That I know, Ilori is a 6'3" centreback. Would rather not have another centreback masquerading as a leftback e.g. Agger. The current alternatives to Enrique are Downing, Johnson and Robinson. Johnson played there for a fair number of games last season. The benefit of having right footed players on the left is they can more comfortably mark wingers who like to come inside.

There are 2 objectives that need to be met here :-

1) Bolstering the squad - BR himself has come out to say that we had a paper thin squad last season. Whilst the likes of Shelvey, Henderson, Sterling, Assaidi, Yesil, Suso and Wisdom are promising players, they are hardly game changers. Not all the players we sign will walk straight into the first team, thus fans need to manage expectations and note that some may merely be squad players. I don't for example see Toure or Aspas starting every game.

2) Buying the right players - Mentioned before how the centrebacks we're targetting all have pace, unlike Carra who has retired and Skrtel, who is linked to a move away from the club. Toure may not be as quick as he used to be but without an organiser at the back, his experience could prove vital. Similarly, our forward line will consist of players who are adept to play not just in the middle, but further out wide as well. This is to accommodate a 3 pronged strikeforce. All are so far mobile and they will be required to track back to help defend. This is why Carroll is being ostracised. His lack of mobility is seemingly unsuitable for our style of play.

I'm more worried about foreign players settling in rather than whether or not they will be able to cope with the way we want to play, provided the criteria above are met.

Dillion,

Out of curiosity why do you refer to Aspas as "The Little Suarez" in the thread title? Bloke's only 0.05 metres shorter.

I'll be in Sg. from Mon - Wed for work. You around? Staying at the Mandarin Orchard.

Too soon to judge Borini IMO. He was out for most of the season and when he came back, he showed glimpses of quality. Let's see how he performs next season.

I'm guessing you're referring to triple H aka Voronin.

Yeah and at the time I didn't think it was a bad signing. I saw him play at the World Cup in 2006 before we signed him and he was brilliant. Scored a fair number of goals for Hertha when we loaned him out. Decent player, just wasn't right for us.

Goes without saying that signing a foreign player is always a gamble. He looks like he will fit into our system and it comes down to whether or not he'll acclimatise in England.

FSG have reiterated their stance on negative spending time and time again. Not something new. The only reason they sanctioned the purchase of Carroll in particular was because we got a healthy profit from the sale of Torres. We also got a fair sum from Mereiles. The transfer fee for this season was said to be $20 million but if we do sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan, it means we'll be breaking the back. It could also indicate that Suarez, Pepe or both could be leaving and we're also looking to offload Skrtel and Shelvey. Having said all that, we did pay a fare sum for Suarez and we will for Mkhitaryan if the deal goes through. By our standards 20 over mil is a fair sum but as both players are young and have good numbers, it was an educated risk.

Good luck trying to come up with a song for him

I'm not convinced we have what it takes to break into the top four next season. I reckon a top 6 finish will be an achievement, with a top 5 finish not being beyond the realms of possibility. What matters most to me is that we maintain a convincing home record and we are more clinical in converting chances that come our way. Unlike the top sides, we seldom get all 3 points when being outplayed. Winning ugly is something we need to learn to do. We're linked with young, promising players that have come off good seasons but one season isn't an indicator of consistency.

I've noted that Glen Johnson is in the last year of his contract with us and he's voiced his desire to play abroad in Spain before retiring. It's been rumoured that Andre Wisdom may be shipped out on loan which is a matter of concern as he was Johnson's backup last season with Kelly out. If Johnson does leave at the end of least season, it stands to reason that we blood his successor this coming season.

Mmm bit over the top to claim that Arsenal are a sinking ship. Despite a slow start to the season, they ended up in fourth, only 5 points behind 2nd placed City. Veteran manager, healthy financially, strong squad with promising young players coming through the ranks. Don't see any indication of them falling off the pace if I'm to be honest.

Begovic is the bookies choice but going by what's reported in the media, Mignolet looks the most likely. Begovic has more admirers and we'll face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal who can offer Champions League football. On the issue of Arsenal, it looks like your prediction just got bolder with them linked to Higuain They won't falter la. People say that of them each season and each time, they prove their doubters wrong. Anyway, I'm hoping you're right of course. Less competition the better.

I'd much rather your gut tell you that Moyes will screw up much as I think he'll rise to the task.

Great la. I've already learned to spell and pronunciate "Mkhitaryan" but it seems signing for Liverpool isn't that simple for our marquee target.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/tra...an-move-1972490?

The last player I felt a connection to was Carra. I mean he epitomised everything a role model should be. When news of Suarez wanting to leave got out, I honestly felt nothing. Why? Yeah he was the darling of the team last season, scoring for fun but I can't foster a connection with someone who I see as being petulant. I'll miss his goals though. I see the merit in buying stats especially when you are unfamiliar with players from far flung regions of the world but I still think it's important to invest in character and personality. There are things away from the pitch which require players who can influence the dressing room positively.

Carra interview.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/intervie...-treatment.html

Carra retiring leaves a bigger hole in the team that some realise. It isn't merely about his ability as a defender though many of his critics last season singled him out for that. Yes he's gotten older and as expected he had dropped off the pace. With Carra gone however, we have lost a great general at the back. Carra was constantly barking at his defenders, marshaling his line to great effect. I'm hoping Toure's experience in this department will rub off on the lads at the back.

Carra wasn't just an inspirational figure on the field, that many young lads looked up to but he was a source of motivation. I've read many interviews where younger players, foreign and domestic would praise Carra for his coaching. Such was his stature that John Flanagan was visibility shaken after he had accidentally injured Carra as they both went in for a challenge. Kenny had to pull the youngster aside to share a laugh, hoping to help him shake it off.

Another big influence in the dressing room is Pepe Reina and I'm hoping he'll stay.

We were linked with Cardozo awhile back. Not sure if $14 mil is good value for him now that he's 30. I'd put in a cheeky bid of $ 8 mil and see how Benfica respond. Still early days in the transfer market.

On an unrelated note, Shebby looks to be on the verge of losing his job as Global Advisor for Blackburn. Amongst his achievements are :-

1) The appointment of 3 managers. Former player, Henning Berg only lasted 67 days incidentally. Appleton lasted 57 days.
2) Almost overseeing the club getting relegated. They finished 17th.
3) Having a hand in the club ending the year with a forecasted $40 over mil pound loss, by signing unknown players from Portugal who have been shipped, incurring huge sums of agent fees, paying high wages for players who are past their best and paying off all 3 sacked managers.


His biggest feat has to be being able to convince Venky to pay him a salary of $400,000 quid a year!

I'm no expert but common sense tells me that after getting relegated, the first thing the club needed to do was to stabilise itself. Knowing that revenue will dip significantly having dropped a division, they should have looked into releasing highly paid players, and blooded local players from the youth team. Instead, they allowed Shebby to go on a shopping spree in Portugal, spending unnecessarily on players and agents. Of course relying on youth is risky especially when you intend to get promoted instantly so it makes sense to me that they should have looked at bringing in some players on loan. Players who could not secure regular first team places. Jonjo Shelvey did well at Blackpool for example.

Likewise. I can understand what they are doing because it makes sense. I hear cries of concern when the owners resist the temptation to spend on highly paid stars, citing that they lack ambition. Thing is, they will spend if it make sense and they are prudent. Our interest in Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an example of how we are looking to sign young talent at a reasonable price on decent wages, not an exorbitant one.