22 Dec 2025 16:39:39
As a bit of fun. If you could sell 2 players and sign 3 players this Jan and you could name the same 11 in every game for the rest of the season in the managers 1343 shape who would your 3 signings be and what would be your starting 11 be for the rest of the season and who would you sell?
Budget can't be applied but circa 50m plus all you bring in on sales.
Anderson baleba wharton etc 80m for the purpose of a fun exercise. Rest must be reasonable guesstimate on market values for ins and outs.
I think its would be interesting to get people's Christmas wishes on a mad hypothetical ?.
22 Dec 2025 17:19:07
Sorry that should read sell 3 players.
22 Dec 2025 18:29:03
Sell zirkzee, ugarte and dorgu
Buy semenyo, joao gomes and Anderson.
Lammens, mazroui, de ligt, shaw
Amad, gomes, anderson, semenyo
Mbueno, Bruno, cunha.
22 Dec 2025 18:53:14
Assuming we are lining up in the absence of AFCON.
Sell:
Ugarte 30-40m
Maguire 20m
Zirkzee 40m
That leave a 140-150m WARCHEST.
Straight away, drop 80 on Anderson, leaves 70.
Spend 65 on Semenyo, he is class
Bank 5m, or look to move on a Shaw as well and go all in for Guehi now and don't wait until the summer.
That's what I would realistically want to happen.
In a dream world, we would carve up the squad and churn out the substandard members and/or overpaid/over the hill wannabes and bring in the polar opposite in terms of mental capabilities. But that is closer to 6-7 departures, so couldn't be done in Jan.
22 Dec 2025 22:25:15
The likes of Anderson or Baleba won't be available in January unless we spend a ridiculous amount, likely 100m+ on them.
I'd sell Zirkzee, Malacia and maybe controversially Mainoo. Nothing to do with his talent, but the kid clearly doesn't have the patience needed to put in the hard yards and earn his spot.
I'd then look to sign Semenyo and João Gomes. Two EPL proven players who should be able to fit in right away and have little to no adjustment period.
I'm not sure there is anyone else who is seriously going to be available in January who is/should be a long term target. Maybe Marc Guehi is we can convince him to join and paying a small fee to Palace so they don't lose him on a free in the summer. The other option could be to bring in Conor Gallagher on a loan with an option to buy.
Personally I don't think we should sign players in January unless they are long term targets and highly likely to hit the ground running (i. e. EPL proven) .
In the summer I'd then target at least one if not two more midfielders, one of Anderson or Baleba as the top target and a younger option such as Noah Sadiki, Lamine Camara or Djaoui Cissé, along with another top CB option if we sign Guehi in January or two CB's if we didn't sign one in January. Branthwaite, Lukeba, or Schlotterbeck are ideal options, I also like the look of Maxime Estéve at Burnley, or Koulierakis at Wolfsburg.
Ultimately I think if we can get a player like Semenyo in, a top class player who can offer an option at wingback and in the forward line then that's ideal. Yankuba Minteh could be an interesting alternative if Semenyo heads to Liverpool or City.
We then need a couple of CB's and at least 2 midfielders, 3 if Mainoo leaves. If we can get deals for long term targets in January then great, but I don't want us to panic buy players because they are available on the cheap then.
22 Dec 2025 22:25:38
Sell Fernandez, Dalot, Shaw, Casemiro
Bring in Anderson (he looks lame bit Rodri-esq and can hold it all together), Beleba (manager seems to want him, legs and can carry a ball from midfield), Semenyo to play left wingback, .
Go all out with manager's formation, but commit to two attacking wide players in amad and semenyo. Anderson and Beleba should be more disciplined in midfield.
Line up can come from that squad, moving out the old and promoting the rest is what I want to see. Just play Deligt or harry CCB and fill in the young guys around them.
22 Dec 2025 23:54:00
Although SJR suggested Amorim would get 3 years, I reckon if we don't finish in a much more respectable Euro spot (6-7?) at least then he'll be under huge pressure - so I'm sure he'll be pushing for a January transfer or two as this could well be his last chance to make a go of it.
Not sure on the extent of the Fernades injury but out of the next 7 games I've got us down for 3 wins (Wolves, Burnley, Brighton cup) . Midfield is crucial but I don't see prime target Anderson being available. Is Wharton good enough? Not convinced myself. Gallagher on loan if available seems a good option and a good chance for the player to make a claim for the England squad after falling out of favour for club and country.
Semenyo is in many people's team of year at present, and there is a lot of talk of him being available in the early part of the window. He feels almost wasted out at LWB but maybe fits in more with what Amorim had at Sporting with wingers playing those roles. Guess it depends if Semenyo buys into the project or not but he walks into the team on either side or no.10 roles. I think he'd have a lot of competition from Doku at City but I can definitely see him in that Liverpool team lol.
23 Dec 2025 05:38:52
That escalated quickly eh Tumble?
23 Dec 2025 10:38:41
Unbelievable Geoff. Simple question of a hypothetical ???.
23 Dec 2025 12:02:08
Eh? This site baffles me.
23 Dec 2025 13:33:33
Sell: Ugarte, Dalot, Zirkzee. (25, 25, 40)
Buy: João Gomes, Semenyo, Murillo. (40, 65, 50)
Stretched the budget to 65M there, but as much and all as I'd love to pretend someone will spend 40M on Ugarte or Dalot, that ain't happening.
23 Dec 2025 14:34:08
Be lucky to get 50m for the 3 of them put together (Ugarte, Zirkee, Dalot)
23 Dec 2025 16:38:41
Bruno zirkzee and mainoo for me for a combined 125m
As its a hypothetical
Anderson semenyo and neves in.
Lammens
Heaven deligt martinez
Amad Anderson neves semenyo
Mbeumo cunha
Sesko
Bruno is the controversial choice. My reasoning is as follows.
Ive no doubt bruno will continue to have good personal stats like he has since he came and they are great individual numbers. But I think we have seen the best of him and his numbers will start to decline.
We have been here before with all these "irreplaceable players. Charlton best Robson Keane giggs Schmeichel Ronaldo Beckham scholes. Of course they all were title winners and with the exception of Robson cl winners true greats. All replaced and we went on to win more tiles without them. Many sold in their prime.
This is not a slight on bruno and as I said he could well see out his contract and hit his usual numbers but I think its time for a changing of the guard and to put our faith in cunha mbeuno and a new cm pairing.
I think there could well be some short term pain in that but i'd be ok with that in order to improve.
Bruno has been our talisman for 5 seasons but unlike all our previous talismen he's not been able to win that title that most of us would argue he deserves.
Its a tough call and I see no real downside of strengthening cm and moving him back into attack, other than financial and his contractual position.
Will he improve I don't think so. Can he get more from others around him, I don't think so. Football is all about the collective not the individual numbers.
Madrid kept winning trophies after Ronaldo but won them with him.
Liverpool didn't win a title until after the irreplaceable Gérard and couthino suarez were gone.
They will win one when salah is gone.
We will win one without bruno. I fear he will go down as one of our best ever players not to win the title with us.
23 Dec 2025 18:28:57
Hopefully I hit the task to avoid complaints, although no team selected I feel it is self explanatory!
A few went on tangents that's for sure!