Needs For Teams (BPL Edition Part 3)

Welcome to the third instalment of the Needs for Teams segment on our blog. Sorry for the lack of articles recently. We have been able to post because we have all had exams. Today is the third of the series and we are sticking with the Premier League but this time doing another 5 teams. This is mainly focusing on the teams that finish in and around the lower mid-table. Before we begin, make sure to return in two more days where I do the next 5 teams in the Premier League. So lets begin!

Crystal Palace:

Crystal Palace have had an amazing return to England’s top flight finishing in 11th with 45 points. Since Tony Pulis has taken over from Ian Holloway, Palace have gone from strength to strength. Their more open style of football saw them beat the likes of Chelsea. Anyway, more to the point. Who do they need? They have a vast amount of wingers including Gayle, Puncheon and Bolasie. So I can see them going for more dominant players such as centre-mids or centre-backs. Leroy Fer from relegated team Norwich City would be a good option as he has the capability to both attack and defend. The 24 year old could add stability to the Palace midfield. Now for a centre-back. Maybe someone like Ashley Williams from Swansea who is reportedly looking for a move away from the Swans. He would fit in nicely being a commanding centre-back and he would join fellow countryman Joe Ledley.

Swansea City:

Swansea had a fairly decent season finishing comfortably in 12th with 42 points. Well, decent enough for a team that sacked their manager halfway through at least. So who do they need? I would say a goal keeper but they recently signed Łukasz Fabiański from Arsenal. So maybe a commanding centre-back and possibly a pacey winger. For a centre-back, maybe Steven Caulker? The Cardiff City player has only been playing in Wales for one season but Cardiff got relegated possibly prompting a move elsewhere. However I am not sure if it is a wise move moving between the two Welsh giants. So maybe instead Fabricio Coloccini from Newcastle. The Argentine has been linked with a move away from the club for a while. A winger. Tom Ince? He hasn’t signed for Inter yet so maybe he’s a decent shout. Or more realistically Nathan Redmond who showed positive signs last season for relegated team Norwich City.

West Ham United:

West Ham had a disappointing season finishing in 13th with 40 points. At the start of the season I would have guessed that they would have finished in 10th. But 13th is still a comfortable finish above the relegation zone. So who do they need? A clinical striker because they missed Andy Carroll when he was out injured. Well I don’t need to take a guess because Mauro Zárate has already been confirmed as West Ham’s new signing! He scored 19 times in 29 games last season. Great buy Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold. Also West Ham may need a holding midfielder. They have been linked with former Hammer and Napoli’s Valon Behrami who played 58 times for the Irons between 2008 and 2011.

Sunderland:

The Black Cats had a strong end to the season after spending most of the campaign at the foot of the table. They finished in 14th with 38 points, 5 points above the drop zone. Who do Sunderland need? I would again say a wide midfielder and/or an attacking midfielder. However they have already secured the services of Jordi Gomez for next season. So instead maybe a commanding centre-back. Again I’ll say Swansea’s Ashley Williams who may be looking for a way out of the Liberty Stadium. Apart from that they may be looking for a striker and a holding midfielder. If they could loan Borini back to the Stadium of Light again that would be amazing for them as he impressed last season. Also if they did want to sign a holding midfielder, Jake Livermore would be a perfect loan option.

Aston Villa:

Finally we will move onto the last club. The Villans. They finished 15th this season, level on points with Sunderland with 38 points. They had a season to forget as nothing too special happened. However they did not get relegated so there is a positive amongst the negatives. Villa have a young squad and I think that they need to buy experienced players during this summer. Despite saying that, Andros Townsend would be a good buy for them, providing width and pace to their attack. A centre-midfielder in Leroy Fer would be a decent buy as he would be cheap, coming from a relegated team. Even Jack Rodwell from Manchester City, but I doubt Villa would be able to pay his wages. I would recommend an experienced centre-back. Maybe someone like Michael Turner or Sébastien Bassong who would add experience to their back-four.

That concludes this edition of ‘Needs For Teams’. Thank you for reading. The next episode should be up in the coming 2-3 days. These take an incredibly long time to write as they are quite long. Anyway, thank you again.

Follow us on Twitter for all the up-to-date news regarding football – @FutbolAfterDark
And follow me personally – @ItsLouiis // @AllAboutSpurs

Needs for Teams (BPL Edition Part 2)

Welcome to the second instalment of the Needs for Teams segment on our blog. Today is the second of the series and we are sticking with the Premier League but this time doing another 5 teams. This is mainly focusing on the teams that do not finish in the top 4 regularly but do finish high up in the league. Before we begin, make sure to return in two more days where I do the next 5 teams in the Premier League. So lets begin!

Everton:

Everton had one of their best ever seasons in the Premier League finishing 5th with 72 points, 7 points behind 4th placed Arsenal. The Merseyside club traditionally do not spend much in the transfer window but maybe under new manager Roberto Martínez things might change. They will be needing a few fresh faces in certain positions which I will quickly run over. Let’s start with the striker position. Everton need a big, main target man which they have been missing for a number of seasons. In the season just gone they solely relied on Lukaku who was on loan from Chelsea. He banged in 15 goals and this is where the goal problem begins for Everton. Lukaku was the only Everton player to score more than 10 goals so they will need to buy a new striker. I can’t see Lukaku returning,  so maybe someone such as Welbeck or Bony. Can I see either of them fitting in? No, but they are the type of player Everton needs. They have also been linked with former Toffee, Jack Rodwell or Manchester City. That would be a great signing as he has talent, he is young and he knows the Everton philosophy. He would also be pretty cheap seen as he hasn’t had a breakthrough at City. Gerard Deulofeu impressed on loan last season and Everton would love him back but Barcelona have said no. This had led to links between Everton and James Forrest from Celtic, another young, pacey winger.

Newcastle:

The Tyneside club struggled this season, finishing 10th with 49 points. With talisman striker (Loic Remy) leaving due to the end of his loan from QPR, Newcastle will have to replace him. As of today (27/5/14) Newcastle are looking to get rid of the dead wood at the club such as Steven Taylor. They will need to replace these players. Most likely with new young players. Honestly I can’t see any big names joining Newcastle this summer, mainly because of their lack of success in recent years. However if I was Mike Ashley I would have a punt at Welbeck or Bony. Welbeck isn’t getting the game time he deserves and Bony is at Swansea who failed to finish in the top 10 this season! Can’t see any of those two transfers happening though. Also a pacey winger, maybe have a look at Tottenham’s Andros Townsend or Barcelona’s Cristian Tello. Again I can’t see any of these going through but they are the type of players that Newcastle need. If any action does happen up Tyneside I think it will be in the managerial position where Alan Pardew isn’t admired by the majority of Newcastle fans…

Southampton:

Now onto a more promising club. Southampton managed to finish 8th with 56 points under manager Mauricio Pochettino who has resigned and joined Tottenham Hotspur today (27/5/14). Now with key players Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Jay Rodriguez having links away from the club it makes sense to replace them with other talent. Now I’ve said Andros Townsend for other clubs on this blog but I seriously think he would fit in at Southampton. He’s young, pacey and would be the perfect replacement for Jay Rodriguez who is linked to Townsend’s Tottenham Hotspur. Replacing captain Adam Lallana is difficult but I have someone in mind. Someone along the lines of Miralem Pjanic, the Bosnian attacking midfielder from Serie A side Roma. He has been described as an “old fashioned playmaker with huge technical abilities”. His main attributes are his dribbling skills and passing. Much like Lallana he is also good at shooting. A replacement for Luke Shaw, maybe Erik Pieters from Stoke. He is slightly older at 25, but had the 10th highest tackles per game ratio in the whole Premier League, ahead of all the top defenders in the league. Doesn’t that say something? Perfect replacement in my eyes. Striker wise, Emmanuel Mayuka is returning to the club from a loan spell away in France. He will bring pace to their attack. Plus he is only 23! Likely to be a busy summer on the south coast of England!

Stoke:

Stoke had a strong season when you consider how they changed managers and their play style. They finished impressively in 9th with a solid 50 points.They brought in a few fresh faces at the start of the season including Austrian winger, Marko Arnautovic. He impressed in his first season with his pace but his shooting let him down as he only scored 4 goals. Another transfer like him would be ideal for Stoke. Someone like Oussama Assaidi who was on loan with them from Liverpool last season. If they manager to place a bid they might be able to acquire his signature on a permanent deal. Which I can see happening. Now Stoke need a striker. With their recent transfer history being all over the shop in terms of leagues, I would recommend 15-goal-a-season Mattia Destro from Roma. A lot of Roma players have popped up today but Destro I feel would fit into the Stoke philoshoy easily. He’s only 23 and he’s 6ft 1! Amazing header of the ball and is strong at finishing. Just someone who Stoke need. Honestly that’s about it. I feel as though Stoke have a reasonably strong squad which is more than capable of finishing in the Top 10 once again!

Tottenham Hotspur:

Now onto my team. Tottenham Hotspur. I’ll try not be biased which I usually am not as I am more of a realistic fan instead of the usual optimist. To be honest I’ve been waiting to do this one for ages. So let’s begin. Tottenham today (27/5/14) have confirmed manager Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager. This has heightened links between Tottenham and Southampton winger Jay Rodriguez who could follow Pochettino to the club. In my opinion this would be an amazing signing as currently Spurs have a major winger problem. Let’s begin the list of last seasons failed wingers…. Lamela, Townsend, Lennon, Eriksen (who would drift into his native CAM position)… this list could go on but this is future transfers not failed players. So who else do we need? A striker, a left back, a centre back and maybe a goal keeper if Lloris decides to leave. So a new left back… If you have been following me on my Spurs Twitter account (@AllAboutSpurs) you would have noticed that I have often showed my admiration for left back’s Mattia de Sciglio and Criscito who are both Italian. They would be perfect at our club as they are true defenders who know how to attack. For a centre back? Well we could be lazy and re-sign Steven Caulker from Cardiff City. I can see this happening. This reminds me of the old Spurs days. Sell Kaboul, Defoe and Keane and then buy them back the next season…. Anyway now to the striker position… Soldado is not the greatest and I can see him moving to Atletico Madrid as Diego Costa looks to be on his way to Chelsea. I would love Jackson Martinez, Wilfred Bony, Lukaku or Benteke. Just one of those four could be the thing that we are missing. Adebayor and Kane could alternate if Pochettino decides to play 442. Striker sorted. With rumours of Lloris leaving to French giants PSG we will be left with Friedel. He’s by far no means bad. He’s just getting on. If you know what I mean. So lets presume that Lloris has gone and Courtois has returned to Chelsea. Cech won’t want to be an understudy like Cassilas. So why don’t we have a punt at signing him? He won’t have to move house, he’ll just receive a lower pay check. Hopefully we replace our players with good alternatives unlike last summer. Only 2 out of our 7 signings actually proved to be worth it. Eriksen and Paulinho who is debatable… So for next season all I ask for is that Levy can you please listen to the fans? Oh and also sign players that will either win us a cup or finish in the Top 4. Thanks. – Louis

Thank you for reading our transfer predictions coming up for this summer. We will try to post one of these every other day for the next week or two depending on the amount of teams we decide to do.

Follow us on Twitter for all the up-to-date news regarding football – @FutbolAfterDark
And follow me personally – @ItsLouiis // @AllAboutSpurs