5 or 6

[Mouth of the South]

I have a horrible feeling that Osborn is going to be offered an extension.

I get the desire to not want lose the current togetherness in the squad but a group with a shot of staying in the Prem needs to be assembled - I'm afraid there should be no place for the majority of those out of contact i.e. Fleck, Stevens, JOC, Robinson Sharp (unless in the form of a coaching role) and the aforementioned headless chicken.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

The left side of our defence isn't good enough. We really need someone to come in ahead of Robinson.

We also have no midfield. Berge is the only one that might be up to it.
Fleck, Norwood, Osborn - nowhere near and all out of contract.

Up top. McBurnie is miles off the level.

Fleck and OsBorn need releasing no where near good enough, Norwood maybe for the bench but again not premier league level.

We need two new midfielders to walk straight into the side.

2 new strikers needed aswell our current strikers aren’t good enough.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

I think we’ll end up with 6/7 and at least 5 of them need to be going into the starting 11.

Need better versions for Lowe, Robinson - goals are always down our left hopefully RND will be back

McAtee & Doyle unless one comes back

Goal scorer with pace

Possibly looking at replacing NDiaye too if what you read is correct.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

There is no way Stevens, Fleck and Osborn are good enough for the PL next season.

Along with Norwood, Robinson, McBurnie and Billy.

 

[mattbianco1]

I think we need way more than 5/6 too.

The way I'd see it:

GK
Signing 1
(Foderingham)
(Davies)

RWB
Baldock
(Bogle)

RCB
Ahmedhodzic
(Basham)

CB
Egan
(Signing 2)

LCB
Signing 3
(Robinson)

LWB
RND
(Signing 4)

RCM
Berge
(Signing 5)

CM
Signing 6
(Norwood)

LCM
Signing 7
(Signing 8)

AM
Ndiaye
(Signing 9)

CF
Signing 10
(Signing 11)
McBurnie
Jebbison
Brewster

So around 11 signings. 5 no. for the first XI, 6 no. for cover.
And this is assuming Ndiaye and Berge sign deals and we don't have to sell & replace them.

I would say thank you and goodbye to O'Connell, Stevens, Lowe, Osborn, Fleck and Sharp. They've been great for us but we're reaching the end of a cycle and need to bring in some new fresh bodies.

I'd look for loan moves for Arblaster, Coulibaly, Osula and possibly even Brewster.

Agree with those priorities.

We need a left sided version of Anel - a £4m bargain from Belgium, France or Holland.

Prolific and pacy strikers.

Dean Henderson back in goal.

Proper athletic box-to-box mids. African type

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

Agree with those priorities.

We need a left sided version of Anel - a £4m bargain from Belgium, France or Holland.

Prolific and pacy strikers.

Dean Henderson back in goal.

Proper athletic box-to-box mids. African type

We struggle against pace & teams hitting us on the break. Next season every team has this. Being as solid as we are will help us but as you’ve said we need pace in all areas.

Heckys not daft, his summer signings this season were great. I’ve full confidence he’ll maximise the budget.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

If it is just 5 or 6 then I'd probably go for something like this

CB/LCB: John Brooks
LWB: Brandon Williams
CM/RCM: Ellyes Skhiri / Mady Camara ..... or if Berge must stay, LCM: O'Brien
CM: Doyle
LCM/AM: McAtee
CF: Gyokeres / Wood / Diallo / Guirassy

Which means sticking with Wes in goal and keeping the likes of Davies (fine by me), Lowe (not fine), Basham and probably at least one of Osborn and Fleck

There would be positives for keeping the squad together as much as possible but not if it's at the expense of bringing in a couple of important players who are up to the level

 

[CoatesyBlade]

I can guarantee that Hecky already knows who he thinks can and can’t do a job in the PL. Whether he can execute his 1st choice transfer strategy is another point entirely. Hecky isn’t going to announce departures on Radio Sheffield. For one it’s disrespectful, and two, he may have no choice but to keep certain players.
Basham won’t go anywhere. He has another year left on his contract and is cover for a very specific position.
Norwood will be offered new terms. He will be valuable cover in the midfield. Plus he offers a lot in terms of younger player development.
Osborn will stay. Good age and versatile.
McBurnie stays. Back up and option from the bench.
Fleck, Enda, Sharp, O’Connell are the ones that will potential leave in the summer.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

I think Robinson and McBurnie are generally being underestimated and both can make a serious go of it in the PL. Both are better players than they were last time

I'd just say that McBurnie isn't quite adequate to play in a front 2 with no extra player in support. For that we'd need a better athlete

 

[YES Blade]

Fleck, Enda, Sharp, O’Connell are the ones that will potential leave in the summer.

Exactly the four I see leaving.

We would all love to replace the likes of Osborn, Norwood, Basham, Robinson etc. with high quality Premier League players, but it’s just not realistic to achieve this in a single transfer window.

Hecky is spot on, keep the majority of the group together and add 5/6 new players, preferably all starters.

 

[Mouth of the South]

Agree with those priorities.

We need a left sided version of Anel - a £4m bargain from Belgium, France or Holland.

Prolific and pacy strikers.

Dean Henderson back in goal.

Proper athletic box-to-box mids. African type

The latter has been needed for about the last 10 season. Marvelous Nakamba at Luton would be a decent and affordable option if they don't make it up

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

The latter has been needed for about the last 10 season. Marvelous Nakamba at Luton would be a decent and affordable option if they don't make it up

I have more confidence in Hecky signing the right Premiership players than I did with Wilder.

I just hope he’s given the money to do it.

 

[Mouth of the South]

I have more confidence in Hecky signing the right Premiership players than I did with Wilder.

I just hope he’s given the money to do it.

Agree - Wilder's picks were poor and demonstrated a total lack of knowledge of markets other than Uk Champ level.

 

[Stretch]

If it is 5 or 6 then we really need Bogle and Lowe to step up a notch, and RND & Brewster to come back firing after long injuries.

Even then it is going to be tough, really tough with just 6 signings. That being said, if we sell Ndiaye it opens up the door for more incomings, surely?

 

[SwissBlade]

I have a horrible feeling that Osborn is going to be offered an extension.

I get the desire to not want lose the current togetherness in the squad but a group with a shot of staying in the Prem needs to be assembled - I'm afraid there should be no place for the majority of those out of contact i.e. Fleck, Stevens, JOC, Robinson Sharp (unless in the form of a coaching role) and the aforementioned headless chicken.

I think Fleck, Stevens, JOC and Osborn all need to go. Can’t see us getting 10 games out of them so let them go

 

[mattbianco1]

The latter has been needed for about the last 10 season. Marvelous Nakamba at Luton would be a decent and affordable option if they don't make it up

After I'd posted it I was worried if that sounded racist. But TBH, there are tons of box-to-box mids in the PL that are African, African descent.

Coulibaly - could he step up? He seems to have the energy. Maybe not the quality ??

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

Agree - Wilder's picks were poor and demonstrated a total lack of knowledge of markets other than Uk Champ level.

There’s nothing wrong with that if they’re the right championship players. I’m not sure spending £10m on Bogle & Lowe was right. We needed to bring in a better version of Stevens and Lowe was miles off.

If Villa want £20m for Cameron Archer then that’s pretty much the same as what OMac cost, get him signed.

 

[Mouth of the South]

There’s nothing wrong with that if they’re the right championship players. I’m not sure spending £10m on Bogle & Lowe was right. We needed to bring in a better version of Stevens and Lowe was miles off.

If Villa want £20m for Cameron Archer then that’s pretty much the same as what OMac cost, get him signed.

Nothing wrong as you say but it's a relatively very expensive route considering the quality and experience of the players compared to other markets e.g. Scandanavian, Dutch and even French leagues.
Archer may well become an established Prem player but that much for an unproven player, when there's still the possibility he could be a other Brewster.
That said, I also rate him and would like to see him join. However, I don't think Utd would be able to afford or attract him on a Perm and I'm not sure why Villa would sell. Perhaps using one of Utd's 2 Prem loans on him would be a more likely option.

 

[Millhousesblade1889]

Nothing wrong as you say but it's a relatively very expensive route considering the quality and experience of the players compared to other markets e.g. Scandanavian, Dutch and even French leagues.
Archer may well become an established Prem player but that much for an unproven player, when there's still the possibility he could be a other Brewster.
That said, I also rate him and would like to see him join. However, I don't think Utd would be able to afford or attract him on a Perm and I'm not sure why Villa would sell. Perhaps using one of Utd's 2 Prem loans on him would be a more likely option.

100% I hope that’s the route we go down.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Bournemouth came 2nd in the championship. Added 5 or 6 first team players in the summer window. Then a takeover and new owner invested big money ( by lower prem standards) and it's paid off. I suspect we will aiming for similar

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I don't see an outcome where McBurnie doesn't stay next season.

It appears he wants to stay. Not saying he's gonna score 10 next season or even 5 but for what we paid and our first season back up I don't see us letting him go for free to have to spend on another replacement.

Think it will be the same with Norwood to be honest and I don't have a massive problem with either of them being squad players.

Agree about the others though.

I think Robinson and McBurnie are generally being underestimated and both can make a serious go of it in the PL. Both are better players than they were last time

I'd just say that McBurnie isn't quite adequate to play in a front 2 with no extra player in support. For that we'd need a better athlete

McBurnie in the squad? Fine.
McBurnie as a starter? Not OK.
He lacks almost all attacking attributes to trouble PL defenders. He was very easily dealt with the last time we were there, little has changed.

Jack Robinson the same. Fine as cover, coming in now and again. But he's still a liability with concentration limitations.

 

[jono_t2000]

McBurnie in the squad? Fine.
McBurnie as a starter? Not OK.
He lacks almost all attacking attributes to trouble PL defenders. He was very easily dealt with the last time we were there, little has changed.

Jack Robinson the same. Fine as cover, coming in now and again. But he's still a liability with concentration limitations.

Mcburnie squad player correct.
Robinson will be our main LCB next season tho.

 

[Snowflake]

We'll be setting ourselves up for failure if we don't sign around that number.

We've made one permanent signing in the last 5 transfer windows. Players are coming to the end of their cycles here. We need to replace half the squad.

...but not in a single window.
Eleven new players to meld in is a really difficult task. Ask Forest and they paid a fortune for them !!

 

[LJBlade]

McBurnie in the squad? Fine.
McBurnie as a starter? Not OK.
He lacks almost all attacking attributes to trouble PL defenders. He was very easily dealt with the last time we were there, little has changed.

Jack Robinson the same. Fine as cover, coming in now and again. But he's still a liability with concentration limitations.

He was our top scorer when we finished 9th. He wasn’t “very easily dealt with”.

 

[Frank the tank]

He was our top scorer when we finished 9th. He wasn’t “very easily dealt with”.

He was unplayable on his day but like his chequered united career he couldnt sustain that form consistently

 

[CaptainMorgans]

He was our top scorer when we finished 9th. He wasn’t “very easily dealt with”.

Top scorer in a team that scored very few goals.
6 was not an impressive return. He had very few impressive games in the PL.

I like McBurnie a lot. Seems a great lad and I think he has something to offer... but not from the start.
I think he's a decent (but not great) Championship striker.
He absolutely isn't a PL striker that you can rely upon.. He isn't quick enough or strong enough and his goalscoring and link-up play is nowhere near a level that would make up for the lack of those attributes.
Very few PL defenders would worry about coming up against him.

 

[LJBlade]

Top scorer in a team that scored very few goals.
6 was not an impressive return. He had very few impressive games in the PL.

I like McBurnie a lot. Seems a great lad and I think he has something to offer... but not from the start.
I think he's a decent (but not great) Championship striker.
He absolutely isn't a PL striker that you can rely upon.. He isn't quick enough or strong enough and his goalscoring and link-up play is nowhere near a level that would make up for the lack of those attributes.
Very few PL defenders would worry about coming up against him.

We finished 9th and he was top scorer in a team that was more defensive than attacking. Had we attacked more he’d have scored more, but we might not have finished so high. Either way, he wasn’t as easily dealt with as you suggest. I’d wager you wouldn’t have described Mousett the same way that season.

 

[Newbury Blade]

Norrington Davis wasn’t good enough before his injury. I don’t think three quarters of a season out injured will have turned him into a premier league player.

He was playing superbly in fact before his injury.

 

[Keen Blade]

If only 6 come in they absolutely have to be of sufficient quality that we expect them to be in the starting places.
They must be better than the present incumbent of their position.
If we don't improve the average quality of the squad we don't have a chance of staying up.
And unless 4 of these are permanent signings , we won't be in a position to win the Championship in 24/25 , should we end up relegated.
This coming window will make or break our medium-term future.

 

[jono_t2000]

Some people think we're targeting top 6 or sommet.

We ain't bringing in 10 new players in 1 window.

Our goal is a 17th or better finish.

We will be bringing in some talented bargain youngsters, mixed in with some loans.

That way in case we do go down the loans go back and off the wage bill straight away.

The youngsters from outside UK can either help us challenge for promotion in championship or be sold on for profit.