Summer 2023/24 Transfer Thread

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YorksHammer
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by YorksHammer »

hammerman11 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 9:32 am Ward prowse will be 29 next season. Would buy at a reasonable price, 25m. Gallagher and JWP with paq would be good
It would be the very worst midfield we could have - get carved through like butter with a hot knife.

We need a more defensive, and physical, presence alongside Paqueta, and that's it. Neither Ward-Prowse nor Gallagher offers that side of the game, which is why neither of them should be signed unless we're moving away from a midfield 2.

We need a Soumare/Doucoure/Neves/Kamara type player - to pick four PL players off the top of my head. Proper make a tackle and pass it on type players.
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Wilko1304
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Wilko1304 »

If we sell Rice, I’d replace with JWP and Tyler Adams. If Leeds go down, I’d also be all over Gnonto.

JWP could equally become Gallagher, if you’re after a younger product to slot in, but I think we’d benefit more than anyone from Ward-Prowse, and he really does suit us. I’ve banged this drum before, but you add in the leadership part and the work rate.

We can’t replace Rice like-for-like, he has too many different assets that you do not get in a normal midfielder, so it’s about finding parts and functions. For me, platform of Adams and then Ward-Prowse (or type) and Paqueta as midfielders who can play forward, work up and down but can do the hard work.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by fjthegrey »

Sell Soucek. Buy Sander Berge.

Let Cresswell leave. Buy Borna Sosa.

I think those two signings alone greatly improve us. Obviously we need more but that's the start I'd be making.

Raid the relegated teams, there's a lot of potential talent in those squads, more than usual based on the current bottom 5. Bella-Kotchap and Salisu look good players to me, in a better system with superior players protecting in front of them they are Prem level centre backs with potential to be more.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Wilko1304 »

Both will be top drawer centre backs, I think. Salisu has had issues being a bit over eager to make challenges, and it’s tough with centre backs cos, as Diop showed, some of those early issues might not get ironed out for many years.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by YorksHammer »

Tyler Adams is a great shout, actually.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Aztec Hammer »

Buy fast players that are still young. That's what I'd like and think we really need.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by MB »

Burnley Hammer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 7:47 am When replacing Rice, what we need to take into account is that he is our best ball carrier by far. He's also now almost always deployed in a box to box number 8 role. What we don't want to do is go out and replace him with a defensive midfielder that can't carry the ball.
I agree with the point, but he is mostly doing it from deep where others use their centre halves. It is about playing differently (and dare I say it...) with a bit more risk in possession.

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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Burnley Hammer »

Enzo Le Fée
Sosa
Berge
Gusto

I'm still shopping for a pacy direct forward/wide forward that scores goals. Shame about Terriers injury - he'd have been perfect.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by westlondonhammer »

Wilko1304 wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 11:01 pm If we’re to play this system, we need two wing backs, although Emerson is perfectly serviceable for another year if we are spreading the money thin.
Reduced for brevity

I agree we need a couple of WBs...i actually think 3 at the back has been our most effective formation for a while despite most of us wanting 4 at the back (me included)

Ive said a few times i think we will go Zemura and Aina in the summer. They are 2 affordable, HG fixes as competition to Coufal and Emerson.

Then if Ogbonna continues as he has our defence is pretty sorted. 2x RCBs (Kehrer and Johnson), 2x LCB (Aguerd and Cresswell), 2x CBs (Zouma and Ogbonna)... then we look to our highly promising kids who everyone is screaming out to be picked.

Then our attention goes on a Rice replacement (Prowse), a Lanzini replacement (but someone who has pace and belongs in the front 3 as a starter on the left) and a Antonio replacement (Broja says hi).

Im probably either repeating or contradicting myself now but thoughts are evolving. Thats 5 signings...2 pretty cost effective and maybe already sorted
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Takeiteasy »

westlondonhammer wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:40 pm

Then if Ogbonna continues as he has our defence is pretty sorted. 2x RCBs (Kehrer and Johnson), 2x LCB (Aguerd and Cresswell), 2x CBs (Zouma and Ogbonna)...

This would really worry me.

Ogbonna’s age and injuries have caught up him now, he looks extremely slow and immobile to me.

Aguerd looks superb, happy with that.

Zouma is also superb, however, you know he is going to miss chunks of the season through injury.

Kehrer has been up and down, jury is out. Same with Johnson, who is naturally a full back.

Cresswell is also a full back. Da Silva’s goal against us is exactly why we can’t be relying on Cresswell.

I think we need to bring a reliable centre back in this summer.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by westlondonhammer »

Takeiteasy wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:46 pm This would really worry me.

Ogbonna’s age and injuries have caught up him now, he looks extremely slow and immobile to me.

Aguerd looks superb, happy with that.

Zouma is also superb, however, you know he is going to miss chunks of the season through injury.

Kehrer has been up and down, jury is out. Same with Johnson, who is naturally a full back.

Cresswell is also a full back. Da Silva’s goal against us is exactly why we can’t be relying on Cresswell.

I think we need to bring a reliable centre back in this summer.
Not me

I've seen few / no signs of aging in Ogbonna in the last few games. Aguerd is a brilliant player. Zouma; you either want him here or gone... I get why people would want him gone but it's tricky to find someone of his ability who wants to be behind him in the pecking order and so if he's not seen as a player we need, he is a player we need to replace (given his wages). Kehrer is definitely one you could argue about, but he looks more comfortable in a back 3 for me and unless you want him gone he need to be trusted (you can't afford to have an equal quality or paid (100k+ a week) additional player). Many teams play a full back consistently in a back 3... Johnson has been doing it since his youth days and Cresswell has put in better performances in that role than a back 4 over the last 2 - 3 years.

What we really need is real quality if we want anyone to go... most of our goals conceded this season have come from errors of players playing in unfamiliar surroundings or not being played to their strengths out of necessity. We actually haven't let many goals in (less than Man U, Tottenham, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham, Liverpool... all in the top half). While the foundations at the back have been very rocky which translates into a more defensive style and / or confidence lost through the spine of the team... the issue's sit more with the 18 goals scored.

If we want new players in at the back it needs to be at the expense of others. While I understand why some may want that, I see bigger priorities in other areas that warrant the investment.

Plus there is whole fury around blocking kids... hard to get angry while advocating the blocking of their path further.

Just me though.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by hammers92 »

I think this is all a little premature when we don’t know who the manager will be in the summer, and if there was a change, a change in the players we may aim to sign.

If Moyes remains the manager I’d like to see around 4 players come in for the positions that are most needed who have significant experience of the Premier League. If that means we need to overpay then so be it. And hopefully, sprinkled with some of the foreign talent we have, we can kick on. I’d be starting with Harry Maguire and Ward Prowse for leadership, experience and all round good players.

And please, no players with a doubtful injury record.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Wilko1304 »

I really, really hope our summer business isn't too affected by whom the manager is. We should be able to work at targets and an idea and find a manager that fits that, rather than whoring ourselves out to all and sundry, doing whatever they want when they do arrive.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by funky chicken »

We certainly need to make sure we have the perfect blend of fullbacks for next season, so we can play any formation, whether it’s a back 4 or a 5 at the back.

We kind of have that on the right, assuming Coufal gets a 1-2 year contract extension. We have Kehrer who is arguably more of a wingback, Johnson who is a more defensive minded rightback in a flat back 4 and we have Coufal who is a bit of a tweener. I.e. he can do both. Should any of those players leave in the summer, then they’ll have to be replaced. I would argue we need more of a wingback on that side, if we was to bring in a right sided fullback. Should all 3 players stay, I just can’t see us making a move for anyone on that side.

On the left, we have Emerson, who is more of a wingback and Cresswell, who is more of a Leftback in a flat back 4. We desperately need a tweener on that side. Someone who can play Leftback and left wing back. If either of Emerson and Cresswell gets injured it’ll potentially really limit the formations we can play. Especially if Emerson does, as who else in the squad can really play as a wingback on the side?
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by hammerman11 »

we need a decent LB and 2 CBs to sort the defence out and have cover for zouma and augerd etc.

CM lanzini vlasic and rice will all be leaving .

CF I would sell antonio so another quick and young forward needed. sarr would be ideal.

lots to be done
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by YorksHammer »

hammerman11 wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 7:57 am we need a decent LB and 2 CBs to sort the defence out and have cover for zouma and augerd etc.

CM lanzini vlasic and rice will all be leaving .

CF I would sell antonio so another quick and young forward needed. sarr would be ideal.

lots to be done
Not really 'lots' - I make you wrong on the number of CBs and think we just need the one in, preferably to supplant Zouma in the starting line up rather than back up, but back up is fine as well. Zouma, Aguerd, Kehrer, Ogbonna, and a fifth is plenty for fielding either three or two CBs each game.

LWB/LB is Emerson, but I would invest in the right side.

CM, only Rice of those three needs replacing although I think we should get one more in there already.

CB, RWB/RB, CM. Plus a CM if Rice goes.

It would maybe be nice to get a fresh face in the attacking midfield, but I would say that's a nice to have rather than a must have.

A minimum of 3, a maximum of 5.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by funky chicken »

Another thing we need to be mindful of, without trying to sound like Tony Henry, is the positions we add any African players to, should we be targeting any internationals from that continent.

For example, Aguerd will be playing for Morocco in the next tournament. So do we really want to sign another centre half who may also be joining Aguerd at the tournament, when it’ll leave us with just Zouma, Oggy and Kehrer(?) as recognised centre halves?

We also have Benrahma and Cornet who may well be playing for their respective countries. So it’s perhaps not the best idea to sign an African international in the attacking midfield positions.

We could probably get away with adding one at fullback, possibly central midfield and I reckon we could get a striker too, seeing as we’d still have Scamacca, Ings and Bowen to choose from, assuming Antonio won’t be here much longer. But I’d probably avoid adding one at centre half and attacking midfield.

We’re most certainly in need of some homegrown players. That’s for sure.
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MB
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by MB »

Wilko1304 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 11:40 pm I really, really hope our summer business isn't too affected by whom the manager is. We should be able to work at targets and an idea and find a manager that fits that, rather than whoring ourselves out to all and sundry, doing whatever they want when they do arrive.
Of course that is the correct way, but it isn't the West Ham way!

The behind the scenes structure is almost more important than any one signing this summer. Someone needs to decide what we are aiming for and what our identity is going to be then stick to it. I doubt it will happen though.
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by YorksHammer »

Wilko1304 wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 11:40 pm I really, really hope our summer business isn't too affected by whom the manager is. We should be able to work at targets and an idea and find a manager that fits that, rather than whoring ourselves out to all and sundry, doing whatever they want when they do arrive.
I might have misunderstood, but isn't this basically how clubs with a (proper) Director of Football work?
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Re: Summer Rebuild 2: Electric Boogaloo

Post by Wilko1304 »

Well, I suppose it doesn’t necessarily have to be a DoF, but yeah, thats what I was getting at.

Some sort of vision of style and fit for the club.
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