Transfer thread Summer 2015

The thing they always say when you get promoted to the Premier League is "ah, you need players with PL experience". That's what was said when we went up the last two times (though under Lambert I think that myth was dispelled). I would hazard a guess that's what Bournemouth and Watford fans are thinking, given their squads. It's certainly the way QPR have treated promotion.

We're in that weird situation where actually every single one of our starting line-up (I think) has a year in the PL under their belt, at least. So we don't "need" PL experience as we've already got it.

What we need is to improve our squad, in any way we can.

I think it would be deluded to suggest we will be comfortable next season - it will be a tough slog as the PL always is. It is right that we should be one of the favourites to get relegated. But I do think we're much better placed than last time we went up simply for squad depth and experience. Also, a win percentage of 70 is truly phenomenal, so under Neil we are definitely primed.

 

Agree about his distribution but he broke so many attacks up - sat deep- allowed full backs to push forward - in a manner barca started- I'd have him rather than Johnson I think he does feck all on the left generally and I can't see him in the starting line up next season

 

The only vestige of a concern I have left with Neil is how good he will be with transfers. There are some managers who are absolutely atrocious when given too much money (e.g. Mark Hughes). It's the one part of Neil we don't know.

There's an element of luck in being succesful with transfers - I can't remember exactly what the odds are, but I believe it's something like every other transfer being a success is a very good hit rate.


I also think it's partly this which will stop any bigger club wanting to try him until he's proven himself with us - I'd say we've got at least another season and half with him before anyone would consider it.

 

Agree with this. If the full backs push up you need someone to drop into the hole created and he did that seamlessly yesterday on both flanks. Also good to see sharp link up play and covering support between Whitts and Redmond and Olsson and Johnson. Incredible work ethic all round. Happy, happy day

 

This is spot on Rob. I've had a look and 18 out of our 24 senior players have 2 or more years of PL experience. Even in the Championship this year we've added Jerome and Dorrans who both have 5 years or more. Neil has said that he wants to keep this team together and add a few quality players to strengthen it further. With the 25 player limit, there isn't a lot of leeway, but fringe players like Garrido, Cuellar and O'Neil could make way for new quality players. Elliot Bennett is another possibility, but Neil seems to value his blend of attacking and defending abilities when playing wide, as well as his ability to cover at RB if there's a need.

It will be a slog for sure, but team morale and players who will give 100% to the cause are also crucial and that's what we have at the moment.

 

Thanks Rick - 18 out of 24 is masses of experience at Championship level. It really does go to show that we have to hold our hands up and say if we hadn't been promoted this season would have been a disaster... I think our erstwhile competitors a few miles south were justified in criticism there.

I think we could all agree a handful of players who will almost certainly be allowed to move on with thanks. I thought it was a nice touch of Neil to put O'Neil on for the last twenty, as well as being tactically sensible. He's been great for us IMO - providing the sort of reassuring experience we've needed - but no way will he be kept for next season.

EB is probably the one player I have no idea about - I think Neil liked him as our only back-up to Redmond as well as being a utility player. If we get another wide man on the right, I think Bennett may go, but it's really not clear because I wasn't expecting Bennett to get a look in this season, but Neil gave him a bit of a lease of life. I've seen him linked back to Brighton (which makes a lot of sense) and he's got to be worth 500k or so.

 

Anyone among this lot that catches your eye, Rick

Transfer Central TNC ‏@TransferNewsCen
Official: Kilmarnock released Sammy Clingan, Paul Cairney, Chris Chantler, Lee Miller, Nathan Eccleston, Manuel Pascali & Alexei Eremenko.

 

I always liked Sammy Clingan in the 'Tettey' position, but leaving us for Coventry was never his best decision. We do need another quality player in that role now, as well as a left-sided CB who can also play LB to cover for Bassong and Olsson, unless AN feels Miquel is sufficient for that. My other priority would be an AM who can also play as a second striker. Bamford and Pritchard come to mind, but AN doesn't seem to be very keen on loan players. We still have yet to see what Odjidja-Ofoe will add now that he's fit again (in that sense, he's like a new player).

Let the speculation begin!

 

But I think what he did with our squad was nothing short of a transfer of their collective mentalities to what they were indeed capable of. Yesterday was sublime - to a man we were just so organised and everyone IMO had a belter of a game. I'd love to see what he could do with VWW and whoever he fancies joining in the team.

 

Absolutely - I just meant that he hasn't proven himself a canny operator in the transfer market yet, not that I doubt that he will be

I can't make my mind up on RvW. A part of me wants him to come back and do brilliantly just because he was so awful and such a waste of £8.5m, especially when you consider the players that other teams in the PL in the bottom half have burned money on, particularly strikers: Abel Hernandez £10m, Brown Ideye £10m, Emanuel Riviere £6m. Let alone the Bonys, Falcaos and Balotelli's of this world. It just seems to me that strikers are phenomenally expensive and yet have a much higher incidence of being disasters and in that sense RvW is pretty normal. So maybe he deserves another, injury free shot at it. I certainly agree that if anyone could get the best out of RvW it looks to be Neil...

But another part, perhaps head instead of heart, says it's not going to happen and we should put him in the spent bank and move on.

 

I have been mulling over the RvW situation as well. We have claimed back 1.5m on his loan deal, but there's still £7m outstanding. Somehow I don't think our canny Scots manager is going to let that just slip away. I'd be reluctant to do so as well.

 

I do think RVW will get a chance under Neil. I think if RVW gets his head down pre season and shows what he is about he will remain. If Neil doesn't like what he sees in pre season he will be shipped out I imagine.

 

Spot on and we'll take quite a loss I imagine!!!

 

I think that's fair enough. I'd trust AN to make the right decision.

 

He also seems to genuinely love the club and Norwich as a whole. He's pretty much been a fan in his injury lay off. You saw how he celebrated at Wembley and after the Ipswich game. One of the first to get in amongst the pitch invaders. I think he's a good player to have around. Similar to how I felt about players like Lappin and Drury. Solid and dependable, great for team chemistry.

 

This is essentially how West Brom did it. They got a team up, went down, retained most of their players, went back up and got to add to an already experienced squad.

With us we have a few players who have now got 3 year Prem experience. And Bassong has played in the Prem even longer. Dorrans may not set eveyone's worlds on fire but he's been up and down with the Baggies a few times so I assume he has plenty of know how. I think this is a really tight squad now, they've thrown off the shackles of Hughton and are enjoying their rediscovered confidence.

 

I saw in the BBC Sport Football gossip column that CH and Brighton are pondering a move for Elliott Bennett. The source was a local Brighton paper I believe and it's certainly not the most far-fetched rumour I've ever heard.

If we were to let go of Martin Olsson I would like to see Andrew Robertson from relegated Hull brought in as his replacement. Just think we could do with refreshing the squad with a couple of younger players. That said that's just my opinion, I haven't heard of us being linked to him or anyone else for that matter.

 

Alex Pritchard? Loan or full buy from Spurs?

Matt Phillips? Don't know what money he's on at QPR. One of very few bright sparks in their team this season. I imagine Charlie Austin is off to a top 10, maybe even top 6 club.

Same will probably go for Ings.

Not so sure about defenders. I'd actually quite like to see RyBen finally get some game time. I think he's a bit sharper than both Bassong and Martin and would be a good foil for either of them. Preferably I would still like Russ to move back to RB.

I think someone to start pushing Wes for his place is needed. Howson has become more of an all round midfielder rather and a CAM, and never really had the same creativity as Wes.

 

I've seen Alex Pearce of Reading mentioned tonight.
He spent some time on loan here at the same time as Kieran Gibbs.
During dark days for the club that I will not mention in specific terms

 

Great minds COTB, or ........