Summer 2022 priorities (and realistic options)

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, Shane said:

We will probably sign a versatile attacker, such as De Ketelaere.

 

We also have some exciting young attackers coming through like Popov, Pennant & Alves. 

Ah but Percy isn’t alluding to that signing…

 

I like the idea of bringing through an attacker from the youth, there would especially be a place for Popov as a striker but is it too much too soon?

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Because we will sign a winger that also plays through the middle or an ACM thst also plays through the middle like De Ketelaere.

 

I'd also not be surprised to see a 16-19 year old striker signed, we've been tracking a few this year from academies that will be expected to be in and around the 1st team.

Is madueke that man? De Ketelaere makes the most sense but not mentioned in the Percy article…

 

on your last point, Popov would be the obvious choice but hasn’t played at u23 level yet, as we keep saying it seems odd

[coolhandfox]

53 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Our wage structure is maxed out to high heaven and no European football next season will be a big headache in that regard and trying to freshen up the squad. 

 

Soyuncu is on less than £50k a week and is still on the same contract as when he 1st signed for us. Tielemans will be on near double that but still significantly less than our real top earners, so we may well need to lose a lot of players or at least another 1-2 high earners. Praet, Vestergaard and Perez on stupid dough given their roles here but how easy will it be to move them on?

I don't think as bad as you think not great but not terrible either, Swiss Ramble had our to 85% wage to turnover for 2020/21, but that included  20% of player & management bonuses which deferred from 2019/20.

 

Considering we also lost match day income of £12.5m, I expect it to be better in the 21/22.

 

We ned to clear some of the dead wood and bring in player who are younger, hungrier and cheaper.

 

 

 

 

[lcfc sheff]

On the centre mid front, think I’d rather keep Youri and lose him for free than go for £25m! Would we find an able replacement with that kind of money i don’t think so… at least would give us till next summer to find an able candidate but I suspect the lack of targets at CM is probably because this is a very realistic possibility 

[lcfc sheff]

2 hours ago, LestaLad said:

Colwill’s the one.

He would be no.1 surely, makes so much sense 

[An Sionnach]

1 hour ago, AKCJ said:

I can see us selling Iheanacho for a hefty chunk.

That would leave us thin up front and still over relying on a 36 y.o. striker . Maybe Hirst will be given another go but buying somebody who will score like Kelechi is probably far too expensive.

[coolhandfox]

2 hours ago, LestaLad said:

Colwill’s the one.

Depend on what happens at Chelsea.

[Attywolf]

8 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

That would leave us thin up front and still over relying on a 36 y.o. striker . Maybe Hirst will be given another go but buying somebody who will score like Kelechi is probably far too expensive.

Kelechi hasn't really scored all that much this season, Daka has scored twice as much in less starts. 

[Foxes96]

Wonder if we could go for both Madueke and CDK to replace Iheanacho and Perez?
 

Would provide a bit more flexibility and options in attack. But those 2 and Lookman might be too expensive. 

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, lcfc sheff said:

On the centre mid front, think I’d rather keep Youri and lose him for free than go for £25m! Would we find an able replacement with that kind of money i don’t think so… at least would give us till next summer to find an able candidate but I suspect the lack of targets at CM is probably because this is a very realistic possibility 

Kockü from Feyenoord or Aouar from Lyon would both be available for less than £25m.

[Steve Earle]

3 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

I just don't see where the finances come from for this.

 

We need to raise north of £100m minimum.

Not a problem @Ric Flair: Iheanacho, Soyuncu & Tielemans gets you at least £75M. Choudhury, Praet & Perez another £25M+...

Edited 31 March 2022 by Steve Earle
error

[Raw Dykes]

1 hour ago, lcfc sheff said:

On the centre mid front, think I’d rather keep Youri and lose him for free than go for £25m! Would we find an able replacement with that kind of money i don’t think so… at least would give us till next summer to find an able candidate but I suspect the lack of targets at CM is probably because this is a very realistic possibility 

I think Youri leaving for free would be a bit of a disaster for us. Even if we only get £25m, I don't think we can really afford to throw it away. We may not find an able replacement for that amount, but it would certainly help. Much better than nothing at all. I don't believe he'll be at his best if he's set on leaving, either.

[Ric Flair]

8 minutes ago, Steve Earle said:

Not a problem @Ric Flair: Iheanacho, Soyuncu & Tielemans gets you at least £75M. Choudhury, Perez another £15M+...

I still think there needs to be more, we won't have a net spend above £20-30m, especially not without Europe. We've got to be very shrewd in the transfer market, I think we need 5 new players and therefore 8+ out.

 

In:

 

2 CB's

RW

CM

ACM/back up winger

 

Out:

 

Tielemans

Soyuncu

Iheanacho

Perez

Vestergaard

Praet

Hamza/Mendy

Bertrand

 

Those last 5 might struggle to move except on loan which then doesn't give us the required funds to get a CB, RW and CM that will be 1st choice and then another CB and a utility back up winger/ACM/forward type player. We might have to look at a loan for 1-2 positions or sell another player like Maddison, Barnes or Ndidi. I suppose the one obvious one is Castagne if we got back what we paid for him and went for someone like Ramsay or Spence and use the funds elsewhere but neither are yet at the same level as Castagne so its going to be a massively delicate rebuild this.

 

What's annoying about all this and is a consequence of not selling early enough is Tielemans is a £55-60m player and Soyuncu a £40m + player and yet we'll get about half that combined.

[sacreblueits442]

1 hour ago, lcfc sheff said:

On the centre mid front, think I’d rather keep Youri and lose him for free than go for £25m! Would we find an able replacement with that kind of money i don’t think so… at least would give us till next summer to find an able candidate but I suspect the lack of targets at CM is probably because this is a very realistic possibility 

.. how much longer are you prepared to watch Tielemans go through the motions in the midfield!!!

  We will be benching him and finding it more and more difficult to keep him as part of the match squad. 

  Whether he signs or not, his performances needs to pick up.

[los dedos]

2 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

.. how much longer are you prepared to watch Tielemans go through the motions in the midfield!!!

  We will be benching him and finding it more and more difficult to keep him as part of the match squad. 

  Whether he signs or not, his performances needs to pick up.

It almost feels like it's the clubs way of making sure he goes end of the season. More to free up wages than not rating him anymore.  But also having that slight concern we could be stuck with an of form Youri for another season. 

[Dan LCFC]

Absolute joke that Tielemans figure. Even for an out of contract Tielemans that's appalling, it's barely any more than we paid for Castagne and he had the same time left on his contract.

 

Found the majority of it a quite depressing read in all honesty - think unless we win the conference league it'll be a while before we're in Europe again.

[Matt_Lcfc]

3 hours ago, GingerrrFox said:

My very early prediction for this summer.

 

Ins: Madueke (RW), CDK (Utility forward), Nahitan Nandez (CM) William Saliba (CB - part of a deal to send Tielemans to Arsenal - this one is slightly tongue in cheek but Fofana would love to play alongside Saliba). 

 

I quite like this idea. I have always been against the idea of Tielemans going to a PL club. However, with United on a downward trajectory & Liverpool / Man City probably not being interested, Arsenal could be a decent fit for him. 
 

I was reading about Saliba the other day, he is getting some unbelievable numbers in Ligue 1. Additionally, he is in contention for the French National squad, he must be very good as Deschamps very rarely opts for younger players. With this in mind, he would be hard to attract but the Fofana attraction and the fact that Gabriel and White have nailed down the CB position means we could have a chance. 

Offering a loan with an option to buy and paying his wages would be doable, especially if we offloaded Soyuncu. I think that he would be a great addition and a big upgrade on what we already have.

 

[coolhandfox]

52 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I still think there needs to be more, we won't have a net spend above £20-30m, especially not without Europe. We've got to be very shrewd in the transfer market, I think we need 5 new players and therefore 8+ out.

 

In:

 

2 CB's

RW

CM

ACM/back up winger

 

Out:

 

Tielemans

Soyuncu

Iheanacho

Perez

Vestergaard

Praet

Hamza/Mendy

Bertrand

 

Those last 5 might struggle to move except on loan which then doesn't give us the required funds to get a CB, RW and CM that will be 1st choice and then another CB and a utility back up winger/ACM/forward type player. We might have to look at a loan for 1-2 positions or sell another player like Maddison, Barnes or Ndidi. I suppose the one obvious one is Castagne if we got back what we paid for him and went for someone like Ramsay or Spence and use the funds elsewhere but neither are yet at the same level as Castagne so its going to be a massively delicate rebuild this.

 

What's annoying about all this and is a consequence of not selling early enough is Tielemans is a £55-60m player and Soyuncu a £40m + player and yet we'll get about half that combined.

Rebuild isn't going to be a one summer job.

 

I think you could easily cover the 5 positions you mention for 100m (30M + income from Youri, Nacho and Soyuncu)

 

Market could be skewed by the availability of Ukraine league players.

 

Edited 31 March 2022 by coolhandfox

[Matt_Lcfc]

16 minutes ago, Dan LCFC said:

Absolute joke that Tielemans figure. Even for an out of contract Tielemans that's appalling, it's barely any more than we paid for Castagne and he had the same time left on his contract.

 

Found the majority of it a quite depressing read in all honesty - think unless we win the conference league it'll be a while before we're in Europe again.

Is it? I am somewhat playing devil’s advocate but would it not provoke a bidding war? Setting the price low, engaging multiple clubs and thus increasing his price could be an effective strategy. We have been very successful at getting massive prices for players so I am reserving judgement.

 

I do think that we need to offer Tielemans an ultimatum though. I do feel that with his form this season, he probably has not got the interest from other clubs that he perhaps anticipated.

 

The reality is that he either needs to sign an extension with a realistic release clause or we will have to sell him (below his market value) this summer. A club like us cannot lose 40m on him.

 

Edited 31 March 2022 by Matt_Lcfc

[Ric Flair]

3 hours ago, coolhandfox said:

Rebuild isn't going to be a one summer job.

 

I think you could easily cover the 5 positions you mention for 100m (30M + income from Youri, Nacho and Soyuncu)

 

Market could be skewed by the availability of Ukraine league players.

 

I think £75-80m to replace Youri, Soyuncu and get the right winger in we want. Think we'll need a couple of loans with options to buy in there again.

[Sankey93]

If Burnley go down I’d like cornet! He would fit in anorl cuz he’s always injured 😂

[Dan LCFC]

8 hours ago, Matt_Lcfc said:

Is it? I am somewhat playing devil’s advocate but would it not provoke a bidding war? Setting the price low, engaging multiple clubs and thus increasing his price could be an effective strategy. We have been very successful at getting massive prices for players so I am reserving judgement.

 

I do think that we need to offer Tielemans an ultimatum though. I do feel that with his form this season, he probably has not got the interest from other clubs that he perhaps anticipated.

 

The reality is that he either needs to sign an extension with a realistic release clause or we will have to sell him (below his market value) this summer. A club like us cannot lose 40m on him.

I hope you're right and maybe that's what'll happen but we don't really have loads of power in this one, and I'm not sure it'll shoot up from whatever we're initially offered.

 

£25mil would be a huge disappointment. How Ings can go for more is just staggering.

[An Sionnach]

Our top five finishes have increased contract expectations. Youri thinks he is worth £8 or 9 million a year. That is about par for a player of his standing. If we give it him , at every future contract extension , others will expect a proportionate increase. Our pay bill will go through the roof , we can't afford it. We are already offering high pay to new recruits. The annual salary of Bertrand, Vestergaard, Daka and Soumare must be around £15 million a year combined. We have to ask ourselves is this sustainable? We aspire to remain near the top of the highest paying league in the world and either we increase our income substantially or the owners are going to have to heavily subsidise us.

[Finnegan]

I personally wouldn't get overly hung up on "replacing" Tielemans, it's a bit like replacing Mahrez, you're probably going to have to go outside the box to replace his contributions with multiple people around the park. 

 

If its true that we're still looking at Madueke, I'd be happy if we brought in him and CDK as our main piece or business and followed that up with a CB if Cags is going. I wouldn't sweat CM. 

 

More attacking midfielders / wingers coming in gives us the freedom to move Madders back to 8, where he was fantastic when Rodgers first arrived, and to keep KDH going in the starting eleven. I'm not concerned about them not having YT's exact skill set if we're bringing in two players further up the pitch who can beat a man like Madueke or hold the ball like CDK. 

 

For games against stronger sides, something like:

Kasper 

Back four 

Madders, Ndidi, KDH 

CDK/Madueke, CDK/Barnes 

Vardy/Daka 

 

And for games we expect to dominate:

Kasper

Back four

Madders, KDH 

Madueke, CDK, Barnes 

Vardy/Daka

 

I'd be pretty content if we went in to a new season lining up like that. 

 

What concerns me more is the lack of depth we'll have if we sell all the players we're apparently going to to fund the transfers. For the last two or three years it's felt like we're constantly swimming against the tide, having to sign players to plug gaps in the first team and having no opportunity to actually cultivate depth. We're always going to be exposed to injuries even if we don't have a crisis on the scale of this year. 

[Ric Flair]

29 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

I personally wouldn't get overly hung up on "replacing" Tielemans, it's a bit like replacing Mahrez, you're probably going to have to go outside the box to replace his contributions with multiple people around the park. 

 

If its true that we're still looking at Madueke, I'd be happy if we brought in him and CDK as our main piece or business and followed that up with a CB if Cags is going. I wouldn't sweat CM. 

 

More attacking midfielders / wingers coming in gives us the freedom to move Madders back to 8, where he was fantastic when Rodgers first arrived, and to keep KDH going in the starting eleven. I'm not concerned about them not having YT's exact skill set if we're bringing in two players further up the pitch who can beat a man like Madueke or hold the ball like CDK. 

 

For games against stronger sides, something like:

Kasper 

Back four 

Madders, Ndidi, KDH 

CDK/Madueke, CDK/Barnes 

Vardy/Daka 

 

And for games we expect to dominate:

Kasper

Back four

Madders, KDH 

Madueke, CDK, Barnes 

Vardy/Daka

 

I'd be pretty content if we went in to a new season lining up like that. 

 

What concerns me more is the lack of depth we'll have if we sell all the players we're apparently going to to fund the transfers. For the last two or three years it's felt like we're constantly swimming against the tide, having to sign players to plug gaps in the first team and having no opportunity to actually cultivate depth. We're always going to be exposed to injuries even if we don't have a crisis on the scale of this year. 

One things for sure, if Tielemans goes and we don't replace him with another unique creative deep lying CM then our elusive RW signing has to bring 10+ goals and assists otherwise the net effect is a reduction in attacking output. A huge pressure on a very leaky defence as Brendan's not exactly known for his defensive solidity, we need more goals.