A Good Window?

[Bordersfox]

We got some bodies in, purely it terms of psychological boost for the team/fans as a whole that's a real positive.  One of those players is potentially very exciting indeed according to our resident right wing expert.  The profile of the players, young and with potential to grow, is right for the club.   

 

On the flip side because of that all three are untried at this level and so there is an element of risk.  One, possibly two, more signings including a versatile attacking midfielder and a keeps would have made it a superb window.  As it is, it's just a decent one I think.  And despite having Mendy, Ndidi and Soumare the DCM role is also currently an issue.  Ndidi is horribly out of sorts, Soumare clearly isn't suited to that role and Mendy...is just Mendy.  

 

There is the free agents market, but do we ever go shopping in it much, I have no idea?

[Number 6]

Good window for me, particularly as January is usually tough. Our 4 weakest areas were GK, LB, CB, RW, and we've got someone in for 3 of them. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Good as long as Barnes/Tete stay fit for the rest of the season.

[AjcW]

The man who moans consistently about needing to be backed, has been backed with the exact 3 positions he asked for.

There's nowhere to hide anymore.

For that reason it's a superb window*, the only reason people are upset is that we didn't get a GK and another attacker, and that's fan dissapointment which is natural, in my opinion though all I wanted to see was BR get what he asked for so that he can't churn out the same old waffle.

 

 

*But yeah like others i've got no idea how we couldn't shift more/why we've let Marc go out on loan

[ramaiya2]

Good window.

 

Harrison and a GK would have a great window

 

Can't complain

[DennisNedry]

I'm happy with the players we've brought in, on paper at least.

 

However we still have a lot of deadwood in the squad, and arguably a championship level goalkeeper and forward line. 

 

6/10

 

Edit: Why is nobody else worried that our forward line consists of Daka (Championship Level), Vardy (Should be a super sub at most now) and Nacho (Decent player at times but clearly not fancied by Brendan).

Edited 1 February 2023 by DennisNedry

[Ric Flair]

In a perfect environment going forward, where we don't suffer injuries and under performance then the transfer window has been pretty good by our standards.

 

Kristiansen appears to be an improvement on Luke Thomas and will add a much needed physicality and energy down the left side. I'll come back to why the left side might bear real fruit when I get to Tete.

 

Harry Souttar ought to improve our central defence too. He's good on the ball, he's a machine in the air and I'd hope that we continue our improvement in defending set pieces but equally as important is get better at attacking set pieces, where corners and free kicks (other than Maddison direct shooting) might as well just be leathered out of play for a goal kick. 

 

He's very mobile too, which we've noted Faes isn't and since the World Cup break Faes and Amartey have swapped roles on who leads the defence and who doesn't. I hope with Souttar that they can build a partnership that compliments each others strengths and counteracts any weaknesses. I'm a big fan of this piece of business, I think he will be brilliant.

 

I never thought we'd see this day arrive where we sign (albeit it to start with only temporarily) a left footed right winger who is so much better than any alternative winger who we've been subjected to since Mahrez departed. Tete not only will be 1st choice, he will be in that handful of indispensable players to this starting XI and he will transform our attack.

 

I have no doubts that he will hit the ground running here, there's no part of his game that needs time to adjust. I'd not be surprised to see goals right from the off and that is so badly needed right now. But whatever he might or might not deliver right from the off, I can guarantee you that the way the opposition line up against us when we get on the attack will be instantly different to recent times. 

 

No longer can they engineer the focus to covering Barnes and not having to worry about the switch of play, the space afforded between Barnes, the striker and now Tete will cause the opposition a real headache that with the creativity of Maddison and Tielemans and the energy and pressing of KDH, that quite quickly our patterns of play will seem more dynamic and quick.

 

Kristiansen and Barnes may well become the biggest benefactors of this because Tete is very very good at the supply in to space and he will scare the shit out of most teams that there'll then be more room for Barnes to run on to who as we have seen is one of the best finishers at running on to through balls and crosses. It's when defences are set that he struggles to beat his man and create individual pieces of quality.

 

Both Tete and Barnes have a very good record for finishing at the back post, and Barnes also seems to have provided a fair amount of his assists over the years to players in space in those zones, so they could be a nightmare for the opposition in such moves.

 

So with all of that taken in to consideration, we on paper appear to have improved our starting XI more so than at any other time since the start of 2018/19 when Maddison, Evans and Ricardo were signed. 

 

Where I'm still quite concerned about though is, given our league position, given our malaise between manager and playing staff and the relentless injuries we rack up, I'm still not content that this will be plain sailing to retain our PL status this season.

 

We've now got fewer options out wide, regardless of few games Perez or Albrighton started this season. If we continue to start games horrendously and carry on our inability to overturned going behind then where are the options from the bench? 

 

I know it's a big ask to improve the starting XI and the squad but we sadly needed to and the knock on effect in not doing so is we still will need 7+ new players this summer and I'm not confident we have the ability to do that amount of business successfully in that period. 

 

It was quite clear we had £20m + to bring in another winger / versatile attacker and knowing we've left some out there is frustrating. I'm no huge fan of Jack Harrison and possibly quite thankful we didn't panic and offer way over the odds, but we are now a few injuries away from being completely nullified as a team once again.

 

Praet cannot stay fit when we need him to, Maddison we have to hope has had his once every 18 months nasty mid length injury and that Barnes and Tete are injury free, because otherwise this positivity of what we have done this window will count for nothing.

 

We need a long hard look at how this club operates, if there is genuine inability from the likes of Rudkin to appropriately negotiate incomings and outgoings to the degree we need to prosper, then Top has to make a big decision to change things. I think this is an area that is holding us back thst previously may have been masked over because we had built an extremely good squad, with a spine of exceptional characters that had achieved the unthinkable with us.

 

When shit hits the fan and you need to rebuild, this is when people need to stand up and be counted in their roles and if some of them aren't good enough then that loyalty that is at the heart of the principles of our owners does have to be tested. 

 

Overall, this window has been good but we may well have needed it to be exceptional. We need to ace the next 2-3 transfer windows, it's a decent start but we don't have much margin for error.

[scinnell]

Good window. Strengthened in key positions. Left footed, right winger. Albrighton going is a kicker, but he has played 3 games in the league all season. Gave ourselves a good chance of staying up and we would be very fortunate too also. Big earners out of contract in the summer gives us a chance to rebuild, but it is important we sort the recruitment team in these next six months. 

Edited 1 February 2023 by scinnell

[UHDrive]

1 hour ago, shen said:

Maybe you're right. Albrighton, like Schmeichel and Vardy, seems like a very popular person in the dressing room however. Maybe the intangible loss is significant.

 

But on the flip side, this should give more opportunities to academy players. Only way to find out if they can cut it at this level.

Which ones? Our academy is dire at present.

 

Kasey McAteer is on loan, Will Alves is out for the season, Lewis Brunt hasn't convinced me yet. Joe Wormleighton is the only player for me that I'd like to see training with the 1st team squad but preferably out on loan and I have to say that the other players are nowhere near up to scratch. 

 

I watch them as much as I can and that's why I can't see our academy giving the 1st team any help any time soon or being included.

[foxes_rule1978]

The signings we have made will improve the starting 11, three of them in key areas. Very good window, I would have liked us to sign a keeper though and maybe should have kept Albrighton 

[dmayne7]

1 hour ago, Bordersfox said:

We got some bodies in, purely it terms of psychological boost for the team/fans as a whole that's a real positive.  One of those players is potentially very exciting indeed according to our resident right wing expert.  The profile of the players, young and with potential to grow, is right for the club.   

 

On the flip side because of that all three are untried at this level and so there is an element of risk.  One, possibly two, more signings including a versatile attacking midfielder and a keeps would have made it a superb window.  As it is, it's just a decent one I think.  And despite having Mendy, Ndidi and Soumare the DCM role is also currently an issue.  Ndidi is horribly out of sorts, Soumare clearly isn't suited to that role and Mendy...is just Mendy.  

 

There is the free agents market, but do we ever go shopping in it much, I have no idea?

Always knew @Ric Flair was a massive fascist.

[BrummieFOX]

I feel like we've improved our 1st 11 which was obviously the priority but with Perez and Albrighton going have weakened our squad. I'm not convinced we're going to be able to freshen things up much from the bench, other than bring on a striker or change formation (back 3?)

 

I also think we desperately needed a new GK but all in all it was decent and have focussed on priority areas.

 

7/10.

[splinterdream]

I think letting Albrighton go was a mistake, the signings we've brought in and to hit the ground running this season so fingers crossed  🤞.

 

I would have liked a nasty beast in midfield to close games down if we go ahead because I think that's where we're lacking, we laugh at forest with shelvy, but I think he'll serve that purpose for them 

[foxinsox]

Mostly happy, sad to see Marc go as he always gives 100% commitment. With Ricardo back in training, and Justin not too far off we do have further wide options if Tete flops or gets injured.

 

Would have liked a new GK, and a new Manager, but most of all better physio. We need to stop the injuries.

 

If we stay up, we have a massive summer rebuild, but I am philosophical about relegation. I have always thought that I haven't seen our last relegation. Supporting this club is a wild ride.

[ian__marshall]

Overall a really good window and I feel a lot more confident that we have what is needed to stay up now than I did a few weeks back. Adding in the return of the injured players too and we should be alright. I genuinely thought we'd struggle to pick up many points in this forthcoming run of games but I think the new additions will significantly help pick up points against the lesser teams. If Rodgers can find it within himself to give Iversen and Iheanacho a run of games we might even exceed expectations. 

 

To add: Gutted to see Albrighton go as his experience in and around the squad would have been invaluable but respect his desire to play so wish him the best of luck. 

Edited 1 February 2023 by ian__marshall

[MalletFox]

5 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Brunt and Bertrand will probably be named in the 25 as they were for the first half of the season

I would drop either Bertrand or Vesty from the squad and keep Albrighton in it if we have a recall option. Could we do that?

[moore_94]

6 minutes ago, MalletFox said:

I would drop either Bertrand or Vesty from the squad and keep Albrighton in it if we have a recall option. Could we do that?

Nahh too late now, no way to recall him

[Gamble92]

This is a good window 

[Chrysalis]

Didnt need a CB, Brendan has already been given circa 10 defenders since joining but the winger is a good boost.

[MalletFox]

2 hours ago, moore_94 said:

Nahh too late now, no way to recall him

But could we not have included a recall clause in the deal, so say in 2 months Barnes & Tete do their ACL’s we could recall Albrighton from his loan? And then on the assumption that we have kept him as a named squad player within our 25? 
 

Point being, I can see the likelihood of that happening being a hundred times higher than Vesty or Bertrand getting any Prem minutes.

[Twitcher]

6 hours ago, DennisNedry said:

I'm happy with the players we've brought in, on paper at least.

 

However we still have a lot of deadwood in the squad, and arguably a championship level goalkeeper and forward line. 

 

6/10

 

Edit: Why is nobody else worried that our forward line consists of Daka (Championship Level), Vardy (Should be a super sub at most now) and Nacho (Decent player at times but clearly not fancied by Brendan).

Agree. I said yesterday a tried and tested goalscorer would have topped it off. Neither are the future, but for what they'd have cost I'd have taken, (on loan) Ings or Wood rather than seeing them go to our relegation rivals.

Both will get 5-10 by May which could make the difference.

[Tommy G]

Keep Maddison in the summer and get a good replacement for Tielemans, a keeper and a permanent winger and a striker in the summer we’ll be cooking on gas. Lots of variables there though.

[Guest Fox99]

Feels great that the club have been able to make those three signings, especially after last summer's window. This squad has really needed fresh impetus and just the act of bringing in some new faces is a boost.

[Product of 84]

I guess our hand was forced regarding Albrighton. Clearly, couldn't get 'others' out and off the wage bill. Needed to clear some funds for the 3 incoming players.

[Dahnsouff]

54 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Keep Maddison in the summer and get a good replacement for Tielemans, a keeper and a permanent winger and a striker in the summer we’ll be cooking on gas. Lots of variables there though.

Starting to think that I hope not, as the model we used successfully previously, the same one that seems to be in use at Brighton, suggests we should sell our best at the peek of their value, what with the return to transfer models seeming familiar too