Season 8 Summer Transfer Window Team Grades Part 2
Cardiff: C+
INs:
Mendes AMF Birmingham 12,000,000
Kovac CMF Manchester Athletic 7,000,000
Harry Fenston GK Swansea Bay 2,000,000
Hasegawa CF Manchester Athletic LOAN 1,000,000
Valdez CF Neeps & Tatties LOAN
Turner RB Free Agent
OUTs:
Davison CB Exeter 7,500,000
Fach CF Neeps & Tatties LOAN
Finn DMF Exeter LOAN
Sampson GK Swansea Bay LOAN
Love: The balanced additions. Cardiff was very inconsistent last year. Yes, they have a new manager with a new style but it’s good to see the window approach was so balanced. Every single part of the field was enforced…in theory.
Hate: The exits. Davison and Finn are both top players at their respective positions. Fach is a capable CF and I don’t really see the point of swapping him with Valdez. You’ve heard of the phrase ‘Apples and Oranges’? This is more like ‘Apples and Applejuice’. I just don’t understand what Valdez brings you that Fach doesn’t.
The wage increase. 4 of the 5 top earners at the club are signings or loanees and 5 of the top 8. In fact, those 5 players (Mendes, Kovac, Fenston, Hasegawa, and Valdez) make up 36% of the club’s total wage bill. Fenston signed for 5 years/33,000 a week…while Roberts is on 9,000! Is Fenston THAT much better? Not in my eyes.
Oh, and 7,500,000 for Davison? That’s robbery…
Best Move: Mendes AMF Birmingham 12,000,000
Worst Move: Davison CB Exeter 7,500,000
What JMart would have done: Clearly the new ownership wanted to make a splash and while I agree with the approach I strongly disagree with the players and the wages. They could have spent less and added the same type of quality.
Question: What’s the starting lineup? Balance and depth is good, but who plays? Who starts? Who scores the goals? This is a team that was poisoned by inconsistency last season and going into the season with the same quality of personnel but higher wages could put us in the front row seat for a sequel to Season 7.
Prediction: 8th
Exeter: A-
INs:
Davison CB Cardiff 7,500,000
Henderson LMF Global 2,000,000
Tumadre CMF Global LOAN 2,000,000
Colt CF Neeps & Tatties LOAN 1,000,000
Bango-Bongo AMF Neeps & Tatties LOAN
Dolan LMF St Marylebone LOAN
Finn DMF Cardiff LOAN
Juric RMF Free Agent
OUTs:
Smith LB St Marylebone 12,500,000
Nohomo LMF Belle Vale 6,500,000
Tito CMF Belle Vale LOAN
Love: The Quality of the Incoming Players. Look at the list of signings/loanees above. Those are not names we would associate with a promoted squad fighting to stay up. I think Exeter will have just enough to stay in the top flight because of these coups. The Davison signing is a real statement move too.
Hate: Wage Bill. Before the window, Exeter had 2 players on 30,000/week or higher; now they have 5. Almost identical to Cardiff in the way that Davison, Henderson, Tumadre, Colt, and Juric make up 37% of the club’s weekly wages. That’s a lot of money being thrown out and 2 of those players aren’t even owned by the club.
Speaking of loans, I think Exeter did 1 or 2 too many. I understand doing what you can afford to try and stay up and the players are very good! But if they aren’t relegated they will be in a similar position next season when their loanees leave. How will they replace them? More loans? If they purchase players, I’d assume they won’t be as good given the team’s transfer budget.
Exeter’s 5 loanees is the most in the league. I worry they won’t have enough assets to boost their transfer budget over the next 2 to 3 windows to really improve the overall quality of their squad.
Best Move: Davison CB Cardiff 7,500,000
Worst Move: Dolan LMF St Marylebone LOAN
What JMart would have done: I would have spent more in free agency or tried to snag a few more cheap gems like the Davison deal. I love their window in terms of the players that were brought in, so it’s hard to really criticize Exeter other than the fact that 5 of their 8 signings are rentals
Question: What does the future look like? I am very curious how Exeter approach the next window because they might see themselves in a desperate need for help in order to stay safe. If that is the case, then I am not sure how they will navigate the market. We might see the sale of someone like Lucas, Fontana or Manana…similar to how we saw Smith sold this summer.
Prediction: 11th
Glasgow: C-
INs:
Vert CF Birmingham 27,000,000
Grill GK Global 8,000,000
Benbow CB Aberdeen 7,000,000
Meadowdancer CB Free Agent
OUTs:
Williams CB Manchester 11,000,000
Stephanopoulos DMF Manchester 4,000,000
Love: Vert. Any chance you have to sign the best striker in the league, you take it. Expect loads of goals.
Hate: Everything that is not Vert. Glasgow didn’t do much else to improve. Benbow is a like-for-like with Williams at CB, Grill was at Glasgow on loan last season and Meadowdancer doesn’t ‘WOW’ me. Lucky for Glasgow they already have a great squad, a great manager and I don’t need to like their window to trust them succeeding.
Best Move: Vert CF Birmingham 27,000,000
Worst Move: Stephanopoulos DMF Manchester 4,000,000
What JMart would have done: I would have replaced Williams with a better CB and brought someone in to replace Stephanopoulos. Effective DMFs are a dime a dozen, so giving depth behind Metropolis would have been easy and cheap.
Question: Will the defense hold? If Glasgow light the league up with goals it will mask weaknesses at the back. This team feels like they could end the season with the worst Goal Differential among the teams with the most Goals Scored. Unfortunately, I see them losing matches when they should draw. Regardless, I think they get a lot of wins and win the title by 1 or 2 points.
Prediction: 1st
Leeds City: C-
INs:
Wanga Banga LB Bristol Bridge 15,000,000
Sneijder CMF Free Agent
Wahlberg DMF Free Agent
Borja AMF Free Agent
OUTs:
Choi CB St Marylebone 7,000,000
Zidane AMF Bristol Bridge FREE
Semen LMF Manchester LOAN
Love: I really like the Sneijder move. Leeds finished S7 strong and it was hard to find too many holes. We all gasped when Gardonyi was sold last winter, but the Knutsen addition made us forget about that real quick. Manager Ola Normann will use 5 central midfielders at times and Sneijder fits perfectly. He can play anywhere in the middle of the park. The wages are high, but if he plays every game and Leeds challenge for a title again it’ll be money well spent. Keeping Belmont shouldn’t be overlooked as well.
Hate: This window reminds me of my feelings on socialism. A good idea here and there, if you single out 1 move it makes sense…it can work….but when you put it all together it’s an ineffective mess. Leeds have money but barely spent. It’s commendable they are taking chances on unproven free agents, but they didn’t have to. I don’t really see Wahlberg or Borja contributing much. Wanga Banga is a great signing, but I don’t see him completely fitting into Normann’s system. If he scores a few free kicks, then great…but if you want a FK merchant there are surely better options. I also hate the Choi sale. It’s decent money for the player/position but there idea for a replacement is an unproven DMF/CB hybrid free agent in Wahlberg. I trust Choi, he’s proven & not only did they sell…but they sold to a title challenging rival.
Best Move: Sneijder CMF Free Agent
Worst Move: Choi CB St Marylebone 7,000,000
What JMart would have done: I would have kept Choi and added 1 more proven Midfield player to compliment Sneijder.
Question: Can they maintain the momentum? Hottest team for most of the 2nd half of the season last year. A slight hiccup late, but still an amazing turnaround from the start of the campaign. Leeds must come out of the gates hot. If they get in their own way and start slow again, they may not have the magic to repeat Season 7’s historic run.
Prediction: 2nd
