Shopping List
As the squad looks thin even before Dom Gape and CMS depart (possibly)...besides a 20 goal a season 17 year old striker or two what do we think we need from QPR/Chelsea/Brentford this summer. A couple of midfielders? Cover at Left back? Another Centre Back?
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I think another striker is probably a bit of a luxury all things considered. We've got Kashket, Bayo, CMS and Samuel.
Our only true wide player is Freeman so that's the biggest area for me.
We need a competitive young left back, back up centre back, 2 x central midfielders, 2 wingers minimum. Loan or permanent in any position.
If we've still got a bit of budget after that, we're probably still short of another centre back, centre mid and winger!!!
I think at the absolute bare minimum we need;
1) A replacement for Gape
2) A wide forward (Fred?)
3) A left sided centre half who can also fill in at left back
4) A midfielder in the O'Nien/Morris mould who can link midfield and attack and chip in with the odd goal.
5) A utility player who can fill in any gaps in midfield and defence
6) A goalkeeper - although I suspect this may be unlikely unless we can get a super cheap loan.
I wonder if GA intends on playing with wingers in the future. He certainly favours a narrow midfield, which I'm not overly keen on myself, but hey-ho. I guess he might bring in a couple of wingers, but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't.
Well, with that sort of shopping list looks like the gaffer is going to be busy this summer.
Given the noises coming out of the club I’d be shocked if we sign anyone on a permanent basis. What are the loan rules these days? 6 at any one time but only 4 in the match day 18?
Good question, @Wendoverman - I think your first three examples would be main priority (Dom replacement, second midfielder, left back). This is where we really miss Harriman, with him being able to cover left or right, though of course Sido can cover the right side too.
I really feel like a key to this season could be Freeman taking another step forward, too. I am a big fan of his, and I feel as though he could almost play in a free creative role in front of Thompson/Dom replacement, if we were to stay narrow, besides playing out wide as needed. If he continues to progress, I really like our chances.
We probably need 9 (GK, CB cover, RB cover, LB, 2 CM, 2 W, ST) but hard to see more than 5 coming in.
Nine sounds a pretty daunting challenge but, given that, discounting Gape, we currently have only 14 (fourteen) players, that number is probably more realistic than my initial “get a life, son” reaction to @th100’s post suggested.
Reading between the lines (and from gut instinct) I don’t think we will be looking, initially at least, beyond young Cameron Yates as goalkeeping back-up.
Like a few others on here, I think the one “marquee” signing will be Fred.
We clearly need three or four midfield/general purpose players, preferably at least one tall enough and able enough to play as a central defender.
We need left back cover.
We need a younger whatever the word is (cohort ?) and a glance towards promising young non-League players would not go amiss. No doubt there will be one or two on trial.
In Gareth, Dobbo and crew we trust!
If we need nine players no wonder @glasshalffull wants us to set about our piggy banks!
Don't forget the crisps
Can we squeeze the size of the pitch any smaller, or are we at the min?
I get the feeling we'd be playing on a 1metre by 1 metre pitch if Gaz had his way.
How long is the Gape going to take? Have we ever had an out of contract player take 5-6 weeks to decide like this?
Gape's contract expires this week so I would imagine we will hear something either way pretty soon.
Yep - I remember some football manager saying it's funny - when a player is out of contract they always seem to be able to agree a contract!
We’re probably 200 or so 500 Club members short to be able to make Dom Gape an offer he might consider.
Still time to sign up and help https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2019/june/500-club-returns/
I'm hoping the Hause sale may lead to Paris and Harriman re-signing. However, I've heard Harriman will not sign for us again as he was promised he could go out on loan a few times and then stopped as other injuries took hold and we needed him to stay.
I imagine we're negotiating releasing CMS.
I think we'll get four more permanent signings, taking us up to 17 and 5 loanees.
It's about time the league reduced matchday squad from 18 down to 15. Would certainly help with club losses.
I'd genuinely like to keep CMS but he's probably at the higher end of the payscale.
@Commoner I couldn't see us re-signing a released player like that.
Harriman for the reasons you give, and Paris would be a stretch, as he barely got a look in last season, a bit unfairly at times I thought
With our squad and finances so stretched, I cannot for a second imagine that agreeing a pay off with CMS (the only way he'd agree to cancel it) would be a good idea at all.
I like cms and hope he stays myself
I thought he was exceptionally unlucky to find himself out in the cold.
He played really well early season - so well, that the idea of Bayo as a 1st choice became a real bone of contention.
He then scored and played well in a game, was given a well deserved rest.
Samuel takes his chance, and he never really got back in.
How many trialists do you think we can expect to see in the pre season friendlies?
I think it would be a bit of an own goal from the club to put this pic (featuring the stylish new training tops) out if they thought CMS might be on his way.
@ Malone - agree Paris seemed to be sidelined more than he should have been in the last few games of the season. He was really at the fore in our 5 match unbeaten run in January, much the same as his run of form in the January the season before.
He was one of those players that I think I noticed more when he wasn't playing, as he was always an outlet when he was. Very capable in the air, the only player who really runs at people and takes them on. Worked hard defensively to.
CMS - we've "released" Saunders etc in the past, so perhaps we may do so again with CMS. He was sub at Notts County for a third of his games there and his best place is through the middle, not out wide where Ainsworth seems to prefer playing him. From what's been alluded to on his wages, it would seem to be a big chunk of our budget to warm the bench for most of the season...if we could afford to let him go, which would release money for two other players basic wages then I'd think it would be worth paying him up.
Just a picture that's temporarily up on the site though isn't it.
It's not like he's the face of the kit, or something like that.
Equally, they could have selected another player if he's unlikely to be around.
He's certainly better through the middle, but when you have Bayo, and play one up quite often, there's simply no getting in. Notts C seemed to play him wide attack too.
No idea the wages he's on. He was rumoured to be on 5k a week at Luton. Obviously way lower to come here, but as he was out of contract, his income would have been zero - so whatever we offered was a step up and a way back into football.
Say he's on 50k a year, there's no way he's going to write that off for less than half upfront, so we wouldn't be getting 2 players for his money.
It's not like he's one of these players that would ask to be released to get a move elsewhere either -we'd no doubt allow him a free move. That was seen with that winger, a couple of years ago, whose name I forget who didn't like the long drive in every day.
Good point. So it's most likely he's staying for now.
I dare say it suits all parties like that and will continue to do so as long as he's involved, which he looks very likely to be, with only 4 attackers on the books, and us liking to play 4-3-3 variants!
Given the way the club use social media this is surely a good sign that he’s staying.
And why would we want him to leave?
And why would he want to leave?
Quite.
Only reason to go is if he's not getting a sniff of action, which unless we suddenly rustle up 2-3 forwards won't happen.
My gut feel would be that he's staying. There won't be a long queue of clubs wanting his services and paying him or part-paying him up to get him off the books won't offer us much value - are we really going to find someone better for say 50% of his money?
He may have to play second fiddle a bit to Bayo, Kashket and Samuel but a bloody useful player to have around the place during a long season with a small squad.
As others have said he's much better through the middle, but not as effective playing the lone role as Bayo or Samuel, so his fortunes may depend on how often we play with two strikers through the middle.
If we do a fair bit I could see him getting into the action and, as ever, getting a few goals.
As far as I see it...which is usually not the way Gaz sees it...CMS is a good swop for Bayo when he tires and vice versa but it never happened. With SK misfiring Bayo, CMS and Paris were the only players I thought were a serious goal threat and PCH was poorly treated for playing pretty well I thought, and should have been Fred once Fred left. If Fred is coming though...perhaps we will not miss him so much.