Squad for 2020/21

[muirinho]

With the potential signing of Joshua Ishaele Jacob-Heron Hunt-Laurent, I already feel we are going to be massively overstocked with CM options next season.

LB is a concern. I’m not convinced Richards has 46 games in him, we have to be looking to strengthen those LB / LM / LF roles.

Full backs in general are a concern, Yiadom has had a few injury spells, and although he can cover LB, he can't do it at the same time as playing RB!, Osho hasn't signed a contract yet, Howe has gone, Richards, as you say, may struggle with 46 games + cup-ties, and although I think Araruna can play RB, I wasn't convinced by him.
I hope the club has some players in mind, and wasn't thinking one of Gunter/Blackett/Obita would sign the reduced terms they were (presumably) being offered.

[royalp-we]

On a plus side, I think we may see Thierry Nevers breakthrough next season. May work well alongside any of João, Meite or Puscas.

[From Despair To Where?]

Is the argument thrown my way every year. Every year it's wrong.

Pfft says you.

Well, I mean objectively it's been wrong every year before as our wage bill is still a disaster.

Maybe this year it's my turn. But that hope seems to be based on spurious assessments of the cost of players who are leaving as it usually is (and ignoring that we'll have incomers too) rather than anything else.

The last figures show our wage bill was 211%, that means to be ok, we need to cut it by about 60 - 70%. Hopefully since those figures from outgoings last year we have already made a step in the right direction and know it's much less than that.

But getting back Miazga and Ejaria and spanking millions on Puscas and Joao don't give me a lot of hope that it was a big enough difference to make this wave (good though it is) enough.

If we're at less than 150% wages to turn over next season it'll be pretty impressive.

The total wagebill for all club staff in the last published accounts 2018/19 was £40.7m a year. That's an eye watering £800,000 a week.

[Old Man Andrews]

On a plus side, I think we may see Thierry Nevers breakthrough next season. May work well alongside any of João, Meite or Puscas.

Danny Loader was "breaking through" for the past 2 seasons, that didn't work out too well. The likes of Holsgrove, Nevers are nowhere near ready for the Championship.

[royalp-we]

On a plus side, I think we may see Thierry Nevers breakthrough next season. May work well alongside any of João, Meite or Puscas.

Danny Loader was "breaking through" for the past 2 seasons, that didn't work out too well. The likes of Holsgrove, Nevers are nowhere near ready for the Championship.

Same age as Olise. Stranger things have happened.

[royalp-we]

Here we go then, thus far:

Players In:
Josh Laurent

Players Out: (feel free to amend!)
Adrian Popa - Free
Vito Mannone - Free
Danny Loader - Free
Modou Barrow - £1.4m
Chris Gunter - Free
Garath McCleary - Free
Matt Miazga - Loan ends
Pele - Loan ends
Ovie Ejaria - Loan ends
Ayub Timbe Masika - Loan ends
Lucas Boye - Loan ends
Jordan Obita - Free
Charlie Adam - Free
Tyler Blackett - Free
Liam Driscoll
Ben House
Lexus Beeden
Andre Burley
Marcel Elva-Fountaine
Romarni Medford-Smith
Akin Odimayo
Tyler Frost
Roberto Nditi
Adam Liddle
Pedro Nevers
Emmanuel Obamakinwa

[Old Man Andrews]

On a plus side, I think we may see Thierry Nevers breakthrough next season. May work well alongside any of João, Meite or Puscas.

Danny Loader was "breaking through" for the past 2 seasons, that didn't work out too well. The likes of Holsgrove, Nevers are nowhere near ready for the Championship.

Same age as Olise. Stranger things have happened.

They might well have to be ready if we can't make purchases. Sometimes being thrown in at the deep end can be good for young players.

[Snowflake Royal]

On a plus side, I think we may see Thierry Nevers breakthrough next season. May work well alongside any of João, Meite or Puscas.

Danny Loader was "breaking through" for the past 2 seasons, that didn't work out too well. The likes of Holsgrove, Nevers are nowhere near ready for the Championship.

Rino broke through immediately. Olise similar. Obita similar. Richards has done ok slowly pushing through over about 3 seasons. McIntyre has made it. Looks like Osho may well make it.

Just because one player who was highly fancied has failed doesn't mean every player yet to get an attempt is nowhere near.

[Westwood52]

Osho is technically not with us, he is out of contract.

You are technically correct, the best kind of correct.

I'm, sadly, with OMA on this one. If he isn't contracted he doesn't count yet.

Hopefully he'll stay.

The back isn't far off. Osho signs on and then if one of Watson or Holmes is up to it then we only need a LB and to sell and replace Moore.

All three stay on and are up to it we may not even need a LB as Yiadom could do ok there. Cutting in on his right rather than left.

In fact, if wide players are hard to come by we could do worse than replace Yiadom at RB and use him as a winger.

I think I might have mentioned it before;however Osho when he came back from on loan was offered half his current salary;about £2400 a month,to sign a new contract.His response was that it was not enough to pay his mortgage.When he got into the team;he was offered his original contract ,circa £5000 a month.No doubt his agent is now doing the rounds on his behalf.However apparently Osho is very religious and may not countenance an agent looking after his affairs.The trouble with building into his contract a generous appearance bonus;is that it makes things very difficult for Howe (?),to fix a budget.I don’t envy either the players or Senior Leadership Team in the current financial environment.

[Snowflake Royal]

You are technically correct, the best kind of correct.

I'm, sadly, with OMA on this one. If he isn't contracted he doesn't count yet.

Hopefully he'll stay.

The back isn't far off. Osho signs on and then if one of Watson or Holmes is up to it then we only need a LB and to sell and replace Moore.

All three stay on and are up to it we may not even need a LB as Yiadom could do ok there. Cutting in on his right rather than left.

In fact, if wide players are hard to come by we could do worse than replace Yiadom at RB and use him as a winger.

I think I might have mentioned it before;however Osho when he came back from on loan was offered half his current salary;about £2400 a month,to sign a new contract.His response was that it was not enough to pay his mortgage.When he got into the team;he was offered his original contract ,circa £5000 a month.No doubt his agent is now doing the rounds on his behalf.However apparently Osho is very religious and may not countenance an agent looking after his affairs.The trouble with building into his contract a generous appearance bonus;is that it makes things very difficult for Howe (?),to fix a budget.I don’t envy either the players or Senior Leadership Team in the current financial environment.

Surely appearance bonuses are fairly easy to fit into a budget, you know there are only so many appearances to go round. So if Osho is getting them, someone else isn't.

I guess the problem would be if other players in his position don't have them, or are on higher basic with lower appearance bonus.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Signing Josh Laurent next week. A player released by the mighty Shrewsbury Town In the summer.

Tbf to him, he's actually not a bad player. Just our record of signing league 1 players lately isn't great.

Young and hungry player, just what we need

[SouthDownsRoyal]

There has to be someone desperate enough to take Aluko off of us.

You think?!

[Zip]

Most seasons an Academy player or two break through into the first team. Sometimes unexpectedly. Next season should be no different.

[Sutekh]

Signing Josh Laurent next week. A player released by the mighty Shrewsbury Town In the summer.

Tbf to him, he's actually not a bad player. Just our record of signing league 1 players lately isn't great.

Young and hungry player, just what we need

Supposedly beat Stoke, Cardiff and Swansea to sign him (if he does indeed sign as reported) so there should be some confidence he’ll be able to make it at Championship level.

Re left back, with Obita and Blackett departing that leaves Omar Richards as the only experienced left/wing back (although Mr Yiadom can fill in there if required). Presume, therefore, the club will look to sign another left back from somewhere or is there a decent youngster in the Academy awaiting a chance?

[3points]

Good luck to McCleary, Obita and Gunter - they have been model professionals throughout their time at the club.

I think the Adam signing was a bit of a waste of money in truth but good luck to him too. Blackett’s time here was mixed but he was good at times.

Our remaining squad is now very small. Will be interesting to see if the club can afford to fill the gaps or whether we will be relying on the Academy next season.

We’ve actually released about a dozen from the academy as well, so not sure how much back up we will have left coming from that route either

[AthleticoSpizz]

Thought the Adam acquisition wasn’t so bad in all honesty

Showed the rest how to ping a ball, scored a couple and (apparently) was great in the dressing room

Served his purpose

[Westwood52]

Good luck to McCleary, Obita and Gunter - they have been model professionals throughout their time at the club.

I think the Adam signing was a bit of a waste of money in truth but good luck to him too. Blackett’s time here was mixed but he was good at times.

Our remaining squad is now very small. Will be interesting to see if the club can afford to fill the gaps or whether we will be relying on the Academy next season.

We’ve actually released about a dozen from the academy as well, so not sure how much back up we will have left coming from that route either

Feel really sorry for the academy boys released.They are going to have go down a long way to achieve their dream.I hope the club have provided them with the life skills to cope.If their lucky semi pro opportunities might come their way;but it’s going to be very very tough.At the other end of the scale Gunts and Macca will have to forget their million pound salaries.Football can be a very tough trade.

[Sutekh]

Current first team squad then is

GK

Rafael
Walker

RB

Yiadom
Osho
Araruna

CB

Moore
Morrison
McIntyre

LB

Richards

Midfield

Rinomhota
Laurent (currently expected to sign on Tuesday)
Olise
Aluko (presumably someone the club will actively try and get out on loan if not sell)

FW

Baldock
Puscas
Joao
Meite
McNulty (preseason to prove to MB he can step up)

18 players there

Not included Mr Swift as I think we all expect him to be sold to Villa, SheffU or Leeds for at least £3.5m at some point in the next few weeks.

Others to include?

Mr Ejaria (if renegotiations with Liverpool come to fruition)
Messers Southwood, Holsgrove and Holmes appear to be the set of youngsters closest to breaking into the squad.
Also believe the club are talking to Beijing Rehne about Mr Masika, so he might be back.

What’s missing?

Left back cover (current only cover is Yiadom), a striker in the Joao mould (or a working plan B when Joao is injured), midfield options and some attacking width.

This was off the top of my head so bound to be someone I’ve totally forgotten about!

[SCIAG]

Good post Sutekh. Think Smith and Watson have to be included. Hard to see either of them having an impact, particularly Smith, but we need to shift them.

Sell the deadwood: Smith, Watson, Walker, Araruna, McNulty, Aluko, and Baldock. (Perhaps a harsh description of Baldock, but he is on big money and doesn’t fit into our system)

Holsgrove has shown his mettle in the third tier so should be ready to step up into the Championship and is a natural long-term replacement for Swift. Southwood on the bench makes complete sense to me. And keeping Holmes is probably easier than finding another cheap fourth-choice centre back.

Assuming Swift is the only player we receive an acceptable offer for, here’s how that leaves the squad:

Rafael, Southwood
Yiadom, Osho
Moore, Morrison, McIntyre, Holmes
Richards, (new/McIntyre)
(Loanee), Laurent
Rinomhota, Holsgrove, (new)
Meite, Olise, (new/loanee)
Joao, Puscas, (new)

Masika could be the new winger, but only for very cheap and a two-year contract - don’t think he’s shown nearly enough on his loan spell to justify more.

So, I’d aim to get a cheap backup left back and a cheap backup striker. We’d need a DM good enough for the first team which probably means a loanee. CM and winger could go either way depending on who is available and what wiggle room we have.

[Snowflake Royal]

No idea why we'd want Masika, he's looked pretty useless.