We've got replacement players in, that's true, and some of them are interesting. Personally, I hope Khalaili will prove to be an exciting winger more than a wing back.
Still, there is a worrying pattern of replacing excellent players with ones who aren't as good. That is inevitable when you lose an irreplaceable talent, but we are doing it a lot.
Pino for Eze. Larsen for Mateta (that was the intention, at least, and likely will be the reality sooner or later). Canvot for Guehi. As you say, possibly Tomiyasu for Lacroix, and perhaps Mingueza for Munoz. If it all ends up that way then there's a good chance it'll be a big old downgrade overall.
McNeil for Johnson is perhaps an upgrade, but only because of how awful Johnson was. Plus, Evertonians aren't at all sure that palace got the better of that deal anyway. Time will tell.
I think your are spot on that we need a senior centre back, even if only on loan.
Agreed; it is hard to see it any other way. We are experiencing growing pains.
When we first came up and for the initial years staying up we had a hardworking, professional side with some gems sprinkled in it. Delaney, McArthur, Jedinak, Ward, Murray. And then Zaha, Bolassie, and the odd loan like Batshuayi (first spell) adding some spark.
We've overhauled the side multiple times since then but there was a 1-2 season spell where over those two to three windows we got Guehi, Eze, Olise, Andersen, Henderson, Super Sam Johnstone, Wharton, Munoz. Lacroix stepped in for Andersen and his loss was not generally felt. But we got a range of young, hungry, talented players from Europe and the lower leagues. It was exciting and it came together in 2025 despite several signs before then.
Now I think we are higher up the food chain but the lower league players do not seem to be joining us. We would on the face of it appear to be a proven stepping stone so does that mean these players are not in such supply?
Clubs like Chelsea seem to have gotten wise to what happened with Guehi and that is a tough trick now to repeat. So we seem to have hobson's choice: (1) overpay/gamble for moderately talented players or (2) massively have our pants pulled down for genuine younger talent.
Perhaps the answer is to broaden the scouting network. Perhaps it is to take more of a punt on academy prospects. And perhaps it is to wait it out until the next genuinely exciting Championship players appear and are available.
I personally think the absence of Freedman is being felt. Numerous signings singled out how DF went the extra mile to sell the club to them and make them feel wanted. It was the deciding factor for some signings. I do not think Hobbs has the same midas touch in player identification or affinity to the club. I also doubt him tucking in to his fifteenth ketchup smeared sausage roll of the afternoon and chuntering on with his mouth open is likely to have the same allure.
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