A few days ago, I said Wolverhampton Wanderers were close to a cataclysmically bad transfer window that might threaten our Premier League existence. The transfer window has now closed, so how was it? Well on depth if you ignore the kids coming in from Scotland and the CB from France then, assuming Sa and Podence are going out but ignoring Silva’s departure, we are flat with 5 in and 5 out:
In – Gomes R, Strand, Johnstone, Forbs, and Andre.
Out – Neto, Sa, Kilman, Bueno and, Podence, but with Yerson and perhaps Guedes added from loan returns.
Very disappointing, but certainly Lima looks like he might be a further addition in the medium if not short term, so not a total disaster. On the first 11, we are obviously weaker going forwards as no one is going to replace Neto but Strand does give us a different option.
Defensively, we are significantly weaker with no new CB (especially if Dawson is not going to be the rock our defence has been built on previously). This is ameliorated to some extent by the one really bright spot in the whole window, the signing of Andre, who should significantly improve both the first 11 and our flexibility in CM.
Financially depending on what we get for Sa, we have made very solid money – well north of £40m? Although most of it is now spoken for in next year’s transfer market, Forbs and Strand. Doubt wages have moved much, maybe with Guedes returning they in fact will be up!
However, if Jeff hasn’t sorted the underlying, pre transfer dealings and finances, then next summer will be even more painful, but let’s wait and see. Tactics however, will surely have to change. Without a pair of CBs capable of playing as a pair, we will need to return to 3CBs – or concede bucket loads of goals! Dawson with the 2 kids?
You don’t buy Andre and not play him and indeed given our frail defence, he is needed as well to shield the defence so perhaps 3-5-2 with the width coming from the 2WBs. Leaving Cunha playing off Strand, how does this sit with GON who last year played a much more attacking style?
Also, it leaves us with Sarabia, Gomes R, Hwang, Forbs, Bellegarde and Guedes fighting for a place on the bench. Surely if there really was a bid of £20m for Hwang he should have gone, allowing us to buy the CB we desperately needed?
So not really bad, but pretty bad and all these kids we are buying – (often in places we didn’t need, how many wide men can one team not play!) – may, if we aren’t very careful, be starting their senior careers in the Championship.
Fingers crossed we can survive this year or at least get to January still in the game and Jeff has worked some magic, (or applied some simple common sense), to our finances so that we can sort out the various messes, (no CBs, no backup LBs and to be greedy and assuming Sa leaves no back up GK) left after this window.
Written by Thefutureisoldgold August 31 2024 11:42:10
