Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[CVByrne]

1 minute ago, Nigel said:

We still look very light up front!

Felix coming in wont really solve our over reliance on Watkins (staying fit) as he cant play that role.

Still quite a lot of work to do for me

Despite playing as a 9 60+ times in top football. He can't play as a 9. Right. 

He's clearly the versatile forward you need. Can play 9 of we need him to but he will play elsewhere mostly. 

I think Watkins, Felix, Rogers and Dobbin would all be those capable of playing as a 9. 

[Tomaszk]

2 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Despite playing as a 9 60+ times in top football. He can't play as a 9. Right. 

How did he play in those matches?

How many in PL?

[WallisFrizz]

15 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

 I think Watkins, Felix, Rogers and Dobbin would all be those capable of playing as a 9. 

I fear for what has happened to our season if we are putting Dobbin on up front. 

[Nigel]

12 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Despite playing as a 9 60+ times in top football. He can't play as a 9. Right. 

He's clearly the versatile forward you need. Can play 9 of we need him to but he will play elsewhere mostly. 

 

Felix has a lot of wonderful atributes we need, but regular scoring is not one of them. He is most definately not a 9.

His stats back this up.

He has played 9 a lot but mostly as a false 9.

[Xela]

3 minutes ago, WallisFrizz said:

I fear for what has happened to our season if we are putting Dobbin on up front. 

He'd be potentially 4th choice in that scenario. I can't see us spending big money on a back up number 9, who may only start 5 games. 

[CVByrne]

10 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Felix has a lot of wonderful atributes we need, but regular scoring is not one of them. He is most definately not a 9.

His stats back this up.

He has played 9 a lot but mostly as a false 9.

We have a No9 he's one of the backup options if something happens to Watkins. 

[CVByrne]

9 minutes ago, Xela said:

He'd be potentially 4th choice in that scenario. I can't see us spending big money on a back up number 9, who may only start 5 games. 

We won't if we sign Felix. As whoever we would be getting for backup 9 wouldn't be as good as playing Felix up top with Rogers for example. 

[CVByrne]

29 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

How did he play in those matches?

How many in PL?

He spent half a season at Chelsea and played more minutes at No9 in the Premier League that Duran has ever played in his season and a half in the PL. 

Is that enough time at 9 for you? 

[Nigel]

1 minute ago, CVByrne said:

We have a No9 he's one of the backup options if something happens to Watkins. 

Archer?

Im not sure id be happy with his leading the line for any amount of time

Problem is we are actually weaker than we were last season in this position, and it was pure luck we got away with that.

 

[Zhan_Zhuang]

Archer to fill in up top for a few matches is fine with Felix and Bailey supporting him.

Archer is a good finisher.

[KevinRichardsonsMoustache]

26 minutes ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

Archer to fill in up top for a few matches is fine with Felix and Bailey supporting him.

Archer is a good finisher.

I think Archer can be coached (and will listen) better than Duran. Plus he has that poacher’s mentality. 
 

If Archer is Duran’s replacement, I don’t think we’re weakened tbh 

[Leeroy]

I wish people would stop mentioning Dobbin as a genuine option. He will clearly be loaned out this season and then probably sold on. It was a PSR move, nothing more than that.

 

If we're relying on Dobbin as an option we will not be making progress.

[M_Afro]

4 minutes ago, KevinRichardsonsMoustache said:

I think Archer can be coached (and will listen) better than Duran. Plus he has that poacher’s mentality. 
 

If Archer is Duran’s replacement, I don’t think we’re weakened tbh 

I think Archer will still go. He’s not good enough in my opinion and doesn’t really suit the way that we play.
Duran is capable of causing problems for elite defenders which is why he was such a good super sub. I think that he will do very well at West Ham and go on to have a good career. I suspect that Archer is a top end championship striker who doesn’t have enough to his game to make it in the PL.

It’s a conundrum for sure. I think that if we sign Felix, we have enough with Bailey, Rogers and Felix to fill in short term for Ollie but you wouldn’t want to rely on those guys for a whole season. I’d pick them all ahead of archer though because they are all on another level to him.

[CVByrne]

38 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Archer?

Im not sure id be happy with his leading the line for any amount of time

Problem is we are actually weaker than we were last season in this position, and it was pure luck we got away with that.

So whom would you prefer leading the line instead of Watkins? We're not signing a top level No9 to have around just incase Watkins gets injured.

While Archer at No9 is nowhere near the level of playing Felix there. He has played 40 games there at the top level. More games in the position than Archer or Duran have at the top level. 

If Watkins is missing for a few games we will cover with one of Felix or Rogers or playing both up top and tweak system slightly. 

City do this with Alveraz as the backup 9 but he can and does play other positions. 

[CVByrne]

2 minutes ago, Leeroy said:

I wish people would stop mentioning Dobbin as a genuine option. He will clearly be loaned out this season and then probably sold on. It was a PSR move, nothing more than that.

 

If we're relying on Dobbin as an option we will not be making progress.

I disagree with you completely. He has clear physical attributes which Emery sees he can hone and with coaching he will improve. I think in Domestic cup games we'll see him start at 9 

[Leeroy]

15 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

I disagree with you completely. He has clear physical attributes which Emery sees he can hone and with coaching he will improve. I think in Domestic cup games we'll see him start at 9 

We will find out soon enough who is right.

 

He wouldn't be starting even in your scenario because he'd be behind Watkins, Felix, Rogers and Archer. Even Archer is way better than Dobbin so he'd be starting those games.

 

As I said I think if we're relying on Dobbin starting any games for us next season, unless they're against a really bad side, we won't go very far. I don't mean any disrespect to the lad, I just don't think he is at the level we require. 

 

I know Unai has done great things with Rogers but I really don't see the same thing happening with Dobbin.

Edited July 27 by Leeroy

[Nigel]

26 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

So whom would you prefer leading the line instead of Watkins? We're not signing a top level No9 to have around just incase Watkins gets injured.

While Archer at No9 is nowhere near the level of playing Felix there. He has played 40 games there at the top level. More games in the position than Archer or Duran have at the top level. 

If Watkins is missing for a few games we will cover with one of Felix or Rogers or playing both up top and tweak system slightly. 

City do this with Alveraz as the backup 9 but he can and does play other positions. 

I don't think archer has the attributes to play as a 9 in our system. 

However you are right in questioning how we overcome it with the current make up of the squad, it's definitely not easy.

Maybe to best option would be to replace duran like for like with another young option?

[Stratvillan]

Is Watkins a 9?

Top teams have interchangeable forward lines, we have a lot of quality forward players.  

With Felix, I think we are done in an attacking sense in this window. 

Moving players out is important as bringing players in. FFP is going to be a consideration moving forward again. 

[Delphinho123]

1 minute ago, Stratvillan said:

Is Watkins a 9?

Top teams have interchangeable forward lines, we have a lot of quality forward players.  

With Felix, I think we are done in an attacking sense in this window. 

Moving players out is important as bringing players in. FFP is going to be a consideration moving forward again. 

Yep. We need to sign Felix (or a player of similar stature) and a CB/RB depending on where the manager sees Konsa playing.

Then we need to focus on moving players out. Our squad is bloated as is, let alone if we bring in two more players.

[Tomaszk]

1 hour ago, CVByrne said:

He spent half a season at Chelsea and played more minutes at No9 in the Premier League that Duran has ever played in his season and a half in the PL. 

Is that enough time at 9 for you? 

No. Doubt he'll lead the line for us much at all.

For future reference, transfermarkt and fbref aren't 100% accurate for positioning. Have a look after a few games this season, you'll see players listed where they didn't play.