We’re almost half way through the season, which is a fair point to take a big picture view. We have rehashed the strengths and weaknesses of the team ad nauseum. There’s no need for heat maps or arrows on a chalkboard to illustrate that the club need a number 10 in my opinion and if they could find another winger or a centre back they could take on loan to provide cover, all the better.
Last January, with apologies to Simon Dawkins, the only move of significance the club made was the addition of Yacouba Sylla. Coming from Ligue 2, Sylla hardly broke the bank. If this emboldens the club to be similarly frugal this winter, it will be a mistake – just because something works out doesn’t mean it was the right decision.
Most if not all of the Bomb Squad are gone now, and the balance sheet has been cleaned up. The club took in an additional £20m in additional TV revenue, and that’s setting aside Randy Lerner’s own personal fortune.
The club doesn’t need another January panic buy like Darren Bent, so I’d be disappointed if we made one. In fact, I’m not even advocating making moves for the sake of making them, despite our squad being as they currently are.
The way the club is currently constructed, even a more modest expenditure who fails to settle, like Jean II Makoun, would be a significant setback. Let’s be honest here, we are dealing with a very fine balance – if a player costs a significant fee or wage, but then fails to do well, isn’t that just a millstone round our necks as a club?
What I don’t want to hear is us being linked to players, or even linking to bidding for players, only to lose them to teams around us because the money isn’t there. I don’t want to see players who fill a need for us going to clubs of a similar or lesser position, while we sit on our hands.
The team’s depth has been depleted at the worst possible time. Things could go well over Christmas, and the club could very well be in that 9-12 range in the table. If it doesn’t, we may be looking down at the bottom again. For the sake of the club, and our sanity, I hope things can work out for the team as the last thing we need is yet another battle to survive.
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