Squad changes for next season

Think Simunovic's time is totally up. Rodgers clearly gone off him, too many blunders and blasé attitude.

 

Tbh I expect them all to stay. Unless some very good replacements are brought in first. Too many fringe players that need to be sold before any of the above mentioned and I just can’t see us getting rid of more that 5-6players.

 

Hope our scouts are doing their jobs and get us a young quality right back in the tierney mould , who can tackle, defend and fly forward too it would make such as difference and Lustig would be still a good squad player to have, something like Ntcham outlay possibly from City or PSG(Eduoard).

 

I would sell: Bitton, Armstrong, DDV, Cifti, Allan, Sviatchenko, Gamboa

Hope to keep: Dembele(long shot) Roberts Edouard and Rogic

Give game time to: Christie, Morgan

I would like to see a first choice RB come in with Lustig backup, a decent fee on the best CB we can afford and maybe Mcginn to replace Bitton & Armstrong.

Hopefully we can get deals over the line for Edouard and Roberts(unlikely) but with Dembele's inevitable departure we could have serious funds to spend.

Above all though Tam Rogic must sign a new contract, we simply cannot replace that quality.

 

If they haven’t signed a new deal come mid August I would expect them all to leave tbh we wouldn’t run risk of that amount of talent walking out door for free

 

Keeping Rogic,Roberts and Dembele would be a success in itself,even 2 of the 3
Wouldn't be so bad.

 

Only players I would put up for sale.

N. Ciftci
S. Allan
N. Bitton (don't think he fits with our playing style under Rodgers, been a good servant to the club but I would move him on and free up his wage bill)
C. Gamboa
J. Simunovic (like him too, but has looked dodgy recently, since Anderlecht away, might get half decent £££ for him though)
D. de Vries

I'd punt Compper too unless he gets fit and proves himself next season.

Apart form that we have a half decent core to the squad.

 

One thing: we certainly dont need squad players, future prospects, whatever. We have an extremely young squad already and guys good enough for being backups coming from the academy. I am fine if we bring one guy and nothing else, as long as this guy can put a jersey and improve the team immediately.

Regardless of them being good or not, we dont need more guys like Hayes, Morgan (I would honestly loan him again. I think he is good but still needs development that will be better served being the star of another team), Hendry (it's quite early to judge him, but having to throw this guy immediately to the first team is only a testemonial of how weak the defence is) etc. If it's to sign more squad players, regardless of position, i would rather we keep the money for later.

 

About Compper, this situation is disappointing but totally not surprising. There were people here talking about how horrible his injury record was long before he was signed. He played a lot for Red Bull but a good number (if not most) of these appearances were in the lower leagues, and as the team started to rise he played less and less. It's precisely why i don't want squad players, even if eventually someday he plays football for us we still need two CBs to improve the team and his signing was nothing more than throwing money away.

 

It quite makes sense but the only of those we can get some money for is Jozo. Maybe Bitton, but even so it would be not much. The others will probably have to leave for nothing

 

A right back , two decent central defenders and depending who moves on in the summer another quality striker .

 

Yeah I agree, but each of them would free up a slot on the wage bill, whilst still leaving the squad with 'depth'

 

It should always be the case but this is a real quality over quantity window.

Despite some thought to the contrary we’re not going bust any time soon, but our squad is bloated there’s no denying it. Kouassie, Benyu, Simunovic, Christie, Allan and more aren’t deemed good enough for our team yet most are takin up wages. More than 10 players could be sold or loaned out this summer.

One really good player, similar in talent and experience to Ntcham, at GK, Centre back and RB will be sufficient in my opinion. Money guarantees nothing but I think at least 4 million should be spent on each key position.
A striker depending on whether we sign Edo and lose Moussa. And I’d like experienced cover for Tierney, but wouldn’t be against giving another youngster the chance to step up as he did.

No matter our financial muscle, we shouldn’t ignore Lennoxtown. At least one player every season should be getting properly blooded. Johnson, Aitchison, Ralston, even mini Dembele - I want someone to play at least a few games next year.

 

don't know where i'd ask this but it's not worth its own thread on its own, but did the paradise windfall no used to be 15k? as opposed to 10

 

Need to improve the defence

 

If we sell Dembele and don’t do a deal for Edouard what’s the types of names we’d be looking at as another striker ?

Have a feeling we would do a similar move like Dembele was, relatively unknown young striker

 

Where we at next season ?

Bain
Gordon - Away
De Vries - Away
Toljan - Away
Lustig - Away
Gamboa - Away
Ralston
Commper - Away
Ajer
Simunovic- Away
Boyata - Away
Benkovic - Away
Hendry
Tierney
Izaguirre - Away
McGregor
Brown
Bitton - Away
Christie
Ntcham
Kouassi
Rogic
Mulumbu - Away
Sinclair - Away
Arzani
Hayes
Forrest
Shved
Johnstone
Morgan
Allan - Away
Bayo
Edouard
Griffiths
Burke - Away
Weah - Away


Personal opinions on a few players obviously.

Would leave us -

GK - Bain

RB - Ralston
CB - Ajer, Hendry
LB - Tierney

CM - Brown, McGregor, Bitton, Christie, Kouassi, Ntcham, Rogic

LW/RW - Hayes, Forrest, Shved, Morgan, Johnstone, Arzani

ST - Edouard, Bayo, Griffiths

Would be looking at McInroy, Oko-Flex being used as subs. Any other youths ready to step up ?

Looking at that, I hope we go out and sign

GK
RB
2 x CB
LB

Would also be looking at a number 10, but that would be behind the other positions in terms of necessity.

 

i think lustig will be kept
so will Gordon
for the good of his career Hendry has to look to be moving on


hard to judge whats going to happen as we arent sure of the gaffer situation yet

 

Massive window. The lack of forward planning from Rodgers was shocking.

Bain, Gordon, Doohan
Tierney, Hayes, Church
????, Ralston, Perez (if he’s back)
Ajer, ????, ????, Jozo, Welsh

Hopefully there’s something in the rumours that we’re in for Gumny and Edson Alvarez.

 

For me i'd be wanting to play 3-5-2 or 3-6-1 given our players. It suits Ajer, Tierney, Forrest, Brown, McGregor, Christie, Rogic and could suit Edouard if we bring in another striker who are all our best players.

Bain
______ Ajer ______
Brown
Forrest McGregor Christie Tierney
Rogic
Edouard

Gordon
Ralston Lustig Bitton Simunovic Izaguirre
______
______ Eboue Henderson Hayes
Arzani Shved Johnston
Griffiths Bayo
​

I'd sell Compper, Gamboa, Ntcham and Sinclair and loan out Hendry, Morgan and Mulumbu.

Try and keep both Weah and Burke on loan again.

Main priority would be 2 centre-backs, a right-back and a defensive midfielder - one who is actually solid as Brown will be older again and neither Bitton, Ntcham, Eboue, McGregor or Christie are that clever at defending we need a proper sitting player there especially for Europe.

Striker isn't that improtant especially if we keep Weah or Burke or both but if we keep none of them i'd want a strong striker capable of holding the ball up.

I wouldn't sign Toljan, he started ok but he's too soft defensively.

Lustig for me has to be kept until January, i'd also keep Bitton - I prefer Lustig and Bitton at centre-half to Jozo but even Jozo has to be kept until January as we can't really sell centre-backs given we barely have any to get us through the qualifiers and in recent seasons half them seem to be injured at this time as well so we've no room to play with at the back.