Bomb squad, the Premier edition

[GreeksBearingGifts]

You're welcome.

I know you bought Hwang for us, but no, we're not getting him back. We have made arrangements for him to be stopped at our border. Persona non grata.

 

[Dan_Bristol]

You still have a massive bomb squad. I know I said that you can offload players to Saudi Arabia, or Kuwait, or Qatar, but not all of them.

And I'm beginning to worry that we'll be "offered" one of your deadwood squad.

Our deadwood is an Olympiacos dream!

 

[Professor Wolfgang Schnell BSc. PhD.]

You have too many borders - he's bound to get through somewhere !

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Our deadwood is an Olympiacos dream!

No, it isn't. There have been rumours that you're offloading Dennis to us, but I thought you meant to make some money out this guy (wasn't he about to be sold to an Italian club). There have also been rumours about Hennesey, as a third choice keeper, but I doubt he'd be interested. Other than that, I see nothing in your bomb squad that would fit, and we're full in most positions. In theory we're only looking for a striker, and perhaps a forward who can play both as a striker and as a winger (hence the rumours about Dennis). I perhaps would not mind Kouyate, as I think we're short in numbers in midfield, but he's not exactly bomb squad I guess.

 

[incident]

I know you bought Hwang for us, but no, we're not getting him back. We have made arrangements for him to be stopped at our border. Persona non grata.

Our squad isn't as big as you seem to think.

Right at this moment, we can't even fully rule out Hwang being included in our 25. Though it's too early to have this discussion before the dust settles.

As it stands, after accounting for the expected arrivals and departures, there'll still be space to name one of these in the 25:
- A 4th choice keeper (with Hennessey / Horvath / Shelvey competing to be 3rd or 4th)
- Biancone, who seems to have disappeared entirely
- Emmanuel Dennis if he doesn't bugger off to Italy
- Hwang Ui-Jo who at least has been seen in recent weeks

That leaves Jonjo Shelvey and Arter as the only two who really have no chance whatsoever. Either way, I make it we'll be looking to shift ~6 players.

 

[Red Dog in a Forest]

• Arter - no chance anyone is taking him.
• Shelvey - January? The new Arter.
* Dennis - Italian window shut - January?
• Hwang - off to Norwich on loan apparently.
• Hennessy - January (on a free).
• Biancone - January loan.

If Origi signs we’re at the 25 man squad limit (plus 5 U21 players).

Kouyate and Aurier could still head to SA of course.

I can see McKenna and Toffolo leaving in January.

 

[HBB]

Saudi window still open for a week so perhaps some chance of Dennis going there?

The thing about Shelvey is if even they can't afford his full wages we could still pay a proportion of them just to get him out the door and not stinking up the place

 

[youreds1986]

I think we can add McKenna.

He's probably 7th choice CB after the window closes (8th if we include Serge on right of three).

 

[Rzar]

Saudi window still open for a week so perhaps some chance of Dennis going there?

The thing about Shelvey is if even they can't afford his full wages we could still pay a proportion of them just to get him out the door and not stinking up the place

Turkish window also open for a while I think. They love a PL player, probably more so than the Saudi's.

 

[Tobias]

Jonjo rallying his troops for another crack at Carlton Town FC.

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

I count 36 players. 5 of them do not count for the 25-men restriction as they're under 21 (Murillo, Santos, Aguilera, Elanga, Mighten). So that's 31. Five of those, therefore, will have to join Harry Arter in the bomb squad, if they don't leave in the coming days. The obvious choices for me are: a keeper (you have four, that's too much), McKenna and / or Biancone (seven CBs and three right backs are, again, too much), Shelvey and Kouyate (eight midfielders is ridiculous), and Dennis (you're light upfront, but he's clearly not rated by the manager and the club).

 

[Malwood]

Does your 36 include Andrew Omo? Cos he's also U21

 

[Heffing Psycho!]

These are all the over 21s left by my count, so 8 who don't make the 25 man squad:

Vlachodimos
Turner
Hennessey
Horvath
Shelvey

Worrall
Felipe
Niakhate
Boly
McKenna
Biancone

Toffolo
Montiel
Aurier
Williams
Aina
Tavares

Sangare
Dominguez
Yates
Danilo
Mangala
Kouyate
Shelvey
Arter

MGW
CHO
Konate

Awoniyi
Origi
Wood
Dennis
Larsson

 

[Malwood]

Who's Larsson? Did I miss something?

 

[Heffing Psycho!]

Who's Larsson? Did I miss something?

Julian Larsson, been in the academy for a few years but he's 22 now, don't expect he was ever likely to be registered but he is technically contracted and over 21.

 

[Omar Devone Little]

Vlachodimos
Turner
Horvath

Worrall
Felipe
Niakhate
Boly
McKenna

Montiel
Aurier
Williams
Aina
Tavares

Sangare
Dominguez
Yates
Danilo
Mangala
Kouyate

MGW
CHO
Dennis

Awoniyi
Origi
Wood

That's my 25 (not the 25 I think will be chosen) but we could see one or two still leave via one of the windows that are still open.

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

Does your 36 include Andrew Omo? Cos he's also U21

Ah, right. So, a bomb squad of five (including Arter).

 

[Malwood]

So just to check I understand, please. All the players we have available are in one of these five categories, right?

1) the 25 man premier league squad
2) first-team squaddies who are under 22 and therefore don't count towards the 25 man squad
3) Academy players
4) players who have graduated from the academy and are part of the U21 squad
5) bomb squad

 

[GreeksBearingGifts]

As I was afraid, you will probably offload players to us. There's talk of Biancone (whom we do not need, either as a RB or as a CB) and Kouyaté (whom I would not mind having as an extra option).

 

[incident]

As I was afraid, you will probably offload players to us. There's talk of Biancone (whom we do not need, either as a RB or as a CB) and Kouyaté (whom I would not mind having as an extra option).

I'd be surprised if the club were trying to offload Kouyate, either temporarily or permanently. He's still comfortably within the "25", even after all the new arrivals, so even though he's not going to get many minutes he's an excellent option to keep around for depth.

Think there's a chance he leaves, but if so it'll be because he wants to, either to get more playing time or to get Saudi money.

 

[Samba's Water Bottle]

As I was afraid, you will probably offload players to us. There's talk of Biancone (whom we do not need, either as a RB or as a CB) and Kouyaté (whom I would not mind having as an extra option).

I'd think Biancone and Dennis would be the most likely.

 

[Loughborough_red]

Still think it's a shame that the old EFL loan window doesn't stay open after PL clubs submit their 25 man squads like it used to. The likes of Biancone could be getting valuable experience at a decent Championship club right now, ready to come back and prove himself in Jan.

Instead it leaves footballers sitting around twiddling their thumbs for 6 months like LOB nearly had to when his Blackburn deal fell through, I'm not sure who it benefits.

 

[DizzyBala]

I think if Biancone gets another six months of no first team football, we've fookin ruined him. At least Richards gets to play for Oly.

 

[Loughborough_red]

He was bought as a player for the future but I wonder if our ambitions have moved a bit beyond him now? He clearly has a great attitude- I think we owe it to the lad to get him some.competitive football somewhere.

 

[Malwood]

I'd think Biancone and Dennis would be the most likely.

I think Dennis will attract interest in Turkey, no?