Have we progressed this window?

[GingerrrFox]

Very happy with the business we got done, however I can’t shake this little voice in my head that’s saying we are 1 player short out wide from this summers business if we want to really push on. 

 

Gray will sadly never make it at Top 6 level, he has all the physical ability you could wish for but he just doesn’t have the footballing acumen to use it. Constantly makes the wrong decisions and has not kicked on any since he first came here.

 

Barnes is young and raw but still needs time to become the direct, goal scoring winger we think he can be. He’s gonna get goals this season but I worry the weight of expectation with lack of other options may burden him, playing without expectation for a little bit longer will really help his development. 

 

Albrighton is a real asset to this squad, he’s a tireless worker and can pop up with goals but he’s never been a really quality creator and has never produced a high number of assists in a season. 

 

Ghezzal is is a duff purchase unfortunately and would definitely have moved if not for his fairly large wages for a player of his modest ability. 

 

A lot hinges on Perez, he looks like he could have the X factor ready to pop out at any moment. Playing in a team on a level of our current squad will hopefully allow him to flourish and really start to turn it on.

 

I just wonder whether seeing as Gray and Ghezzal don’t look like they can push it to the next level, if pushing hard to sign someone like Ryan Fraser would have been possible. It looks like we are going to a diamond 4-4-2 and may not start with wide players but I think having a bit more cutting edge and firepower out wide would have been useful when we do play a 4-3-3 as an additional option to start and to be a potential game changer coming from the bench. 

[ronnup]

3 minutes ago, GingerrrFox said:

Very happy with the business we got done, however I can’t shake this little voice in my head that’s saying we are 1 player short out wide from this summers business if we want to really push on. 

 

Gray will sadly never make it at Top 6 level, he has all the physical ability you could wish for but he just doesn’t have the footballing acumen to use it. Constantly makes the wrong decisions and has not kicked on any since he first came here.

 

Barnes is young and raw but still needs time to become the direct, goal scoring winger we think he can be. He’s gonna get goals this season but I worry the weight of expectation with lack of other options may burden him, playing without expectation for a little bit longer will really help his development. 

 

Albrighton is a real asset to this squad, he’s a tireless worker and can pop up with goals but he’s never been a really quality creator and has never produced a high number of assists in a season. 

 

Ghezzal is is a duff purchase unfortunately and would definitely have moved if not for his fairly large wages for a player of his modest ability. 

 

A lot hinges on Perez, he looks like he could have the X factor ready to pop out at any moment. Playing in a team on a level of our current squad will hopefully allow him to flourish and really start to turn it on.

 

I just wonder whether seeing as Gray and Ghezzal don’t look like they can push it to the next level, if pushing hard to sign someone like Ryan Fraser would have been possible. It looks like we are going to a diamond 4-4-2 and may not start with wide players but I think having a bit more cutting edge and firepower out wide would have been useful when we do play a 4-3-3 as an additional option to start and to be a potential game changer coming from the bench. 

 

I think it's refreshing to have a manager that backs himself to tap the potential of our players. 

[Pliskin]

I am very happy. And I’m looking forward to the season ahead. 

[StriderHiryu]

9 minutes ago, GingerrrFox said:

Very happy with the business we got done, however I can’t shake this little voice in my head that’s saying we are 1 player short out wide from this summers business if we want to really push on.

I think this will be a common point of view, and it's quite understandable, especially given the huge windfall we've just received for Slabhead.

 

What I would say is that if that player was not available, then I think it's good that rather than just throwing it away on a pish player, e.g. Alex Iwobi, we've kept faith with our already good players and can always reinvest it again in the future. The same IMO is also true for our defence. You could definitely make a good argument to say this is now a weakness in the team and we should have reinvested the Maguire money, but I think it's much better to give the players we signed last season a chance first. We are Leicester City, and our finest hour came through giving numerous players considered not quite good enough a second chance; Vardy, Kante, Mahrez, Schmeichel, Morgan, etc, etc. I think it's good to continue to do this and I actually hope it becomes part of our club's identity. And let's not forget ladies and gentlemen that we signed Youri bloody Tielemans! The guy is pure class and could easily go down as the best signing of the summer.

[Scotch]

There is absolutely no doubt that we have a good team filled with lots of young players with huge potential. HOWEVER, I can't help but feel disappointed with this window. It feels like we've missed a great opportunity to push for top six.

 

Arsenal, Utd and Chelsea are all as weak as they've been in some time and I really think we should have made a real go at competing but unfortunately (and hopefully I'm wrong) the only way I see that happening is if a number of things happen simultaneously....

 

1, One of Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea need to underperform this year, as well as Wolves, Everton and West ham. 

 

2, we need to stay injury free. Our squad is not deep enough in certain areas to deal with prolonged injuries. 

 

3, our young players need to step up and be counted this year. 

 

....The issue with that last point is we've not done our young players any favours. Not having quality replacements has really put pressure in these guys to perform this year. There is nowhere to hide for guys like Benkovic, Soyuncu, Barnes, Gray, Nacho and Hamza, they need to stand up and be counted, ESPECIALLY if we get injuries this year. 

 

I just feel like we were two players away from an Excellent squad as opposed to a really good first 11. Another winger with a proven goalscoring record and an experienced and proven CB. Not only would it have added depth but it would have taken a bit of the pressure off of some of the younger squad members. 

 

I hope I'm wrong and obviously BR is far more knowledgable than me so maybe I am but like I said, I can't help feel a little disappointed but maybe I had unrealistic expectations due to buying into some of the nonsense spouted on here. 

[danny2997]

I think what I find quite strange after rounding off this transfer window is that while other clubs fans appear to have nothing good to say about us, they are all still ranking us as a bottom half/ scraping top half side. I have just finished watching a premier league table prediction video where the guy spends a fair amount of time talking about how good we have it in midfield and have such a fantastic manager before saying we will finish 11th place... 

 

I personally am under no illusion that we will stroll into the top 6 easily this season but the fact we are being underestimated so much still can only be good for us especially since the business we have done has set us up nicely bar being a bit short in CB.

[Silva Fox]

6 minutes ago, danny2997 said:

I think what I find quite strange after rounding off this transfer window is that while other clubs fans appear to have nothing good to say about us, they are all still ranking us as a bottom half/ scraping top half side. I have just finished watching a premier league table prediction video where the guy spends a fair amount of time talking about how good we have it in midfield and have such a fantastic manager before saying we will finish 11th place... 

 

I personally am under no illusion that we will stroll into the top 6 easily this season but the fact we are being underestimated so much still can only be good for us especially since the business we have done has set us up nicely bar being a bit short in CB.

Where do you think we will finish as a matter of interest? I predicted 10th in another thread and I don't think I was being overly pessimistic but as good as our signings have been I still think we've fallen slightly short compared to the likes of Everton, Wolves & West Ham. If BR can get the best out of our players then we could finish higher but I can't see us breaking into the top 6 this season. I'm massively looking forward to it all the same mind you. 

[RobHawk]

If you look at who's left and who's come in, I think we have had a great window. 

 

Cags is ready to takeover from Maguire and I assume big fan is going to add extra cover at CB. A position he plays for his country let's not forget. 

 

Our midfield has had a dramatic improvement and is going to make a huge difference this year. 

 

Perez will rival Vards with goals scored for the first time since we lost Mahrez. 

 

Brendan seems to think he can get more from kelechi, we know Barnes is gonna do well, Marc will be Marc and we all expect nothing from gray but maybe that will help him up his game. 

 

I'm assuming another 3-4 players will be looking to go elsewhere by the end of the month too.

 

Great window all in all, yes we could all want to replace gray or get another CB in but the ain't footy manager and it don't always work like that. 

[Raw Dykes]

53 minutes ago, Clever Fox said:

We only needed him as back up for Vardy. And on a free that was good business by Watford.

We could have wrapped him in cotton wool until Vardy gets injured.

I'm really hoping I don't have to say I told you so.

We'll see. He's crocked all the time, though. He'd still have to train. If he didn't then he wouldn't be near match fitness.

 

You won't have to say you told me so, because we signed Perez. In the unlikely event that both Vardy and Perez are both unavailable, we've got Nacho. While he's been disappointing so far, I think he should get a clean slate now he's got a better manager guiding him, and he's bound to enjoy better service from the team around him. If they're all out, we could play Barnes up front, or curse our bad luck until January.

 

Welbeck's record at Arsenal wasn't great, either. 16 goals in 88 apps. 5.5 apps per goal, or 0.18 goals per app. Perez, in an inferior Newcastle side, has scored 33 goals in 143 PL apps. That's 4.3 apps per goal, or 0.23 goals per app. I know you won't recognise Perez as a striker, so we have a non-striker (according to you) with a better scoring record (for an inferior and much more conservative side) than Welbeck, and he's not constantly injured. Even if we had signed Welbeck, he'd be 3rd choice striker at best, and that's only when he's not lying on a physio room bed.

 

As I've already said, I think it's extremely difficult for us to have decent backup for a player like Vardy. No-one good enough wants to join us just to sit on the bench. Why do you think Spurs don't have a decent out-and-out striker cover for Kane? We've done the right thing by buying Perez - a versatile player who will play often and can also cover Vardy.

 

Anyway, it's not just strikers who score. We have a bunch of talented midfielders who will be chipping in. I'm sure Maddison and Tielemans could reach double figures each this season. This could be Barnes's breakthrough season, as well. From what I've seen so far, I've no doubt it's only a matter of time before he's an important player for us.

[danny2997]

9 minutes ago, Silva Fox said:

Where do you think we will finish as a matter of interest? I predicted 10th in another thread and I don't think I was being overly pessimistic but as good as our signings have been I still think we've fallen slightly short compared to the likes of Everton, Wolves & West Ham. If BR can get the best out of our players then we could finish higher but I can't see us breaking into the top 6 this season. I'm massively looking forward to it all the same mind you. 

I think we should be getting at least top 8 this season and would be disappointed to finish lower. We tend to look at Everton and West Ham's business every year and suggest that they are the one's that will really push on and they tend to fall short.

 

Personally, I think we will finish 7th this year assuming the usual top 6 perform as expected. However, I see a meltdown from either Chelsea, Man United or Arsenal being possible this season giving us the opportunity to sneak into 6th but in this case the usual points gap seen between 6th and 7th will be between 5th and 6th so we'll still be a way off there.

[Legend_in_blue]

For me we are one player short of the perfect transfer window.  A concrete plan for a Maguire replacement would have made it perfection.

 

As it stands, it's been a very good window, just short of perfect.

 

Will it be enough to break into 6th?  We need one of Chelsea, Arsenal or Man Utd to underperform and for BR to get the most out of what he's got.  I still think VAR will be more of a leveller this season, especially where there was refereeing bias towards the so called big teams in the past and can see us chipping away at that point difference to 6th with the attacking options we've got against 10 men behind the ball game wrecking teams.  

 

Should be interesting, looking forward to it.

Edited 8 August 2019 by Legend_in_blue

[HighPeakFox]

There's a danger to getting too many new faces in all at once. Hopefully we've got it about right, and banked all that Maguire money too. 

 

On which subject, where are all the phoney accountants now? 

[STUHILL]

I think we will be 7th or 8th but I do believe there will be a biggish gap to 6th. 

 

Could we have done more to close that gap? Absolutely! 

 

In some ways I am quite relieved though, as we were in danger of pushing players like Soyuncu, Barnes and Choudary to the bench for a full season, when these players really should get an opportunity, just like Chilwell has, and look how well that has gone! Now the starting England LB! Maddison senior call-up coming soon too no doubt!

 

We are going to need some luck along the way in terms of injuries etc and players living up to the hype and even players like Iheanacho and Gray, doing a 180 in terms of consistency and performances. However, I have a lot of faith that Rodgers will be able to get the absolute maximum out of what he has, and our team spirit will surely be a big factor in pipping teams like Everton and West Ham to that 7th spot. 

 

Disappointed we didn't get the storm and sign players like Bailey or Ake, but still very excited to have an exciting young squad and a positive and talented Manager!

 

 

[Deeg67]

Over the next four months we're going to find out if Soyuncu and Benkovic are the answer at CB - that alone is a positive.  Obviously a bigger positive if the answer is "yes", but  positive either way.

 

For me, not signing a CB isn't a problem, though I do wish we'd brought in someone as insurance even on loan.  What makes this a very good but not spectacular window is not bringing in another winger with proven goal-scoring punch.  But as with the young CBs, this should give Barnes an opportunity to show what he can do.  I don't think he'll start often but he'll be the first sub off the bench if we need a goal, and that's a big role to fill.

[UpTheLeagueFox]

Keeping hold of Maddison and Chilwell and recruiting Tielemans permanently (not to mention bagging Perez and Praet) is much bigger for me than losing Maguire.

 

No reason why Soyuncu can't step up, had a year to understand English football, the language etc. Played 50 top flight games in Germany and 20+ for his country.

Edited 8 August 2019 by UpTheLeagueFox

[Corky]

Would've liked another central defender but we've recruited well in other areas, kept key players too.

 

Still have concerns if Vardy is out for a while.

[foxfanazer]

Could've done with a few more departures imo but the additions I'm very happy with. Getting the Tielemans deal done was imperative 

[Raw Dykes]

I'm very pleased with the business we've done this window.

 

We've massively strengthened the more attacking CM positions, which was the most urgent transfer activity we needed to do. Since making the switch from the double pivot, we found ourselves with a squad ill-equipped to handle a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 or diamond formation favoured by BR. That's why we got Tielemans, and although he was here last season, let's not forget that he was only on loan, and to get him permanently was by no means a foregone conclusion. We've already seen that he is absolute class, fits into the squad very well, and at just 22 years old, and with only £40m spent, he is a major coup for us. This can't really be overstated.

 

Even after his arrival, however, there was still no decent cover for him or Maddison, and today we have remedied that with the signing of Praet. At around £20m, I'm sure he'll prove to be a steal, as well.

 

With Simpson released, we've signed Justin, who is an ideal understudy - young, English and highly-rated. He couldn't wish to learn from better players than Ricardo and Chilwell.

 

On top of this, we snapped up Newcastle's top-scorer Perez. With Vardy being such a difficult player to get decent cover for, I think we've done the best thing by bringing in a versatile player who will play regularly as a winger or second striker, but can also lead the line when Vardy can't.

 

The sale of Maguire wasn't ideal, but it was hardly a shock, and with a world record fee received, and the two prospects brought in this time last year, I think we will be okay.

 

A top class winger would have been welcome, although I think Barnes could be on the verge of being an important player for us. I wouldn't have liked to see him further down the pecking order. You can't change too much too soon.

 

One downside is that the squad is very flabby now. With any luck, we can shift some of the bomb squad between now and the end of the month.

[Goober]

Was expecting the club to push the boat out a bit more for Brendan in his first window but on reflection quite pleased. Every signing seems a clever one. Would've taken 1, maybe 2 more but if the club have faith in the 2 young centre halves then happy days. Could be a masterstroke not pissing 40m+ away on Tarkowski this window and I imagine we'll look at him again in the future. Easy to forget how big getting Youri in permanently was too. Signing of the entire window imo

 

Have we progressed? **** knows. Let's see how we get on. Can't wait to get started on Sunday

[Carl the Llama]

I'm surprised how many doom merchants there are tbh.  We have a manager and squad that was delivering CL form football - 1 key CB + 1 player who improves our wing and central forward options + 1 Belgian international midfielder +1 promising backup for both fullback positions.  That's looks like progress to me.

[Hack]

1 hour ago, Raw Dykes said:

We'll see. He's crocked all the time, though. He'd still have to train. If he didn't then he wouldn't be near match fitness.

 

You won't have to say you told me so, because we signed Perez. In the unlikely event that both Vardy and Perez are both unavailable, we've got Nacho. While he's been disappointing so far, I think he should get a clean slate now he's got a better manager guiding him, and he's bound to enjoy better service from the team around him. If they're all out, we could play Barnes up front, or curse our bad luck until January.

 

Welbeck's record at Arsenal wasn't great, either. 16 goals in 88 apps. 5.5 apps per goal, or 0.18 goals per app. Perez, in an inferior Newcastle side, has scored 33 goals in 143 PL apps. That's 4.3 apps per goal, or 0.23 goals per app. I know you won't recognise Perez as a striker, so we have a non-striker (according to you) with a better scoring record (for an inferior and much more conservative side) than Welbeck, and he's not constantly injured. Even if we had signed Welbeck, he'd be 3rd choice striker at best, and that's only when he's not lying on a physio room bed.

 

As I've already said, I think it's extremely difficult for us to have decent backup for a player like Vardy. No-one good enough wants to join us just to sit on the bench. Why do you think Spurs don't have a decent out-and-out striker cover for Kane? We've done the right thing by buying Perez - a versatile player who will play often and can also cover Vardy.

 

Anyway, it's not just strikers who score. We have a bunch of talented midfielders who will be chipping in. I'm sure Maddison and Tielemans could reach double figures each this season. This could be Barnes's breakthrough season, as well. From what I've seen so far, I've no doubt it's only a matter of time before he's an important player for us.

Sturridge is available on a free younger than Welbeck with similar injury issues but a better scoring record as well.  maybe an option we could go for if the club fell it necessary to have more cover for Jamie?

[Tuna]

Yes. No question about it.

[Clever Fox]

11 minutes ago, Raw Dykes said:

We'll see. He's crocked all the time, though. He'd still have to train. If he didn't then he wouldn't be near match fitness.

 

You won't have to say you told me so, because we signed Perez. In the unlikely event that both Vardy and Perez are both unavailable, we've got Nacho. While he's been disappointing so far, I think he should get a clean slate now he's got a better manager guiding him, and he's bound to enjoy better service from the team around him. If they're all out, we could play Barnes up front, or curse our bad luck until January.

 

Welbeck's record at Arsenal wasn't great, either. 16 goals in 88 apps. 5.5 apps per goal, or 0.18 goals per app. Perez, in an inferior Newcastle side, has scored 33 goals in 143 PL apps. That's 4.3 apps per goal, or 0.23 goals per app. I know you won't recognise Perez as a striker, so we have a non-striker (according to you) with a better scoring record (for an inferior and much more conservative side) than Welbeck, and he's not constantly injured. Even if we had signed Welbeck, he'd be 3rd choice striker at best, and that's only when he's not lying on a physio room bed.

 

As I've already said, I think it's extremely difficult for us to have decent backup for a player like Vardy. No-one good enough wants to join us just to sit on the bench. Why do you think Spurs don't have a decent out-and-out striker cover for Kane? We've done the right thing by buying Perez - a versatile player who will play often and can also cover Vardy.

 

Anyway, it's not just strikers who score. We have a bunch of talented midfielders who will be chipping in. I'm sure Maddison and Tielemans could reach double figures each this season. This could be Barnes's breakthrough season, as well. From what I've seen so far, I've no doubt it's only a matter of time before he's an important player for us.

He could have been a very cheap option on a free. Personally I'd have found a younger option who would have cost very little.

I think you might be making the classic mistake of confusing a goal scorer as a striker. Anyone of eleven players can score a goal.

Does that make them a Striker. I'll answer that, it doesn't. It's a different skill set playing with your back to goal.

 

No player ever wants to be on the bench but It's part of the game. Hadn't we got 5 CB for 2 positions Yet we think it's ok to go into the season with just Nacho.

Perez is a good player and I do rate him.  He may well go on to be as good as Vardy for us, But as of now he's still unproven here.

Was  Lukaku  a success at Utd and look what he cost. Coutino at Barca are these bad players, no they're not. That's the point I keep making.

Every signing is a risk until they start delivering, and the same applies to Perez and anyone else we sign

 

Yes Maddison and Tielemans could get double figures but they'll be a bonus. Like when a CB comes forward and scores.

Whereas Vardy is expected to score and get double figures.

Another way to look at it is they may not and no one will think any the less of them. But if Vardy doesn't get double figures he'll be considered a failure and we'll be in trouble.

Barnes is improving but he's not ready yet. It's also unfair to put too much expectation on Barnes, He's a young lad and is still learning.

If anything his task has got even harder because the squad is getting stronger with higher expectation from everyone.  Unfortunately for him I think he may be back to cameo appearances.

Don't be surprised if you see more of Hamza than Barnes and others this season.

I can see what Rogers is trying to do but I just fear he may come unstuck in some games. Remember he came up short at Liverpool and he had Sturridge Suaraz and Sterling up front.

At the end of the day it's all about Goals, how many you can score and how many you can keep out.

I think we'll do ok against the good teams and struggle against the physical teams. 

On the other hand if Perez can deliver double figures along with Vardy Then we should be smiling.

[Chrysalis]

In terms of squad, we have filled in gaps perhaps with a second striker as an alternative to nacho (badly needed), securing tielemans (required), and even a alternative to tielemans was signed to give him competition, however we lost a great player in maguire, leaving potential problems at the back.

 

Our rivals have arguably strengthened but the transfer market is always a lottery, so nothing is a given.  We ended last season on very good form under rodgers.

[TeaMen Tom]

Central defense scares me a bit but they'll also score lots of goals.  Rodgers running the show should eliminate some of the crap performances against weaker teams that happened way too often under Puel. Key is not to get overrun by the good teams. Not sure Evans can make it through a season, Morgan is toast and Soyunco and Benkovic are unproven.  I'd have thought they'd have an experienced EPL defender in waiting as cover for Maguire but Rodgers must like what he has.