Summer Transfers 2025 (rumours and incomings)

Based on the current rumours, it seems this will be our squad depth.

Henderson
Benitez
Matthews

Munoz Richards Lacroix Julio Mitchell
Kporha Riad Canvot Lerma Sosa
Clyne

Wharton Kamada
Hughes Devenny
Doucoure

Sarr Pino
Uche Esse (Franca)

Mateta
Nketiah
It doesn't look too bad. If we're short anywhere, it's probably cover for Sarr/Pino or Munoz. A Gallagher loan could lock in some good depth.
 
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I have an admittedly short term take on this window - are we stronger or weaker?

I maintain that if Eze and Guehi depart their replacements won't be as good - at least for this season - so we will be weaker.

Some will point out the same was said last season when Olise and Anderson departed and we still managed our best ever season.
While valid, I would contend that this doesn't mean that it would happen for a second season in a row.

Guehi is proven - an incredible player past, present and future.
It's not a case of we'll be fine when Ferguson, Doucoure, Riad, Franca are fit again which is always based on assumption rather than reality.
Guehi is just always there.

Eze is a proven match winner with both goals and assists in double figures.
Pina may provide that, but at this stage we don't know for sure.

Hence my reasoning that we're likely to be weaker.
Swapping guaranteed premium quality for a hope, a desire or something that may be fruitful in a season or two, but perhaps not this season.

I acknowledge this is a short term view , but I can only deal with the here and now and the cases of Ferguson, Franca et al demonstrates you can't always just rely on potential.
 
Based on the current rumours, it seems this will be our squad depth.

Henderson
Benitez
Matthews

Munoz Richards Lacroix Julio Mitchell
Kporha Riad Canvot Lerma Sosa

Wharton Kamada
Hughes Devenny
Doucoure

Sarr Pino
Uche Esse (Franca)

Mateta
Nketiah
It doesn't look too bad. If we're short anywhere, it's probably cover for Sarr/Pino or Munoz. A Gallagher loan could lock in some good depth.
Has Clyne been sold?
 
I have an admittedly short term take on this window - are we stronger or weaker?

I maintain that if Eze and Guehi depart their replacements won't be as good - at least for this season - so we will be weaker.

Some will point out the same was said last season when Olise and Anderson departed and we still managed our best ever season.
While valid, I would contend that this doesn't mean that it would happen for a second season in a row.

Guehi is proven - an incredible player past, present and future.
It's not a case of we'll be fine when Ferguson, Doucoure, Riad, Franca are fit again which is always based on assumption rather than reality.
Guehi is just always there.

Eze is a proven match winner with both goals and assists in double figures.
Pina may provide that, but at this stage we don't know for sure.

Hence my reasoning that we're likely to be weaker.
Swapping guaranteed premium quality for a hope, a desire or something that may be fruitful in a season or two, but perhaps not this season.

I acknowledge this is a short term view , but I can only deal with the here and now and the cases of Ferguson, Franca et al demonstrates you can't always just rely on potential.

I see your point but think I disagree, mainly because that logic assumes the ability of the rest of the squad stays static.

In any model where you sell the big names and buy potential, the potential group from a couple of years ago should always be moving forwards. Looking at a one window perspective where the big names are sold will very nearly always make you weaker in that window, but the progression of others is constantly ongoing.

Whilst some miss as you acknowledge (Franca, Ferguson), I'd argue that Richards, Hughes, Kamada, Henderson, Sarr have taken huge strides vs this time last year whilst Wharton and Lacroix are now getting towards the level of genuinely elite.

A fairer comparison rather than pre-window vs post-window is probably a year on year comparison.

We'll have to see what happens today but there's every chance the October 2025 squad is at least on par with the October 2024 squad.
 
I see your point but think I disagree, mainly because that logic assumes the ability of the rest of the squad stays static.

In any model where you sell the big names and buy potential, the potential group from a couple of years ago should always be moving forwards. Looking at a one window perspective where the big names are sold will very nearly always make you weaker in that window, but the progression of others is constantly ongoing.

Whilst some miss as you acknowledge (Franca, Ferguson), I'd argue that Richards, Hughes, Kamada, Henderson, Sarr have taken huge strides vs this time last year whilst Wharton and Lacroix are now getting towards the level of genuinely elite.

A fairer comparison rather than pre-window vs post-window is probably a year on year comparison.

We'll have to see what happens today but there's every chance the October 2025 squad is at least on par with the October 2024 squad.

V good point, and one often overlooked. Especially given the fact that a lot of our squad is young or inexperienced in the prem.

Easy to forget that last season was Lacroix and Kamada first, and Wharton had only played 16 games in the prem.

Also whats encouraging is that calibre of signing (granted not many) is miles ahead of what we have done before. Pino isnt a championship prospect, he's a fully fledged Spanish international. He's got the same top flight and international experience at 22 as Eze does at 27.

In about 5 years, Steve and co have transformed a squad of end of career players, to one with lots of sell on value bursting with internationals.
 
El Khannouss being touted as signed, sealed, and delivered for VFB Stuttgart. Circa £25m including add ons. If the overall reporting on this is even half accurate we were given the brush off at or over £30m.

All this might indicate we were not so interested after all, unless we called their bluff and walked away when Leicester attempted to extract the urine on the fee.

In any event, Pino looked pretty good in his short stint at Villa so we might well have dodged a bullet.
 

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