among others are in the hunt... so hopefully a bidding war will drive the value up.
5) CCV, but that is the American homer in me.
6) Give raises to Delle, Alderweireld, Dier; and Spurs to become a legit buyer of talent, as opposed to their history of being a seller.

Playing at Wembley next season will be tough. The wider pitch is not a friend to Spurs pressing style, and the loss of a genuine home field advantage. I am glad Spurs had UCL and Europa there this past season to hopefully become accustomed to the pitch and the nuances of the stadium. Could be a tougher year for Spurs in '18.
 

Waquoit

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Liverpool

2. The number one need is to keep Coutinho. He's world class, they topped the table before he was injured. He was back to being a difference maker when fully fit again. He's saying all the right things ( "I have a long contract with LFC. Speculations are for journalists only.")

3. With CL coming they need more depth. They had a bad January that took them out of contention when key players were unavailable due to injury and other obligations. Specifically, they need a better back line.

4. I think Daniel Sturridge is a stiff. He may infuse some pace but he can't finish. It was the same with Sterling. I was a bit wary when he left but he's been pretty much a bust at City. And whenever I look up Lovren is getting beat but they seem to like him and signed a new contract recently. I find Firmino to be frustrating. I think he's selfish with the ball but probably too talented to get rid of.

5. It's In Klopp We Trust for me on this one. I can't think of anyone on Liverpool but I can for Arsenal. If Wenger doesn't believe in Oxlade-Chamberlain, we'll take him.

6. I feel good about this signing period. They have a solid core, plenty of money, a top manager with a plan and stable ownership.
 

Fairfield_1st

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Liverpool

2. The number one need is to keep Coutinho. He's world class, they topped the table before he was injured. He was back to being a difference maker when fully fit again. He's saying all the right things ( "I have a long contract with LFC. Speculations are for journalists only.")

4. I think Daniel Sturridge is a stiff. He may infuse some pace but he can't finish.
2. I agree Coutinho is important, but he needs to develop a left foot. He predictably goes to his right every time. I think strengthening the D is my primary need. They scored plenty but gave up too many. I'm not a Lovren fan.
4. I don't think Sturridge is a stiff. Without Mane playing I think he's one of the only guys who can get his own shot off. Due to his injuries I'm OK with selling him, but only if they find a starting striker. Origi is not ready to take over at this point.
 
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1) Spurs
2) keep their core players and Pochettino at home. Lot's of chatter about United, City, Real, Bayern, Inter, etc... making big offer s for Alli, Dier, Alderweireld Wlaker, and Pochettino. Levy needs to stop being a seller, and start being a buyer. With the new stadium, and the youth of this team, they are very close to being the best team in England and one of the better teams in Europe... if they will spend.
3) their biggest need is depth (if they can retain their top players). Playing mid-week UCL and Cup matches will take its toll during the league matches. They need a solid #2 striker, depth for Alderweireld and Vertonghen, and another wing back for next season. Spurs are not big spenders on the transfer market, and their biggest signings have tended to not meet expectations (Alli being the exception, but they got him for cheap from MK Dons... think Soldado, Jannsen, Paulinho, Lamela, etc...).
4) Jannsen, and I'd hate to lose Kyle Walker, but that is going to happen, and they believe Trippier is an adequate replacement (not sure I agree just yet). City, Chelsea, and Bayern, among others are in the hunt... so hopefully a bidding war will drive the value up.
5) CCV, but that is the American homer in me.
6) Give raises to Delle, Alderweireld, Dier; and Spurs to become a legit buyer of talent, as opposed to their history of being a seller.

Playing at Wembley next season will be tough. The wider pitch is not a friend to Spurs pressing style, and the loss of a genuine home field advantage. I am glad Spurs had UCL and Europa there this past season to hopefully become accustomed to the pitch and the nuances of the stadium. Could be a tougher year for Spurs in '18.

Pretty much on target. The key is less additions, and more keeping the core together. Other than Walker, who by all reports is gone, but I think they honestly believe they are not losing much with Trippier. I don't agree, but I'll take Poch's judgment over mine.

In terms of adding, they need one more world class player. If Walker is gone I think Alves would be a great replacement. If he can only play 20 or 25 games that's fine -- Trippier plays the rest -- but he gives them world class and Champions League experience. Other than that, it's increasing depth. This season we basically had 12 starters for 11 positions (if everyone was healthy, one of Son, Dier, Dembele or Wanyama had to sit, but that didn't happen more than a few times all year) and then beyond that people like Ben Davies and Winks who were fine filling in but weren't going to make you better when they were needed. We need 3 or 4 players on the bench who you can argue should be starting -- not just 1 or 2. So when the Sissokos and Nkwandous and Wimmers leave, better people need to take their place on the bench. Only 1 of those 3 replacements needs to be someone that you can argue should be starting, but they all need to be able to fill in at a better level than those they are replacing.

I do not have Janssen on my list of subs to be moved out either. I'm not sure he was much worse this year than Son was last year. He is young, not very experienced at a high level and may develop into a very good player. It would be nice if we had another target man on the roster so Kane could rest games at Middlesborough 3 days ahead of a Champions League game, but I would not give up on Janssen yet.

Finally, if they are the primary tenant at Wembley, couldn't they have negotiated the lining on the field to suit their needs? It's not like it's such a huge deal to widen the field the few times a year it's used as a neutral site for the FA.
 

Waquoit

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Finally, if they are the primary tenant at Wembley, couldn't they have negotiated the lining on the field to suit their needs? It's not like it's such a huge deal to widen the field the few times a year it's used as a neutral site for the FA.

That doesn't seem very sporting. Do any teams play on a smaller pitch for any reason besides the fact that full size won't fit into the existing facility?
 

shizzle787

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I like the concept of this thread and I definitely want to participate, but I won't fill in all the blanks because there are not as many unknowns for my team:

Juventus

1) historically, Juventus is famous for selling players at high value and buying cheaper players at high performance (Morata, Vidal, etc.).

2) they currently have a glut of talent on the right side, and I'm predicting that they will try to sell either Alves or Lichtsteiner, with my money being on Lichtsteiner. Cuadrado is on a three year loan from Chelsea that almost guarantees him staying at Juve (weird terms of the deal).

3) I'm also predicting they'll sell of midfielders, although I'm not sure which. Lemina is interesting since he doesn't see as much of the field as I thought he might. Sturaro too. Expect a few sales here. Or at the very least, a few loans.
I mean we really can't get any better than we are now. I could see Mandzukic getting moved on though.
 

UConnDan97

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I mean we really can't get any better than we are now. I could see Mandzukic getting moved on though.

I don't think they will move Manzukic because he's willing to stay on the left underneath Higuain and he poaches a bunch of goals in that role. I think all the moves will be midfielders and I think they will look to get a backup striker. We've been lucky this year in that Higuain has stayed relatively healthy...
 

shizzle787

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I don't think they will move Manzukic because he's willing to stay on the left underneath Higuain and he poaches a bunch of goals in that role. I think all the moves will be midfielders and I think they will look to get a backup striker. We've been lucky this year in that Higuain has stayed relatively healthy...
The reason I say that is because Mandzukic is getting up there in years and we will probably try to get younger.
 

UConnDan97

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The reason I say that is because Mandzukic is getting up there in years and we will probably try to get younger.

Well he's 31 which isn't awful and he has 2 more years on his 4 year contract left to go. The value proposition is still there. I'd be surprised if they move him before the summer of 2018...
 

shizzle787

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Well he's 31 which isn't awful and he has 2 more years on his 4 year contract left to go. The value proposition is still there. I'd be surprised if they move him before the summer of 2018...
The real movement may be in defense: Barzagli may be given his walking orders. He's 36. He will certainly be done after next year. We'll see. A lot of changes after 2018.
 

UConnDan97

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The real movement may be in defense: Barzagli may be given his walking orders. He's 36. He will certainly be done after next year. We'll see. A lot of changes after 2018.

It's possible with Benatia on board now and with Rugani as the heir apparent, but I just can't see them breaking up this defensive unit at all. God knows I wouldn't do it, but you never know.

And now we are dominating this thread with Juve talk. I'll take a breather and let others get in here... ;)
 
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That doesn't seem very sporting. Do any teams play on a smaller pitch for any reason besides the fact that full size won't fit into the existing facility?

I think it's like hockey in that there is no one size field. There are a range of perfectly acceptable widths
 

shizzle787

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Waquoit

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I think it's like hockey in that there is no one size field. There are a range of perfectly acceptable widths
Right, but do teams actually manipulate the size home pitch to accommodate the perceived strengths of their team? Is that a thing? I just assumed teams have as big a pitch as the facility will fit (within FIFA rules).
 

meyers7

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Ok so now that the major leagues are done or winding down, I thought it'd be a good time to look at needs for your club. Questions to answer.

1. Club name (obviously)
2. What is your club's number one priority this off-season?
3. What is your club's needs in the transfer market? Any specific players you'd like to see them realistically get?
4. Who would you like to see off loaded from your club?
5. Who would you like your club to give more playing time to?
6. Anything else you'd wanna see done this summer off-season?

There are lots of us who cheer for different clubs so this thread should be a fun one. I'll do my Swansea answers later tonight.
Arsenal (of course)

2. A new manager and/or a new owner. Both really. And neither will happen. Need to keep Özil and Sanchez, probably won't happen either.
3. Might have to replace Özil and Sanchez. Still need a top striker. Need some depth at RFB (unless we decide to stick with 3 in the back - then we need, and it looks like we might get a left sided wingback)
4. Ospina can go. Wilshere is always broke. Gibbs should go. Debuchy, Jenkinson, Sonogo, Campbell, Akpom, that's probably enough.
5. Like to get Szczesny back and start weening off Cech. Like to see Cazorla healthy.
6. Even though we won with the new formation 3-4-3, I don't like it.
 

UConnDan97

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The reason I say that is because Mandzukic is getting up there in years and we will probably try to get younger.

I just saw on Facebook that Mandzukic signed with Juventus until 2020. He's performing well, and it was probably the right move...
 

shizzle787

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I just saw on Facebook that Mandzukic signed with Juventus until 2020. He's performing well, and it was probably the right move...
Have you ever gone to blackwhitereadallover before?
 

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