I should start this article by saying that I have full confidence in the players and management to win the league. I am not panicking or bed wetting, I just feel that we don’t have much squad depth going into the season and you should always want the club to be as strong as possible.
The title is the be all and end all this season. After that, keeping the run of trebles going is the next priority. Many fans will not be as concerned with our European exploits, myself included, given that 10 in a row is within our grasp. However, the club will certainly want to qualify for the Champions League and get the financial rewards that come with that, which in turn will help us in the future. In the worst case scenario we should be in the Europa League, meaning a lot of matches will be played.
1966/67 was our club’s most important season. We didn’t realise it at the time, it became such because of what was achieved. This time around, we know what is at stake, we know history is on the line and frankly it is the most important pre-season we have ever been aware of (going for 10 in a row wasn’t as big last time as 9 in a row was then unprecedented).
I am confident that we will win 10 in a row. I believe we have the best team and the best squad in the league. However, I also believe that our squad is still light on options in certain areas and thus I’d like us to be stronger by the time the season starts. Who wouldn’t want their team at maximum strength to make the chance of securing history even greater/safer?
Since the end of last season we have let a number of players go. Jonny Hayes was a prominent squad player last year and started a lot of matches including the away victory over Lazio. If he wasn’t first choice at left back then he was next in line behind Taylor, whilst Bolingoli was left out of the squad. Jozo Simunovic was a regular starter in recent seasons, though he was often injured and did only play a handful of matches last season. Fraser Forster looks unlikely to rejoin the club and his heroics are well renowned, meanwhile Craig Gordon has also left the club; he was second choice under Lennon. In addition to those notable exits, Kouassi, Bauer, Arzani, Hendry and Miller have all departed.
Our only signing so far has been Elyounoussi on loan and that was a superb coup. I respect the fact that finances must be tight just now considering the loss of revenue throughout the lockdown and coronavirus pandemic. That said, we have just began a new sponsorship deal with Adidas that has seen record sales this summer and over 50,000 season tickets have been sold. In fairness, things were very much up in the air and there hasn’t been a lot of time between the easing of the lockdown and the scheduled start of the new season. Therefore, this isn’t a rant against the club, rather a note of caution.
The season starts next week and I have a couple of areas of concern. Currently, we have one recognised goalkeeper in the squad – Scott Bain… and he was third choice stopper last year! Again, this is not necessarily attributing blame to the club as Fraser Forster seems to have unexpectedly decided against rejoining the club having shown all the signs that he wanted to return, and Celtic and Southampton had reached an agreement for the transfer. Nevertheless, it’s not a healthy position to be in. I believe Bain is suitable back up, but a higher calibre keeper is required to take number one spot and sooner rather than later, especially with the risk that an injury to Bain would leave us without an experienced replacement.
At left back, Bolingoli has failed to impress since arriving from Rapid Vienna last season. He was left out of the squad many times in 2019/20 and he’s not a player that I rate personally. That area of the pitch is weakened by Hayes leaving, but not dramatically so as Taylor is a decent option. Given the choice, I would prefer that we signed another left back ahead of Bolingoli in the pecking order.
Centre back is the main area where we are light on options at present. Ajer and Jullien are the only recognised central defenders, though Bitton and Elhamed can fill in if required, whilst Stephen Welsh is a young defender who played well on his debut. Ideally, at least one recognised out and out centre half would be brought in to fill the void left by the departure of Simunovic.
In terms of wide men, Mikey Johnson is likely to undergo surgery for his injury, which means that Forrest and Elyounoussi are the only established wingers available. Shved seems nowhere near playing, whilst Karamoko is unlikely to step up as a first team regular just yet.
The last area of note is up front. We still have Edouard and hopefully can keep him. Yet god forbid, if he got injured then the options aren’t great. Leigh Griffiths is on his last chance, out of condition and unlikely to be ready for a few weeks. If he comes back to full fitness then I’ve no concerns. However, at present he is unavailable and Bayo has not featured in pre-season. Therefore, the only other striking option is Klimala, who has bulked up and scored against Nice after an interception from the goalkeeper’s pass. I hope he can show improvements after a poor start, but nothing has really been proven either way on him yet.
I can’t stress enough that our main players are very strong and I understand that the likes of Ryan Christie can be utilised out wide or behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 if necessary. Our midfield is extraordinary with Brown, McGregor, Rogic, Christie, Ntcham, Henderson and Bitton to choose from. As talented is the right back area with Frimpong and Elhamed. Yet the goalkeeping situation and lack of depth in central defence and wide midfield leads me to believe we are a little short going into the season. No doubt the club are working hard to fill these areas, I just hope we get some signings over the line soon as this season has the potential to be the most historic since 1967. Ideally, a centre back and goalkeeper will be signed before the campaign kicks off.
Liam Kelly
