Right then, who should we sign?

[Lavanche]

Even thought I like most of the names in Indys list it sounds too much of Fifa signigns than something we would try to sign.

Thought I would be happy if we would show that kind of intention.

We definently need more young players as someone mentioned in this thread we are starting to have a bit old team with most players nearer thirty than twenty and our own youth products doesn't seem near breaking through in the first team apart from Murphy.

Still I would prefer us sign at least for a CB someone with a bit more experience than Sule, Kongolo and Tah. Not to mention Tah already moved to Leverkusen. For example some proven player like Sule's new teammate Fabian Schär moved under 3 million euros from Basel. Which is peanuts for 23 year old full international CB. Anyway I have no idea who would fit. Mayby Alexandar Dragovic could be lured out from warring country, or Caulker take salary cut to move back to premiership.

For a RB a young player would do for me. Yedlin would be a nice gamble if we could get him vero cheaply. Van Rhjin from Ajax would be tempting as he can play as a CB too and Udinese's young swiss Widmer has last year starting with his current contract.

For a CAM/LM I would go all in for Dennis Praet who is chased by at least Everton and Aston Villa. Almost complete package already with great potential. Now that all eyes are on Mitrovic and Tielemans he could be cheaper as he has only few years contract left. Maher and Meyer are probably both out of our range as PSV sold already Memphis and Wijnaldum (which was great catch from NC by the way). Great players both ofc and would be delighted if we looked after players like them.

Zivcovic moved already to loan and isn't Doria CB or am I mistaken the player? Personally no idea who we should sign as a striker. With 5 man middlefield I don't see desperate need for finding one either if we dont sell or loan 3 of our current six strikers.

Creative CAM/LM and first eleven CB should be our priority in this window. Starting RB and developing cheap LB second priority. If we still have money another cheap attacking option for LW/CAM/RW would be nice if we get injury problems.

Ofc first we must sell someone to make room.

Personally I would like to see us play with unbalanced variation of 4-2-3-1

---------Jerome-----------

-------Hoolahan/?--Redmond

--Johnson/?---------------

--------Tettey--Mulumbu---

Olsson--------------------

-----Bassong--?-Whittaker/?

If you catch the meaning.

 

[Indy_Bones]

Yes, Doria is a CB, and I have absolutely no idea how I ended up putting him in the CF options, should have been next to Tah on the list!

In regards to the experience levels of players like Kongolo and Sule, don't forget that they'd be playing alongside a highly experienced defender in either Seb or Russ, and their natural ability levels would soon eclipse the players they'd be learning from over here anyway IMHO.

I would have liked Ogbonna, but West Ham already put paid to that idea...

 

[KeiranShikari]

Absolutely no chance in hell suggestions are Indy's modus operandi. You'll get used to them. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I agree that a creative midfielder should be a priority. It all goes back to the Wes connundrum. Less of a problem in lower divisions, but in the Premier League Wes offers very little direct goal threat. If we play only two attacking players, him and a conventional striker (rather than leaving him out and playing two up front) then you diminish our goal threat, yet drastically improve the effectiveness of our play.

We saw this time and again in Hughtons era, play Wes and we rely too much on one person to score the goals as Wes isnt going to do it himself. Leave Wes out and play two strikers, or just one and a less creative midfielder the team always looked flat, directionless and impotent.

Wes, after all these years remains unique in our team and we always look a better side with him playing. But his inability to threaten the goal directly limits us in attack, he doesnt have the physical attributes to play deeper, and he just doesnt work on the wing. And he is getting on

Id be more than happy to see us break the bank for a new Wes, (he'll need replacing eventually anyway) and if the new guy has fewer of Wes' limiting factors then this is worth paying the money for.

The signing of Fer, whose attritubutes were well-rounded was a step in the right direction - though I feel we never saw the best of him. Otherwise we rely too heavily on Wes for creativity. Someone else in the squad who can do what Wes does is essential for me. Upgrading would be very exciting

 

[Wiz]

All we really need is a good centre half and a quality left back...easy guv isn't it?

PS. Keep Benno at right back, he's good enough imo.

 

[KeiranShikari]

Other than the winger I don't think we'll be signing any more midfielders this summer. I agree that that central attacking position is one we will need to strengthen in the near future though.

Don't really agree that we'd be relying on Hoolahan as a sole creative spark. The likes of Dorrans, Howson, Redmond, Andreu maybe and even Mulumbu is technically very good. With the addition of Brady I'd say midfield is our strongest section.

A new striker, winger and a defender or two will be the order this summer. 

 

[KeiranShikari]

I think Olsson is a quality left back. He'll mis the start of the season but we'll probably have Brady to cover, as I've said before.

Doubt we'll see Beno at right back much, if at all in the league. We have Whittake and Russ anyway so I'm not hugely worried. Well, if we pick up a good cb I won't be worried.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

All we really need is a good centre half and a quality left back...easy guv isn't it?

PS. Keep Benno at right back, he's good enough imo.

I do like the look of van Dijk, but if he's going to move I doubt we'd be able to get him

 

[Lavanche]

I can't agree Keiran about creativity part. Dont know about Andreu, but Howson isn't option for a creative role. Dorrans is somewhat improvement, but not sure how big role he plays and he just doesn't give same penetration than Hoolahan and Redmond.

In my opinion the new left winger must be able to break defences and able to stunt Hoolahan in the middle if we play more concervative. Those players we have been linked wont offer that in my opinion and that without it we might have very long season to try break trouhg opposition Linus and get to the goal sectors. Pemiership isn't straightforward as championship.

 

[Canaryboy]

I do like the look of van Dijk, but if he's going to move I doubt we'd be able to get him

No other team can offer them Gary Hooper in exchange though. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

No other team can offer them Gary Hooper in exchange though. 

Whilst thats true, thats only the agreeing a fee part, and Im sure anyone who wants him will be able to find the cash. Then it becomes about what we can offer the player. For us its going to be only regular Premiership football where he will be an almost guaranteed starter. Other Premiership teams can offer continental competition, chance of a cup-run, better wages, similar if not bigger fanbase/stadium to Celtic.

Hooper gave all that up to come here, so its not out of the realms of possibility, but think bigger clubs than us will be looking at him.

 

[Wiz]

After watching my new City 2015 highlights DVD, its amazing just how many times Hooper features in it!

 

[KeiranShikari]

We're not giving them Hooper. Please stop.

I can't agree Keiran about creativity part. Dont know about Andreu, but Howson isn't option for a creative role. Dorrans is somewhat improvement, but not sure how big role he plays and he just doesn't give same penetration than Hoolahan and Redmond. 

Howson isn't as fluid as the likes of Hoolahan but he can pick a pass, score a goal out of nothing and generally keep things ticking over. He played a very advanced position at times under Lambert and looked good, Lambert likened him to Barca's Iniesta in fact. There will be games where a Howson is preferred to Hoolahan I'm sure.

None of our other midfielders work  between the lines like Hoolahan but a lot of teams don't have that type of player. What we have now is good and hopefully Vadis and Andreu can be nice surprises. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

So just 19 days before the new season kicks off. Just really Mulumbu on a free coming in (Dorrans was really a last season thing).

So if the season gets any closer and we dont have any new signings - what would you rather we did? Go with what we've got, or take whomever we can get (a so-called panic-buy).

I know we've got until the end of August so its really 6 weeks of the window left.

Personally I dont feel we have the need to panic. Fresh blood is always important, but unlike teams who find themselves going up on little platform (like if we'd have won the Millenium stadium play-off final) our team has barely changed from the Premiership squad. I dont feel we desperately need to buy in Premiership quality - I think we always were.

So if worst comes to worst, I dont think we'd be in too dangerous a place if only Mulumbu came in. Not ideal, but not a disaster

 

[brhdodds]

I think a new CB has to come in at least, and hopefully the Brady deal will happen.

Rumours today we're interested in Mbemba (another name mentioned on here before) although Newcastle are close so can't see him choosing us over them

 

[KeiranShikari]

Chances are any signings made in the next couple of weeks would have been in the pipeline for a good while so I don't think we'll be panic buying.

I would assume we have some backup targets that we can go for in the primary bids fail. Like Jerome last summer.

Don't actually think many are genuinely worried, just theatrics and lots of pinkun accounts that mysteriously joined this summer.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Anyone got high hopes for Andreu or VOO this year? The romantic in me wants to see VOO, RvW and Andreu form the bulk of a surprise package sandwich

 

[Indy_Bones]

Absolutely no chance in hell suggestions are Indy's modus operandi. You'll get used to them. 

That's pretty harsh Keiran.

I'll happily admit that on an occasion or two I've got carried away and made some pretty OTT suggestions (Isco and Ter Stegen stand out), but in the main, most targets I suggest are relatively realistic. A great example of this is that 2 years ago I suggested we sign Firmino and Ogbonna, they've both signed for prem teams this season, yet we could have got them for probably half of what they paid if we'd gone for them at the time. I'll also point out that I suggested Bony before he went to Swansea and look how that turned out.

I did also point out that I thought we'd be hard pressed to sign Meyer or Zivkovic from my suggestions (possibly Maher as well now), but even then I think it would come down to whether or not the player wanted to come here rather than us being priced out of the market either in wages or transfer fee.

 

[brhdodds]

Having been fairly chilled all summer, I am just beginning to get worried. I think we need a big signing at CB and ST (not Lambert).

Also we need to start selling off the fringe players, we don't need Jerome, Grabban, Hooper, RvW and Lafferty when we play one up front. I'd shift Lafferty, RvW, Hooper and sign a marquee striker who's then supported by Jerome and Grabban.

I think in terms of Prem quality our defence is really lacking, Seb is good enough in the middle and Olsson when fit will be great on the left. The rest of the defence isn't up to it: Martin will get found out against big and/or quick strikers, Whittaker although a new man under AN really lacks pace, Turner not good enough and Bennett a bit of an unknown quantity as he's never really been fit enough.

I'd love to see signings like van Dijk and Yedlin, or at least of that sort of intent.

Imagine a starting back five of:

Ruddy​

Yedlin, van Dijk, Bassong, Olsson/Brady ​

That saying, I think the midfield has more than enough quality. Sorry about the rant, think my frustrations with the kits have got the best of me! 

 

[Suffolk Canary]

I'm also starting to get concerned. I'm sure the club are working tirelessly to get business done, but how come every other club has managed to do business except us?  It's basically two and a half weeks until the first half of the season. Even if we signed someone tomorrow, that still leaves not a great deal of time for them to be interpreted with the squad. 

Personally I think it's time to give up with Brady. We could spend another 2 or 3 weeks waiting for them to eventually tell us to bugger off. If they don't want our money, fine.  Lets just get this Alonso lad who looks half decent and get on with it. Brady is nothing special.