Well that was a long old break eh?! Been busy with other things so the blog's had to take a break but started to wonder tonight about what the summer might hold for the blues.
Traditionally transfer windows have been a time to dread but since the phenomenal business that we did during January I must say that i've become much less twitchy about the next few months.
First up I think it's more or less certain that we are going to lose one of our 'big' players this summer. This article in the Telegraph paints a very vivid picture of why that's the case. So who to go? A lot of the talk suggests it might be Fellaini but I think we'll get another year out of the big Belgian, sadly I fear that it will be Leighton Baines that bids farewell to us this summer. Now firmly established as the heir to Ashley Cole's spot for England and as a consistent Premier League performer for several years he's a safe bet for any Champion's League side in need of an attacking left-back. What's more, the conspiracy theorist in me can't help but think his absence since our season effectively ended at Wembley isn't just a coincidence. Perhaps that's over dramatic but nonetheless, with rumours of interest from Bayern and Manchester Utd, I think he'd be coveted and we all know that an auction is the best way to get a top price.
As amazing as Leighton has been for us over the last few years if we've got to sell anyone i'd rather it was a defender. We know that Moyes can spot a defender, we know that Distin can play there and we also know we have two highly rated young left-backs coming through. Players like Baines don't grow on trees but if his sale could fund the purchase of a cheap, steady replacement and allow us to re-sign Pienaar and another creative midfielder or striker it would make up for the loss in my opinion. Baines has been our best attacking outlet for a long time but there are drawbacks to having your best attacker playing full back - it's an obvious defensive weakness for opponents to exploit, it's predictable and it also leads to a lot of crosses which I think (and i dont have the stats to back this up) isn't the most effective way to score goals. Any well drilled defensive unit can set up to deal with them quite easily.
I wouldn't even begin to speculate on who might come in with what's left over from our big sale. Well, i mean obviously Pienaar has got to be a good bet (hopefully we had some sort of first option/cheap buy-back clause when we sold him) but that aside anyone coming in is likely to come from left field. I still think we'll be in the market for a back-up for Jelavic as Straq will probably go back to Argentina and even if Pienaar does return we'll probably want to sign another wide, creative midfielder (possibly on loan). Oh and of course, a steady eddy left back who doesn't mind getting forward a bit.
One comment I would make about our targets is that more than ever a player's success in the Premier League seems to be dependent on their ability to fit into the system that a team plays. Just look at the players in the promoted teams this year - players like Hoolahan, Bennett, Allen and Brittan have been very effective despite playing most of their careers in a lower league. Brittan in particular is amazing in that he has played for Swansea in every division, for a player that has played that low a level to still be one of the most effective midfielders in the Premier League indicates to me that times are changing. Teams and systems trump individual brilliance more than for a long time and therefore finding the right type of player is more important than who the actual individual is. I would love to see Moyes scouring Europe and Championship for a very specific type of player - we all saw the effect Donovan had so let's look for the best copy we can find. Bit of pace, good tactical awareness and good movement. 15's for these rather than Donovan's 18's (in Football Manager speak).
So that's what I see happening. We'll see how it pans out but as ever I wouldn't have thought we'll see much action until about midday on the 31st August!
