The Defence.
In 2024/25 we conceded 65 goals - only Wolves on 69 goals and relegated teams conceded more - circa 20 goals more than the teams in european spots via PL. And that's the reason why despite being 7th highest scorers in PL we end up in 17th spot with a GD of -1.
Individually, our defenders look quite good although due to injuries they didn't play together as much as we'd like, and I'd guess Romero and Van de Ven didn't play together in more than half the matches, we didn't have Danso until January and lost Dragusin at same time. So we've often needed to play Gray and Davies (but Davies assumed to be leaving). The Ange high line won't help defenders either.
Looking at Romero's social media it looks safer to assume he's staying after an EL winners medal and CL football next season : so that's the assumption behind this post.
CB's (4) - Romero (27), Van de Ven (24), Dragusin (23) , Danso (25)
FB's (3) - Porro (25), Udogie (22), Spence (25),
18 year old CB Luka Vuskovic has impressed everyone playing for Westerlo this last season on pretty much every measurable metric. It helps they have been playing a high line so Angeball will not be foreign to him. He's right footed but seems equally happy playing RCB or LCB, and his weaker left foot is not just for standing on. Arguably he's already too good to be loaned out again, other than to another side in PL or top league such as Bundesliga, and we'd be better using him at Spurs ..... all to be tested in pre-season of course. And whilst he has impressed a lot at Westerlo he is not the finished article and will need some further development.
If Sarr is replaced by Devine in CM (as proposed in an earlier post) we gain one extra List A/Overseas place which could be used to add Vuskovic to existing CB squad - but we also need to recruit a LB which could be the other use of that gained place.
So the options seem to be :
i) Sell Dragusin and replace him with Vuskovic. Buy a back up left back
ii) Keep both Dragusn and Vuskovic. No spare space for a left back so cover comes from Spence and Gray again
As a slight wrinkle on this option we could keep George Abbott as an extra CM too as he can also cover full back, such that we have 3 players who could potentially cover LB.
I see no great advantage in trying to upgrade on any of the other defenders this summer, and we probably don't have the budget given other priorities.
Its worth adding that both Gray and Bergvall will be classed as List B in 2026/27 which will give us 2 spare spaces, one of which could be used to acquire a dedicated left back alternative, so this may be the last season we have this issue.
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