2023 Roster and Transfer Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Shwafta
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After 2015 with Lampard and Pirlo, has NYCFC ever signed someone in the summer window who became an immediate, regular contributor to the team? Taty joined in summer 2018, but didn't get regular minutes until 2019. Santi joined in June 2020 but was signed in the primary winter transfer window which was extended due to Covid, and even he only started 40% of the games he was here for that year. I'm sure I'm missing someone, but my point is I believe the club rarely does this. In fact, what I remember instead is we regularly speculate about what roster gaps the club might fill with a significant summer acquisition - not necessarily a DP but some immediate contributor - and our expectations are regularly not fulfilled.
Which has me wondering why some people seem to be anticipating we will do it this year. I think typical NYCFC is we shed people in the early winter, are slow to add replacements, and do so either late in preseason or multiple games into the season but still as part of the primary window. It's both frustrating and predictable. The current window is open until May 4. The 2023 roster seems even thinner than usual for NYCFC, and I expect more acquisitions than usual (including maybe some returns) spread out between now and May 4. We're not riding with this roster or even one that overlaps by 80% until May or especially August.
Which has me wondering why some people seem to be anticipating we will do it this year. I think typical NYCFC is we shed people in the early winter, are slow to add replacements, and do so either late in preseason or multiple games into the season but still as part of the primary window. It's both frustrating and predictable. The current window is open until May 4. The 2023 roster seems even thinner than usual for NYCFC, and I expect more acquisitions than usual (including maybe some returns) spread out between now and May 4. We're not riding with this roster or even one that overlaps by 80% until May or especially August.
Just because the team hasn't done it for a few years doesn't mean it won't do it in the future.
The team has already shifted strategy once, what's to say it doesn't shift strategy again? Especially with a clear new era starting with the lead-up to a stadium, maybe they're going to look at a different approach?
Sure, they might. Nothing lasts forever and whenever they change the pattern will by definition be the first time. But why should we expect it this year? What has happened so far that indicates this year they are likely to change how they build the team and get significant summer additions? It seems to me last year was a better candidate. We returned almost everyone but Gudi, Shradi and Sands, so hold off until July and pick up replacements then. Instead we added Martins in February, let Taty go in the summer and I think the only incoming summer transfer of any note was Pellegrini who barely saw the field.
We just got rid of a DP player and a bunch of high salary players, plus the stadium announcement just happened. That's the only reason I can really think of
I still don't see why that suggests we would wait until summer to load up. Maybe if we're going for a big DP who's currently playing on a Europe style schedule we defer that particular piece.
Thinking more on my previous post and what I noted about 2022, I think fans are freaking out a bit more this year than normal because we mostly have 2 years of departures to replace. If you count Martins as a sort-of Sands replacement, that still leaves no new Gudi, Shradi or Taty, plus everyone who has left since October 2022. Maybe you slot Pellegrini as an approximate Shradi replacement but that still leaves Gudi, Taty, Maxi, Tinnerholm, Santi, and maybe any or all of Pereira, Callens and Johnson off the top of my head. Ibeagha too I guess. We never really replaced him. Maybe O'Toole counts as a new Gudi/LB.
For this discussion, btw I'm not trying to measure quality. Just have we added a senior roster player who plays and fills the same or similar position as someone who left. We've got a crapload of holes. I'll be shocked if we don't fill at least 70% of them before May 4.
Oh, I think we will replace most of them too, I'm just suggesting a reason why it's POSSIBLE that we might. I doubt we will, though lol.
We're replacing two years-worth, but also I think it's because of the players that departed. We've let this many players go in an offseason before, it just hasn't been all the main players together.
Slowly slowly the freakout start to become a little bit more realistic and understandable, though...
He does. Originally Malte was supposed to be a preemptive replacement for Gudi, but O'Toole overperformed (vastly IMHO) and mostly supplanted him. LFB/LWB for once is relatively stable.
I would count Pereira as a preemptive replacement of Isi, too (and IMHO an upgrade if only because he stayed more healthy).
The reason people are freaking out is that we are letting go three club legends who still appear to have gas in their tanks, with no international signings to replace them. That one of them plays a position where we have no proven depth (CB) and that he is the best of the three, is worth a worry.
Secondarily, we have replaced the to best non-Villa strikers in our team history by moving a winger (Talles) into that position. Especially for USMNT fans, not having a real top striker is unsettling.
Finally, I think we'd all feel a lot better if we had at least retained Santi as the Maxi successor, but maybe Lee and Cushing think they can do better. He's good but he's not DP level.
i'd go as far as to say GP is an upgrade on isi. as much as I love isi's bangers, GP is much cleaner on the ball and vastly better dribbler with his own set of bangers. i'm very much looking forward to seeing him get even better and SO happy we have him locked down until 2026?
I think Talles, like Pereira, was also considered from the jump in-house as a preemptive replacement for Taty. We were crazy deep for an MLS team in 2021. Which is part of why we got away with not replacing everyone who left in 2022.
You still tracking when we have 3 DPs on the pitch at the same time. Or just gave up on that? Could be under 1% at this point.
Mostly I tracked whether any given DP spot missed at least 10 or more games in each season. Until last year the answer always was yes for at least one slot/player.
Isi was vastly overrated IMO. Sure he could score some bangers, but he rarely got into those spots to take shots and didn’t provide much off-ball or defensively.
I liked him as an offensive sub and very seldom starter at best, but it seems like many think he’s a regular starter and I just don’t see that at all.
GP on the other hand…..he’s fucking good
I second that. I think GP looked promising since the first time he stepped into the pitch, and improved clearly with every game. He's a budding star in my book.
To put it differently, we've had so many wingers over time (Isi, Medina, Mitrita, GMS, Taty as a winger, etc) who had longer tenures but never quite satisfied, that I think Talles and Magno (with Thiago A as a super sub) are by far the best winger pairing we've had. By far. They may be the only reason to be excited by the upcoming season, but at least they are here, young and with long contracts. If we can get a striker and leave TM as a winger, that would be ideal.
I’m assuming you mean GP haha because I don’t think Talles and Magno can be on both wings
His body is on one wing, and his hair is on the other wing.
Outfield contributor Paul Harvey with a good thread on NYCFC's roster situation. I'm putting 2 links here but the the whole thing is worth reading on the bird site He seems quite certain Sands is coming back barring a major change in circumstances and performance between now and the end of April. He also says the team has roster and cap space, plus the TAM for 3-6 new Senior roster players, including a DP.
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