Transfer Rumour Thread Season 2021/22

[Clint 221]

If we sign Ajer, which seems to be likely, I think the preferred formation will include 3 CB’s.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Clint

[cambridgeshire canary 6,769]

How's this? Only real concern would be a lack of a number 10 directly below Pukki

[birchfest 397]

8 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

How's this? Only real concern would be a lack of a number 10 directly below Pukki

Thats a curious one.. a lot of quality but also not a lot of experience in the centre. That said away from home could be effective

[22jtp 0]

Haven't seen this mentioned much, but Ajer can play RB. 

I've seen some Scottish football analysts say they prefer him as a CDM - could be cover if Aarons is sold or to provide more defense on that side. 

[TheGoogler 324]

17 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

How's this? Only real concern would be a lack of a number 10 directly below Pukki

 

4 minutes ago, 22jtp said:

Haven't seen this mentioned much, but Ajer can play RB. 

I've seen some Scottish football analysts say they prefer him as a CDM - could be cover if Aarons is sold or to provide more defense on that side. 

I think this is why Ajer would be an important signing. 

Swap Ajer and Gibson above (Ajer is right sided, Gibson left) and you have a solid, commanding central player in Hanley and two excellent ball playing defenders in Gibson and Ajer who can come forward with the ball and bring it out. 

You then have Gilmour, who as we saw with Scotland, and Skipp (if he's allowed out to play) who can drop deep and play the ball forward from there, but who are also not shy themselves in adopting advanced positions up the pitch. 

Cantwell and Rashica both can tuck in and play as forwards with Aarons and Dimi offering the width with the speed, stamina and work rate to really get up and down that pitch.

It makes an awful lot of sense. 

[22jtp 0]

I tend to think in terms of staying up, and you have to do what you have to do to steal a point here and there.

Cardiff - a similar sized club - were almost successful in 2019 playing Ecuele-Manga as a RB and Callum Paterson as a ST. 

Obviously Farke plays a different style of football than Neil Warnock - that's the understatement of the century. But there are times you just need to be physical and get a 0-0 draw. 

[cornish sam 960]

42 minutes ago, Ekoku: The Ambassador Of The People said:

Interesting. Always under the impression we’d sell when the right club met his valuation. Obviously still could, but if true, we are looking to tie him down long term. 

Are Brighton being serious? £50m for lamptey is ridiculous!

[Crabbycanary3 994]

I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to commit to Spurs at this stage (I can't believe Aarons would move just because of the money). Kane has started his engines and the likes of Son may follow, but they are just not an attractive proposition atm

[Capt. Pants 4,271]

1 minute ago, Crabbycanary3 said:

I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to commit to Spurs at this stage (I can't believe Aarons would move just because of the money). Kane has started his engines and the likes of Son may follow, but they are just not an attractive proposition atm

Spurs would be a good stepping stone for Max though. He won't get relegated and if he shines a big move might follow. 

 

[Crabbycanary3 994]

Just now, Capt. Pants said:

Spurs would be a good stepping stone for Max though. He won't get relegated and if he shines a big move might follow. 

 

I would agree if they were defo keeping their current team , and looking to  improve overall quality. It's just that with losing Kane, they are losing their star asset, and where will they get a very similar replacement? Any Kane like player would be looking higher than Spurs tbh. They seem to be regressing at this time.

[wcorkcanary 4,336]

1 hour ago, Alex Moss said:

If all this is true regarding 4 quality incoming transfers, then it’ll just annoy me further when seeing people moaning about Webber etc not bringing in the complete new squad 2 minutes after the transfer window has opened. There is no excuse for that.

This will be a crazy good START to the window if true! Well done Webber etc! 👏

Yep, some on here are definitely prone to premature evaluation...of a transfer window.  

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Must be time for Gunn tomorrow unless Ajer is completed...

Gunn is presumably in the city just waiting to be unveiled now.

We'll probably have to wait a week for Gilmour to complete his week stuck in his room the poor lad!

[Tetteys Jig 830]

3 hours ago, 22jtp said:

I tend to think in terms of staying up, and you have to do what you have to do to steal a point here and there.

Cardiff - a similar sized club - were almost successful in 2019 playing Ecuele-Manga as a RB and Callum Paterson as a ST. 

Obviously Farke plays a different style of football than Neil Warnock - that's the understatement of the century. But there are times you just need to be physical and get a 0-0 draw. 

hmm sort of agree and disagree... sure you want to be tight in the odd game but I actually think there is merit in a win or bust approach like Leeds have shown or Bournemouth and Wigan before them. Sure you get the odd 7 nil spanking but then you'll get more 3-2 wins against the stats and winning is worth 3 draws.

It's not so much as just playing open and expansive and allowing yourself to be easy pickings, it's more about offering that much of a threat that teams can't come and dictate and even when you do get thrashed you have had chances yourselves. Attack is the best form of defence as some would say...

I think I'd rather this approach vs lower half teams like Burnley and Palace like Alex Neil started with before that 6 2 hammering Newcastle gave us then knocked the wind from his sails and he lost all that was good about our play. We just have to be more mentally strong this time, take the hammering and move on to the next opportunity for 3 points without being too embarrassed and dwelling on a bad result.

Too many safe 0-0 at home to Burnley and Palace type games and we then look like that Worthy side that got relegated with too many what ifs because they simply weren't bold enough.

[Newtopia 519]

4 hours ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

How's this? Only real concern would be a lack of a number 10 directly below Pukki

I really can’t see the team / squad being restructured this way.  If we play with three at the back and 2 CDM’s we would need 6 or 7 CB’s, and 4 CDM’s.  also in Farkes first season he seemed to prefer 3 at the back, but we never got the balance right.

If Ajer comes in, I am certain that is to add quality and depth to the 2 CB’s.  I reckon we will play 2 CB’s and have 5 in the squad, it will be interesting to see what they do with Klose, Zimmerman, Bushiri, Famewo, and Omobamidele.  We will probably only want 2 of that 5 available during the season.

Centre midfield is also intriguing, I think Farke may try to make us more defensive, so a better athlete as the box to box player and someone who works hard, really hard as the holding player.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Just now, Newtopia said:

I really can’t see the team / squad being restructured this way.  If we play with three at the back and 2 CDM’s we would need 6 or 7 CB’s, and 4 CDM’s.  also in Farkes first season he seemed to prefer 3 at the back, but we never got the balance right.

If Ajer comes in, I am certain that is to add quality and depth to the 2 CB’s.  I reckon we will play 2 CB’s and have 5 in the squad, it will be interesting to see what they do with Klose, Zimmerman, Bushiri, Famewo, and Omobamidele.  We will probably only want 2 of that 5 available during the season.

Centre midfield is also intriguing, I think Farke may try to make us more defensive, so a better athlete as the box to box player and someone who works hard, really hard as the holding player.

Presumably Big Andy will be kept around as back up. Famewo will head to the championship on loan as per Rocky (he may just get sold). Zimmermann will be kept as backup and if we can't move Klose on then I guess we'll keep him involved as back up as well, especially if we go to 5 at the back.

At least with that sort of depth we shouldn't be stuck playing midfielders in defence again...

[sgncfc 1,250]

That team would get bullied out of every game - two youngsters as our holding mids will get murdered. Both are very promising players but are not physical enough (yet) to do that job without the support of a bigger unit alongside them, especially as our wingbacks here are also small guys. It looks great on paper but I dread to think what Burnley and Brighton etc would do to us.

[smooth 114]

So until any of the other Linked names here have signed it is beginning to sound like we have a cracking replacement for Emi. So with that, we may still need a 2nd striker unless Hugill and Idah are seen as the answer.

Acer, skipp, gilmour. Skipp maybe unlikely still but for me we do need 2 DM in the skipp role, we cannot have that important position threadbare where one injury can mean we move players around. I do not think lungi is a defensive midfielder in the true meaning of the position but maybe Farke and the team see it.

Bringing in experience as we have with Rashica of top level football is important. We need nous and guts as we know we will be underdogs in every game.

[TheGoogler 324]

7 hours ago, sgncfc said:

That team would get bullied out of every game - two youngsters as our holding mids will get murdered. Both are very promising players but are not physical enough (yet) to do that job without the support of a bigger unit alongside them, especially as our wingbacks here are also small guys. It looks great on paper but I dread to think what Burnley and Brighton etc would do to us.

Gilmour didn't seem to get bullied by Mount, Rice and Phillips against England though. His pressing, harrying and tackling were part of what was so impressive. And Skipp to me, looked strong and composed - nothing to suggest he would be a weak link in terms of strength. 

[horsefly 4,310]

This may have been said already (if so i apologise), but another very important factor in the signing of someone with the high profile of Rashica is the message it sends to other potential signings. The clear message is that we are very serious about assembling a team to establish itself in the PL. I can't imagine there are many players out there who would be anything other than delighted to play in a team with someone of Rashica's quality. This can only help us in the task of attracting other top talent. So it's looking like another masterstroke by Webber to sell Emi early and bring in someone of Rashica's talent so quickly. What a great message that sends out to any player who might have been unsure of our ambition for the season ahead.

[Newtopia 519]

30 minutes ago, smooth said:

So until any of the other Linked names here have signed it is beginning to sound like we have a cracking replacement for Emi. So with that, we may still need a 2nd striker unless Hugill and Idah are seen as the answer.

Acer, skipp, gilmour. Skipp maybe unlikely still but for me we do need 2 DM in the skipp role, we cannot have that important position threadbare where one injury can mean we move players around. I do not think lungi is a defensive midfielder in the true meaning of the position but maybe Farke and the team see it.

Bringing in experience as we have with Rashica of top level football is important. We need nous and guts as we know we will be underdogs in every game.

It will be interesting to see who / where which players / positions are trusted and given the opportunity to be the next multi million pound player.  I did not know much about Omobamidele this time last year, he will be looking to develop more, and there will be the next Aarons etc looking for their opportunity as well.  Idah has to be in that mix, otherwise he is going to leave, and not for a lot of money.

You are right there is a balance to strike, loaning in top young talent should an option for the short term, we need experience, and we also need grow our own. It will be sad when Webber / Farke leave, I hope the next partnership have a similiar view, and the judgement to make it work.

[wcorkcanary 4,336]

5 minutes ago, Newtopia said:

It will be interesting to see who / where which players / positions are trusted and given the opportunity to be the next multi million pound player.  I did not know much about Omobamidele this time last year, he will be looking to develop more, and there will be the next Aarons etc looking for their opportunity as well.  Idah has to be in that mix, otherwise he is going to leave, and not for a lot of money.

You are right there is a balance to strike, loaning in top young talent should an option for the short term, we need experience, and we also need grow our own. It will be sad when Webber / Farke leave, I hope the next partnership have a similiar view, and the judgement to make it work.

Philosophical tip of the day.......The future is always uncertain, enjoy the present.

[ROBFLECK 132]

Raschica is a very good signing and sensible piece of business by Webber. I think we are all waiting for the Ajer signing to go through now. I think we need a versatile player like him in.

[Bethnal Yellow and Green 1,568]

21 minutes ago, TheGoogler said:

Gilmour didn't seem to get bullied by Mount, Rice and Phillips against England though. His pressing, harrying and tackling were part of what was so impressive. And Skipp to me, looked strong and composed - nothing to suggest he would be a weak link in terms of strength. 

Gilmour has rarely played in a midfield two, in the game against England he was part of a midfield three, with three centrebacks behind him, so he didn’t have to cover as much ground or get overloaded at any point. 

The few times he has played in a two with Chelsea he has shown a lack of mobility and strength and that is when playing alongside Kante who does the work of two. 

I love the idea of Gilmour if Norwich are going to play a 4-3-3 but not in a 4-2-3-1 where there is a risk of him getting exposed. Like we saw with Trybull and Leitner in the Prem last time around. 

[chicken 2,640]

12 hours ago, Crabbycanary3 said:

I find it hard to understand why anyone would want to commit to Spurs at this stage (I can't believe Aarons would move just because of the money). Kane has started his engines and the likes of Son may follow, but they are just not an attractive proposition atm

To some minds that makes them a great proposition. A shake up of the squad means you can go in and win a starting position rather than going in and trying to get into an established side.

The bigger issue right now is no manager. 

[chicken 2,640]

13 hours ago, Clint said:

If we sign Ajer, which seems to be likely, I think the preferred formation will include 3 CB’s.

Not seeing that yet.

If we sign Ajer, it will give us four senior CB's. You'd want at least another to be able to regularly put out three at the back to account for injuries and suspension. So a lot would depend on whether we keep one of Omibamidele or Famewo for the season to fill that 5th CB slot. I do suspect that if Byram is fit and stays with us, his future could be more as a CB - a position he has covered before. As part of a 3 I'd see that more likely to happen.

A bit to happen before I think we'll go to three at the back - not to mention we have a lot of midfielders that don't entirely fit with that formation either - especially if we sign both Skipp and Gilmour. I'd want a more physical dominating type as one of that two, and McLean and Rupp aren't that either - and with no no.10 slot you'd arguably need more creativity from one of those central midfielders.

 

[Capt. Pants 4,271]

I'm not convinced Farke will move to 3 x CBs having now completed 3 seasons mainly with 2. Our attacking play relies on through balls to Pukki, not crosses from wingbacks. 

It could be an off the bench option chasing a game, but I would be amazed if Farke changes tact now.

Injury to Hanley and Gibson rehabilitating already makes us thin on the ground for adopting that system in the important pre season matches.

[Crabbycanary3 994]

22 minutes ago, chicken said:

To some minds that makes them a great proposition. A shake up of the squad means you can go in and win a starting position rather than going in and trying to get into an established side.

The bigger issue right now is no manager. 

I like your glass half full approach chicken, but Spurs are seen by a lot of people ( I know!) as a top 6 side and the apparent squad weakening will take them further away from that. As you say a new manager being required is a big issue, but, unless it is some top ranked manager who can replenish a squad and make them into a force immediately, they will slip further away from their League target. Not a great proposition for a player like Aarons, I would say, who would, under normal circumstances, be able to be a first choice RB for a team like Spurs anyway

[Fuzzar 1,702]

Sorenson could also be comfortable in a back three. But I think Farke will stick to his preferred formation anyway.

[yellowrider120 774]

39 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

I'm not convinced Farke will move to 3 x CBs having now completed 3 seasons mainly with 2. Our attacking play relies on through balls to Pukki, not crosses from wingbacks. 

It could be an off the bench option chasing a game, but I would be amazed if Farke changes tact now.

Injury to Hanley and Gibson rehabilitating already makes us thin on the ground for adopting that system in the important pre season matches.

I agree with you. Pukki has had a tremendous two and a half seasons with us but is looking knackered and is 'limited' in his attributes. Zero ability in the air for example so (as you say), traditional crosses are effectively pointless. Last night the pundits were singing the praises of 'getting crosses in' and cited the German goals v Portugal. Whilst for much of the time our football is sublime, we must have more directness and flexibility at times. I would love us to sign Keifer Moore who would be an upgrade on Hugill and offer that option. The Rashica signing sounds very promising but we all remember how RVW was hyped up at 10M Euros! That said I have confidence that more research went into the current signing and our manager doesn't play him in a role for which he was clearly unsuited.

'Five at the back' requires creativity to be sacrificed and that means Pukkis goals are likely to dry up.  

[BobLoz3 494]

15 hours ago, wcorkcanary said:

I know that the lovely Colleen  didn't invent  the method.  Back in the mid eighties I was sound engineer for the Groundhogs , had a great  time on tour,  always found a real ale pub before gigs and we kept a strict vegetarian  diet....probably because it was cheaper, the tour bus was an old Bedford 1/2 size bus that drank as much oil as it did diesel...we said we had the only 2 stroke diesel in the world!!! Happy days....not the best way to get rich but a great way to have fun,travel, meet interesting  people  who often offered  us somewhere to stay....which meant more profits from the tour. Met a few quite famous people along the way , Tony McPhee was held in quite high regard as a blues/ rock guitarist and 'stars' would often turn up at gigs to see him at work . Great times. 

Ha! My dad used to love the Groundhogs! Didn't they go on to become that band Egypt?