Leif Davis
Of the teams we have played which of their players do you think are good enough for the prem?
Leif Davis
GK- Meslier....don't honestly rate him that high, pulls out a good save but too many flaps at corners and basic errors for PL. I'd not be that sad to sell and reinvest
Lb- Needed
Cb- Struijk fine
Cb- Rodon (we have to sign him if we can)
rb- Needed
CM- Ampadu/Gruev (fine)
CM- Gray/ Kamara (fine)
Cam- Rutter (he will be outstanding sometimes and abysmal others, we'd need a strong contender for him in this position)
LM- James/Gnonto (fine)
RM- Summerville/ NEEDED
St- Bamford/Piroe/Joseph (honestly they're all fine but injury record makes me want someone better and more reliable)
Realistically if we were to go up we'd need:
LB
RB
CB (Because we don't own Rodon, he'd have to be a signing and we'd need cover/another one with Cooper going)
CAM (To challenge Rutter)
Winger (to put pressure on Summerville/Gnonto/James)
The fullbacks would be the absolute must sign positions and people with proven top level experience not hopeful signings, the rest would be good.
Sad thing is even if we do go up its literally just fighting to not be at the bottom all over again, there's no real enjoyment to it. I hate the Championship but the PL is just a vacuous pit of who can cheat with money the best.
I know we've been down the promotion road before but I really think this team will be more like a Brentford or WestHam promotion than the majority of them. Both stuck from the moment they were promoted.
I think the Farke is older and wiser as a coach and he'll have more money at his disposal.
I think this is an incredible core of a team for promotion. I don't think it's out of the question that if we keep it together and sign Rodon that we would be top 10. There are some weak teams in the prem now and the FA is weakening quite a few teams. Even some of the "big six" are struggling.
I do really enjoy the championship experience. I think you could make an argument it's the most competitive football league in the world from top to bottom. The lack of VAR is wonderful and I think the officiating is better, on average, than the Prem. There are some out and out corrupt refs at the prem level. They have been told to influence which team is to win and they follow the orders. At that level even subtle favoritism makes a huge difference in the outcomes. No one can be that incompetent as consistently as they are.
We aren't there yet but it sure feels like this team is going to do it.
If we can get money for those out on loan then that coupled with the prem money means we should be in a reasonable FFP position to sign people.
For all Orta’s faults the relegation clauses at least helped us in that regard when you look at Leicester’s challenges.
I think Joel’s summing up is pretty spot on.
Mellier does flap and worries me on every set piece against us. Good shot stopper. Rotherham Utd have a great Swedish keeper ( Viktor Johansson) who will be available when the Millers go down. Probs £5million or so and he would challenge Mellier for sure. He’s not that tall for a keeper but he’s very good.
I know Firpo is rated by Farke for his crossing but in the Prem he would be found out and crucified by the opposition so we defo need a LB.
I’d love to see Archie back in midfield and I guess Roberts might struggle in the Prem so yeah, a RB too may be needed.
Last thought - not sure Kamara would cope - I like him but he seems to lack a bit of pace and seems to tire in the latter stages of a match. Maybe the prem is a step too far.
I do think our current squad is capable of competing at a level higher with just a few additions so happy days for me, especially if Farke is backed and given an extended contract
I'll let the season finish before I think about this - suspect it will be a bumpy ride and and god forbid we end up in the playoffs as I fear the worst.
Please god not the playoffs - we all know how that story typically unfolds for us ….
Wouldn’t be disappointed if we picked up Bellingham from Sunderland and Davis came back to us from Ipswich.