The official PFA Championship Team of the year featured two Newcastle United players in Dwight Gayle and Jon-Jo Shelvey. There were several names in the team such as Anthony Knockheart that on the face of it, deserve to be there. I have decided to do a stats comparison of the top rated players in their respective position in order to establish which players really were the best performers for the 2016/2017 season.
The rules are as follows: To qualify, a player must have achieved at least 2,500 minutes on the pitch. In order to be considered for a position in my team of the year, the player must also appear in Opta’s Top 10 overall score for the relevant position. I will then break down the player stats relevant to their individual position and compare the results against the rest of the Top 10. This will give us a position-specific Championship top-dog for the season, based on averages per 90 minutes played. The individual stats comparison will be utilised at squawka.com.
Goalkeeper:
Newcastle’s Karl Darlow only placed a mere 8th in the Opta rankings, some 92 points behind 5th placed David Stockdale and therefore does not qualify to be listed for this position. What I found interesting here, was David Stockdale made more saves-per-goal and kept more clean sheets than his peers. However, he also made more defensive errors and more errors that lead to a goal. This suggests to me that he is probably a good instinctive shot stopper, but is lacking in footballing skills. He had his ups and downs, but not steady enough to claim spot in my team of the year.
Results:
1 = Ali Al-Habsi (Reading)
2 = David Button (Fulham)
T3= Robert Green (Leeds Utd)
T3= David Stockdale (Brighton)
5 = Kieran Westwood (Sheff Wed)
Left Back:
This one was difficult because players such as Leeds’ Charlie Taylor and Sheffield Wednesday’s Daniel Pudil did not get enough minutes on the pitch to qualify as having had an integral part to their respective teams’ season.
What I found here, was that Paul Dummett came out on top for clearances and discipline. He is very reliable as a defender, but lacking with attacking productivity.
Results:
1 = Jordan Obita (Reading)
2 = Chris Lowe (Huddersfield Town)
3 = Scott Malone (Fulham)
4 = Paul Dummett (Newcastle Utd)
5 = Jordan Amavi (Aston-Villa)
Central Defense:
This was an intriguing read. Jamaal Lasclles has come in for some criticism this season – and he attempted to vindicate himself at the conclusion of the league by stating that he had been carrying a hernia injury. I could almost accept that excuse IF he had not been shown to be the best in the league at headed duels. If he can leap, he can do everything else? He is an accurate passer of the ball and has a better one-on-one record than his peers. So we know he is imposing and physical, but what surprised me was that his tackle rate stinks and his anticipation is well off par. This indicates to me that he is imposing, passionate and steady, but lacks the intelligence required to reach the upper echelons of the game. Lewis Dunk was steady across the board, but not as steady as Ciaran Clarke, or Leeeds’ Pontus Jansson – who is a behemoth inside his own box and well worth a Premier League signing him up.
Results:
1 = Pontus Jansson (Leeds Utd)
2 = Ciaran Clarke (Newcastle Utd)
3 = Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion)
4 = Jamaal Lascelles (Newcstle Utd)
5 = Kyle Bartley (Leeds Utd)
Right Back:
For this one, players such as Leeds’ rising star James Bree, Fulham’s Ryan Fredericks and Newcastle pair Andre De Yedlin and Vurnon Anita did not get enough minutes on the pitch to feature in the Top 5. This time there are a couple of surprises from the teams languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Results:
1 = Matt Doherty (Wolves)
2 = Luke Ayling (Leeds Utd)
3 = Tommy Smith (Huddersfield Town)
4 = Chris Gunter (Reading)
5 = Eric Lichaj (Notts Forest)
Central Midfield:
Another very surprising set of results here. Because this is the engine room, I am looking for midfielders that are the full package. Players were marked against both attacking and defensive stats. Jon-Jo Shelvey made it into the EFL team of the year, but I honestly don’t know why. His pass success rate was one of the lowest of his peers, whilst he also had some of the lowest stats for forward passes, which surprised me. Shelvey did come out on top for aerial duels won though and as we know, featured highly in the assists department. If we are looking for midfielders next season, then I’d suggest there are a couple of bargains to be had in the Championship – all rounders that would be massive value for the money paid. I considered breaking these down into one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder, however I’m going for a 4-2-3-1 formation, the attacking midfielder role will be addressed later on.
Results:
1 = Tom Cairney (Fulham)
2 = Conor Hourihne (Aston Villa)
3 = Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion)
4 = Mathew Palmer (Burton Albion)
5 = Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
6 = Kevin McDonald (Fulham)
7 = Jon-Jo Shelvey (Newcastle Utd)
8 = Barry Bannan (Sheffield Wednesday)
9 = Danny Williams (Reading)
10 = Stefan Johansen (Fulham)
Wingers/Number 10’s:
A lot of the modern day attacking players are so adaptable across the final 3rd of the pitch that you will often see them deployed in different positions from one game to the next, or even redeployed several times during the same game. Therefore, I have not gone with rigid 4-4-2, because it does not really fit the tactics used by the majority of today’s managers. Some good players failed to make the cut for this one, due to lack of game time. They include Jack Grealish, Alex Pritchard, Floyd Ayite, Lucas Piazon and Yanic Wildeschut. Stand by for this one, because there are some shock results. Matt Ritchie was one of the worst performers for take on’s, duels and discipline for example.
Results:
1 = Fernando Forestiere (Sheffild Wednesday)
2 = Garath McClearey (Reading)
3 = Helder Costa (Wolves)
4 = Anthony Knockheart (Brighton & Hove)
5 = Tom Ince (Derby County)
6 = Sone Aluko (Fulham)
7 = Matt Ritchie (Newcastle Utd)
8 = Callum Robinson (Preston NE)
9 = Yoan Gouffran (Newcastle Utd)
10 = Kamar Roofe (Leeds Utd)
Striker:
There was a lot of competition up front, but in sticking with Rafa Benitez’ preferred single striker policy, only one player will make this season’s starting line up. I have done away with the 2,500 minutes rule here, because it would have wiped out half the league’s top scorers, which is not right! Strikers are paid to score goals first and foremost. Although Dwight Gayle’s fitness is a concern, his overall stats are still the best in the league. Talk of moving him on in the summer should be sidelined, pending a massive offer. He would be very useful in Newcastle’s squad for the forthcoming Premier League campaign.
Results:
1 = Dwight Gayle (Newcastle Utd)
2 = Yann Kermogant (Reading)
3 = Lasse Vibe (Brentford)
T4 = Chris Wood (Leeds Utd)
T4 = Tammy Abraham (Bristol City)
Newcastle launch bid for Mauro Icardi. Posted 16 May 2017 by Sara Davidson. Newcastle have launched a surprise €30 million bid for Inter Milan star Mauro Icardi, according to inside sources. Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez is looking to strengthen his team by adding the Argentine forward to his list of transfer targets. According to well-placed sources at the San Siro, the club may be willing to let the player enter into negotiations with Newcastle. – See more at: http://www.soccer-rumours.com/?story=1&buying=13&selling=16&player=0&alias=0&bid=30#sthash.C7Noy6vQ.dpuf
Is this website just making stories all over??????????
funrafa(Quote)
Inter Milan accuse Newcastle of tapping-up Mauro Icardi. Posted 16 May 2017 by Sara Davidson. TODAY, Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini blasted Newcastle over what he called a ‘blatant attempt’ at tapping up Mauro Icardi. During a press conference this morning, the Inter Milan boss said that it was ‘disgraceful’ that Newcastle were able to contact the Inter striker without first gaining permission from the club. The statements come on the back of earlier reports that Newcastle had a €24 million bid for the player rejected. – See more at: http://soccer-rumours.com/?story=8&buying=13&selling=16&player=0#sthash.BwuQNVp8.dpuf
Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini? I think we should just forget everything this website mentioned.
funrafa(Quote)
Charlie – yeah if we went for Ianacho I think I’d prefer a loan with first dips to buy at a set price – say £20-25m.
Beyond him, I’m not sure I’m setting my sights high enough coz the 2 names I keep coming back to are Andre Gray from Burnley & Chris Woods from Leeds. Both I think would do a very good job for us, and each could be got for a figure in the region of £15m I reckon.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy-
I think a lot depends on what we do with Mitrovic (and Murphy, to a lesser extent). If we let Mitrovic go, I think Wood and a higher-priced foreign striker would make sense. And if we Rafa decided to sell Gayle, Andre Gray would make sense.
I haven’t ever watched Wood or Gray, so I’m certainly not an expert, but I just wouldn’t be sure that they would actually be significant upgrades over what we have. For what it’s worth, Dwight Gayle is the first player listed as “comparable” for Andre Gray on transfermarkt.com.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Charlie – I think Mitrovic will be gone if an offer comes in for him mate. Wood on paper looks a decent like for like replacement, I’m just not sure how he’d get on in the PL.
Andre Gray has 10 in 35 for Burnley this season. That’s not a bad return, but it isn’t great either. Yeah, I can see why Gayle would be pooled with Gray – I reckon he’s PL stats would be pretty similar.
My concern with Gayle has been his injuries this season.
Sharpy17(Quote)
So Fulham out of the play off already.
How long do we wait to bid for Tom Cairney?
Sharpy17(Quote)
So Arsenal had 33 shots tonight and Jordan Pickford might have saved Moyes’ job, for a week or 2. I only watched bits of the game but towards the end the commentator said it could have been 6 or 7. Moyes has only got one hope and that is that Ellis Short doesn’t want to pay off his contract. If he thinks he is going to go into the upcoming meeting with demands for a decent transfer budget he is living in dreamland. He has no leverage. Will he stand up for his principles and quit and give up the severance pay – I highly doubt it. The best the Mackems can hope for is that they negotiate a lower payoff.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Yeah, it’s tough. Gray’s experience of playing 30+ times in the PL this year is a plus, but Gayle’s familiarity with Rafa and the way he likes to play is a plus, too. Ultimately, I think we really need to be looking at someone who is, or at least should be, a clear upgrade over Gayle. Iheanacho could be that guy, but it’s a question mark. As you mention, Wood’s transition to the PL would be a risk, too. There are a lot of moving parts, but between skill, price, and current situation, Llorente seems to check most of the boxes. Don’t know whether Swansea would sell or whether Rafa likes him, but I’d have him.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Charlie – that Sandro lad we’ve been linked with looks a decent turn – but I just think he’s too good a deal for a better team to turn down. The obvious one being Spurs, coz he looks like a cracking player to either back up Kane or use to rest Kane if needed.
95% of me doesn’t want Balotelli, but there is a 5% devil in me that would love to see how it worked out.
Like Kim said earlier, it could be a master stroke or an absolute mare.
Tino was a legend on the pitch, but I bet he was horrible to manage – Balotelli would be the same.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Moyes recenty said that he was a winner, but was he really? His average finishing position with Everton was 8th over 11 seasons. He made the Champions League once and was knocked out in qualifying so Everton didn’t even play in the tournament proper. He did a good job but was certainly not in the elite class, more the Sam Allardyce mould. He won the square route of f-all. The pundits and newspapers loved him as he was British.
He was then totally out of his depth at Man U, even though he took over the Champions (some say Fergie set him up to fail to ensure his own legacy, I doubt it though as Ferguson is quite secure about his own abilities). Then he was sacked by Sociedad with them staring at relegation. And now this with the Mackems.
You can make a case that he was above average at Everton but the fact he is British gave him a free pass with the press. We see it all the time – Pardew, Redknapp, even Fat Sam.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Fulham being knocked out opens the door to go after Cairney if we want to.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric – I like him & think he’d do alright in the PL. But I also like Will Hughes from Derby who is only 22 and I think he would cost less but go on to do as well.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Scratch that, according to the Ronny Gill Tom Cairneys grandfather is a toon fan.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Done job then 😀
kimtoon(Quote)
Not sure Woods would be the answer up front, I know a few rate him and he has played a blinder this season but I just think we need to get in better than Woods and Gayle for that matter. Gayles hammy’s really do worry me tbh.
kimtoon(Quote)
Sharpy, agree on Hughes mate, good player and I think he will inevitably suit the PL.
kimtoon(Quote)
I really don’t think we should be doing too much shopping in the Championship. There is usually a reason why players are lifetime lower league players and not that many step up to the PL. I am sure that someone can list many exceptions but I bet I could list more that didn’t, although I don’t really want to get into that sort of p!ssing contest.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
20 million is too much for a Championship player.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I agree Eric – buy Championship players – play in the Championship.
Agree with you to Kim – we need higher quality than Woods or Gayle. It’ll cost a lot but decent strikers always have, whatever the era. Has to be done.
I think Rafa will be looking in Italy and Spain for that one.
georgio(Quote)
I know the promoted teams usually have a lot of the players that took them up in their teams but they also often return to the Championship within a couple of years. The trend recently has been to replace a lot of players that got you to the PL because of the riches available and because of the takeovers by foreign owners. If we want to be upper mid-table we cannot have a team of Championship players.
Is there a greater risk of Tom Cairney at 20 million or an established top league player from Italy, Spain or Germany?
Are we so impressed by Cairney because he had such a great game against us? I know he was in the team of the season as well but I think some fans’ heads have been turned by that one game. I still think 20 million is too big of a risk for a Championship player. He is 26 as well. He must have been a very late bloomer not to really have been noticed until this year.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And another thing. How many players have we seen have good games against us only to turn out to be average if we buy them? That snapshot doesn’t give you the full picture and when you see them week in, week out you really see what they are made of. Sometimes it is better than you expected, but more often it is worse. Sorry to be so cynical, and I do have faith in Rafa to spend wisely.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Just catching up here as I’m back in Malaysia and China this week.
Just a thought but I would be quite happy to see Andy Carroll back at the Toon for the right price… I think it would be a good time to bring him back… ? Especially if we let Mitro go.
Would anyone agree with that?
Dubai Toon(Quote)
Agree again Eric. Why are you talking so much sense lately?
PL teams would have been all over Cairney, Woods etc long before now. My bet is they’d look very ordinary in the PL. Proven quality is what we need or a gamble on a really exciting youngster but not from a league lower than the PL.
georgio(Quote)
Dubai – no! His injury record everywhere is dreadful and has been since he left us years ago.
georgio(Quote)
And Barkley for 50 million is a joke. For that money you want someone who is influential 3 games in 4 not 1 game in 4. He 23 as well so is not a kid anymore and should be close to the finished article. I also worry about buying the “next big thing” as they usually are not. Hello Jack Wilshere.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Not in complete agreement with you on this. Not all experienced Premiership players are really Premiership players and I think there are good players in all leagues who sometimes need the luck to be discovered. Of course finding them is the difficult thing. Kim will be aware where Andy Cole was before he joined us. Kevin Keegan was at Scunthorpe and Vardy and Ferdinand were from non- league. Michael Owen and Damien Duff were experienced Premiership players but didn’t perform for us. Let’s leave it to RAFA’s judgement. Top players will not be happy sitting on the bench so we do need some good squad players as back up who will accept that situation.
Groucho(Quote)
Michael Owen played well for us but was injured a lot of the time. He then lost his pace. Duff had lost his pace by the time we got him. Both players’ games were build on their pace.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I also think Duff was a bit of a highlight real player, what would be known now as a youtube player. If you cherry picked a few highlights from his games he looked great but overall he was average. I can think of a few that were the same – Albert Luque, Titus Bramble etc.
Groucho: I take your point though but Vardy is a massive exception as he didn’t come good until his mid/late 20s. Keegan and Cole were “discovered” at younger ages.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Actually, the classic example of someone playing way below their rightful place was Beardsley. But he didn’t stay there for long and wasn’t that old when he moved to NUFC. He also became the highest priced British player when he moved to Liverpool so his ability was eventually recognized. There are always exceptions, but most of the superior players are identified young by the better clubs (apart from Southampton).
Eric Sykes(Quote)
I agree that we need to be careful and not be seduced by performance against Championship squads, but surely there are SOME Championship players that are ready to step up. Maybe £20m is too much for Cairney, but it kind of depends on who else is available and how much they cost.
Based on Shamrock’s stats work, Cairney was one of the top, if not the best, midfielder in the league. More traditional stats back that up, as well – 12 goals (10 non-penalty goals) and 11 assists in the league. It’s far from a sure thing that he’d be able to make the step up, but I do think it’s clear he would improve our squad.
Would people prefer Delph, if he were to cost a similar amount or less? Which other CMs are realistic targets for us? I agree with you, Eric, about Barkley – £50m is ridiculous.
Overall, I definitely think Rafa will dip into the foreign market, given his familiarity and the increased likelihood of finding a bargain. But I hope he can find a balance. Counting on players stepping up from the Championship is a risk, but so is counting on players quickly settling in from a completely different league/style of play.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Reading to get promoted.
shamrock(Quote)
Good points Charlie! Basically though apart from established top quality stars all signings are a risk. Personally I’d like the risk to not come from the lower leagues.
I’m very picky mate. Don’t rate Delph and he’s had a lot of injuries which is very important. Some players, like Ritchie or Speed, as examples, go season after season without a knock at all.
georgio(Quote)
I don’t agree with the simplicity of this suggestion that players in the championship are there coz that’s there level?!.
The B’mth team were CCC players not so long ago and have held their own in the PL so far, as did Burnley this season and they were in the CCC last season.
I accept that the vast majority of the league isn’t good enough. But I think there are little nuggets in that league and all it needs is a team to be brave enough.
These players may not be good enough to get us top 6, but certainly can do a good job stabilising us as a mid table club in the next few seasons.
It was £20m for Cairney in January by the way. Half way trough the season when Fulham were pushing for the play off. So understandably they didn’t want to loose their best player. But now I reckon £12m would be a far more realistic fee.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I see Obertan has now been released from Wigan.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I would love him back if he could stay fit mate.
kimtoon(Quote)
very shocked Fulham were knocked out, never saw that in the script
kimtoon(Quote)
We’re being linked with Mooy, as well, with one Australian source claiming we’ve already submitted a bid. I have to say I wouldn’t be all that excited about him, and if we’re talking Championship midfielders (I know he’s technically a Man City player), I’d much rather have Cairney. Same age, but Cairney was far more productive and I think Huddersfield rode their luck quite a bit this year.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Yeah fitness is his Achilles heel, but when fit he keeps banging in the goals.
Dubai Toon(Quote)
I’m also very impressed with our very own Tom Heardman in the under 23’s. Still young but keeps on scoring. I think he is bit like Carroll too, big and strong.. I’d be tempted to bring him into the senior squad and give him some game time.
Dubai Toon(Quote)
Dubai – yes mate I agree. At least take a look at him in pre-season.
I know Rafa has personally watch quite a few U23 games this season, so I’m sure he’ll have an idea of what he wants to do with the likes of Heardman and Barslaar.
Don’t know what’s gonna happen with Armstrong like?!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Yeah Arma has no probs scoring apart from in the PL it would seem 🙁 , is he proof positive that certain players will shine up to a certain level as we were discussing earlier.
kimtoon(Quote)
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/05/17/report-newcastle-uniteds-grant-hanley-could-form-part-of-tom-inc/
kimtoon(Quote)
Kim – I saw this one earlier. I think this one may be just chitty chat personally, but I quiet like Ince like. I think him & Atsu would be decent back up players to Ritchie and whichever left sided forward we end up getting Jay Rod or G Sig.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Yeah I know you like him mate that’s why I posted it.
kimtoon(Quote)
Well, if it is 50 mil for Barkley, 20 mil for Cairney and 30 mil for Sigurdsson you cannot fish in the English ponds anymore. On a risk/reward basis it is not worth spending a third of your transfer funds on one player.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
£50m for Barkley is insane, but £30m doesn’t seem all that high for Sigurdsson in this market. He would immediately become our best player, is PL-proven and could fill the No. 10 role we’ve been trying to fill with the likes of Diame and Perez. It’s a lot of money, but I just don’t know what kind of upgrades we’re getting for less than that.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Eric – I think it Stu that regularly says ‘a player is only worth what someone pays for him’.
It’s only £50m for Barkley if someone is prepaid to pay it – and if one of these big clubs who have more money than sense want to pay that, why shouldn’t Everton ask for it. I don’t believe they will get that much personally – but even if they are negotiated down – anything over £30m for the lad & Everton have a good sale.
Cairney was £20m in January mate, coz Fulham wouldn’t have wanted to loose him mid season. But I think he’ll be more like £12m this summer.
I think Sigurdsson will go for around £25m, which I think would be a fair price for a player of his ability personally.
Sharpy17(Quote)
A bit daft but Hull have a IMO a top player thatSilva brought in but I cannot spell his bloody name plays mainly on the right wing I’ve watch him about six times,great pace,can take players and skinned a few and can cross a great ball,and works well up and down the wing,don’t know his age like seemed to take to the PL well,sure someone like SHARPY can spell his name
Icedog(Quote)
I saw one report that we’ve already bid £12m for Cairney. Could be just paper talk, but if it’s true, I could see us eventually shelling out ~£14m for him. And if Sigurdsson could be gotten for £25m, that’s well worth it. That would leave what, at least £30m plus sales for any remaining transfers?
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Is that a pop at the dyslexic like?! ??
Sharpy17(Quote)
Ice – do you mean this guy – Grosicki
Or Markovic?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Aye that’s him Grosicki,knew you would know how to spell his name,have you watched him play??
Icedog(Quote)
I agree.
shamrock(Quote)
I have mate. I think he’s a big reason why Hull managed to make it to the 2nd last game of the season. I think the manager has taken all the plaudits and he has been excellent. But I think the players he brought in should get some credit too.
They sold Snodgrass, and everyone thought that was it. But your boy came in and with no PL experience, did a great job. I think Niasse has done a pretty good job there too considering he’s never had a sniff at Everton.
They also got rid of Livermore as well as Snodgrass in Jan – so for me they were the club that deserved to go down. But the manager & players put up a good fight. That’s a dead club now though I reckon.
If I was that manager I’d give Watford a wide berth too.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Surly the lad is worth a punt,Rafa must be aware of him as talk is he likes the c/h at Hull who IMO has been eating to many pies,don’t think he would carry to hefty a price tag,he’s a ninty min grafter
Icedog(Quote)
Ice – just looked him up & Hull paid £7.6m for the lad ?. He got no goals and 5 assists in 14 games for Hull. Decent return on assists, but I didn’t realise he cost as much as that.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Aye the price is a bit of a shock,but they will lose money him now he’s a ccc player,if Atu is worth 6.2 mil the lad is worth it IMO
Icedog(Quote)
Ice – I certainly rate the kid, but my personal preferences would Sigurdsson or Rodriguez (ideally both).
Sharpy17(Quote)
Watching the Man U match – God for all the money they have spent, they are horrible to watch.
Actually it is Man U who can take a large portion of the blame for how much an average player costs nowadays – Jones, Smalling, Fellani and to an extent Martial all on the pitch at the mo = around £100m.
They are being dominant and should be behind against the Saints. That Ward-Prowse is a real tidy young player like.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I hope all this paper ***** is just that,I think a move for Morgan the Leicester c/h is well past it he’s 33 and lost four yards of pace,their fans don’t even rate him and wanted him out for ages
Icedog(Quote)
Yeah, Morgan wouldn’t make any sense at all. Of the names mentioned so far, Maguire makes the most sense, but who knows who else will be in for him.
Charlie Prince(Quote)
Must be something in this Cairney storey when Richie has come out and told him to join him at the toon,he must have heard whispers inside SJP
Icedog(Quote)
Ice – they are Scottish team mates aren’t they?.
I’m sure they have in common that they have family members who are big toon fans.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Maybe a test of whether Championship players are worth buying would be to look at Championship teams of the season for the past few years and see what they are up to now.
See how many were picked up and whether any went on to greater things.
Brisvegas(Quote)
Even better, it just occurred to me, have a look at championship teams of the season for the 90s and 00s and see how many names you recognise. That might give an indication of how many make the step up.
Brisvegas(Quote)
The transfer window has not even officially opened yet and already we have been linked with something like 30 different players… ?? … and at least half of them seem to be geriatric.. it’s going to be an interesting summer.
Experience is fine but we do not want too many over 29-30. Those that are good enough are on huge wages and with teams in CL.
Dubai Toon(Quote)
I like the Tom Ince link myself. His record for the last 5 seasons is 1 goal or assist every 2 games. Yes its the Championship but that is a very good record and he would definitely improve our wing area.
Same for Tom Cairney. He has got better every season for a while now and is coming into his peak years. There is every indication both he and Ince will continue to improve. £25m for the pair is good business. Ince out performed Ritchie this season and yet people think Ince is not good enough but Ritchie is a starter….
shamrock(Quote)
Ince and Ritchie competing for a starting spot on the right would be great for us. Proper 50/50 competition. Would just need a decent winger on the left then.
shamrock(Quote)
Moreno @ Liverpool is on sale, playing at left. Rafa was very interested in him.
funrafa(Quote)
good idea mate
kimtoon(Quote)
So we are now linked to Gibbs for the LB slot.
kimtoon(Quote)
Charlie – Callum Chambers from Arsenal has been mentioned too. He’s had a good season at the Boro and I’d be happy with him as well.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Rafa – I don’t want this lad like. If a right footed Milner is picked ahead of him all season then Klopp can’t rate him much either.
When he has played I can’t say I’ve been overly impressed.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I personally think the championship is a decent pool to fish from.
There are decent players down there, but there tends to be 2 reasons why PL teams don’t often buy from it.
Firstly – the championship clubs see all the money bouncing around the PL and want some of that, so the fees can get inflated by a good £5m more than the players true value.
Secondly – there is this stigma that we see on this site as well, that the players just aren’t good enough and better can be got abroad.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Of all the realistic players we’ve been linked with only Gyfi and Sandro inspire me at all. They’re the best of pretty much a load of dross (especially the Championship ones, even the better ones like Mooy and Cairney) and it’s highly unlikely we’ll get either. Rafa’s signings will be full of surprises I think.
georgio(Quote)