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A huge season of change for us in terms of our squad with a massive amount of comings and goings. I felt last season that a lot of players let me down at various points while others faced problems with injuries. In short, I didnt want to carry any liabilities forward into the Premier League. While it may seem harsh on a lot of the payers that got us promoted, i didnt see any point in buying back up for them as the quality just wouldnt have been there to survive. So with that in mind, I decided to focus my attention on first team players. £30 million isnt the biggest budget in the world, and with a fair few positions needing to be filled, i did a lot of my shopping in the bargain basement, taking advantage of free transfers and transfer listings to sign players at cut prices.
PLAYERS IN
Andre Ayew - £4.5 mil (+£4.5 mil in add ons) - West Ham
I spent a long time looking for some quality to supplement the likes of Grealish, Adomah and Lingaard out wide, and an unhappy Andre Ayew answered my prayers. A bargain price for a great player with almost flawless physical and mental stats, I am hoping he can bag us some goals this season, even if it may be a little confusing having his brother Jordan at the club too!
Kyle Walker - £6.5 mil - Tottenham
I saw this fella on the transfer list and knew I had to get it done. Still only 26 years old and only on £40k a week, Kyle is a Champions League level right back that can be a key building block for the entire team I am trying to build.
Andrea Poli - £6.25 mil - Milan
Italian centre mid with 5 senior caps for his country. Poli brings some class and grit to the centre of midfield. Once again he possesses almost flawless mental and physical stats and suits the box to box role that I use perfectly. Only 26 years of age too which means he should be hitting his prime.
Jasper Cillessen - £4 mil - Barcelona
I wanted a quality goalkeeper and I got one! It ended up as a straight choice between Begovic and Cillessen and I opted for the cheaper, at just half the price of Begovic. He has long been touted as one of the brightest young talents in European goalkeeping and has his chance to shine now. Only 27 years old, but his £54k a week wages are amongst the highest in the squad so he needs to perform
Nampalys Mendy - £4.5 mil - Leicester City
One of the few instances of signing a player as backup, Nampalys will rotate with and provide support to Jedinak over the course of the season. With excellent speed and stamina, the lad can run all day which is useful when he also has an eye for both a tackle and a pass. 24 years old with his best years ahead of him.
Vlad Chiriches - £3.2 mil - Napoli
Next on the list was an experienced centre back. Tick. The 26 year old Romanian has great stats and a wealth of experience with Tottenham and Napoli. Never really been the first choice anywhere he has been, he will certainly be that now.
Kristoffer Ajer - £2.1 mil - Celtic
When I saw his asking price I snapped Celtics hand off. The 6'5 Norwegian is still only 18 years old but has the potential to go all the way to the very top. His stats are already amazing and he can play anywhere in the middle of the park from centre back to striker. His energy and flexibility could prove vital.
Ron Vlaar - Free Transfers
He struggles a bit with injuries but I am certain bringing Ron back to the club can be a successful move, and if its not, he was a free anyway! He has the experience and quality to sit nicely alongside Chiriches at the heart of the defence however because of his injury history I am still on the lookout for a centre back to sign on loan as extra cover.
Jonathan Calleri - Free Transfer
Already covered in an earlier post, this deal is astonishing! he has the potential to develop in to one of the finest strikers in the world, scored 15 goals in the Premiership last season and still came in on a free? Why on earth didnt West Ham snap him up!? Their loss is our gain.
Michy Batshuayi - Loan - Chelsea
The move that brings some real depth up front, Batshauyi is a proven source of quality and makes up an impressive set of options up front along with Calleri and Ayew. Only scored one goal last season in 14 apps for Chelsea but he has pace and power along with potential.
Total Spent - £36 mil
PLAYERS OUT
Carles Gil - £3.5 mil - Celtic
One of a few players that were out on loan last season following our relegation and were deemed surplus to requirements on their return. I wanted completely rid of the rotten wood from the disastrous relegation squad so they had to go, even for cut prices.
Carlos Sanchez - £2.9 mil - Marseille
Sanchez was another player who fell into the mould of rotten wood. While I could have saved some money and used him as backup to Jedinak, he is already 30 and not getting any better so I decided to cash in.
Gabby Agbonlahor - Free - Marseille
Rotten to the core. He was taking far too much money off the club and giving nothing back, throwing tantriums about not playing me and refusing moves away for financial reasons. In the end I forced him out on a free, saving myself £55k a week on wages in the process. Good riddance.
Micah Richards - £7.5 mil - Middlesbrough
A tough call to make but one where I feel I made the right choice. I managed to replace him with Kyle Walker, whilst saving £15k on the wage budget and making £1 million profit, tidy business?
Tommy Elphick - £1.3 mil - Celtic
Inconsistent and sloppy, I did not want to be in a position where I had to trust this man in the Premier League. Chiriches and Vlaar arriving were the final nails in his coffin, moving up to Celtic for a minimal fee.
Alex Tettey - £1 mil - Verona
A shame, as I like the lad a lot. His injury record pretty much forced through this sale as I didnt want to be paying his £30k wages for a player I couldnt rely on. We took the loss on this one and sold him again for a minimal fee.
Junior Stanislas - £500k - Sheff Utd
Didnt get a lot of game time in the Championship anyway, he started complaining about his lack of games. A non-vital part of the squad, I didnt want to risk my squads harmony over him, so he leaves.
Gary Gardner - £475k - Hull
Not good enough to make it in my squad, especially with the quality we have bought in. Makes way for more wages saved.
Total Income - £17 mil
On top of these player sales, Max Clayton and Aaron Tshibola leave on loan to the championship along with a couple of other promising academy youngsters, while Jonathan Kodjia, Nathan Baker, James Chester and Jordan Veretout remain for sale.
Squad
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I am now really happy with the make-up of the squad. If we can find a tactic that suits us in the Premier League, I am certain we now have the quality to stay up. Still keeping an eye on the transfer market, just in case an awesome opportunity pops up!