Armchair Manager

[Frank the tank]

if I was to rank my priorities for improvement

Left back
Midfield depth / attacking mid
Centreback depth
Striker
Keeper

We can’t just replace everyone who’s not outstanding. We need a squad. Even the likes of Osborn, while not incredible can play and cover in about 5 positions. We don’t want to do a forest and replace a team with a load of individuals.

Not the most off the wall wish list but Is like some from :

GK Hendo/ Johnstone - if we want to get a keeper in. Personally I think Wes has not put a foot wrong and earned a shot.

LB - Wharton seems highly rated at Blackburn. Though haven’t seen much of him.
Maatson - Ideally could do with type like him on loan or similar from the big boys. Burnley will take him again I imagine.
Giles - though I think boro would be looking for big money.

CB - Ballard from Sunderland.
Worrell from forest?

MF - Doyle, just makes sense
O’brien - as we’ve been linked before.
Harmer - seems to have had a nice season.
Chouhoudry - just off his performances against us.

AM - mcatee on loan
Diallo - done well at Sunderland.

ST - love the Coventry lad or archer. But think with mcburnie/Ndaiye/Brewster/sharp/jebbo/osula. Might be what we go with.


The ideal position would be to get to the point where you have good performers form this year adding depth from the bench. Like Robinson, Norwood. Mcburnie for example. We need to add far less than last time we went up.

Hopefully hecky is more Amenable than wilder was to foreign players so we can avoid the English tax.

Giles is on loan from wolves isnt he ?
They woukd probably let him go

 

[CoatesyBlade]

This'd be my main five point plan, assuming that the first priority is to use the PL to service any backdated debts and make sure the club is secure going forward, with the main key to be to maximise the chances of finishing 17th while making the squad better/younger sustainably. I'm trying to roughly cost it for 23/24 as well:

1) Extend Ndiaye

Clear no brainer, working on the assumption that his contract runs until the end of next season. There is zero way that we should even consider selling him - if he doesn't want to extend, then the value we would get by using his talents on the pitch and letting him leave on a free would far surpass anything we could replace him, even considering the transfer fee we would receive. That said, surely the easiest way to make the player happy would be to pay him commensurate with his talents - if we paid him a record for the club (by quite some margin even) to extend through 2025 (2026 ideally, but let's not be greedy) with a reasonable relegation release clause, then it would surely be tempting for him to sign knowing he is going to get first team football on the biggest stage on the planet? Cost - £5m

2) Sign Doyle permanently

We're going to need at least two central midfielders, minimum, assuming that the likes of Arblaster, Coulibaly etc don't have a ridiculous upturn in performances (which given yesterday's lineup, Hecky doesn't even want to test), so bringing in Doyle permanently is a common move people suggest. Turning 22 early next season, he's probably never going to make it into the City squad, so assuming City don't take the piss with the asking price (at least in terms of fixed fees, if they want to include clauses which only hit if we survive then that's fine with me) this would fill a key need at a reasonable cost. Cost - £15m

3) Add a young creative attacking midfielder on loan

It's pretty unlikely that we're going to be able to sign such a player permanently, so this seems like a logical spot to use the domestic loan market to fill. McAtee would be the obvious choice, depending on City's squad plans going forward, although it seems at least in the short term his natural position(s) seem incredibly blocked at his parent club, so I would think this one would be feasible. If not, then there are likely similar targets who are not going to feature significantly (if at all) at big clubs that could use PL game time. Cost - £2m

4) Use free agent/loan market to add a keeper, striker

Wes has been fantastic for us, and while I don't think he would look out of place in the PL, with the importance of the position getting the best we can seems critical. There's probably going to be players who are older and experienced who could be brought in, either as a free agent on a one year deal, or on a season long loan. If Forest are able to get Keylor Navas then we should be able to get someone who is an upgrade. Similarly up top - Ndiaye will clearly occupy one spot, then we've got a selection of Jebbison, McBurnie and Brewster (still think there's a player in there, even if it's just an off the bench option), maybe Osula if we stretch it. Think we clearly need one more, so use the same strategy - there's going to be free agents out there with PL experience who we could pick up as a one year hire, or we could look overseas for a loan. For example, Dortmund have an English kid formerly of City, who's getting minutes mainly off the bench but may find progress blocked if he stays at the Westfalen, who could potentially work. We could go more experienced - I've always liked Kasper Dolberg, who Nice seem to have been loaning out this season who might be considered surplus to requirements (that may be because they've got Pepe in on loan from Arsenal, I don't watch Ligue 1). There's bound to be someone who can be brought in who would be an upgrade alongside Ndiaye at a not unreasonable cost. Heck, you could look at the clubs that go down. Burnley were happy to loan Weghorst back out to the PL, so who's to say that the likes of a Southampton or Everton (assuming either isn't forced into a fire sale) wouldn't have surplus requirements in the Championship up top (in before bring DCL back calls)? By the looks of things you're only allowed two loans at the same time, so one would have to be a permanent deal, but a one year free agent signing is for all intents and purposes a loan. Cost - £6-8m

5) Upgrade LCB from overseas

Basically find Anel 2.0. JLT's far surpassed what a lot of us were expecting from him when he initially signed, but if we start the season with him in the first XI, it does look like somewhat of a glaring weakness. Heck, even if RND returns and we slot him or Lowe there as an alternative, it's still going to be a problem. So look to make a second long term signing on someone who's probably in a second tier league who can do a job going forward for the next 3-4 years. My knowledge of European football is not what it used to be so I couldn't give specific examples, but I think we could probably spend a touch more than we did on Ahmedhodzic and get ourselves a much solider back three, with new player + Anel hopefully being able to limit the amount of times Egan's lack of pace might be exploited. Cost - £6m

That's roughly around £35m of spending, the vast majority of which is loaded into the upcoming season, and I don't think this is excessive. This would leave us with a squad looking something like:

new keeper, Foderingham, Davies
Baldock, Bogle, Lowe, Norrington-Davies
Ahmedhodzic, Egan, new LCB, Robinson, Basham (has a year left, probably fine for emergency depth)
Doyle, Berge, loan AM, Norwood, Coulibaly, Arblaster, Osborn (unsure of contract status, extend for a year for emergency depth/versatility)
Ndiaye, new striker, McBurnie, Brewster, Jebbison, Osula

That's 25, although I guess some of the younger kids would not count towards the PL squad limit, similarly with any of the kids on loan or others I've not mentioned like Brooks who might be further along than the ones listed. Feels a touch light, especially in CM, but I would not hate this as an initial starting point

Very similar to my way of thinking this. It’s realistic and so hopefully attainable this coming transfer window.