Who would be your ideal signings and preferred starting XI?

[smallfulhamman]

With the Mitro contract finally sorted I have faith that a few more signings will be made shortly.
So I was wondering who everyone would like to see join?

I personally would love to add just a few of the following options: Cavaleiro RW and Josh Murphy LW to add some pace to the team and offer Mitro the service he needs.

I'd also love to add Assombalonga so that when we come up against a more defensive side we have a striker that can get in behind. As much as as I love Mitro I do feel his lack of pace gives us a hard time pressing opponents and he is unfortunately rather one dimensional.

Another strong CB (maybe steal Ashley Williams, Janssen would do if he didn't have an attitude problem).

Another more experienced GK Jack Butland would be ideal, I love Betts and Rodak has had an amazing season but I'd just feel more comfortable with someone a bit more authoritative who could help organise the defence. It'd also give Betts and Rodak a bit more competition and experience and we'd have decent prem quality GK in net but a more realistic option could be Guaita or Tom Heaton.


Ideally the below line-up is how we'd start the first game

GK - Betts
LB - Bryan
CB - Mawson
CB - Jansen/Konsa/Newbie (MLM)
RB- Christie
CM - Johansen
CM - Anguissa ( I genuinely feel he could be surprise this season)
CM - TC
RW - Cavaleiro (AK47 is a good enough player just would like the improvement)
ST - Mitro 🔥
LW - Josh Murphy (Floyd Ayité is more likely but I can


What would your ideal 11 be for the first game?
Is there anyone you really want to see don our famous black and white shirt next season?

[Cornishnick]

Mitro's deal is indeed good news but one little thing keeps niggling me. Both champ and Prem teams have had plenty of time to watch us and him, and work out how to play him. I really think we need options otherwise we might end up bit of a one trick pony.

Footie always goes in cycles, when a team develops a new style or gets a new player, it works for a while until the oppo work him out and then the performances drop off a bit. The real trick is to keep innovating and finding new ways to hit them (and I don't mean changing managers as frequently as we have)

[@jolslover]

Bettinelli; Christie, Konsa, Mawson, Bryan; Zambo, Cairney, Johansen; Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Kamara.

Rodak, Steven Sess, Odoi, Ream, Le March, Fossey, Cisse, O'Riley, KMac, New CM, Ayite, Kebano, New Striker, Fonte, De La Torre as backups

Maybe insert a new winger instead of Kamara ... A new RB / different CB instead of Konsa

[smallfulhamman]

Bettinelli; Christie, Konsa, Mawson, Bryan; Zambo, Cairney, Johansen; Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Kamara.

Rodak, Steven Sess, Odoi, Ream, Le March, Fossey, Cisse, O'Riley, KMac, New CM, Ayite, Kebano, New Striker, Fonte, De La Torre as backups

Maybe insert a new winger instead of Kamara ... A new RB / different CB instead of Konsa

That front three would be terrifying just due to their physicality let alone the speed AK and Cav bring.
Think our team as a whole has lacked physicality over the last few years in honesty, especially at the back.

[smallfulhamman]

Mitro's deal is indeed good news but one little thing keeps niggling me. Both champ and Prem teams have had plenty of time to watch us and him, and work out how to play him. I really think we need options otherwise we might end up bit of a one trick pony.

Footie always goes in cycles, when a team develops a new style or gets a new player, it works for a while until the oppo work him out and then the performances drop off a bit. The real trick is to keep innovating and finding new ways to hit them (and I don't mean changing managers as frequently as we have)

Couldn't agree more, that's why I feel we need another striker, I'm sure there will be games that Mitro is the way to go but when we struggle we have no plan B. We've all seen how effective counter attacking football can be and we have shown glimpses of being able to play that way when we had the right personnel on the pitch. Thinking back to AK's chip the other year. Would love to set up with our normal style then switch to it when needed.

[Milo]

Macdonald or Johansen next to Anguissa and Cairney though? Surely it'll be a Macdonald as Anguissa seemed to play better alongside Chambers ie the second DM.

For me we need a new RB, and at least one but ideally two wingers.

Betts
New RB
Mawson
Odoi
Bryan
Macdonald
Anguissa
Cairney
AK47
Mitro
New LW

[Classic94]

Not seeing much R Sess... although in all likelihood, he has one foot out the door. I think we absolutely MUST sign a starting RCB and LW. We could also use a DM, RW and ST for depth.

Betts
Bryan, Mawson, RCB (Konsa), Christie
Cairney, Zambo, Johansen
LW (Cavaleiro), Mitro, AK

DM (Trevoh Chalobah)
RW (Jovane Cabral)
ST (Stephy Mavididi)

Rodak
MLM, Ream, Odoi, S Sess, Fossey, Drameh
McDonald, Cisse, Edun, O'Riley
Fonte, Ayite, Kebano, De la Torre, Francois

[BigbadBillyMcKinley]

Aahhh. The famous dream land.

There is one big flaw to all these formations, and that is, we're Fulham. We won't sign anyone we need, they won't be worth the money and they probably won't be played anyway.

[FPT]

God, I love these fantasy things. If we can get a move for Ezri Konsa over the line, I'd be delighted. If not, I'm ok with a Michael Hector. Pontus Jansson is officially a Brentford player so don't worry about that, but hopefully, that pushes Konsa to Fulham closer. Honestly, for me that's the defence done and sorted. Maybe bring in some depth but that'd give us two right backs (Christie, Sessegnon), four centre backs (Konsa, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand) and a left back (Bryan) with Denis Odoi (and Sessegnon honestly) as guys that can play all and cover all three fine.

I don't know how others feel about this, but I'd look to spend some money in central midfield; really stake your claim as wanting to win the title and have this player be comfortable in the division above. James McCarthy, Philip Billing or Isaac Hayden would be really nice fits for this team from experience and stylistic standpoints. I know some people will find that kind of move unnecessary but I'm trying to win the division and look at staying up the following season, I think all three of those would help achieve that.

When I look at wingers that would be available, Ivan Cavaleiro would be top of that list even before Helder Costa's loan move to Leeds. Cavaleiro is a type of winger that not only offers pace, power and directness to beat his opposing defender but to have an end product, to score and create goals. I think both Mitrovic and Cairney would love him on the right.

I think we need two wide players minimum, maybe this is where we use a loan to get a Ryan Kent from Liverpool (though I believe he's spoken about if he goes out on loan again, it'd be Rangers but Liverpool hold the cards). Maybe we go and bring a Lucas Piazon back? Or use that previous Chelsea relationship for an Izzy Brown loan. Just spitballing but in short, spend cash on a Cavaleiro then find a 'cheaper' option on the other side that is a little more financially safer (though some could argue that Cavaleiro and Ayite with Kamara, Kebano and De La Torre would be fine).

I would certainly look at getting a striker, but what type? If fit (which he has been) Mitrovic will start and likely play 90 minutes in every league game. I'm all for getting a Gayle or an Assombalonga but would they want to be second fiddle? How often would we play with two up top? Also, where do you go stylistically? Do you want a back up for Mitro or do you want a game changer? A Charlie Austin would ensure that we don't lose anything if there was a Mitrovic injury.

That went on a little longer than expected, by the way, if you want a goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic is available I believe.

If you want a left back, I love Greg Taylor of Kilmarnock (could well be the next Andy Robertson).

Our squad today (even without Seri, Sessegnon and Anguissa) is playoff worthy, it may be towards the lower ends with the lack of depth and quality out wide but I think it'd be a good bet for top six. Adding the proven players as above would just be building on a great core to turn it from playoffs to automatics.

[Tabby]

A winger or two, a right sided CB and a better backup striker better than Fonte and I'd be happy. That is assuming we sell Seri and Sess. I won't pretend to know who to get as I'm not a scout.

Has to be some belief in youth prospects like Steven Sess and O'Riley coming through.

[St Eve]

I would be very happy if we kept Sess, got a new full back, Christie is nowhere near good enough, and a new center back

[The Rational Fan]

According to transfermarkt, have 3 of the Top 20 centre backs in the league, we have 2 of Top 15 right backs in the league, we have 2 of the top 10 goalkeepers, we have 1 of the top 3 left backs and McDonald is our 5th most expensive midfielder and most valuable centre forward by some distance.

We are a top team that most teams (especially bottom half) will go on to the field and play for a draw, but there is our major problem next season will we be able to beat teams regularly that are playing for a draw using the parking the bus.

Most fans want to add to defense, but we need a attacking that can break down a team "parking the bus", Mitro and Sess are amazing at playing a parked bus, but who else Kamara seems more of a counter attack forward, while Kebano and Fonte are good players but both are useless if very heavily marked.

We will be the best team in at least 35 games next season, but will that get us the 27 wins we need? For me without injuries we are easily good enough but of course injuries will happen and 2-3 loses in  five games normally has destroyed automatic promotion for one team each year, my main doubts are the bench late in games and starting XI substitutes for injuried forwards.

[wheelerdeeler]

Said it in the Gossip thread. We need to sign a right-sided Centre-Back and a Right-Winger. Right-Winger is obvious with Cavaleiro, right-sided Centre-Back at the moment is seemingly Konsa and Hector- but I'd be willing to wait a week or two for Chelsea to decide if they want to keep Tomori for the season and then go for him if we could.

Then we could get away with not signing a Right-Back, another DM and a Left-Winger- but we probably should. For Right-Back I said all along I wanted Nazim Sangare or Falaye Sacko. Both absolutely rapid, reasonably cheap (3m-4m maximum) and especially with Sangare he has a pretty good end product.

DM, I want just a tackler- because Zambo and McDonald are both more suited to playing with the ball at their feet. When I did my Transfer Window Preview at the start of the summer I suggested Andreas Geipl (Regensburg), because he'd be ideal in the sense that he offers us something different and he'd be cheap coming from the Bundesliga 2 and he's in the last year of his contract.

(If Zambo goes I'd be interested in someone like Ryan Woods who can play deep and pass the ball, which we're seemingly interested in given the Forshaw link).

Left-Wing, dream signing is Valon Berisha. He's ideal in the sense that he can play on the left and centrally so if (when) Cairney misses a game we could play Berisha as the #10 and start say Ayite on the left. Lazio seemingly want to get rid as well.

But that's perhaps unrealistic, so I'd like us to try for someone like Darwin Machis (Udinese) or closer to home ask for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou as part of the inevitable Sessegnon-Spurs deal. Works out well for both parties, Spurs get some money off of Sessegnon and get rid of a player they don't want- and we get a pretty capable Winger for the Championship.

If I'm being realistic, we're probably looking at a team when everyone's available of;
Bettinelli; Christie, New RCB (Konsa etc.), Mawson, Bryan; Zambo, Cairney, Johansen; New RW (Cavaleiro hopefully), Mitrovic, Ayite.
Or if it's a 4-2-3-1 McDonald instead of Johansen, which I'd personally prefer.

But I'd love it if we had Berisha or Nkoudou instead of Ayite and Sangare or Sacko instead of Christie.

It's why I've not been that fussed about the seeming lack of activity on the transfers front, because we already pretty much (bar one or two positions) have the team we'll be playing most of the season with.

[Matt10]

I'd like to keep the core group together, but understand there may be some movement across the line. The key is keeping familiarity instead of a bunch of new faces. I think this was more detrimental than anything last year.

GK: Betts
RB: Christie
RCB: New signing, my preference would either be Van der Hoorn from Swansea, Liam Moore from Reading or Matt Miazga from Reading. Moore handed his transfer request last year, so there may be something to pick at.
LCB: Mawson
LB: Bryan
LCM: Johansen
CDM: Anguissa
RCM: Cairney
LW: Kamara, New signing - look at someone like Ollie Watkins from Brentford would be a splendid choice as he's got experience in the Championship and has done well last season.
ST: Mitro
RW: Fonte, New signing - looking at Cavaleiro of course, but I think we should go all out for Jamal Lowe from Pompey, who scored 15 goals last season. Boro are trying to get him, and it'd be pretty cunning work to snag him from under them.

[aussierod]

God, I love these fantasy things. If we can get a move for Ezri Konsa over the line, I'd be delighted. If not, I'm ok with a Michael Hector. Pontus Jansson is officially a Brentford player so don't worry about that, but hopefully, that pushes Konsa to Fulham closer. Honestly, for me that's the defence done and sorted. Maybe bring in some depth but that'd give us two right backs (Christie, Sessegnon), four centre backs (Konsa, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand) and a left back (Bryan) with Denis Odoi (and Sessegnon honestly) as guys that can play all and cover all three fine.

I don't know how others feel about this, but I'd look to spend some money in central midfield; really stake your claim as wanting to win the title and have this player be comfortable in the division above. James McCarthy, Philip Billing or Isaac Hayden would be really nice fits for this team from experience and stylistic standpoints. I know some people will find that kind of move unnecessary but I'm trying to win the division and look at staying up the following season, I think all three of those would help achieve that.

When I look at wingers that would be available, Ivan Cavaleiro would be top of that list even before Helder Costa's loan move to Leeds. Cavaleiro is a type of winger that not only offers pace, power and directness to beat his opposing defender but to have an end product, to score and create goals. I think both Mitrovic and Cairney would love him on the right.

I think we need two wide players minimum, maybe this is where we use a loan to get a Ryan Kent from Liverpool (though I believe he's spoken about if he goes out on loan again, it'd be Rangers but Liverpool hold the cards). Maybe we go and bring a Lucas Piazon back? Or use that previous Chelsea relationship for an Izzy Brown loan. Just spitballing but in short, spend cash on a Cavaleiro then find a 'cheaper' option on the other side that is a little more financially safer (though some could argue that Cavaleiro and Ayite with Kamara, Kebano and De La Torre would be fine).

I would certainly look at getting a striker, but what type? If fit (which he has been) Mitrovic will start and likely play 90 minutes in every league game. I'm all for getting a Gayle or an Assombalonga but would they want to be second fiddle? How often would we play with two up top? Also, where do you go stylistically? Do you want a back up for Mitro or do you want a game changer? A Charlie Austin would ensure that we don't lose anything if there was a Mitrovic injury.

That went on a little longer than expected, by the way, if you want a goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic is available I believe.

If you want a left back, I love Greg Taylor of Kilmarnock (could well be the next Andy Robertson).

Our squad today (even without Seri, Sessegnon and Anguissa) is playoff worthy, it may be towards the lower ends with the lack of depth and quality out wide but I think it'd be a good bet for top six. Adding the proven players as above would just be building on a great core to turn it from playoffs to automatics.

Asmir Begovic for me would be one of our best signings in the off season if it was to happen. He would make our defense look infinitely better with the confidence and communication that defenders expect from a goalkeeper.
Watching SP and Begovic chatting on the pitch after one of our last games gave me hope that they have a good relationship which could get it over the line too

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[The Rational Fan]

We pretty much only have Ryan Sessegnon sale to finance new players, because Fabri and Seri will lose money and won't be able to buy replacements until those losses are paid off.

[wheelerdeeler]

In my completely unqualified opinion I think we can spend about 20m comfortably this summer factoring in expected sales and parachute payments.
So based on what I talked about earlier I'd like our window to end up as;
Tomori (500k-1m loan fee)
Sangare/Sacko (3-4m)
Geipl (500k)
Cavaleiro (12m)
Berisha (1-1.5m loan fee + an option to buy next summer for 7-8m that triggers if we go up)

Works out as about 19m.

[Andyb]

I'd like to keep the core group together, but understand there may be some movement across the line. The key is keeping familiarity instead of a bunch of new faces. I think this was more detrimental than anything last year.

GK: Betts
RB: Christie
RCB: New signing, my preference would either be Van der Hoorn from Swansea, Liam Moore from Reading or Matt Miazga from Reading. Moore handed his transfer request last year, so there may be something to pick at.
LCB: Mawson
LB: Bryan
LCM: Johansen
CDM: Anguissa
RCM: Cairney
LW: Kamara, New signing - look at someone like Ollie Watkins from Brentford would be a splendid choice as he's got experience in the Championship and has done well last season.
ST: Mitro
RW: Fonte, New signing - looking at Cavaleiro of course, but I think we should go all out for Jamal Lowe from Pompey, who scored 15 goals last season. Boro are trying to get him, and it'd be pretty cunning work to snag him from under them.

Jamal Lowe be perfect, watched him quite a few times this year he's so good

[Facts Not Fiction]

Bettinelli; Christie (Konsa) Mawson Bryan; Anguissa Johansen Cairney; (Cavaleiro) Mitrovic Kamara.
Rodak; Sessegnon Odoi Ream Le Marchand; McDonald O'Riley de la Torre; Kebano Fonte Ayite

Add a couple more players, and were looking good.

[filham]

The priority right now is to sell Sess. and Seri and then spend that income on a replacement for Sess., a new wide right player with pace and a quality centre back.  That should give us players that Parker can mould into a top six team or better.