F365’s summer transfer guide: Cardiff to Everton

Daniel Storey

Part one of our bumper summer transfer guide is here, including Arsenal, Bournemouth, Brighton and Burnley…

 

Cardiff City

What do they need?
Plenty, to be brutally honest. You cannot fault Neil Warnock’s over-achievement in getting Cardiff promoted, but the squad will need serious surgery if they are to survive next season. Warnock will hope to play the Stoke City ‘they don’t like it up ‘em’ style that served Cardiff very well in the Championship, but aside from the two central defenders, Kenneth Zohore and Junior Hoilett, could you be truly confident about any of them making the step up? A new back-up striker is a must – sorry, Gary Madine – but both full-back positions and central midfield could also do with improving, particularly if Craig Bryson’s loan move isn’t made permanent. I’m trying not to p*ss on everyone’s chips, here.

What will they get?
During their 2013/14 season in the Premier League, Cardiff signed 14 players of 11 different nationalities from six different leagues, so this could be interesting. Having Warnock in charge should mean that such a scattergun approach might be toned down a touch, but Warnock will push for significant investment accompanied by loan players from top-six clubs. My random generator of names throws out Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Rob Holding and Harry Wilson.

What’s been said?
“I’ve already got transfer targets that I have got to try and get permission from the board to try and sign. Vincent and the owners know I don’t spend silly money, they are aware of that, but at the same time we do need five or six players to add to the squad to give us a chance really. I’ve got a great group of lads and I think most of them can play in the Premier League. And we need players to supplement that; we won’t be signing any big name, big-time Charlies who will disrupt our spirit” – Neil Warnock, May 7.

 

Chelsea

What do they need?
A question to which the answer entirely depends on how much of the summer of 2017 will be undone a year later. It’s hardly outside the realms of possibility that Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta, Danny Drinkwater and Alvaro Morata could leave, which would be pretty impressive. Each would need to be replaced, but Chelsea’s most obvious gap lies in central midfield. They need a shield for the defence who would allow N’Golo Kante to sprint and press and tackle and intercept and roam without leaving the defence exposed to the counter. Like Nemanja Matic, for example.

What will they get?
Chelsea reportedly don’t want to sell Morata or Bakayoko for fear that they will go on and be brilliant elsewhere, but Drinkwater will surely leave. Nabil Fekir has been mentioned as an attacking option, while Jean Michael Seri is available for £40m in midfield. Much depends on the identity of Antonio Conte’s replacement. Worries about Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois leaving will prove unfounded.

What’s been said?
‘Conte’s successor will almost certainly find that the fiscal responsibility which has underpinned more recent years of the Roman Abramovich era is set to continue, curtailing the grossest largesse and relying increasingly on the raft of players on loan to either yield a profit or improve the first team’ – James Olley, Evening Standard, April 25.

 

Crystal Palace

What do they need?
To keep their best players. No club wants to go into the summer thinking about keeping the plug in the bath rather than topping it up with hot water and bubbles, but Crystal Palace have a fine squad of players whose collective belief has been vastly improved by Roy Hodgson. Losing Wilfried Zaha or Yohan Cabaye, particularly with loans for Fosu-Mensah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek coming to an end, would be a disaster. The last thing Palace need is to be playing catch-up again.

What will they get?
My hunch is that Zaha will stay, although the heart might be defeating the head. Cabaye has little reason to leave either, which would leave Hodgson whistling with optimism during July. Nobody is going to pay Christian Benteke’s wages, but Palace would certainly like a new striker and a central midfielder to replace Loftus-Cheek. How about Dominic Solanke on loan from Liverpool for the former?

What’s been said?
“We want to keep the nucleus of this team together and hopefully strengthen in one or two areas to make certain that next season we can finish 11th again, which if we do will be a good achievement. We have to be satisfied with that because we have modest expectations at the moment. But if we get there, we cannot do it the way we got there this year” – Roy Hodgson, May 14.

 

Everton

What do they need?
To get the club’s hierarchy and manager all pulling the same direction. To get rid of Wayne Rooney. To get rid of one more central midfielder. And one more No. 10. To buy another central defender (Eliaquim Mangala’s loan ends, Ashley Williams and Phil Jagielka are getting on). To buy a striker to support Cenk Tosun (sorry Oumar). To restore some positivity amongst supporters by appointing a manager who they believe in.

What will they get?
With Yannick Bolasie given a full pre-season and Ademola Lookman back in the fold, Everton could be exciting next season. Marco Silva should continue that pattern by signing players aged between 21 and 26 from across Europe, but beware going for quantity over quality. Pick a few realistic names from this list and please goodness make Everton fun again.

What’s been said?
“We discussed the plans for next season with Farhad. I think that we’ve got some clarity going forward now. The ins and out of players is a pure wait-and-see basis. We’ve had a discussion in that manner and try to move forward at the end of the season as quick as we can” – Sam Allardyce, April 27.

Oh.

 

Daniel Storey