19 Nov 2025 20:27:46
Assuming we bring back Vitek next season, GK seems well stocked.

Assuming Kone is integrated, Mainoo stays and we add 1, possibly 2 CMs, it would be dependent on final league position IMO. UCL means 2, anything less, probably 1. Don't discount Casemiro signing a 1 year extension. I wouldn't be against that.

10's I think we are well stocked, nothing needed, maybe a youth integrated to fill void left by likely departure of Zirkzee.

Strikers! Sesko will come good Ian confident, we also have Obi to come through. Again subject to where we finish, I think we might add something here.

Now defence.
IMO, we need to lift the first team across the entire back line.
That's a LWB, RWB, and at least 1 CB. Again, if we get UCL, 2 CB.

That's 5-7 transfers IN. I really think they will make a move in Jan to roll the dice and secure top 4.

The obvious ones are WB and CM and the names being bounded around are Livramento and Anderson as suggested below.

You're probably looking at north of 150m, but we are going in the right direction and those two would accelerate proceedings.

1.) 20 Nov 2025
20 Nov 2025 20:07:07
I disagree I think we still need one or two more players in attack.

Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo are a good front three, but the quality in depth is questionable.

Zirkzee looks like a good player who just isn't suited to the EPL. Bruno at 31 isn't a long term option there. Both of them could be gone next summer. Amad has looked better at RWB. That really just leaves Mount as a back up option.

So a choice of Cunha, Mount, Sesko, Mbeumo, and Amad looks okay, but when one is injury prone and two of them will miss 8 weeks every other season due to the AFCON it becomes apparent that we are a little short in that department.

I'd expect to see us sign another back up striker, and a flexible wide attacker who can play either left or right No.10 or even at wingback. Then add a couple of youth players like Obi and Lacey possibly adding a little depth.

I think we'll look at two new midfielders, we need athletes in midfield.

Then I think we'll look at one maybe two CB's depending on the futures of Maguire, Martinez, and Shaw. I could see us going for one more experienced and one younger youth type signing.

I don't think we will sign a senior type special-ist wingback. Firstly there are very few available, secondly I think Amad has RWB tied down, with Dalot and Mazraoui as cover, while Dorgu is highly thought of and we have two excellent youth players in Leon and Amass who I think will be given a chance at LWB. I think we will look at a flexible attacker who could also play wingback if needed.

I could see something like Semenyo (65m), Anderson (70m), João Gomes (40m), Guehi (free), then maybe a cheap striker and/or a young CB.

2.) 21 Nov 2025
21 Nov 2025 06:12:40
Shappy, my summary assumes the likes of Bruno and Mount and even Amad fill the 10 spots. We have option coming through also. Bruno has another 3-4 years at the top level.

Strikers I agree, also on centre mid and defence, one or two for both positions.

Where we definitely disagree is wing backs. Whilst we have some coming through, I think they are back up, at best. Amad is NOT a wingback, he is awful there. The likes of Livramento, Porro, Robinson are the players you want there.

Probably don't disagree with your suggestions.

3.) 21 Nov 2025
21 Nov 2025 11:36:20
As much as I'd love either I'm not sure we'll attract Guehi or Semenyo, I imagine both will have a choice of top clubs. But wouldn't be a surprise, I think it's clear to all (hopefully including prospective signings) that we're on the right track and a shrewd winter signing to boost the starting XI could be the difference in a few places up the table.

4.) 23 Nov 2025
23 Nov 2025 11:56:26
Jimbo, I disagree on Amad, in this system I think he is best suited to wingback role, under Amorim all of his best performances have come from wingback, while he has often been poorer by comparison when playing in that inside forward role.

I think you feel he'd be better there due to his size and the weaknesses he has when defending, particularly aerial balls at the back post.

Yet most people totally misunderstand the wingback roles in Amorim's system. He wants them to spend 90%+ of the game in the opposition half, even when we are defending. They aren't defenders who get forward, they are wingers who occasionally defend. I think the confusion comes from the idea, particularly in England, that wingbacks are classified as defenders, or at least lumped in with them. For most of Europe wingbacks are considered as midfielders, and for some, like Amorim, they are forwards.

If you look at the players Amorim has used as wingbacks at Sporting:

Nuno Santos - played most of his career as a winger.

Quenda - was a winger at youth level, and since Amorim left has been played as a winger.

Catamo - winger for most of his career.

Marcus Edwards - winger.

In fact the only players who were considered a fullback who he played at wingback are:

Nuno Mendes and Pedro Poro, both who were considered extremely attacking fullbacks, neither were unfortunately at the club that long under Amorim. While Matheus Reis was the only fairly regularly used fullback under Amorim at Sporting. Yet he was also regularly used as a LCB as well.

Amorim typically prefers to convert a winger into his ideal wingback, as simply put there aren't many players out there playing wingback to sign, and even fewer who actually play it how Amorim wants the role to be played. Frimpong was perhaps the only obvious one.

That means if the club are to sign a top level wingback which will likely cost a big fee, then they will either be very limited in their options or have to sign someone who they feel has the right attributes, but hasn't actually played the role. Which is a big gamble.

As Amorim likes/needs to mould his players into the kind of wingback he wants then it is easier to do so with younger, less experienced players. Players who haven't got 300 games under their belt playing a different position in a specific way, meaning that they naturally default to that when playing. It's much harder to teach an old dog new tricks. Amad is adapting quickly to the role, he has the right attributes, and is tactically intelligent which makes the adaptation easier.

Dorgu was signed as a young player with the right attributes but limited exposure to playing the role, he is adapting but it is taking a little longer than it took Amad. He is also younger and that comes with more inconsistency.

We've seen both Dalot and Mazraoui struggle with adapting to the role despite both on paper having many of the ideal qualities. Yet both have spent so much of their career as defenders it's hard for them to let go of the defend first attack second mentality.

We have players like Amass and Leon who will likely be moulded into the role at LWB, also keep an eye out for Mantato who could be slowly introduced as a wingback likely on the right-hand side over the next 18 months. Apparently Amorim has taken a real liking to him. He might even get a chance when Amad is at the AFCON.

As I see it there are very few top end options I can see the club moving for, maybe Nuno Mendes is the only one if he became available for a reasonable price. Due to his experience in the system in the past and his previous experience playing the role under Amorim. With Frimpong now at Liverpool I don't see any obvious other targets in that role. The only other way I see is spending big in this position is if we sign a player like Semenyo, someone who can play both wingback or wide 10 in this system.

Which for me means that we will either promote youth, sign a young mouldable option similar to Dorgu, or sign a cheaper more experienced winger to try and adapt into the role.

If I was to put them in order of most likely:

1. Promote youth (cheapest and easiest option, and allows funds to be focused elsewhere) .

2. Sign someone like Semenyo or Minteh who can offer quality in a few different positions including wingback (more expensive, but solves multiple issues) .

3. Sign a young mouldable player similar to Dorgu (more expensive than promoting youth, but still not hugely expensive ideally less than 15m, but maybe as much as 30m perhaps) .

4. Sign Nuno Mendes if he is available for a reasonable price (35 - 45m at most) .

5. Sign a cheaper older winger and hope he can adapt (this seems more like a hail Mary approach, and I'd expect them to prefer trying to develop youth) .

While wingback is a vital role in Amorim's system, there are so few proven options that we could sign who are nearly guaranteed to work. Making it more of a gamble to spend big in this position. Also it's such a special-ist role if we did spend big and then changed managers we'd have an expensive player who likely doesn't have a role under the new manager.

Given we have Amad (our best current option), Dalot, Mazraoui and possibly Mantato for RWB, and we have Dorgu, Leon, and Amass at LWB. That is a lot of young talented players who can develop and grow into the role. Which as discussed any new signing would also need a period of time to grow and adapt into the role. Meaning their impact on improving the team will be limited in the short to medium term.

I think the money we have available is needed far more in midfield, centre of defence and adding depth in attack.

It just makes much more sense to spend it in those positions, given that any wingback signing will take time to adapt and we already have a lot of young quality options that will also take time to adapt/grow into the role.

Think about it logically, if it will potentially take a new signing a year to adapt to the role, then why not spend that time developing Dorgu or one of the other young players and save the money for a midfielder who'll actually have an impact during that year?