Come the end of next season, I wonder if

[ex_pat_magpie]

assuming we have the success E.H has built on and we finish, league and cup wise a bit better than last season the handful of players we have had interest in but have gone elsewhere will give the heed a shake and think " Bloody hell, I had the chance to be an important part of that setup and I let a few extra quid, or a missus with thoughts of bright lights put a buffer on my career"

I sincerely hope this impacts on each and every one of the suckers.

[Jammy89]

Aye - 100% agree Pat.

I honestly think Maddison may come to regret it.

[TANYA_]

top 5 get champions league this coming season.

I think it will be a real achievement if we finish top 5.

Man City and Arsenal are nailed on for CL football, Liverpool and Chelsea will be back in the mix,

that leaves Man Yoo, Newcastle, Villa and Brighton fighting for the last CL place.

I don't count Spurs as a threat because they are in massive need of a squad overhaul. If Kane leaves then they are bottom half, if Kane stays with the intention of running down his contract, he will be ineffective the closer to the end of the season, he will be going through the motions and wont want to risk playing at 100% incase he scuppers a big payday by getting injured.

[Nufcian]

top 5 get champions league this coming season.

I think it will be a real achievement if we finish top 5.

Man City and Arsenal are nailed on for CL football, Liverpool and Chelsea will be back in the mix,

that leaves Man Yoo, Newcastle, Villa and Brighton fighting for the last CL place.

I don't count Spurs as a threat because they are in massive need of a squad overhaul. If Kane leaves then they are bottom half, if Kane stays with the intention of running down his contract, he will be ineffective the closer to the end of the season, he will be going through the motions and wont want to risk playing at 100% incase he scuppers a big payday by getting injured.

I’d forgotten fifth will get a spot next season… has is been confirmed the Prem is one of 2 teams that gets it? Assume with City winning and Chelsea’s progress to final rounds it’s set for the Prem next season.

I mostly agree, I’d make City/Arsenal/Liverpool odds on to qualify, but still think Chelsea are in the mix with the rest of us… though if Poch and especially Nkunku and Jackson hit the ground running then they might well have a great season now they have a manager, smaller squad and a couple of strikers.

Assuming Tonali comes in, I reckon 4 more players minimum… left back, right wing, attacking mid and competition with Schar would give us a first 11 and bench (with decent depth) that should be good enough to compete for a top 5 spot… but we have to be on it all season (no dips in form we saw before League Cup final) and injuries need to be relatively kind.

[TANYA_]

aye, our entire season is relying on how many players of quality are brought in this summer to be able to keep us competing in the PL,CL and domestic cups,


This lot will not be part of the 25 man squad and will be moved on so they don't count

Karl Darlow - will be sold/released
Javier Manquillo - will be sold/released
Jamal Lewis - will be sold/released
Ryan Fraser - will be sold/released
Isaac Hayden - will be sold/released
Jeff Hendrick - will be sold/released

This lot are either going on loan or under the age of 21 so again we don't need to count

Harrison Ashby - could be sent out on loan- home grown
Elliot Anderson - squad player - under 21 - home grown - trained at club

Lewis Miley - probably sent out on loan - under 21 - home grown - trained at club
Garang Kuol - probably sent out on loan
Kelland Watts - probably sent out on loan - under 21 - home grown - trained at club
Yankuba Minteh - probably sent out on loan


This leaves us with a squad 24 players out of 25,
we need 4 trained at club ( currently 2 included in squad and 3 under 21 )
and 8 home grown ( currently 13 included in squad and 4 under 21 )

Nick Pope - starting 11- home grown
*Loris Karius - backup / may be released - NEED TO REPLACE WITH A NEW PLAYER
Martin Dubravka - squad player
Mark Gillespie - back up for home grown

Kieran Trippier - starting 11 - home grown
Emil Krafth - squad player

Sven Botman - starting 11
Fabian Schär - starting 11
Jamaal Lascelles - squad player - home grown

Dan Burn - starting 11 - home grown
Matt Targett - squad player - home grown
Paul Dummett - back up - home grown - trained at club

Joe Willock - starting 11 - home grown
Joelinton - starting 11
Sean Longstaff - squad player - home grown - trained at club
Bruno Guimarães - starting 11
Sandro Tonali - starting 11

Jacob Murphy - squad player - home grown
Miguel Almirón - starting 11

Matt Ritchie - squad player - home grown
Allan Saint-Maximin - squad player
Anthony Gordon - squad player - home grown

Callum Wilson - squad player - home grown
Alexander Isak - starting 11


so basically within the limits of our 25 man squad, we have 1 space available without the need to sell anybody

I think we need cover for Schar and a starting left back as priorities

[Zippity]

Be nice to think so, Pat.

Maddison, for sure but not the Hungarian lad, I suspect. I think Liverpool will finish ahead of us this season but not Spurs.

The average finishing position of teams in thhe Chapions League for the first time is 8th so we need to be prepared for that.

[ex_pat_magpie]

Be nice to think so, Pat.

Maddison, for sure but not the Hungarian lad, I suspect. I think Liverpool will finish ahead of us this season but not Spurs.

The average finishing position of teams in thhe Chapions League for the first time is 8th so we need to be prepared for that.

I have to easily agree about Spuds Zip, as I think they will be in free fall, particularly If Kane gets his sandwiches in a road map but I'm not so sure about Liverpool.

Two reasons for this and the first is although they did the double over us last season, they were the luckiest club we came up against and we with better reffing could have won both games.

And just think about that if we had won the wins would have been deserved and the points difference would have been an immense 12 points.

My second reason is relative to where we are now and the difference this window's additions will make. Consider the incomers against those leaving which they replace.

That will be the improvement value of the squad compared to the likes of Liverpool and the other so called top six. They have been up there for most of the time we have been languishing with already strong complete squads, so they are just doing the usual, topping up and replacing aging players and the odd ones who the manager has turned his back on.

To my mind this is a big, big difference.

I'll even add a third reason which has just come to mind, and that is that we didn't fear Citeh last season and they are still streets ahead of every team, including Liverpool..

[toptoon]

I don’t think Maddison would regret it. Conte’s evaluation of the set up at Spurs is clear. We have CL football and they are not even in Europe. He knew this before signing and so has shown where he’s at as far as footballing ambition vs money is concerned. He’s getting what he values most at Spurs.
Thanks to fatso Liverpool are a bigger and more successful club than us. No surprise that Sczob wants to go there. I think the Klippety connection cancelled out the CL benefit and being a young player he’ll feel he has time for that soon.

[toonozandy]

Not worried about that Hungarian anymore, he can go and floss KLOPP'S ugly piano-sized teeth, as well as bending over for a good old rodgering

[Nufcian]

I think we will be extremely fortunate to even finish as high as we have this season, never mind improve on it.

I’m not knocking the team or the manager or the club, but to finish in Top 4 was definitely punching above our weight… and I suspect a large part of that, similar to when Pardew finished in fifth, is that we were very lucky in terms of injuries, especially in keeping a settled defence all season.

Next season we will see Liverpool (who finished strong and have already made a few signings) and Chelsea who have also made a few signings (Nkunku could be a real game changer for them) and brought in Poch, far more competitive at the top end… so while I think Man Utd might struggle to do as well as last season I think we could have a great season and still finish outside the Top 4.

As far as better cup wise… we don’t have the squad yet to compete in the Prem and Champions League, and it makes obvious sense that from commercial growth perspective that focussing on Prem and European over domestic cups is the way forward in the short term at least… so I’d expect the club to play fringe and young players in the domestic cups for the majority of rounds.

Not trying to be negative, just realistic in terms of the competition we will have, and what our immediate priorities should be to free up the pockets of PIF in terms of FFP.