11 Mar 2026 18:21:08
Number 6
Casemiro is going to be a massive loss.
Ugarte has to go.
Kone is not quite ready.

We need two in here with Kone as understudy, I feel he is the standout from the youth section.

Do we go all out for a prime target and retain Collyer as back up?

So maybe a Baleba, Collyer and Kone setup.

Is Collyer good enough and should we cash in on him and use the funds for a Gomes?

Baleba, Gomes, Kone.

Thoughts?

1.) 11 Mar 2026
11 Mar 2026 18:39:42
Baleba and Gomes aren't good enough for where we want to be, Jimbob. They would be great as a second or third signing, but not the star name.

2.) 11 Mar 2026
11 Mar 2026 19:05:29
Then who, JR?

3.) 11 Mar 2026
11 Mar 2026 20:41:35
Manu Kone, Elliot Anderson, Nmecha, Ederson. Lots of players I'd be very happy with. Gomes is a good shout for squad depth to replace Ugarte, but I agree with John that he's not got enough to be a regular starter for us if we have league title aspirations.

4.) 11 Mar 2026
11 Mar 2026 22:20:28
I agree, guys. Gomes is backup to a long-scouted Baleba.
To be clear, we are talking about the holding midfielder here, not the number 8. Some of those names are not a Cas/Ugarte replacement.

5.) 11 Mar 2026
11 Mar 2026 23:22:30
Anderson and Nmecha are very much 8's.

Ederson and Manu Kone are definitely options versus Baleba. I suppose it is whether we are going the prem proven route or not....

I'll do #8 last. Anderson and Nmecha are in with a shout for sure.

6.) 12 Mar 2026
12 Mar 2026 11:45:57
We need a 6 and an 8. If we are going to play Mainoo as one of the 8's, we need a left-footed 6. Also, we are heavily linked to Anderson, another right-footed 8. Baleba, Wharton, and Stiller are all left-footed 6's.

You ideally want two of each, so potentially we need 3 midfielders in the summer. Anderson & Wharton would be my first choices, as they like to pass forward, and, most importantly, they cover a lot of ground, which would stop our biggest issue over the last few seasons, which is midfield runners.

The backline would get a lot more protection from those two.

If we were to let Ugarte go, we would need a third midfielder. If we were to sign Wharton and Anderson as starters, that would give Mainoo as Anderson's backup. Wharton would need a backup. I'd suggest a younger player, such as Jorthy Mokio at Ajax. He's a left-footed CDM, with quite a lot of potential, and he'd be fairly cheap in terms of cost.

7.) 12 Mar 2026
12 Mar 2026 14:09:19
Jimbo, I wouldn't get caught up in the 6 vs 8 split. If we've two box-to-box midfielders, they'll work it out. Elliot Anderson, for instance, reminds me very much of Roy Keane in his Forest days. We'd have regarded Keane as an 8 at that stage. But the main characteristic was that he's a box-to-box midfielder who can do everything.

8.) 12 Mar 2026
12 Mar 2026 14:10:32
There's no way we sign both Wharton and Anderson.

I think we need to be savvy, pick one of them and go all out. Move Ugarte too, and bring in a cheaper option for back up.

Personally, I think Anderson is a better fit because he's able to move the ball forward quicker than Wharton.

For me, this is the key position, because Casemiro, despite not having the legs anymore, has been key in getting our attacks started.

9.) 12 Mar 2026
12 Mar 2026 15:50:46
I like Wharton and Anderson, 2 big, strong lads who get up and down the field, great engines, and can really play football. That's from what I've seen. Baleba also looks good and athletic, but he hasn't impressed me when I've watched him.

Outside of that, I would be guessing, as I haven't watched the others closely enough.



I think the scouting and recruitment department has done a pretty decent job so far when bringing in new talent, so I'm very positive about who they choose to bring in.

10.) 13 Mar 2026
13 Mar 2026 09:08:42
If we could pull in 3 centre mids, who would people's top 3 be, bearing in mind they probably can't all be starters.

11.) 13 Mar 2026
13 Mar 2026 12:22:15
Jbr, really like your idea of doing a position by position set of posts!

My three would be, in this order of priority (with caveats that some I have not seen much).
- Anderson
- Gomes
- Sadiki.

12.) 13 Mar 2026
13 Mar 2026 18:54:29
Cheers, AM2. It has been great to get the general views. I'll try to summarise all the posts in time. I've allowed the 8 position to merge into this post!

I like those 3 choices.
Where does Mainoo sit in your choices?

Personally, I'd like us to get Tonali and Anderson as first teamers, then add Gomes.


Have Mainoo, Gomes, and some youth.

However... I am not sure they will go for Tonali, so I swapped him for Baleba.

13.) 14 Mar 2026
14 Mar 2026 13:02:20
Mainoo is backup for me. I am still not convinced, and think RA was right to give him the rocket up his arse.

He has quality, but doesn't make the effort. His problem is he doesn't yet have that level of intelligence that he can look graceful and still be effective, which means the effort needs to be put in, but he is intent on stuff that will look flashy as opposed to helping the team.



Also, him allowing his brother to put up that t shirt is a black mark in my book.