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Transfer Targets

Time for my annual transfer piece. Look away now all those who roll their eyes at such speculative ‘football manager' nonsense. Those who devour every piece of tabloid garbage, then look up the player and their stats and their videos; come on in. Last year one of my picks was a certain, nifty Egyptian winger (pre-RS links) who turned out alright, though I also touted the Algerian Ryad Boudebouz who's hardly turned heads since his low-key move to Real Betis.

At time of writing we are still devoid of a manager (though that may likely change very soon indeed). I'm a big fan of the bookies' current favourite Marco Silva so am thinking with one eye on a team/squad that might appeal to the Portuguese.

First of all we should address what positions we need. There are decent arguments after last season for a massive overhaul and there aren't many in our current crop who truly fill me with confidence but my feeling is that the new man must be given time to get a better song out of them and that another big overhaul may do more damage than good. So I'm suggesting that we look at 4 additions in needed areas all who can hopefully impact the first team meaningfully straight away.

I think most would agree we need a left back and a centre back, I also think we need a box to box midfielder to give more control to the middle and a playmaker who scores (we created far too few chances last season and need more goals in the team). It could be well argued that we need a new striker too but I'm going to have faith in Papa Tosun to push on next season with support from Niasse and Calvert-Lewin. The first two in particular are very decent finishers when provided for. Sandro may yet feature too!

Left Back

My remit here is someone dynamic with pace and energy to get up that flank and be used in attack but then get back and do their primary job of protecting our goal. Baines circa 2012 is ideal. There are a few attractive options in the PL:

Aaron Cresswell - usually looks decent and can certainly cross with 7 assists for West Ham this season.

Ryan Bertrand - has played at the top and done well though I'd prefer someone a bit younger.

Ben Chilwell - has just had his first full season for Leicester and done well.

Danny Rose - has been linked but would likely want CL football if he's to leave Spurs.

Luke Shaw - may be the cheapest if deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, he's still only 22 and has the pace and skills to be useful at both ends of the pitch, the question may be whether he has the correct mentality (rumours abound that he did not keep in the best shape at Utd) but I think if made first choice he would buckle down and excel.

Some foreign options include:

Alex Telles- has finished with the most assists in the Portuguese league (though he does take many set pieces). He's quick and likes tackle. Possibly his worst performance though came in the CL against the RS which may be a bad sign.

Ricardo Pereira- is another Porto fullback. He's played RB most of this season but was great on loan for Nice last year at LB. His versatility makes him an attractive option as does his pace and stamina. Get a few goals and assists too. [He just signed for Leicester — Ed]

My pick: Kieran Tierney - He's only 20. He's only played in Scotland. But there's something about this lad. He's rapid, he's determined, he can pass and shoot and cross. Possibly the biggest risk on the list and has not been tested defensively to a high level but I think this guy is more Van Dijk than Naysmith. He was voted one of the CL players of the round so has shown he can cut it at a higher level than the Scottish Premiership.

Centre Back

Long gone are the days of a young Jagielka and Lescott, a vintage Distin or even a slightly haphazard Yobo. We look horribly slow and troubled in the CB region and could quite possibly use two new additions. I'm going to look past my personal feelings on Michael Keane and hope that he can push on next season in a settled team. Possibly Funes Mori might do the same and still have high hopes that Holgate could become a very talented defender if well coached. But we need someone with some pace and presence to shore up a leaky middle. Again there are some PL candidates:

Alfie Mawson - does not convince me. He reminds me of Keane at Burnley, but lets in more goals. He's strong and good in the air but not mobile enough for my liking.

Jamaal Lascelles - has had a very good season for Newcastle. I wanted him when they bought him from Forest. He's strong, authoritative and is no slouch. A better option to my eyes than Mawson though would likely cost a lot more too.

Johnny Evans - could be very cheap if the relegation release clause is true. And he's experienced. Though his off field antics this season put me off a bit. If cheap then he could be a very sensible option as he's a very decent defender.

Kurt Zouma — was Stoke's best player. He's a proper unit but relatively quick over the ground. Unlikely to feature much at Chelsea he could look for a permanent move next season and might be worth consideration.

Chris Smalling/Phil Jones — are both perennially linked with us. I'd actually consider the former who has been a good defender for United when made first choice though he does have a horrendous blooper in him.

Some foreign options include:

Dayot Upemecano - is only 18 but has looked like the real deal for Leipzig this season. Seems to have all the assets to go on to be one of the better defenders in the game which is why its very unlikely if he leaves it will be to us but worth a try.

Salif Sane - is a very good defender who wins headers for free but I believe he may have just signed for Schalke.

Matthijs de Ligt - is a player Brands will know well from Holland. He's very young still, though he has racked up a decent amount of games for Ajax and now starts for Holland at times. He's a sought after talent though he'd need time to adjust to the PL so may not be the right pick for us now.

My pick: Jonathan Tah - The young German would be hard to get but he is strong, fast and would bring a real presence to out back line at 6 ft 4. The next Boateng. He signed a new contract recently and is probably unlikely to leave for a team not in the CL but is worth taking a shot at.

Central Midfielder

Impossible to know what formation we will be playing next season but at any rate I think we lack top class central midfielders who can do the lot. Gana is an excellent tackling machine but his passing and shooting are pretty woeful. Davies is a work in progress. Schneiderlin is not mobile enough and McCarthy is always injured. Someone who can cover ground quickly to stop breakaways, but also pass the ball well and maybe get a few goals would be crucial to our progress next season.

Mo Besic - might not be coming back! But if he does I wonder if he's worth another look in pre season. He played this role very well for a resurgent Boro and I think is better than we have seen. Not top class I don't think but possibly better than what we have?

Moussa Dembele — is the one that got away for me. Wanted him so much from Fulham and gutted when Spurs nabbed him. He'd still be great for a season or two in our team though I'd rather a younger version.

Mario Lemina - looked very handy at times for Southhampton this season and looks an astute buy for only £15m. Passes well and able to move with the ball, reminded me at times of a young Dembele! Though still quite raw. If they'd gone down I'd definitely be having a look but will likely cost twice as much now.

Jack Wilshere - looks to be signing anew contract at Arsenal now. Not my cup of tea though he'd still offer something.

From abroad:

Steven Nzonzi - A big presence in the middle who can control matches and win battles in the middle. Has been great at Sevilla and would be a huge help to our team. He'll turn 29 though this year and for that reason may not be worth the big outlay he would likely cost; though we'd still get a good few years of him at his peak.

Leandro Paredes - is a player with guile and energy in the middle who reportedly wants out of Russia. He's similar to Ever Banega in some ways and is great from set pieces. Has the intelligence to pull strings in the middle whilst the mobility to get around and make challenges.

My pick: Abdoulaye Doucore - Had a great first half of the season and then fell off a bit when a certain Marco Silva left. It may not be the best idea getting someone after a relatively short period in vogue but he does appear to have may of the required attributes with his energy and ability to both pass and tackle. Plus he's gets a few goals and seems to work well with our purported new manager.

Playmaker

This could be a winger or a central midfielder or even a second striker. We need to make more chances and we need more goals. Lookman will come back and hopefully feature more. Siggurdsson will be back too. Dowell might even get some more game time if he can show his first half-of-the-season form at Forest.

Xherdan Shaqiri - will be a relative bargain at £12m if that is his relegation release clause. He's great on his day and gets more goals and assists than Bolasie will. He knows the league but still he's not my ideal choice.

Wilfried Zaha - is the player we should have got when we paid Crystal Palace £28m! Even then he was younger and looked to have more end product than Bolasie. Oh well. Would be unlikely to choose us over higher profile suitors now but you never know. Expensive.

James Maddison - looks a really good player at Norwich. He's got 14 goals and 8 assists for them this year and done better than Dowell in nearly every statistic. He works hard and unlike our Kieran (so far) has shown himself to be consistent. He's only 21 and could be a real player. Expect to see him in the PL very soon one way or another though he did pick up an end of season injury.

Pascal Gross -is not a household name but the German got 8 assists at Brighton and had more key passes per game than the likes of Silva, Zaha, Mata, Salah and Alli (he was 7th in the league). He works hard for his team and also scored 7 goals.

From aboard:

Hakim Ziyech - is a mercurial Moroccan who scored or created around 25 goals for Ajax this season. He can pass, dribble and shoot with some skill and has been consistent in Holland over the last few years. There may be some doubts over his character and has been known to drop his head if the chips aren't falling his way.

Florian Thauvin - has been astonishingly good since flopping at Newcastle. This season he scored 25 goals for Marseille with a further 13 assists. Sadly it would take an astronomical fee to now get him back to the PL.

Nabil Fekir - is another player who's been doing well in France with 23 goals and 9 assists. Rumour has it that he might be going to the RS for £60m. That's the kind of signing we will be needing to make sooner rather than later to compete at the top table.

Yacine Brahimi - has been long linked with us and has 11 goals and 8 assists to his name after another good season in Portugal. 28 now you'd think he needs to make his move to one of the better leagues soon.

My pick: Hirving Lozano - The Mexican dynamo has 20 goals and 8 assist this season after leading Brand's PSV team to glory. Obviously our new DOF knows him very well indeed and may be well placed to put a word in his ear though there will be likely be competition. He's rapid, can play on either flank and scores at will. His price may rise if he stars for Mexico at the WC.

As I said I've no idea what formation we'll be playing next season but will go with 4-3-3 as that seems to fit my picks quite well:

Pickford

Coleman Tah Keane Tierney

Doucore Gueye Sigurdsson

Walcott Tosun Lozano

Sub: Stek, Holgate, Baines, Davies, Besic, Lookman, Niasse

Pace and energy aplenty in that team with the chance for lightning counters and a few more goals and chances than we've seen this year. It's still not a fantastic team and the midfield and centre of defense still concern me but I think we must see what some of the these players can do under new management.

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