True but if they wanted to sign a 33 year old to show some ambition they could have got Wayne Rooney for a £100,000 a week at least this would have bolstered the attack.

Nid oes Bradwr yn y ty hwn

I’m still hopeful that we will get Antonio in from West Ham.

He’s not been linked with us for a few weeks now so maybe a deal is being done.

Old, Ungifted and White

In a moaning thread I’m... not going to... well maybe a bit

The good:
4 players we received right now (including James mcarthy) for 5.5mm. That’s pretty good business.

Jettisoning Soreloth and his wages. Good business.

Getting rid of puncheon, spironi. Good business (sadly).

Under 23 playing pre-season games with first teasers. Good idea.

Keeping Wilfried (I hope), great business.

The moderate:
Selling AWB for 50mm. Super sad to see him go, but it’s a lot of money.

The bad:
None of the 4 we picked up are likely starters. Cahill is probably the closest.

We didn’t address our major needs, RB, LB, Striker.

The hope:
If we break even from transfers we still have 44.5 mm to spend. So if Camarasa and a similar player are bought,we still make 20mm or so, which can hopefully be used in the winter.

So, verdict out and depends on the next 2 days

Whilst uninspiring, this window does seem more about squad depth than advancement which is tough with limited resources.

Pre-Pardew we were similar then along he comes & we sign our first real 'marquee' signing, Cabaye. Then we get Benteke. Both were pricy (especially Tekkers) & left little for other buys.

Allardyce comes in & gets PVA, Luke & Schlupp (+ Mama on loan) which, whilst good business, looks like we probably overpaid for PVA & Schlupp. Mama is a huge hit so we splash the cash again.

The FdB fiasco hits & we're left with an aging, ineffective squad that needs rebuilding but we're stuck with Sako, Mutch, Chungy etc all on decent money & that nobody else wants (especially on those wages).

Roy arrives. We gamble on young overseas players to fill some gaps - all of which prove to be a waste.

Cash is tight so we do a deal for Guaita, then Meyer. Kouyate seems like a decent buy (for the money) & Sako was valid back-up based on his last stint with the club. Ayew, as a loan, was ok as a squad player.

Since his arrival Roy has had criticism over subs yet, when analysed, it's been clear he hasn't really had a great deal to work with.

"We need depth not overpaid/priced rejects from other teams" did the rounds on FB/t***ter etc which, on the face of it, is what we're getting.

I don't know if it's being forced upon us due to finances or whether it's part of a plan to get the academy to A status & rolling out talent? A holding measure while the Americans sell their shares or a complete takeover is announced? Something entirely different?

What I do know is that if we make big signings the club gets slated for lack of depth but if we make squad signings they get the same fro not being ambitious enough. Perhaps there is a middle ground but until our financial situation is resolved I'm not sure that's viable.

Will this be five? It's gonna be five! It IS five!

I agree.

Just wonder whether this is a slower way of changing how we play - especially if Camarasa goes through. Better than FdP hammering square pegs into round holes or Pardewball.

Will this be five? It's gonna be five! It IS five!

Certainly no lack of transfer activity.

We have signed Cahill and McCarthy who between them made 9 appearances last season so they are well rested.

Not forgetting of course Ayew who impressed the club enough after 2 goals in 25 appearances (All competitions) that they offered him a permanent contract and paid Swansea a transfer fee.

Edited by Willo (08 Aug 2019 12.12am)