21/22 Summer transfer mega-thread (30 Viewers)

[fernandopartridge]

We can discuss stats as much as we want but we’ve lost possibly our best centre back from last season and, as it stands, not replaced them meaning we’re relying on a guy to play LCB who performed pretty poorly there for long periods last season, our middle CB is now 35 and has always been prone to errors plus our RCB who has has major injury problems and only get into the side at the very tail end of the season when a lot of our opponents had nothing to play for.

It’s a concern.

MacFadzean was the best centre back last season, especially towards the end.

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[shmmeee]

The xG isn't just about midfield creativity. Good strikers don't just score goals they create space for others to score. We had Biamou who was not very good at that. We've upgraded to a player that will score and create more.

Defensively we were poor for the first quarter of the season but after that kept 12 clean sheets which is fine.



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Because we pulled the WBs back to fullback and stuffed the midfield with defensive players. Not because our defence suddenly worked out how to not concede goals.

Constantly bringing up Biamou, or even worse Bakayoko, when Walker and Godden were out and are now back is just disingenuous. The discussion is about whether we needed to spend quite so much on two strikers and barely anything at the other end of the pitch.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Im not wound up. I just disagree with you.

We played most of last season without our two main strikers. This place was full of people saying how once we got them back we looked much better.

Yes, but one of them is injured with a recurrent injury so it makes sense to bring in a high quality replacement yes?

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[COV]

I don’t know how much you watched is last season but we had to basically forgo any attacking intent to stop leaking goals. At times playing with five across the back, three DMs and the leagues most defensive AM. We also had to completely give up playing out from the back.

There’s more to scoring goals than the strikers on the pitch.

We’ve also got a manager who clearly doesn’t like to go on the offensive. We won L1 by dominating the middle of the park. We don’t have the quality to do that at this level and haven’t tried to rectify that.

you certainly can’t go on the offensive if you don’t have the players to do it, we didn’t last season

 

[fernandopartridge]

Because we pulled the WBs back to fullback and stuffed the midfield with defensive players. Not because our defence suddenly worked out how to not concede goals.

Constantly bringing up Biamou, or even worse Bakayoko, when Walker and Godden were out and are now back is just disingenuous. The discussion is about whether we needed to spend quite so much on two strikers and barely anything at the other end of the pitch.

Godden isn't back though is he?

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[COV]

Because we pulled the WBs back to fullback and stuffed the midfield with defensive players. Not because our defence suddenly worked out how to not concede goals.

Constantly bringing up Biamou, or even worse Bakayoko, when Walker and Godden were out and are now back is just disingenuous. The discussion is about whether we needed to spend quite so much on two strikers and barely anything at the other end of the pitch.

but of course people are going to bring up Biamou and Bakayoko, because they clearly needed to be upgraded

 

[shmmeee]

Yes, but one of them is injured with a recurrent injury so it makes sense to bring in a high quality replacement yes?

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Sure. But we brought in two. Meanwhile in CM we’ve got one player who lost form entirely and another who missed almost as any games as Godden with a chronic injury problem. At RWB and RCB were relying on two players who haven’t shown fitness in 18 months, we have one LWB who is untried at this level, a GK who has barely played since Brexit, and we’ve lost one CB and told our only other reserve CB to find a new club.

One last time: the question isn’t “why did we buy any strikers?” It’s “why prioritise two strikers over the rest of the squad?”

 

[COV]

Because we pulled the WBs back to fullback and stuffed the midfield with defensive players. Not because our defence suddenly worked out how to not concede goals.

Constantly bringing up Biamou, or even worse Bakayoko, when Walker and Godden were out and are now back is just disingenuous. The discussion is about whether we needed to spend quite so much on two strikers and barely anything at the other end of the pitch.

is Godden back though?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

you certainly can’t go on the offensive if you don’t have the players to do it, we didn’t last season

Thinking to some of our most impressive results and performances of last season, they were mostly when we did just that. Brentford and Reading at home being particular highlights

 

[shmmeee]

but of course people are going to bring up Biamou and Bakayoko, because they clearly needed to be upgraded

How many minutes did Bakayoko play last season? 306. Not even four games. You may as well ask why we aren’t replacing Jobello.

 

[COV]

Sure. But we brought in two. Meanwhile in CM we’ve got one player who lost form entirely and another who missed almost as any games as Godden with a chronic injury problem. At RWB and RCB were relying on two players who haven’t shown fitness in 18 months, we have one LWB who is untried at this level, a GK who has barely played since Brexit, and we’ve lost one CB and told our only other reserve CB to find a new club.

One last time: the question isn’t “why did we buy any strikers?” It’s “why prioritise two strikers over the rest of the squad?”

because we couldn’t score goals?

 

[shmmeee]

is Godden back though?

He’s not a million miles away by all accounts. Is that the main point here? Address the actual point being made.

 

[shmmeee]

because we couldn’t score goals?

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

because we couldn’t score goals?

We scored more than 9 other teams

 

[COV]

How many minutes did Bakayoko play last season? 306. Not even four games. You may as well ask why we aren’t replacing Jobello.

that’s because Bakayoko wasn’t good enough, I don’t think he was injured too much was he, therefore if he’s not good enough we have to improve. And Godden isn’t fit.

i know- it’s not “why did we buy strikers” it’s “why did we prioritise strikers” and I 100% get that, but having better options up front with (hopefully) no constant injury worries maybe means we are going to try and be more offensive, who knows.

 

[Earlsdon_Skyblue1]

No what is tiring is the same negative crap on every thread about everything and people looking for excuses to moan

like tonight for example where people actually took something than a proven bullshiter wrote on twitter as gospel just to have a moan

We obviously needed to get experienced heads in which is different to the past few seasons as it's obvious that's what we needed, we have also bought in young players with good potential resale value so in my eyes it's been a good window so far (with more to come) and certainly a hell of a lot better than the teams that will be around us next season in the league

Also I didn't know that Max could play in defence or midfield but good to know that you would have preferred him to be our backup lwb, CB or cm

You are completely missing the points being made. You aren't the only one either and the deliberate attempts to try and discredit pretty valid opinions is quite juvenile.

How anyone can look at our transfer activity and think it is all roses is quite strange. Clearly something hasn't gone quite right, and whilst I think Gyökeres and Waghorn will be good additions, other areas of the pitch are weaker than last season.

It is not unreasonably negative to point that out, or look at the players we have been linked with and raise an eyebrow. If you want to ignore that, good for you, but stop being a c**t towards others who would like to discuss it objectively.

 

[COV]

We scored more than 9 other teams

we were 21st in the “failed to score” stats

 

[fernandopartridge]

Sure. But we brought in two. Meanwhile in CM we’ve got one player who lost form entirely and another who missed almost as any games as Godden with a chronic injury problem. At RWB and RCB were relying on two players who haven’t shown fitness in 18 months, we have one LWB who is untried at this level, a GK who has barely played since Brexit, and we’ve lost one CB and told our only other reserve CB to find a new club.

One last time: the question isn’t “why did we buy any strikers?” It’s “why prioritise two strikers over the rest of the squad?”

It might be a bit early to answer the question

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[COV]

Thinking to some of our most impressive results and performances of last season, they were mostly when we did just that. Brentford and Reading at home being particular highlights

That’s a good point actually

 

[stupot07]

As it stands:

GK = no change in quality
RWB = no change in quality
CB = worse than last season
LWB = Maatsen unproven at championship level potentially worse than last season
DCM = worse than last season
ACM = an extra option but Bright is unproven at this level
ST = improved quality and depth.

Obviously there's time for a few more signings.

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[Brighton Sky Blue]

we were 21st in the “failed to score” stats

You said we had trouble scoring goals-objectively, 9 teams had more trouble than us. But our defence shipped more than almost anyone else. Three main reasons for that in my view; ineffective playing out from the back, set piece vulnerability and for want of a better word, daft individual mistakes.

Having lost Ostigard and McCallum from a defence that was already brittle and with neither keeper up to scratch I'd have made those the top areas for improvement. Maybe we did and we just couldn't pull off the signings, who knows. At a stretch I suppose we can argue that Gyo is to be used as more of an AM than an out and out striker

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

That’s a good point actually

You can also throw in Watford at home which we really, really should have won.

 

[Earlsdon_Skyblue1]

It might be a bit early to answer the question

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Considering the season starts in a few days, I think it is reasonable to make some assumptions.

As it stands:

GK = no change in quality
RWB = no change in quality
CB = worse than last season
LWB = Maatsen unproven at championship level potentially worse than last season
DCM = worse than last season
ACM = an extra option but Bright is unproven at this level
ST = improved quality and depth.

Obviously there's time for a few more signings.

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AM and goalkeeper can be debated, but going by your analysis we are better in one area but worse in three others.

That's something we are allowed to be a little concerned about isn't it?

The rest of the league might be weaker than last year, some of our players will have had a season in the championship under the belt too, sure, but we can only really control what we do.

 

[COV]

You said we had trouble scoring goals-objectively, 9 teams had more trouble than us. But our defence shipped more than almost anyone else. Three main reasons for that in my view; ineffective playing out from the back, set piece vulnerability and for want of a better word, daft individual mistakes.

Having lost Ostigard and McCallum from a defence that was already brittle and with neither keeper up to scratch I'd have made those the top areas for improvement. Maybe we did and we just couldn't pull off the signings, who knows. At a stretch I suppose we can argue that Gyo is to be used as more of an AM than an out and out striker

that goals scored stat is misleading. We scored more than 9 other teams alright but we failed to score in 39% matches which meant we were 21st in the table for games failed to score in.

as for why we prioritised what we did, probably a combination of wanting to be more offensive- which requires strikers with more ability- & events transpiring to stop us getting the defenders/ midfielder we wanted, god knows. I don’t really believe that MR has suddenly lost his marbles or massively cocked up on his budgeting, but we’ll see for sure soon enough.

but all in all it hasn’t been a disastrous window so far, not perfect at all but not the end of the world especially when you look around at what the competition is up to- definitely weird though.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

that goals scored stat is misleading. We scored more than 9 other teams alright but we failed to score in 39% matches which meant we were 21st in the table for games failed to score in.

as for why we prioritised what we did, probably a combination of wanting to be more offensive- which requires strikers with more ability- & events transpiring to stop us getting the defenders/ midfielder we wanted, god knows.

The inconsistency in goals scored to me matters less than the raw total and if anything just reinforces that we were rewarded for the times we were a bit more adventurous. Just my opinion though, I won't go predicting our position till the window shuts

 

[fernandopartridge]

Considering the season starts in a few days, I think it is reasonable to make some assumptions.



AM and goalkeeper can be debated, but going by your analysis we are better in one area but worse in three others.

That's something we are allowed to be a little concerned about isn't it?

The rest of the league might be weaker than last year, some of our players will have had a season in the championship under the belt too, sure, but we can only really control what we do.

The assessment is based on having never seen the left wing back or keeper play and some ridiculous nostalgia for James and particularly Ostigard. With still some time before the season begins and transfer window closes.

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[Frostie]

I always used to think "build from the back" when assembling a squad, make yourselves tough to beat & then go from there. Probably stems from the old George Graham at Arsenal days & more recently Mourinho where they would happily bore their way to 1-0 wins to achieve the end goal.

Reading a lot of coaches blogs, tweets etc. over the summer though, the newer consensus seems to be get the attack right as that really defines the way you play, build up, create chances etc. & that it's much easier to correct a defence in a shorter period of time.
If you look at what Klopp did with Liverpool he prioritised attack initially & it made them competitive then when he added VVD, Alisson etc. it took them to the next level.

Now, I'm not in any way saying that's necessarily what we're doing but we struggled for a clear style of play last season that we were comfortable with & could impose on most teams. With Waghorn mentioning in his interview about being told about us wanting to press high & defend from the front which we weren't consistently good with last season I think there could be some credence to it.
The addition of Maatsen to compliment Dabo would certainly indicate trying to play in the opposition half far more.

The back 3 are still a concern, 100% but they at least know what is expected of them, the way they get on the ball & play is 2nd nature to them by now, upgrading their quality & balance with the likes of Clarke-Salter should be a fairly easy transition in my opinion.

 

[Liquid Gold]

MacFadzean was the best centre back last season, especially towards the end.

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I didn't say he wasn't, I said he was prone to errors which I'll stand by and that he's getting to the tail end of his career so his legs will go at some point however soon or long that is.

 

[COV]

The inconsistency in goals scored to me matters less than the raw total and if anything just reinforces that we were rewarded for the times we were a bit more adventurous. Just my opinion though, I won't go predicting our position till the window shuts

You get a lot more points by scoring consistently, we failed to score in 18 games & 7 of those were nil-nils, which is the second most in the division- so scoring in so few matches was clearly a very big problem as we dropped potentially 14 points by not turning goalless draws into wins

maybe it is all part of a change toward a much more offensive style

 

[skybluegod]

We’ll see, but unless we’re about to pull something very surprising out the bag we seem over stocked in attack and massively under stocked everywhere else.

Aren't we 1 CB and 1 LB down from the start of last season? Hardly massively under stocked? Without double checking, to me numbers wise we are missing Osti and Giles from the start of last season.

There is a difference between what fans deem as good enough cover in the squad to having no cover at all. Shipley and Allen play CM. Whether we think they are good enough is a different thing, but they play there.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Aren't we 1 CB and 1 LB down from the start of last season? Hardly massively under stocked? Without double checking, to me numbers wise we are missing Osti and Giles from the start of last season.

There is a difference between what fans deem as good enough cover in the squad to having no cover at all. Shipley and Allen play CM. Whether we think they are good enough is a different thing, but they play there.

That’s exactly right we are two loan players down on last season. The gnashing of teeth is strange but understandable

What also hasn’t been taken into account is young players who now have a year of championship experience

Dabo
Rose
Hyam
Sheaf
Hamer
Ohare
Walker

They are not new signings but they are all players who will have progressed

On the start of last season we need a Cb, on the team from January we need a Cb and Cm

Sure we could have added these first but I firmly believe you move for players when they are available.

The links with Walsh and james and Paterson may have been genuine and Paterson is clearly still without a club. I will save my gnashing until the end of the window even though I completely agree replacement for osti will be felt in the first few games

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

I maintain something funny has gone on behind the scenes this summer. Whether that’s Robins losing his mind or Sisu not keeping promises, but it’s more than just “a funny summer for everyone”.

I maintain that you’re being paranoid.

Waghorn over the last 4-6 seasons has scored 10+ goals in all competitions. Barring last season. Robins clearly has a plan for him and the squad.

We have a recruitment model we have still largely stuck too. We’ve signed Gyo and Bright as permanent signings. We’ve signed 1 outfield player over 30 and all of a sudden MR is either “losing his mind” or promises aren’t being kept.

Again, we’ve made more signings than most teams in the league. The trend across the entire league is that there isn’t as much to spend this summer. Even Sheffield United are yet to sign a player with their parachute payments and so on.

Bottom line is, you’re not seeing the bigger picture.

 

[djr8369]

I always used to think "build from the back" when assembling a squad, make yourselves tough to beat & then go from there. Probably stems from the old George Graham at Arsenal days & more recently Mourinho where they would happily bore their way to 1-0 wins to achieve the end goal.

Reading a lot of coaches blogs, tweets etc. over the summer though, the newer consensus seems to be get the attack right as that really defines the way you play, build up, create chances etc. & that it's much easier to correct a defence in a shorter period of time.
If you look at what Klopp did with Liverpool he prioritised attack initially & it made them competitive then when he added VVD, Alisson etc. it took them to the next level.

Now, I'm not in any way saying that's necessarily what we're doing but we struggled for a clear style of play last season that we were comfortable with & could impose on most teams. With Waghorn mentioning in his interview about being told about us wanting to press high & defend from the front which we weren't consistently good with last season I think there could be some credence to it.
The addition of Maatsen to compliment Dabo would certainly indicate trying to play in the opposition half far more.

The back 3 are still a concern, 100% but they at least know what is expected of them, the way they get on the ball & play is 2nd nature to them by now, upgrading their quality & balance with the likes of Clarke-Salter should be a fairly easy transition in my opinion.

Waghorn and Gyro are players who can defend from the front. COH doing that last season was a big benefit to us. Godden and Walker can’t really do it. I’d suggest signing the two forwards might be indicative a bit of a change in style. As others have suggested we can’t dominate possession in midfield now and it would take a lot of investment to have the players to do so.

 

[procdoc]

I maintain that you’re being paranoid.

Waghorn over the last 4-6 seasons has scored 10+ goals in all competitions. Barring last season. Robins clearly has a plan for

We have a recruitment model we have still largely stuck too. We’ve signed Gyo and Bright as permanent signings. We’ve signed 1 outfield player over 30 and all of a sudden MR is either “losing his mind” or promises aren’t being kept.

Again, we’ve made more signings than most teams in the league. The trend across the entire league is that there isn’t as much to spend this summer. Even Sheffield United are yet to sign a player with their parachute payments and so on.

Bottom line is, you’re not seeing the bigger picture.

He doesn’t see the bigger picture because he talks out of his arse and forces his mostly terrible opinions on everyone.
We need two centre halves , it doesn’t take a genius to work that one out. I think we will get two in on loan. It’s as if people think Robins, who’s took us from league 2 to the championship, knows less about the finances, tactics and recruitment than some of the prats on here. It’s fucking laughable

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

And as it stands we have Drysdale as backup at CB, Howley as backup CM and Reid as backup LWB while our top scorer and big investment last season sits on the bench. Also we regularly play with 1 ST and can’t play with less than 3 CBs or without a LWB or CM.

From a squad planning POV it’s nuts.

Last season we started with Giles as our sole LWB.

Robins has said he wanted 4 more signings. Since then, he’s signed one LWB. So why don’t we wait and see what the squad looks like at the end of the transfer window before pressing the panic button.

This window has been tough on everyone, which is why multiple clubs are yet to sign anyone this window.

Nearly 18 months without ticket revenue for the club was going to hurt and clearly this window is one of restraint for the entire league.