tajjuk

No, I am saying exactly what I said, reading isn't hard.

I feel we may have wasted a good opportunity to really push on the quality of the squad on this season. I think we are two quality players short, a defensive mid and a forward/striker. Pleased with the signings of Hojberg and Boufal, but I feel they are only replacements for what we have lost and we should not be sitting still. It is also disappointing to see a quality premier league striker in Bony go on loan to Stoke, when this is an area we look short of quality in and he is clearly better than anything we have. It's almost like the club goes out of it's way to be a bit left field with it's signings. Again I think Wilshere would have been a calculated gamble to improve the team that we didn't seem to be interested in. 3 season in a row now, we have sold a lot more than we've spent and that is disappointing. Very happy with the new contracts, but in reality all that does in ensure we'll get more money next year when we inevitably sell the likes of Bertrand, VVD and Forster. The club is building, it's still going in the right direction, but I think this season will be the first hiccup and I think it will take us a few years to recover from it, and I think it is largely going to be caused by inaction and not capitalising on our excellent position we got to last year. Not that we will get relegated or anything. You do also have to wonder whether the comments/rumours from Koeman about the club's ambition seem have a lot of truth in them. Overall my excitement for the season has been dampened.

failure to build on progress

Bony and Morgan, now that would massively improve our squad. Wages would be the issue suppose. Really wish we would be in for these sort of players, looking at some 22 year old in the dutch league for £10 million when a proven premier league goal scorer like Bony is available, it's almost like we've become football hipsters in our transfer dealings.

I have nothing particularly against the sales, that is the reality of football, if the player wants to go the player will eventually go. I think we could have done more with Mane, at least pushed that fee up, the whole thing was too quick for my liking and when you see some of the figures quoted for fairly average and much older players you get the feeling we could have got more from Liverpool. I'd actually argue the same with Wanyama as well, considering WBA seem to be pushing for over £20 million for Behrahino who only has a year left. With regards to the FFP, well £7 million is still around two players on £60k a week, and in Gaston, Osvaldo, Mane, Wanyama, Pelle going, I'd expect some of them to be have been on that amount or close to it. Those 5 alone could free up another £10 million plus from the yearly wage budget, whilst the likes of Forster, VVD, Cedric, tadic etc. will only have been increases, so for example the loss of Gaston's £60k a week could cover 3 players going up by £20k a week etc. When you add in the TV money, the sponsorship deals etc. there is more scope their to up the payroll, then you can add the £7 million on top of that. Still think there is still plenty of scope for additional wages and even using some of the sales money to increase that further, say you took another £7 million out for wages, then there is still £15-18 million from those sales AND the additional TV money. Again I am not saying to spend £100s of millions, but £20 million over our sales at this current moment would still give us around £30-40 million transfer fees, and that is taking money out from those sales to cover extra wages. That's enough scope for two more Hojberg level signings and covering their wages.

Whilst I'd love to see us get two more in today, a big DM and striker/forward, can't see either happening or us spending £30 million.

Why do we need to find £100 million? We've sold around £65 million worth of players this summer, shifted 5 high earners off the pay roll (which should about cover the new deals), we've just got the biggest TV deal, shirt sponsorship and kit deal the club has ever had. I don't think anyone is asking to spend £100 million (Liverpool & Man Utd over the last few years being a pretty good example of spending for spendings sake, not to mention spurs wasted about 80% of the money they got from Bale with only 1 or 2 players they brought in still there) but we can still improve the squad. We've sold 3 quality first team players, and lost 2/3 squad players, we've brought in 3 main players in Hojberg, Boufal and Redmond who don't cover the positions we've lost really. Only Boufal is potentially replacing Mane, ok you can argue Austin replaces Pelle but not really in style. There is a clear Wanyama shaped hole in the squad, we still look short of cover at centre-back, we are lacking quality up front. It's all very well replacing what we've lost, and we haven't even done that, but where is the improvement to the squad? We don't need to spend £100 million to do that, especially when you've already sold £65 million, £20 million above what we have sold could have replaced all the losses and got in two quality players who improve the first team. Not really hard, nor breaking the bank. Whatever way you look at it, the squad is no better than last year and in all probability is worse. And we are still sitting on around £25 million of transfer sales whilst having record amounts of money coming into the club. Not good enough and to me it seems the club are wasting a position and an opportunity they have worked so hard to get to. We had a squad that finished 6th last year, a couple of quality additions to that squad in the right areas and the right players and we'd have a chance to do that again and maybe, just maybe push on that little bit further or compete better in the cups. But instead of spending the summer improving the squad, the club have spent the summer repairing the damage to the squad and it's debatable whether we've even got back to the same level of squad.

^ yep, Hojberg is the least likely of any of the CMs to miss out. He'd displace Davis, JWP, Clasie and at a push Romeu (playing as deep playmaker at the base of the diamond could work against teams we should be beating, or at the tip against better teams) because when fit he's better than them. At his best he'd improve pretty much any midfield in the league, but that's the IF and why he's being loaned. It's a similar position to Jay Rod for us, Jay Rod back to his best would be a guaranteed starter for us, just like Wilshere would be for Arsenal.

Can't see it, even though I think he's just the sort Wanyama replacement we need. Especially if they have turned down £21 million, we've broken our record doubt we are going to do it again. Would love to see someone like him + someone like Bony come in, then I'd think we'd have had a great window and would have a squad capable of challenging top 5 or 6 again. Especially if you added Wilshere in there on loan and he could stay fit. Those players look far more likely to go to West Ham or the like. But at best I think it's one more, with the squad probably overall being slightly worse than last years.

WAY better than anyone we have here, so certainly wouldn't say no. If Arsenal paid most of his wages, then don't see why not, can't see would be risking much. We pay the wages of some squad player, we either get a crocked player who doesn't play much and goes back early to Arsenal or one of the most naturally gifted English midfielders around trying to prove himself. At worse we waste a years wages probably at the level of someone like Targett, at best we get a year of having a very talented midfielder who fits exactly into the style and formation our manager is trying to build.

Reports saying Lyon have rejected £43 million from West Ham for Lacazette! Is he really that good? That's bonkers all round, West Ham offering that much and them rejecting it.

Well we have one in Austin. Just the formation does not suit him and he's often having to go out wide. We needed Boufal, we needed that replacement for Mane, someone with an Xfactor, especially if we are going to play a Striker like Long who needs 2-3 chances to score then getting someone who makes lots of chances will help. But yeh still would like to see a striker. But don't understand why we can't get more in, we still haven't spent close to we've sold. Be nice to see the squad actually noticeable up on quality rather than just replacing what we've lost. if we'd actually replaced like for like, then New physical, BIG DM replaces Mane. Austin replaces Pelle Boufal replaces Mane Then Hojberg, Redmond and a new striker would improve the squad from last year. And you have to wonder with a player like Bony being available why we wouldn't at least try for someone like that. Who knows maybe we'll get a surprising deadline day, but I doubt it, I hope at least one more is coming in.

Fair play to him though, wants to play and is willing to move countries to do it. He could quite easily have sat on his huge wages at Man City playing the odd cup game. Find it odd though that no premiership club above Sunderland wanted him. Think Everton have made an error trusting in Stek, especially when someone like Hart is available. Aside Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, maybe us and Stoke, I don't think any of the other clubs have a better keeper. You'd think Everton and Liverpool would welcome him with open arms.

We'd be getting a quality player for a year, probably on next to no wages, that would be better than anyone else in our midfield. if he got injured then he gets injured and we'd probably send him back (though I suspect the amount of injuries Arsenal get has something to do with them more than the players, hardly like Wilshere is the only player there who keeps getting injured), if he doesn't we get a class player who would help us win more games and progress the club. 1 year is only about half the time most of our players are with us anyway. Plus you never know, he might love it here and want to stay. Plus do we have a 'regular starter' for that position? Pretty sure none of our players are nailed on for those two midfield positions, aside maybe Hojberg.

Yeh, plus Boufal can play the no 10. My only worry - is Romeu good enough? and we lack cover there, without him our midfield lacks a lot of physicality and height, Hojberg aside. Whether we are playing the diamond or playing the old formation from last year, there is still a Wanyama shaped hole in there for me.

Yawn. There is a middle ground between licking the club's arse and 'we are all doomed.' A lot of the former are so far up there, that as soon as they see any negativity they brandish people 'bed wetters'. It's a nonsense basically, and in many cases people attack the poster without actually debating and digesting what they have written. There is such a thing as constructive criticism, I kind of get the impression that some people have deluded themselves so much that anything they see to be negative they react emotionally, rather than actually discussing it rationally. Like someone above said, the club was in it's best position for many years, many of us want to make sure the club are doing everything they can to build from that. I don't really see that being a problem on a football discussion board. At the end of the day, we have sold some of our best players, we've lost our manager who did very well last season and there are obvious question marks about the replacements for those players and that manager, those questions are pretty reasonable IMO, especially when said manager seems to be forcing a talented bunch of players into a formation that so far does not seem to suit them. And when you have your best finish, you generally want to see the club try to build on that, so that's improving the squad, whereas we have basically spent most of the transfer window trying to repair the squad. For many supporters that is a bit underwhelming and I think that is a reasonable opinion to have.

My guess is still this - (same back 5) ------------------Romeu----------------- ----------Hojberg----Tadic/Davis-------- -------------New Number 10------------ ----Boufal/Redmond----Long/Austin----

I'd take Wilshere, injury problems aside he's a cut above anyone else we have. Of course he'd be a gamble, but that is the whole point, a fully fit Wilshere would be no where near a side like ours because he is far too good. He's also work brilliantly in the current formation because he links the play so well, Romeu holding with Wilshere and Hojberg either side, Boufal buzzing around in front of them. That set up would be excellent in the transition. Anyone who wouldn't take Wilshere needs their head examining IMO. Le Goddard said we were after someone around the £10 million mark, this Saponara fits, though a striker could be the other option. But I have a feeling we are looking to play Boufal up front, with a number 10 behind him.

Finally, one more please before the end of the window at least.

I think we are going to have to be patient, new manager, new players, still 2 (hopefully) to come in, trying new formation. It's probably going to be a transition season for us, but remember last season we were pretty crap from October to January and then suddenly found title winning form. Patience I think is needed. Things could suddenly click, but it might take time. We've been very lucky the last two years that we've lost 3/4/5 players and the team has gelled very quickly, not going to always happen. Plus once the window is closed Fonte can get his head back in the game, he's clearly not been at the races the last two games and was very poor for the Imbra header and poor for the penalty today. It's a long long season. Too early to right anyone off at the moment.

2 poor draws at home against two poor teams, not good enough. Don't look much like a team at the moment and they are not adjusting to this formation.

Yeh he's probably just heard Fonte is getting a new £70k a week deal and wants to negotiate a bit more.

He's been linked with Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal and the like so maybe he's holding out to see if one of those makes a last minute bid.

Bertrand looks stoned.

Spurs won't get him for £15 million that is for sure, Palace Chairman is no mug, he's just got £27 million for Bolasie. Plus I'm pretty sure there is a big sell on clause on Zaha so a fair whack of the money would be going to Utd, because Palace only signed him back for like £3 million. EDIT: Also Arsenal buying a centre-back and a Striker, has someone kidnapped Wenger?